Francesco Caballero is determined to keep his family circus legacy afloat

Francesco Caballero has been juggling a batch — rather literally.

When he’s not tending to his online studies astatine the California Virtual Academies, the 13-year-old tin beryllium recovered successful the circus ringing — hurling bowling pins, straw hats, hollow rings and rubber balls precocious up successful the air, each successful 1 harmonious cycle.

But the bright-eyed teen is besides balancing thing acold greater: a legacy. The rookie showman is proving his mettle arsenic portion of the Caballero Circus, a five-generation household of performers, by enchanting audiences with his charismatic signifier beingness and crisp coordination.

“My household is simply a circus family. That’s what they did erstwhile they were kids and it conscionable passed connected to me,” said Francesco, hours earlier a Wednesday nighttime show successful Santa Ana.

Though Francesco is lone a period into his travel arsenic a traveling formed member, helium pranced astir the ringing Wednesday with the assurance of a seasoned ringmaster. For his act, the teen juggled up to 5 objects astatine a time; arsenic a mates of stray balls fell to his side, helium swiftly picked them up and tossed them into the air, arsenic if it were portion of the publication each along.

And, erstwhile the thrill wore off, Francesco marched into halfway signifier with a tiny motorbike — enclosing himself successful a enclosure known arsenic the “Globe of Death”: a mesh sphere wherever riders ramp their bikes utilizing the powerfulness of centripetal unit to loop astir the Globe. He besides played the trumpet.

“In bid to turn arsenic a performer and to beryllium better, you truly person to beryllium patient,” said Caballero. “It’s not thing that’s easy, that you’ll beryllium amended successful similar a week.”

Francesco Caballero, 13, poses for a representation astatine the Caballero Circus connected Wednesday, May 13, 2026, successful Santa Ana.

As boldly charismatic arsenic Caballero appeared connected stage, his way to performing successful the household circus was hardly clear-cut.

At the property of 3, helium was diagnosed with leukemia: a crab that causes the assemblage to nutrient excessively galore abnormal achromatic humor cells. This made it hard for his assemblage to combat infections, transportation oxygen and halt bleeding. He was successful attraction for 4 years, until helium yet bushed crab by property 7.

This is wherefore his mother, Liliana, a erstwhile flying trapeze artist, felt overprotective of him erstwhile helium began showing involvement successful the performing satellite — which began with a tiny relation successful the Cirque du Soleil amusement “The Beatles Love,” successful which helium played 1 of the Fab Four successful childhood.

At first, Liliana would ticker intimately to marque definite Francesco didn’t get bushed oregon bruised. Yet doctors yet assured her that carnal enactment for a recovering pediatric leukemia diligent would beryllium beneficial to his prime of life.

“I was against it [at first], but helium was truthful spoiled,” said Liliana. She joked that her son, the youngest of her 3 children, was “mimado” — a word successful Spanish utilized to picture idiosyncratic who receives excess attention. Back successful the ring, arsenic Francesco prepared his juggling enactment for different nighttime of play, she stood farther backmost successful the stands, being an ever-observant coach.

“When helium told maine that helium wanted to beryllium similar my family, similar his grandparents, it was a large restitution for me,” said Liliana. “After everything we’ve been through, and inactive my lad dreams of being successful the circus, it was a immense blessing for me.”

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The Cartoon Poodles execute astatine the Caballero Circus connected Wednesday, May 13, 2026, successful Santa Ana.  (Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)

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Chicharron performs astatine the Caballero Circus connected Wednesday, May 13, 2026, successful Santa Ana.  (Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)

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Francesco Caballero, 13, juggles pins during his show astatine Caballero Circus connected Wednesday, May 13, 2026, successful Santa Ana.  (Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)

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Nicole Caballero, 15, 2nd from left, Gianna Rios, 8, Francesco Caballero, 13, Judith Caballero, 15, and Chicharron execute astatine the Caballero Circus connected Wednesday, May 13, 2026, successful Santa Ana.  (Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)

The Caballero circus dynasty dates backmost to the crook of the 20th period successful Guadalajara, with Adelaida Caballero was the archetypal successful the household to signifier the joyous spectacle. Her daughter, Isabel, would beryllium the archetypal of the Caballeros to unfastened her ain circus, arsenic a mode to gain income during the Mexican Revolution. (They allegedly entertained Pancho Villa, a well-known circus-lover, successful 1916.)

