Celebrating 8 Generations of Circus Artistry

What They Do… And Where They Are!

The Flying Wallenda’s are one of the most recognizable names in circus history. They have dedicated their lives to creating world-class performances sure to amaze audiences of all ages.

High Wire Acts

The seven person pyramid, the Wallenda’s signature trick, has been keeping audiences on the edge of their seats since 1948 and is one of the most dangerous and thrilling acts ever performed in circus.

Aerial & Ground Acts

While renowned for their daring high wire act, they astound audiences with multiple circus skills including various aerial acts and ground performances to create a full experience for any occasion.

Fantastic Feats

The Wallenda family is always creating new ways to amaze, including traversing cables hundreds of feet in the air high above rivers, cities, stadiums and more!

June 1 – 25

Circus Flora | Saint Louis, Missouri

July 21-30

York State Fair | York, Pennsylvania

August 11- 13

Central City, Pennsylvania

August 30 – September 4

The Great Allentown Fair | Allentown, Pennsylvania

September 8 – 10

Norwalk Oyster Festival | Norwalk, Connecticut

September 15 -17

The Guilford Fair | Guilford, Connecticut

September 28 – October 1

The Deerfield Fair | Deerfield, New Hampshire

October 7 – 9

The Topsfield Fair | Topsfield, Massachusetts

MEET THE FAMILY

Tino Wallenda

Descended from a rich Circus heritage that spans nearly 200 years and the 6th generation of performers, Tino is the leader of the (Flying) Wallenda family troupe. The Wallendas hold several accolades in the Guinness Book of Records for accomplishing both 8 and 10 Person Pyramids on the tight rope (2001). Other awards include the Silver Clown from the Monte Carlo International Circus Festival (2004).

OLINKA WALLENDA

A native of Czechoslovakia, Olinka has proven herself to be an accomplished performer and aerialist. Descended from an honored and well-respected circus family, the Valla-Bertinis, she has excelled in a variety of circus arts including trapeze, unicycling, and balancing on her head on a trapeze as it spins and descends to the earth.

ALIDA WALLENDA

Tino and Olinka’s oldest daughter, Alida has been performing since she was four and on the wire with her parents since she was only eight. Her circus skills include bareback riding on horses, trapeze, Spanish web, unicycles and the Cloudswing. Alida made her Sky Walk debut when she crossed over a man-made lake in Houston on the wire. Now the mother of 3, Ysabella, Lucas, and Tomas she continues her career in the circus adding the dimension of performing on the flying trapeze with her husband, Robinson Cortes.

AURELIA WALLENDA

Performing has been the motivating tradition in Aurelia’s heritage for 7 generations. Her ancestry includes some of the royalty in the circus world. Czechoslovakia’s unicycling champions – the Bertinis, the daring Wallenda family and the supreme equistrian acrobats of horse-bareback riding – the Zoppès. Her career began at the tender age of 3 ½ as she valiantly filled in for her mother’s absence on the high wire.

ANDREA WALLENDA

Andrea began performing when she was four years old and started in the high wire act at the age of nine. She has been featured as the top mounter of the bicycle pyramid sitting and standing on the chair. Officially retired at this time, she has left performing on the wire for the more challenging duty of raising her 2 children, Zaira and Michael.

ALESSANDRO WALLENDA

Alessandro made his first appearance with his family when he was less than two years old. At the age of 7, he made his debut on the wire in St. Louis where he crossed a span of over 30 feet. When asked when he planned to do this feat again, his reply was, “Every show from now on!” To his credit, Alex has the distinction of being the youngest wire walker, at the age of 14, to hold the Wallenda 7-Person Pyramid.

Claire Kuciejczyk-Kernan Wallenda

Claire is a native to St. Louis, Missouri. After ballet training, she began her circus skills at a early age when she joined the acrobatic team, the St. Louis Arches. Honing her skills in tumbling, juggling and aerial work as a member of that team, she performed professionally with Circus Flora for several seasons.

JP THERON

JP hails from the illustrious Theron family of bicycle artistry fame from the land of France. Early on he discovered his talent and desire to make people laugh. A protégé of one of the leading clown-comedians in the circus world, Alfredo Landon, he spent his early year under Alfredo’s leadership actively with on-the-job performing-training. He has portrayed Emmet Kelly in a film about the America’s most famous clown. His other credits in the circus world include performing on the sway pole at dizzying heights above the arena floor and diving from a platform 40-50 feet above the circus ring into an air mattress while having set himself in blazing fire.

ROBINSON CORTES

A third generation circus performer and native of Columbia, Robinson is no stranger to heights and aerial acrobatics. Growing up in the circus as a flying trapeze artist and part of the family act, he has accomplished the triple somersault into his father’s hands. Having had experience with his family on the high wire and being married to Alida was a natural progression to performing in the troupe. Robinson is the pointman for the Seven and was part of the 10-Person Pyramid.

Sacha Pavlata

A fifth generation performer of an esteemed circus family, Sacha has headed up the Big Apple Circus School and Circus Flora’s circus school since coming to the U.S. He has appeared in the motion pictures Big Top Pee Wee and Annie and trained Michael Crawford, Jim Dale, Stacy Keach, and Tony Orlando in circus arts for their roles in Barnum on the London and Broadway stages. He holds the base level, third position in The Seven.

