Trapeze Artist From Argentina Brings Circus To Temecula

Nelson Quiroga-Tabares has been in the circus all his life.

At 45, the handsome and trim native Argentinean no longer performs as a member of the renowned Flying Tabares,’ which he did throughout his childhood and most of his adult life.

Instead, the fourth generation trapeze artist with only five years of formal education under his belt now owns Circus Vargas, and his story defies what it means to be circus performer.

“It’s a lifestyle,” Quiroga-Tabares said as he readied Thursday night for the opening of a five-day show in the Temecula Promenade Mall parking lot. “I wouldn’t change it for anything. The people I’ve met, the places I’ve been and the opportunities I’ve had are tremendous.”

The Temecula stop is just one of 36 cities across California, Arizona and Nevada that Quiroga-Tabares and has “family” of about 65 performers will make this year.

The annual traveling two-hour show harkens back to simpler times. Lighting, sound, costumes and props add to the spectacle, but today's Circus Vargas is traditional "big top." Vaudevillian clowns with big noses trip on oversized shoes, attractive acrobats dazzle in sequined costumes, and tightrope walkers add suspense with their death-defying feats.

There are no animals in the show and few high-tech special effects. It’s the circus of your parents, your grandparents -- a popcorn stand, some cotton candy, a ringmaster, and traditional acts.

Coming To America

Quiroga-Tabares bought Circus Vargas in 2005 after the show disbanded and had been on hiatus for more than a year. The production had been around for decades at that point, but when Quiroga-Tabares first took over all that remained were vandalized trucks and some trashed props.

His history with the show goes back to 1989, when then-owner Clifford Vargas traveled to South America looking for new acts. He found the Flying Tabares, a trapeze act that included Quiroga-Tabares and nearly all of his family.

Vargas died in 1989, and when Quiroga-Tabares purchased the entity in 2005, he and Katya had just become U.S. citizens. Together they formed Tabares Entertainment Inc., the name now emblazoned alongside the Circus Vargas logo.

Circus In Your Blood

In the parking lot of the Temecula Promenade Mall, the blue big top can be seen from a distance. Thursday night, children and their families filled the venue.

“We like coming to Temecula,” Quiroga-Tabares said. “We always visit the wine country here.”

The “we” is the Circus Vargas family. Performers from all over the world are part of the show. They travel together 10 months of the year, living in their motor homes. Performers’ children are schooled by teachers that travel in the caravan, and to some they may seem like gypsies.

Quiroga-Tabares has a home in Las Vegas that he shares with Katya and their three daughters, but the family is on the road together because all are part of the show. Quiroga-Tabares and Katya met more than 20 years ago when they were both performing in Circus Vargas. She was born and raised in Europe, and also comes from a circus family. Her 70-something-year-old father stills travels with her. Thursday he was helping to seat families at the Temecula show.

“He tried to retire three times,” Quiroga-Tabares said. “He always comes back. He misses this.”

Quiroga-Tabares explained that circus life is “in your blood,” and he doesn’t refer to his Las Vegas house as “home.”

“When we go to that ‘house,’ after about two weeks my daughters say, ‘Daddy, where are we going next? When can we leave?’”