Latino circus performer Chico loves to entertain

By Ruben Hernandez

Michael Santiago, better known as Chico, told ArizonaLatinos in a phone interview that balance is a quality needed for the intense, acrobatic moves and routines that he performs with the King Charles Troupe of unicycles in the Ringling Brothers circus.

But balance means not only the agility to hover on his one-wheeled unicycle, but also balance in life and in training. If you train hard and work hard to entertain the audiences who flock to the circus, you also must play hard while traveling and visiting cities throughout the world, as Chico has been doing for a decade.

“I love to entertain people, not only our Latin people, but people all over the world. I was always acting like a clown in front of my family when I was a kid,” he says. “When people come to the circus, I try my best to entertain them, take their minds off of their work for two hours. If I’ve accomplished that, then my job is done.”

 That’s exactly what Chico will do when the Ringling Brothers “Built to Amaze!” production comes to Phoenix on Wednesday, June 26 through Monday, July 1 at US Airways arena in downtown Phoenix.

“Being part of a Troupe that performs in Ringling Brothers gives me the opportunity to entertain millions of people each year, I love that my job allows me to travel the country. I can see old friends and family members in different cities, and they can come see me perform in the show,” Chico says.

 His job requires hard work and many hours of practice but during his spare time he loves listening to all types of music, playing sports and dancing salsa. 

 Originally from the Bronx and born to parents from Old San Juan Puerto Rico, like many circus folk, Chico comes from two generations of circus performers. He said he knew he would join the circus when he was very young –seven years old.

 “My older brothers were doing this (performing in the circus) at first. One day they were at Madison Square Garden in New York, and I went to see them. I knew then that this was what I wanted to do. Other people want to be police officers, doctors, lawyers. When I saw the circus for the first time, I knew then that this was my calling.”

With all the traveling he has done over the years, Chico says Arizona is one of his favorite places on the circus tour circuit.

“The culture out there is rich with his history and I love the weather,” he says. “Arizona is a sweet spot for me. There is something about Arizona that holds my heart.”

Another of this favorite things to do with the circus is to interact with the audiences before the show, he says. “I do a jump-rope segment, like a kid. I jump, then grab kids and adults too to jump with me. I make adults kids again.”

He describes the “Built to Amaze!” production as, “Beautiful and magical. Out of all the shows I’ve done, this one is fresh and energetic. One of the best I’ve worked on.”

The words of advice Chico shares with our ArizonaLatinos readers who may want to join a circus are, “What they have to do is first train hard and eat right. It’s hard and not as easy as it looks. But if they have the entertainment spirit in their hearts, it shouldn’t be a problem.”