Francesco Caballero is determined to keep his family circus legacy afloat - BERITAJA

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 could 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 family of performers, by enchanting audiences pinch his charismatic shape beingness and crisp coordination.

“My family 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 capacity successful Santa Ana.

Though Francesco is only a period into his travel arsenic a walking formed member, he pranced about the ringing Wednesday pinch 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, he swiftly picked them up and tossed them into the air, arsenic if it were portion of the book each along.

And, erstwhile the thrill wore off, Francesco marched into halfway shape pinch a mini 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 about the Globe. He besides played the trumpet.

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

Francesco Caballero, 13, poses for a image 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 family circus was hardly clear-cut.

At the property of 3, he was diagnosed pinch leukemia: a crab that causes the assemblage to nutrient excessively galore abnormal achromatic humor cells. This made it difficult for his assemblage to conflict infections, transportation oxygen and extremity bleeding. He was successful curen for 4 years, until he yet hit crab by property 7.

This is why his mother, Liliana, a erstwhile flying trapeze artist, felt overprotective of him erstwhile he began showing liking successful the performing world — which began pinch a mini domiciled successful the Cirque du Soleil show “The Beatles Love,” successful which he played 1 of the Fab Four successful childhood.

At first, Liliana would watch intimately to make judge Francesco didn’t get tired aliases bruised. Yet doctors yet assured her that beingness activity for a recovering pediatric leukemia diligent would beryllium beneficial to his value of life.

“I was against it [at first], but he 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 personification 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 he told maine that he wanted to beryllium for illustration my family, for illustration his grandparents, it was a awesome restitution for me,” said Liliana. “After everything we’ve been through, and still my boy 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 capacity 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 move of the 20th period successful Guadalajara, pinch Adelaida Caballero was the first successful the family to believe the joyous spectacle. Her daughter, Isabel, would beryllium the first of the Caballeros to unfastened her ain circus, arsenic a measurement 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 complete Mexico, aided by the quality of the steamship and railway systems, arsenic the circus historiographer Julio Revolledo Cárdenas would item successful a 2018 article for the Fédération Mondiale du Cirque.

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

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

In 1995, this risky enactment helped the family 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 aliases 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 shelter circus, Caballero Circus, wherever Liliana now oversees the concession stand. Her sisters Maria and Judith negociate the circus and supervise show details, respectively.

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

Rubén Sr., who continues to beryllium the patriarch of the Caballero family, is school his youngest grandson everything he 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 show 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 pinch her relative Judith, besides 15; together they maneuver the motorbikes about the globe astatine opposing-intersecting paths. This is simply a accomplishment group she takes pridefulness in, since galore successful the assemblage presume location are men underneath the protective gear.

“Once we travel out, we return our helmets retired and they spot girls could do 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 world stints, collapsed disconnected and founded their ain troupe arsenic Circus Caballero. They person their ain touring show stationed successful Bell done May 25.

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

Some of the Caballero family members besides compete internationally arsenic the Flying Caballero — thing the youngest Caballero member, Francesco, hopes he could activity his measurement up to.

“ I’ve been told that they’ve been to France, to Italy, Germany, everywhere,” he said. “My primos conscionable went to 1 of the about prestigious festivals successful Monaco and they won first place. I wanna beryllium for illustration my cousins and do what they’re doing.”

Francesco mightiness still beryllium learning the ropes of the circus world — but earlier he could compete connected the glamorous world stage, he must first conquer his school’s virtual talent show. On June 8, he will participate successful a nationwide title by the virtual academy K12, which will showcase student talent from crossed the country.

Thankfully, he will person plentifulness of clip to practice. The Caballero Circus will position itself successful Lakewood between May 22 to June 7.

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