Performer Spotlight - The Flying Wallendas

In circus history one name stands alone, the legendary Flying Wallendas. The Flying Wallendas regularly perform around the world at circuses, fairs, festivals and all kinds of special events. They are best known for their amazing high wire skills including pyramids on the wire as well as with bicycles and even adding in a chair.

Did you know a show with the Flying Wallendas can be so much more than high wire?

The Wallendas are well rounded in many of the circus arts including comedy, juggling, cloud swing, and even flying trapeze. They also perform the most death defying type of high wire art, the sky walk. Sky Walks are typically perform at greater heights and distances than your see in the typical high wire act in a circus. Sky Walks are often performed over rivers, gorges, canyons, between sky scrapers or cranes, really the sky is the limit. They make a great opening day or holiday promotional event.

Notable dates in the Wallenda's History:

1780's - the Wallendas were performing in the Austro-Hungarian Empire

1905 - Karl Wallenda was born in Germany

30's & 40's - performing as the Great Wallendas for Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey, after a slip before members of the media they were promptly nicknamed sarcasticly, the "Flying Wallendas" and the name stuck to this day.

1944 - The Wallendas were performing in Hartford Connecticut for Ringling Bros. when the infamous great circus fire broke out that killed 168 people, the Wallenda's slid down a rope to safety

1947 - the 7-Person Pyramid was created by Karl Wallenda in Sarasota, Florida

January 30, 1962 - Detroit, Michigan Shrine Circus, the 7-Person Pyramid collapses, 3 men fall to the ground, 2 of them die, one is paralyzed. Karl is injured.

1977 - the 7-Person Pyrmid is re-created by the

grandchildren for a television movie

1978 - Karl Wallenda dies in a fall while attempting a sky walk between hotels in

San Juan, Puerto Rico.

1998 - Triumph, the Flying Wallendas return to the Shrine Circus in Detroit and successfully re-create the 7-Person Pyramid

2001 - An 8 person pyramid is created for Guinness Records and Fox television

The Flying Wallendas can perform as a single person, the 3-person family show, larger family show typically 5 or more people and of course the one of a kind 7-person pyramid show. Shows always include a high wire presentation as well as other acts to suit the buyers needs and budget.

The Flying Wallendas name is an attraction in itself! Well known by the public and the media. In 1978 the move the Great Wallendas starred Lloyd Bridges about the family. Multiple documentaries including the History Channel & most recently TLC. A racehorse was named after them by a fan who witnesses a sky walk at Tallulah Gorge in Georgia. The horse is Wallenda raced by Dogwood Stables, ran in the 1993 Kentucky Derby and won the 1993 Super Derby. Wallenda is now in retirement at Old Friends Equine in Georgetown, Kentucky, where the Wallendas performed a benefit performance in 2008. There have also been countless books including most recently "Walking the Straight & Narrow" by Tino Wallenda. The Americana group the Drive by Truckers released a song this year called the Flying Wallendas as well.
Currently the performing members of the Flying Wallendas are Tino Wallenda, grandson of the late Karl Wallenda, joining him are his son Alex and daughter Aurelia. His wife Olinka assists in the show. Joining them in the extended show is Tino's daughter Alida and her husband Robinson Cortes and their daughter Ysabella. Guest performing artists include clown JP Theron, aerialist and wire walker Sacha Pavlata, sky walker Jade Kindar-Martin, juggler and wire walker Trevor McNabb.