Tino Wallenda

Descended from a rich Circus heritage that spans nearly 200 years and the 6th generation of performers, Tino is the leader of the (Flying) Wallenda family troupe. The Wallendas hold several accolades in the Guinness Book of Records for accomplishing both 8 and 10 Person Pyramids on the tight rope (2001). Other awards include the Silver Clown from the Monte Carlo International Circus Festival (2004). Among his high altitude walks are traversing a cable between a crane and the Denver D & F Tower 189 feet in the air (1987) and a 1 kilometer crossing of the Han River in Seoul, Korea (2008).

Tino and his wife, Olinka (also a 6th generation performer), have 4 children; Alida, Andrea, Aurelia and Alex. All of whom have taken part in the family tradition of wire walking. Alida, Aurelia and Alex continue to be active in the Circus fulfilling the legacy of their ancestors. They are also blessed with 7 grandchildren, Ysabella and Zaira, Michael, Lukas, Tomas, Marcus and Matteo. Ysabella is the 8th generation of the family to perform having begun at the age of 6. The family has been the feature of television documentaries on the Discovery Channel, TLC, A & E and the History Channel.

Since establishing Circus Maranatha in 1978 at the invitation of their pastor, Neville Gritt, Tino and the family have been involved performing and sharing their testimony at numerous churches and national Christian television programs including the 700 Club, 100 Huntley Street, PTL and Praise the Lord. Their missionary travels have taken them to many foreign lands including Mexico, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Panama, Canada, and Kenya. For the over 20 years their primary opportunity of spiritual and motivational influence has been through Bill Glass Champions for Life, Inmate Encounter and The Winning Edge ministering to inmates in the prisons and jails of the United States, Mexico, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and South Africa.

OLINKA

Olinka, a native of Czechoslovakia, has proven herself to be an accomplished performer and aerialist. Descended from an honored and well-respected circus family, the Valla-Bertinis, she has excelled in a variety of circus arts including trapeze, unicycling, and balancing on her head on a trapeze as it spins and descends to the earth. Olinka holds a record in the Guinness Book of Records for a unique walk she did upside down suspended only by her toes!

Several years ago she was honored by a popular magazine as being one of the 100 Best Wives of All Time. Tino would also add to the award the title Best Mother. Together they have 4 children – Alida, Andrea, Aurelia & Alessandro – all of whom actively perform on the high wire.

After a celebrated career performing with Tino on the wire she no longer appears before the audience. With that being stated, Olinka continues to be very active working behind the scenes in training, designing costumes and seeing to the safety aspects during the performance.

AURELIA

Performing has been the motivating tradition in Aurelia’s heritage for 7 generations. Her ancestry includes some of the royalty in the circus world. Czechoslovakia’s unicycling champions – the Bertinis, the daring Wallenda family and the supreme equistrian acrobats of horse-bareback riding – the Zoppès.

Her career began at the tender age of 3 ½ as she valiantly filled in for her mother’s absence on the high wire. Her elegance, grace and beauty is the result of the mentoring of her talented mother, Olinka. Combined with the collaboration of her aerial mentor, her Uncle Sacha Pavlata, they thrilled circus audiences together on the Double Cloudswing in the ’80’s and ’90’s.

In 2008, Aurelia crossed the Han River in Seoul, Korea. A 1-kilometer cable stretched across the fast moving flow of the river. Today, in addition to her grace and agility on the high wire, Aurelia performs her own unique twist in aerial acrobatics on the Flying Cloudswing.

CLAIRE

Claire is a native to St. Louis, Missouri. After ballet training, she began her circus skills at a early age when she joined the acrobatic team, the St. Louis Arches. Honing her skills in tumbling, juggling and aerial work as a member of that team, she performed professionally with Circus Flora for several seasons.

Successfully accomplishing 4 years of study at Florida State University, where she also had the opportunity to be part of FSU’s Flying High Circus, she returned to the circus world. Excelling as an aerialist, she rose to be featured in the performance with her exciting trapeze routine involving dives and reverse drops!

During the period with Circus Flora, Claire got to know fellow cast member, Alex Wallenda. They each became extremely fond of each other and in June of 2014, they were married. Now Claire not only thrills crowds with her aerial talents on the trapeze, but also on the high wire as a member of the Wallenda family and teaming up with her husband, Alex, in a demonstration of juggling expertise.

ALESSANDRO

Alessandro made his first appearance with his family when he was less than two years old. At the age of 7, he made his debut on the wire in St. Louis where he crossed a span of over 30 feet. When asked when he planned to do this feat again, his reply was, “Every show from now on!” To his credit, Alex has the distinction of being the youngest wire walker, at the age of 14, to hold the Wallenda 7-Person Pyramid. And most recently, in 2009, to duplicate his sister, Aurelia’s crossing of the Hahn River in Seoul – An incredible 1-kilometer Skywalk!

When on the ground, Alex rival’s his wire walking abilities with his accomplished juggling skills. And now, his proudest accomplishment, a son – Matteo, born April 18, 2019, with his lovely wife – Claire