Melody the Ringmaster
The circus came to town, and with it came acrobats, clowns and animal tricks. Circuses today don’t travel with the menagerie of days gone by, and offer their animal performers a much better life than was the case years ago. In the case of the Zerbini Family Circus, many of the dogs performing had been rescued by the circus.
The Zerbini’s have eight generations of circus performers with Julian Arthur Zerbini taking over a leading role as both clown, acrobat, and animal tamer during Saturday’s performance in Franklin Lakes. The circus was once again brought to town through the auspices of the The Franklin Lakes Lion’s Club. There were aerialists, acrobats, jugglers, clowns, and performing animals; performers hailed from from South America, Mexico and Europe.
This is truly a family circus by virtue of both genealogy and smooth cooperation. All members of the troupe were responsible for a variety of different tasks. Clowns might be stamping hands at the entrance one moment and then marching into the ring the next; taking pictures, setting up equipment, painting faces or snapping photographs of kids–there are no idle hands in a family circus.
The ringmaster, Melody Zerbini Ramiraz, has been the voice of the circus since she was sixteen years old. With all hands working together, she estimates that it takes about three hours to set up and about forty-five minutes to take it all down. She’s mastered the traditional vocal highs and lows of a circus ringmaster, and offers a voice of authority over the clowns as she plays “the straight man” during the show. Her responsibilities go beyond just performing, but require a steady hand at the till to keep things moving and to respond should a wayward animal slow things down or a performer suffer a misstep. Even though she has seen the Zerbini show countless times, the expression on her face during the daredevil acts seemed to match the audiences in both awe and trepidation at the daring acrobats.
The Wheel of Destiny Daredevil
Watching the acrobats, the jugglers and the daredevil resonates something in spectators that goes beyond entertainment and strikes a primal cord. Perhaps it is the unnerving heights, or the innate sense of balance that we take for granted each day and then witness its limits being stretched by the circus performers. It is something special, something beyond the responses one gets from a thrilling sports game or an exciting movie. It’s a mix of entertainment, celebration and the exhibition of human freedom and daring.
Small family and traveling circuses like The Zerbini’s continue, but ever since the invention of radio, movies and television, their exotic and mysterious nature has been tempered. Many people are ingrained with the images of Barnum & Bailey Circus in a big arena, but the intimacy of the small family circus is a treat that should be treasured. As the ringmaster Melody likes to say, “It’s really exciting because it’s the old form of entertainment. It’s families performing for families.”
The Franklin Lakes Lions Club, who brought the Zerbini’s to town, is part of worldwide organization with over a million members in over 200 countries. The organization which began in 1917 is still vibrant and alive today. It was founded in America by Melvin Jones who was an official in a local organization of businessmen. He put forth this timeless question:”What if these men,” he asked, “who are successful because of their drive, intelligence and ambition, were to put their talents to work improving their communities?” His well quoted personal philosophy is, “You can’t get very far until you start doing something for somebody else”. The Lions Club raises funds for many different causes, and all the money raised is used for charitable purposes.
Besides the Lions Club, visitors to the circus would have seen members of the Franklin Lakes Volunteer Fire Department and local police on hand keeping folks safe and the operation smooth.
Thanks to all.
The video below is a Zerbini Circus tribute made by a fan in another town. It has a good number of photos, and goes to show that small town life is pretty similar all over.