Spinning Plates with Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Episode 70: Emilia Sandulescu

Episode Date: June 27, 2022

Meet someone who literally ran away to join the circus! Emilia Sandulescu is the proud mum of a sweet one year old boy, who everyone calls 'baby Tony'. Originally from Romania, Emily joined the circus temporarily as a dancer, planning to use her wages to fund the rest of her studies at university. But she never went back. Two decades on she now performs acrobatics on horses, alongside - and sometimes balancing on top of! - her husband. He is one of five boys and a ninth generation circus performer. Emilia told me what life in the circus involves and how she loves the friendly, tight knit community. The much longed-for baby Tony is surrounded by adoring adults, melting the tough guy exteriors of his circus uncles and grandfather, and Emilia can't imagine life anywhere else.Spinning Plates is presented by Sophie Ellis Bextor, it is produced by Claire Jones and post-production is by Richard Jones. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello, I'm Sophia Lispector and welcome to Spinning Plates, the podcast where I speak to busy working women who also happen to be mothers about how they make it work. I'm a singer and I've released seven albums in between having my five sons aged 16 months to 16 years, so I spin a few plates myself. Being a mother can be the most amazing thing, but can also be hard to find time for yourself and your own ambitions. I want to be a bit nosy and see how other people balance everything. Welcome to Spinning Plates. This podcast has a circus theme. I hope you're good. Roll up, roll up. No, I'll stop now. It's just because it was really fun recording this week's podcast with Amelia from Gifford Circus. Because I've probably told you already, but right from the beginning of doing these podcast

chats, I thought it'd be great to, you know, speak to people from all over, different professions, different backgrounds. And I think speaking to someone who ran away and joined the circus is absolutely on that list. And Amelia was lovely. And it's been very, very hot here in London town. So on the day we recorded, it was boiling. And then in the evening, I went back to the circus with the kids to see the show,

and it was so brilliant. Amelia has one-year-old Tony with her husband, who's also called Tony, who's in an act with his dad, who's also called Tony. And they are nine generations back circus horse acrobats. And all of the guys are called Tony. And Tony, Junior, Junior, Junior, Amelia's husband, he's got his brothers in the show.

And they have Tony in their name, but their first name isn't Tony. So she actually managed to marry the Tony, to carry on the line of Tony, and then have their baby Tony. And the show was so good. It's just really, I don't know if you've been to Gifford Circus. I love all circus, but Gifford's is cool because it goes right back to the tradition of circus and families where they've passed down these weird and wonderful tricks down generation to generation because my mum often goes with us to Giffords and she says to me every

time where do people learn how to do this where do they think I might just try this trick or that trick but it turns out we have the answer now it's because it gets passed down it'll be something that's worked on for generations and of course the acts might come on a little bit or get refined but actually the essence of it is often something that's come down through a family lineage so there there's been horse acrobats in uh in the donuts family for well since the 1890s, I think they said. And now Amelia has become part of the family. She's married her Tony and produced another small baby horse acrobat, probably. He's only small, but she said he can choose what he does, but that's the expected trajectory. Anyway, so we had a lovely chat. You're going to enjoy that, I think. And in the meantime, what else is happening? This week has been really nice, actually. I've

been at home most of the week, which has been so lovely. We've had lots of tube and rail strikes, and it meant that there were lots of things that I was going to do that I then postponed because there had just been too much of a pain. And it's actually meant I've been close to home, and I've really loved it. It's been really nice weather every day. I've managed to do a few sort of sorting out jobs at home, which always makes my heart happy. I love having time at home just to get on top of stuff. I started off the week recording Gogglebox with my mum, which was really, really fun. So basically we watched lots of different TV programmes and then it's going out while I speak to you from Friday in the past. So it's going out tonight i speak to you from friday in the past so it's going out tonight

um and then we're doing it again in a few weeks and uh yeah i was really happy to be asked because i love goggle box so that's really fun and i mean to be honest quite like thank you to goggle box for inventing a job where all you do is sit and watch telly with your mom drinking wine eating crisps and chatting about what's on telly that's my kind of work and um what else happened oh today i've just come back from the dentist where sunny who's now 18 has just had his braces off poor so i just had them on for i think it's coming up for four years because of all the covid restrictions and all the lockdowns he missed lots of time to get his braces tightened so he ended up having them on a good sort of 18 months longer than he should it's been a very long time so he's just gonna celebrate by eating all the

stuff you're not supposed to eat braces like i don't know popcorn and what else is going on i've got a gig this evening doing another party in the park in dullage i'm working out what to wear it's so nice doing festivals though but the weather's nice. Wow, yes. Oh, and tomorrow is my wedding anniversary. Hurrah! So that's our 17th wedding anniversary. And what we do is we take it in turns to book restaurants. So it's my year this year. So I've booked a surprise place for Richard, which I won't tell you where it is because he's editing this, so he'll hear me chatting. But yeah, it be really lovely i'm looking forward to having an evening out a date night if you will so that should be fun and while i've got you i'm thinking what you need to know before you listen to this chat uh is that um amelia and i talk about she talks a lot about someone called nell now nell was the lady who set up Gifford Circus.

