Last week it was announced to the cast that after the show some special guests would come backstage to meet us-- they were a Brazilian family of circus performers who had traveled five hours to see the show.
When the show finished, I shed my spider skin and blue lips, stepping into the backstage tent to see the guests coming through the entrance-- a glowing woman with her daughter, and a man in a wheelchair. He was a quadriplegic. A circle formed around him and his family as they recounted their story.
It was a sudden teeterboard accident during a show that left Julio with a broken neck and no feeling in any of his limbs. He was lucky to have his life. Through much amazing support and treatment, he was able to regain some mobility-- just enough to raise his arm for a handshake.
We stood there, mesmerized by the courage with which he spoke. It was a stark reminder of what we, as circus performers, inherently know-- but perhaps sometimes let ourselves forget: life is precious and can change in an instant.
I later found out more about this intriguing family. Julio met his wife Potyra many years ago, soon after which they began performing together in theatre festivals and shows all over Brazil. They faced many struggles as traveling artists, but it was always their faith in God, they said, that brought them back together.
Two years after Julio’s accident, Potyra wrote a memoir about their life’s journey together, showing how their faith continually transformed them and gave them both the strength to persevere after Julio’s fall. Potyra titled the book, Debaixo de Suas Asas, (Under His Wings).It wasn’t until I had a moment to look through the book that I realized something about the day they came to see V@rekai-- it was the three year anniversary of Julio’s accident. In an email from Potyra later, she explained that the family couldn’t bear to see a single show since that day-- it was too painful to face. But three years after that tragic, life-changing day, they decided it was V@arekai that would help seal Julio’s accident as something of the past.
I wonder what Julio felt during the opening act, when Icharus fall to the earth, fluttering his wings in futility as he hits the ground. I wonder how Julio reacted when Icharus is confronted by his Nightmare, the man on crutches, who confronts him in the dark as Icharus’ detached, broken wings flutter eerily from within the forest. And finally, I wondered what Julio felt when Icharus joins the beautiful Promise character in the lively wedding celebration that closes the show.
The more I thought about it, the more it seemed as if V@rekai was telling their story.
Potyra and Julio loved the show so much, they returned the following week to see the show again from the front row. In the final act, as the Guide glides through the aisles of the audience carrying the broken wings of Icharus, Potyra and Julio must have felt touched to be under his wings.
Curitiba, Brazil
