HOW DO YOU TRAIN FOR THIS?

 

A couple of final pictures from Circus Flora (which closes this weekend for locals who haven't been). Carlos Carballo, the Number 1 guy on the Wheel Of Death, jumps rope at the top of the arc. Then he puts on a black hood and keeps walking over the rotating drum. Beyond my understanding, but that's what makes Circus Flora so much fun.

I had my lumbar nerve root ablation on Monday and things are getting better. It takes awhile to see the results but it's time to get back on the street.                 

WHEEL OF DEATH

 

That may be a bit of hyperbole considering the skilled artists, but that's what they call it. Carlos Carballo, upper right, has been doing this for twenty years. Bruce Zúñiga has been at it for ten. They are both from Peru and have appeared at Circus Flora before. In case it's unclear, the two wheels at the ends are constantly rotating around the central axis. Zúñiga's walking in the left circle is what keeps it going.                   

WHEEL OF DEATH

Peru native Carlos Morales began performing circuses at age 12. After mastering more and more complex feats, he began touring with the so-called Wheel of Death. These two photos can only hint at its complexity and daring. Walking in or outside the bigger wheel causes the whole thing to rotate. We are staggered to think the source of the idea, its design, testing, maintenance and transportation.