LONG WAY FROM HOME
Troup Bingo of Circus Vazquez hails from Ukraine — one woman walked (and took trains and a taxi) to Poland in order to perform
‘The show must go on” is an expression that originated with the circus a century or more ago, perhaps rarely used the same way as with Troup Bingo.
The company of eight circus artists is currently performing in Schaumburg as part of Circus Vazquez, which is on a tour of three Chicago suburban locations for the next few weeks. Troup Bingo hails from Kyiv, Ukraine. Most of the male performers of the troupe are absent — when Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, all men of fighting age were instructed to remain in the country. And one female performer had to walk to Poland, and took buses and trains and one taxi, in order to rejoin her teammates.
“For most people, it’s like a dream to come here,” Troup Bingo member Valeriia Koshova said. “It’s very hard to come here from Ukraine.”
Circus Vazquez is easy to spot right now at Woodfield Mall, if you’d like to come see them perform. The cotton candy-hued big top is visible from the Kennedy Expressway. Through May 9, it’s camped in the parking lot across from what used to be Sears. From there, the circus travels to similar spots at North Riverside Park Mall and Old Orchard in Skokie.
Troup Bingo is accompanied by an international cast of stunt experts, circus artists, a live band and one charismatic clown.
The troupe didn’t have eight performers, however, when Circus Vazquez kicked off its national tour in McAllen, Texas, on Feb. 4. Troup Bingo opened the new show with just four of the dozen or so performers scheduled to appear. A handful of performers had arrived in Texas a few weeks ahead of time, before the war in Ukraine began. The rest of the team planned their arrivals from Kyiv in February as political and military tensions escalated.
Koshova was one of the four Troup Bingo artists who were already in the U.S. when the war broke out. “I’m happy to be here,” she said. She’s visiting the United States for the first time, selected from graduates of Bingo Circus Theater — one of Ukraine’s few elite circus training academies.
Happy is an understatement. Twentyyear-old Anastasia Blyshchyk had planned to arrive in time for the first show but her flight was canceled. Of course, every flight was canceled. Blyshchyk’s travel was severely hampered by the war.
“It was hard, coming here,” Blyshchyk said. As she described her cumbersome voyage from Kyiv to Poland, where she was able to fly to the United States, Blyshchyk was remarkably matter of fact. “Train, after walking on the border, after bus, after train and after taxi,” she said. “This was also winter. You needed to stay outside for a long time and you’re like, OK, I’m gonna be a snowman today!”
Blyshchyk eventually joined her colleagues in Dallas. At no point in the treacherous journey did she doubt leaving Ukraine. “For me, I was working here two years already. Now it’s the third year. I was like, yeah, I want to come.”
All but one of Troup Bingo’s men are absent — performer Sergey Ivanov was already in the U.S. when the war broke out.
“The guys were supposed to come here,” said Marharyta Koniechnykh, another of the four original performers who started the tour in Texas. “They didn’t choose to stay,” she said. “They cannot leave the country right now.”
All men ages 18-60 were instructed to remain in Ukraine. They are not yet forced to fight, only told that they must not leave.
“It’s why my mom doesn’t want to leave the country too,” Koniechnykh said, “because my brother and my father cannot leave, and she wants to stay with them.”
These unanticipated changes meant Troup Bingo had to revise their acts multiple times, first taking the male parts out (all but Ivanov’s), and then shifting gears to accommodate the four other women’s travel difficulties. By the time Circus Vazquez arrived in Schaumburg, Troup Bingo’s choreography was finally set.
Koniechnykh, Blyshchyk and Koshova, who are all from Kyiv, said they check in with their families every day.
“They’re trying to be safe,” Koshova said. “Fortunately, in Kyiv it’s pretty quiet right now,” added Koniechnykh.
The three women are anxious to go home when they get the chance — which won’t be until the Circus Vazquez tour
wraps up in December — but they are worried about what they may encounter when they get there.
However, Troup Bingo’s mantra is to leave all the stress of the war and worries about their families outside the circus tent, focusing first and foremost on what is often a very dangerous job.
“First of all, you should be artists,” Koniechnykh said. “If you are an artist, you have rules and you should follow those rules or you are not a professional. No matter what’s going on there (in Ukraine), when you come to the States, you should do your best.”
Chicago is home to a large Ukrainian diaspora — second only to New York City.
Troup Bingo has felt the support of Chicago’s Ukrainian community since opening the show Friday at Woodfield Mall, hearing frequent cheers in their native tongue coming from the audience.
“Work treats us,” said Koshova, meaning her job is a treatment, a salve — an escape from the war at home.
Other acts in Circus Vazquez include Mexican acrobats Jan & Carolina, who are fourth-generation Vazquez circus performers, and American tumbling phenoms Super Tumblers. The X-Metal Riders squeeze five motorcycles into a metal globe.
The aforementioned clown, David Larible of Italy, plays off emcee Memo
Vazquez and has a few antics up his sleeve. The whole show has a resounding message of peace — communicated in part by Larible singing Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” in multiple languages before pulling a blue peace flag from his trousers (as one does), demonstrating that we are all, in one way or another, pulling for each other.
Circus Vazquez plays through May 9 at Woodfield Mall, 5 Woodfield Mall, Schaumburg; then May 13 to June 6 at North Riverside Park Mall, 7501 W. Cermak Road, North Riverside; and June 10-20 at Westfield Old Orchard at 4905 Old Orchard Shopping Center in Skokie; tickets $25-$55 (all ages) at www.circusvazquez.com