And although, sadly, she died in 2019, Nell's mark is everywhere, her legacy, because she absolutely adored the circus and put everything into what Gifford's is. And sort of everything from, like, decorations inside the tents to the way that the wagons are hand painted it's all it's got sort of Nell's touch everywhere just in terms of the decisions she made and the attention to detail and I think that's what makes Gifford so special actually and she absolutely loved the Donnett family so the the horse acrobat family and wrote a beautiful article

about about how brilliant they are and how much they love their horses and about how well trained they are and the dedication they show to the circus craft because no really believed wholeheartedly in in what circus was about and how is this thing that only existed in that moment and i do actually completely agree with nell that there's such a beauty in anything where you see sort of a pure talent where it's only it's only there to delight you I just think that's that's really lovely and Nell said a good circus should make you cry and actually it is an emotional thing I just think yeah it's very moving when the only the only reason something's happening is just to bring about a wonder and make you feel yeah it's not that kind of awe so if you need a bit of a pep uh go and see some circus that's my recommendation or if you're really looking to pep things up

just run away and join one all right I will speak to you on the other side So actually I think this is really exciting for me because I've never been to the circus outside of coming to a show. So just to set the scene, you and I are talking in the morning of what's going to be the hottest day of the year so far. And why don't you start by telling me what's the show that you're doing as part of Giffords what's your act I'm playing a girl from the village the girlfriend from Tweedy okay so this year I'm really happy because I can play it a little bit yeah I'm I can make comic a little bit with I can make comic a little bit with Tweedy and it's so easy with Tweedy because Tweedy is incredible. So Tweedy is the clown.

He's the clown, yes. He is incredible. He's really good. Yes. And I'm his girlfriend and he's in love with me. And the bandoleros, the banditos are coming in the town and they kidnap me and I start to like it. I'm so with this storyline. me and I start to like it and we start to make the joke our joke a number that we make in the family saltos from horse salto horse from from one horse to the other one and Salta Salta is like summer saltos on the horse okay right yes wow uh this i'm not doing this my husband is doing the summer salto and the second number it's a um it's called it's a ballet on the horse oh wow it's like two horses my husband and

me climbing up on him. When everything goes okay, like the horse is running good, it's looking nice. When the horses are not running good, I'm trying to climb on his back. No, most of the time it's okay. And after, because Tweedy is like still looking for me, and he's jealous, and he said, look, look, I can do it also. He finished the pas de deux, he put me down from the horse, and Tweedy jumped on the horses. So my husband continued to make a pas de deux with Tweedy,

a comic pas de deux with Tweedy. Like also go on the shoulders, go between the legs, falling down. So this is my part this year in the show that I love it. It's really, really funny. And this is, how long have you been part of Gifford Circus? This is the second time. We were here in 2019. Zanadu. Yeah. That was beautiful

but much, much harder. Oh, really? Like, this year is a little bit like, okay. It's okay. 2019 was also the first time being here. And we are working just in traditional circuses. We never was like, Gifford is really special.

It's, if you see it for the first time, like we like artists and we are like, okay, when we get the contract and like Kelly, she write everything, this, this, this. And I say, oh, okay, okay, okay, okay. And we get here, you know, and we and I said okay okay okay okay and we get here you know anyway like okay okay but you know I love dancing so the shows have much dancing inside and yeah for my brothers it's always a little bit like oh my god I have to dance oh my god and we start to practice the finale and they're like okay ah this is not heavy ah okay and after it's coming

more and it's got and they're like when it's finishing and kate the choreograph she's so lovely because she never say when it's ending you know like we have a little bit more and it's finished and we and this part and it's done and it's coming something but you say it's done no no no no no no i say it's a little bit more So you said your brother, so what's the family that you've got here at the circus? So I have my parents-in-law and my brother-in-law and the sister-in-law, the wife from my brother-in-law because they are like five brothers, no daughter in the family. And yes, four of them, they are here from the brothers. One of them, the second older, is working in Germany on his wife. And the rest of them.

Doing circus as well? Doing circus, yeah. Wow. So you were telling me earlier that your husband is a ninth generation circus. Yes, ninth generation circus, yes. Since the 1886. 1886. From what we know.

I don't know what is before what was. We know it's since 1886, yeah. It I don't know what it's before what was we just like we know it since 1886 yeah it's possible that before it was

yeah or maybe something very sensible it was solicitous just before 1886 and one rogue was like

give me that horse and is it always with horses from the side of my father-in-law there was always horses they had also elephant and tigers and they make also like my father-in-law, there was always horses.

