THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, February 20, 1996 TAG: 9602200027
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICKEY WRIGHT, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 134 lines
THE CLOWN CAR never crashes.
But a tightrope walker can slip, A trapeze artist might lose her grip and drop to the net below.
Or a lion may attack, as Graham Thomas Chipperfield can attest.
``You're from Norfolk, eh?'' the British-born animal trainer with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus asked last week between performances in Richmond. There was a hint of amusement in his curiosity.
It was three years ago at Scope, where the show begins a five-day run at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, that Chipperfield faced a nightmare that underscores the dangerous nature of entertaining under the big top.
``I was attacked by a lion during a fight,'' he recalled. ``My lions consider me to be a lion, so they treat me by their rules. It's like a barroom brawl when they fight. The mistake I made was turning my back.''
The male lion, who Chipperfield said mistook him for a participant in a battle between two females, took a bite out of the trainer's shoulder. The result was 80 stitches and a two-week stay at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital.
In Richmond, Chipperfield wore a costume emblazoned with a giant eye as he put nine caged lions through their paces in front of thousands: watching his back.
Earlier in the day, he'd displayed a new wound closed by just four stitches.
``A lion scratch,'' Chipperfield explained. ``I just got a bit close.''
The Norfolk mauling was the only time the 28-year-old star seriously questioned his calling. Probably inevitably, given his family's long history in the tent, he quickly reached a decision to continue as soon as he recovered. He hit the ring again on the last day of the circus' next stop.
``Now, the best thing you can do is to go on as you normally did it. It's best to get back in. It's like a horse. If you get thrown, you get back on as soon as you can.''
Chipperfield stresses the respect he has for his charges, which include 13 lions, 15 elephants and one tiger. Are they his friends?
``I would say more like my family,'' he said, noting that three of the elephants come from the Chipperfield farm in England. ``They've been in my family longer than I have. They're like my sisters. They've taught me everything I've learned about elephants.''
Knowing the animals and the dynamics with the groups is a must, both for safety and good performances. Putting in daily time with each creature is a necessity. Chipperfield, too, makes it a law to avoid confrontation.
``You have to be aware of what's going on. Lions are definitely more dangerous. You have to be careful. If the females come into season, they can change overnight. If she's quiet, she may become very aggressive. Or if she's aggressive, she may come into season and become quiet. If need be, I'll leave them out for a few days.
``The male are very dangerous animals because they can turn on you very quickly, also. A male is the chief of that pride. You have to be careful if a female's in season, because he may get jealous if you go near her.''
The more docile elephants have to be handled carefully, too.
``Elephants don't like things to change. When we added electric drums to the music, it bothered them, because they'd never heard electric drums. So we started with a little bit of electric drums, then added a little more electric drums each night until they were used to them.''
That night in Richmond, one of the four Quiros, a Spanish high-wire act, attempted a leap onto the head of another member of the troupe. He slipped, grabbing the wire just in time to avoid a much longer fall. By the Quiros' estimate, they work 43 feet above ground.
Without a net.
Everything can affect the 12 minutes when the speedy, comedy-influenced team is the focus of attention - including meal times. Angel Quiros likes to sup about 90 minutes before showtime, while the others find digestion less of a problem. And they'll eat anything.
``He like the bananas,'' Angel jokes, indicating his brother Roberto.
There was another near-miss earlier in the tour. While performing in Tampa, Fla., Vincente Quiros made a similar misstep and was literally hanging by his hands, which required 12 stitches.
``Me myself, I stay still,'' Angel remembered. ``I was thinking if he need to grab my hair, I'll be there.''
The Quiros' everyday routine seems painful enough without such mishaps.
``He go on my shoulder. He walk on my back,'' Angel said of the 155-pound Vincente. That kind of work can have Angel bemoaning the three-show ritual of Saturdays.
``Sometimes I go home after the show. . . '' He grimaces.
The Changchun Acrobatic Troupe specialize in swinging 'round and 'round, suspended 20 feet high on elastic bands that look something like what might be wrapped around a giant edition of this newspaper. Not surprisingly, audience gasps ensue, particularly when members pass within inches of one another's heads.
It's ``a dangerous program,'' troupe leader Jiling Zhai acknowledged through translator Jie Sun, ``but after a long time of training, they are used to it.''
Good health and limber bodies, of course, are a help. Victor Gourianov, Russian leader of the Gourianov teeterboard outfit, is stockily built but does an exercise regimen every day in addition to rehearsing.
``If in practice one guy says, `I tired, I don't have power,' '' Gourianov points in the direction of the gym.
``Sometimes you feel great,'' said Angel Quiros. ``You know how the human body is. Sometimes you have matinees, and you say your body is sleepy. We don't worry, we just take more time.''
Even one of the fastest acts in the circus has to slow down a little now and then. For safety's sake. ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photos]
HUY NGUYEN
The Virginian-Pilot
Above, Ekaterina Odintsova, portraying a butterfly, swings high
above the crowd. Left, the Quiros, a Spanish high-wire act, work 43
feet above the ground, without a net.
IN CENTER RING
What: Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
Where: Norfolk Scope
When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday; 10:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Thursday;
3:30 and 7:30 p.m. Friday; 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday; 1
and 5:30 p.m. Sunday
Tickets: $9.50 to $14.50 (Ringside tickets, $22.50); to charge by
phone, call 671-8100 (Southside) or 872-8100 (Peninsula)
Call: 664-6464
More shows: Feb. 28 through March 3 at Hampton Coliseum. Call
838-4203
Auditions: Auditions for clowns and dancers will be held 4 p.m.
Thursday in Scope. Applicants to the circus' clown college must be
at least 17-years-old and high school graduates. Dance auditions are
open to women ages 18 and older, high school graduates with a strong
background in dance, preferably jazz, modern and ballet. Leotards
and tights are requested attire for the audition. Personality,
weight and ability to learn routines are important. For information,
call 1-800-755-9637.
by CNB