During this time, circus families blossomed each implicit Mexico, aided by the quality of the steamship and railway systems, arsenic the circus historiographer Julio Revolledo Cárdenas would item successful a 2018 nonfiction for the Fédération Mondiale du Cirque.

However, overmuch of the Caballero family’s show lore begins with Isabel’s son, 82-year-old Rubén: an apparatus connoisseur well-versed successful the precocious wire, trapeze and manus balancing. Around 1981, Rubén would bring the full Caballero household to the United States; each 8 of his children performed for the esteemed Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circuses, with the flying trapeze arsenic their specialty act.

Two members of the Caballero family, Rubén Sr. and Rubén Jr., are besides recognized for being the archetypal to execute the quadruple somersault nether the large apical structure successful 1985. It requires utmost religion successful the other catcher, arsenic overmuch arsenic it does for the idiosyncratic flipping aggregate times implicit — they adjacent recorded the groundbreaking stunt for posterity’s sake, on with different location videos.

In 1995, this risky enactment helped the household unafraid the esteemed Payaso de Oro: the apical prize astatine the International Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo, an grant comparable to soccer’s Ballon d’Or oregon music’s Grammy. Some of the Rubén’s nonstop descendants would triumph the grant erstwhile again 30 years later.

By 2000, Rubén would unfastened his ain white-and-purple structure circus, Caballero Circus, wherever Liliana present oversees the concession stand. Her sisters Maria and Judith negociate the circus and supervise amusement details, respectively.

“My father’s American imagination was ever to tally his ain circus,” said Liliana.

Rubén Sr., who continues to beryllium the patriarch of the Caballero family, is teaching his youngest grandson everything helium knows. “He wants maine to beryllium better,” said Francesco.

Nicole Caballero, 15, from near successful the beforehand row, Melody Caballero, 22, Francesco Caballero, 13, and Judith Caballero, 15, astatine the extremity of the amusement astatine the Caballero Circus connected Wednesday, May 13, 2026, successful Santa Ana.

Now carrying the family’s torch is the 5th procreation of tumbling acrobats skilled successful the creation of equilibrium and flexibility. Liliana’s 15-year-old daughter, Nicole, specializes successful the Globe of Death, wherever she gets successful the locked cage with her relative Judith, besides 15; unneurotic they maneuver the motorbikes astir the globe astatine opposing-intersecting paths. This is simply a accomplishment acceptable she takes pridefulness in, since galore successful the assemblage presume determination are men underneath the protective gear.

“Once we travel out, we instrumentality our helmets retired and they spot girls tin bash it too,” said Nicole earlier her Wednesday performance.

Melody, big of the bilingual show, competed arsenic a contortionist connected Season 8 of “America’s Got Talent,” which aired successful 2013. “ We could person the worst time of our lives, but erstwhile we measurement connected stage, we person to person the biggest grin successful the world,” said Melody.

Two of Rubén’s older sons, who joined Russian acrobats during planetary stints, broke disconnected and founded their ain troupe arsenic Circus Caballero. They person their ain touring amusement stationed successful Bell done May 25.

Francesco Caballero, 13, gets acceptable successful a reflector wrong a trailer astatine the Caballero Circus connected Wednesday, May 13, 2026, successful Santa Ana.

Some of the Caballero household members besides vie internationally arsenic the Flying Caballero — thing the youngest Caballero member, Francesco, hopes helium tin enactment his mode up to.

“ I’ve been told that they’ve been to France, to Italy, Germany, everywhere,” helium said. “My primos conscionable went to 1 of the astir prestigious festivals successful Monaco and they won archetypal place. I wanna beryllium similar my cousins and bash what they’re doing.”

Francesco mightiness inactive beryllium learning the ropes of the circus satellite — but earlier helium tin vie connected the glamorous satellite stage, helium indispensable archetypal conquer his school’s virtual endowment show. On June 8, helium volition enactment successful a nationwide contention by the virtual academy K12, which volition showcase pupil endowment from crossed the country.

Thankfully, helium volition person plentifulness of clip to practice. The Caballero Circus volition presumption itself successful Lakewood betwixt May 22 to June 7.

“Not a batch of kids bash what I do,” said Francesco. “It teaches america to link with the public, to link with different people.”