The Jumbo Circus had just pitched its blue and yellow tent on a lot in El Alto, a swollen, sprawling suburb of Bolivia's capital, when the new coronavirus struck.
“We thgough it would last three weeks, but we've now been stuck for four months,” said Joel Condori, the 27-year-old owner of the little one-ring show. Half of the 10 entertainers have drifted away, leaving just five to await a possibly distant reopening.
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The Jumbo Circus had just pitched its blue and yellow tent on a lot in El Alto, a swollen, sprawling suburb of Bolivia's capital, when the new coronavirus struck.
So Condori can only wait. He practices his juggling and acrobatic routines before dusty, empty stands, and earns his living with odd jobs — sometimes a bit of welding, sometimes baking pizzas.
“The circus is a responsibility. We can't let it die,” he said as the sun glints through small holes in the tent. “You can't live from the circus, you have the live for the circus.”
“These accidents happen, but we can't bother the public. We have to forget the pain, smile and keep going," he said.
Jumbo Circus owner and acrobat Joel Condori peeks through his visor at the progress of his work while welding a part on steel structure as the circus enters its fourth month closed due to the COVID-19 lockdown in El Alto, Bolivia, Friday, June 26, 2020. Since the pandemic lockdown, Condori, 27, said five remaining circus performers work as handymen and at restaurants to earn a living, himself included. (AP PhotoJuan Karita)
A circus performer is silhouetted on the canvass of the Jumbo Circus tent, as signs for social distancing hang from the bleachers inside the tent as the circus enters its fourth month closed due to the COVID-19 lockdown in El Alto, Bolivia, Monday, June 15, 2020. Before the lockdown, the circus held one daily performance on weekdays and twice a day on weekends. (AP PhotoJuan Karita)
A discarded unicycle lays on the ground at the Jumbo Circus as it enters its fourth month closed due to the COVID-19 lockdown in El Alto, Bolivia, Monday, June 15, 2020. Before the lockdown, the circus held one daily performance on weekdays and twice a day on weekends. (AP PhotoJuan Karita)
Jumbo Circus clown Franklin Parada rests on his bed as the circus enters its fourth month closed due to the COVID-19 lockdown in El Alto, Bolivia, Friday, June 26, 2020. "The five of us who are left take turns cooking, washing, taking care of the circus, and carrying water," said Parada of the few performers who haven't quit the circus. (AP PhotoJuan Karita)
The tent of the Jumbo Circus stands as it enters its fourth month closed due to the COVID-19 lockdown in El Alto, Bolivia, Wednesday, July 1, 2020. Before the lockdown, the circus held one daily performance on weekdays and twice a day on weekends. (AP PhotoJuan Karita)
Like governments across the world, Bolivian officials banned mass gatherings to try to limit ecases of COVID-19. But the disease is still spreading here and experts say it may not have peaked yet.
A Jumbo Circus juggler practices inside a tent as the circus enters its fourth month closed due to the COVID-19 lockdown in El Alto, Bolivia, Monday, June 15, 2020. Before the lockdown, the circus held one daily performance on weekdays and twice a day on weekends. (AP PhotoJuan Karita)
So Condori can only wait. He practices his juggling and acrobatic routines before dusty, empty stands, and earns his living with odd jobs — sometimes a bit of welding, sometimes baking pizzas.
“There's always something to eat. There's no lack of work. At first we made food to sell, but it didn't go well. There was tough competition from the neighborhood ladies and we changed our approach."
Condori began in the circus while still in high school. He went with one to neighboring Chile, where he learned juggling and acrobatics. When he came back home, he bought a used tent and began touring towns across Bolivia.
Jumbo Circus contortionists Yhara Gonzales, 25, carries a dish of chopped potatoes to cook amid circus tents as the circus enters its fourth month closed due to the COVID-19 lockdown in El Alto, Bolivia, Monday, June 29, 2020. Gonzales is the only female performer left in the circus after half the crew left. (AP PhotoJuan Karita)
“The circus is a responsibility. We can't let it die,” he said as the sun glints through small holes in the tent. “You can't live from the circus, you have the live for the circus.”
Franklin Parada, a 22-year-old clown and trapeze artist, sometimes makes a little money hauling bags of food at a street market in the Tupaj Katari neighborhood. But he also found a bit of work in his own field at a child's birthday party.
Returning to the circus to practice his routine, he fell and injured his shoulder.
Acrobat Joel Condori trains during the COVID-19 lockdown that closed the circus four months ago in El Alto, Bolivia, Monday, June 15, 2020. “Something to eat always falls from somewhere. There's no shortage of work. At first, we made food to sell, but it didn't go well. The competition was tough with the ladies from the neighborhood and we changed direction.” (AP PhotoJuan Karita)
“These accidents happen, but we can't bother the public. We have to forget the pain, smile and keep going," he said.
Jumbo Circus owner and acrobat Joel Condori poses for a photo while resting from his daily training routine as the circus enters its fourth month closed due to the COVID-19 lockdown in El Alto, Bolivia, Monday, June 15, 2020. “The circus is a responsibility. We cannot let it die. You don't have to live from the circus, you have to live for the circus," said the 27-year-old circus owner. (AP PhotoJuan Karita)
Jumbo Circus owner and acrobat Joel Condori peeks through his visor at the progress of his work while welding a part on steel structure as the circus enters its fourth month closed due to the COVID-19 lockdown in El Alto, Bolivia, Friday, June 26, 2020. Since the pandemic lockdown, Condori, 27, said five remaining circus performers work as handymen and at restaurants to earn a living, himself included. (AP PhotoJuan Karita)
A circus performer is silhouetted on the canvass of the Jumbo Circus tent, as signs for social distancing hang from the bleachers inside the tent as the circus enters its fourth month closed due to the COVID-19 lockdown in El Alto, Bolivia, Monday, June 15, 2020. Before the lockdown, the circus held one daily performance on weekdays and twice a day on weekends. (AP PhotoJuan Karita)
A discarded unicycle lays on the ground at the Jumbo Circus as it enters its fourth month closed due to the COVID-19 lockdown in El Alto, Bolivia, Monday, June 15, 2020. Before the lockdown, the circus held one daily performance on weekdays and twice a day on weekends. (AP PhotoJuan Karita)
Jumbo Circus clown Franklin Parada rests on his bed as the circus enters its fourth month closed due to the COVID-19 lockdown in El Alto, Bolivia, Friday, June 26, 2020. "The five of us who are left take turns cooking, washing, taking care of the circus, and carrying water," said Parada of the few performers who haven't quit the circus. (AP PhotoJuan Karita)
The tent of the Jumbo Circus stands as it enters its fourth month closed due to the COVID-19 lockdown in El Alto, Bolivia, Wednesday, July 1, 2020. Before the lockdown, the circus held one daily performance on weekdays and twice a day on weekends. (AP PhotoJuan Karita)