They had also elephants and tigers. And they make also, like my father-in-law make also handstands. But the main... My father-in-law could do handstands. He's talented, let alone with an animal. But yeah, the main numbers, there was like animals, horses. There was like, yeah. And what about you? What's your background? What's led you to?

My background is school, learning, and my mum kicking my ass to learn, learn, learn. I studied two years of university, Finnish, and I was dancing, because I love dancing. This is all in Romania, is that right? In Romania, yes. And I was in the university, you know, we have the troupe dance, the theater, so I was going by the dancing. And I get in the troupe, being paid, you know, to dance by the weddings. And I love it. I don't have a background, I'm not, like, I didn't study dancing. So it's very hard for me, you know, to find myself up for the girls that make choreography or gymnast. I don't have none of these studies i just love it and i had to pay my university so i was doing my jobs dancing and doing like supporting the the handball teams in romania you know like take the the start the students and go and scream and we take some money for this or selling eyes or you know like small fitness trainer I did also some months you know big to finance in my university and my

choreographer get a phone from another choreographer told him look it was summer we was working by the Black Sea that time and say ah we need was I was beginning of us and say we need two girls in the circles because they are to that gun in the ballet and just until November was like I can put some money I can pay all my year of university with this money was like okay in October we had to start the start the university so I say okay one month for the university to it's not a problem so say I do it I come in the circus was tough because was just Russian girls in the ballet and there was really like good good dancers ballerina and I had a little bit fight like with myself to really to try to get to this level of them I didn't but

I'm very good in the modern side. I'm very bad in the ballet side and There was the donors that was there doing the Jockey Act And they had the contract for the next year for had the contract for the next year for um but they also it's like this ballet that you make on the horse one girl one boy two horses but they didn't have the girl the partner and me i was like in the morning take my cacao and i go watch the practice from there because every morning nine o'clock they was practicing practicing and i was just watching and say i see myself on the horse you know i was like i'm there i'm there and um one time was my father-in-law

talking with another artist but that time I didn't speak German talking German I was there with them and they just say like look her I didn't understand they say and actually they say like they need a girl for the part they do because they have the the contract but and say, like, would you like to come with us? And he was like, yes, of course. Not thinking what's mean, this, you know. I was just like, me, I want it on the horse. Doesn't matter. And had you ever done anything with horses? Before, no.

Nothing. Nothing, nothing. That's quite confident. Yeah, because I love it. And I was like, ah, of course. And I say, okay, let's try, you know. Put me on the horse. This, okay. Okay. Jumbo, okay. of course and I say okay let's try you know put me on the horse now this okay okay jump okay say would you like to come with us and I say yeah and I call my mom you know I mean I'm coming from

a conservative family to say like that you know it's like really and I call my mom and say mom can you freeze the year please for university Because this year I'm not coming home. I'm going to Holland. I was in Austria. And my mom was like, what? What? Yeah, but it's just for one year. Just look at this.

I said, okay. My mom was like, my sister called me, mom, my mom is crying. What did you do? Oh, my God. I said, this chance i'm not going to have never you know you are young and you want to try things and you're like so i left with them and i come together with my husband i never say to my parents i think in the in the first four years they didn't know that I'm together with him.

Oh, wow. Because my husband is five years younger than me, almost six. I was 21. He was 16. Okay. I'm glad I'm sitting down for the story. I say, yes. And I say, how I can say to my parents that I'm with such a young boy together? Yeah, it's a difficult conversation. So that was like every time that not talking about you know like yeah you know and after like three four years like I because my

mom said like okay one more because of course I didn't go home after one year you know like another contract and another contract and this and my mom was saying okay you do this year and after you come home now yeah mommy yeah and my father said to her look she's not coming home yeah just forget it and in the end I say to my parents like I didn't even like said I'm together like you know come like I know Tony Kaina and they understand but I think being left from home for so long time I could do what I want because they will accept like if I will be home and dying my hair say like that or because she never let me dye my hair I was 19 20 inch no you don't like

really conservatively like that and i go home and i go to to to the hairdresser and i paint my hair and i'm and i show oh you look so nice and i say i can do what i want yeah because being one year away from home and come just for two weeks she will accept everything just that to see me she see me i'm now my life is like that because having a baby now it's like i understand her yes i mean that time he was young he was like ah i want to live my life and i want to do and now i understand well i guess as well with your so yeah the youngest member of your ancestry is your new baby. Yes. So this is Tony.

The name follows down. Follows down. It's like the name of the family. It's Antal, but we call him Tony. So my father-in-law is Antal. His father was Antal. His grandfather was Antal. My husband is Antal.

And baby Tony now is Antal. But you said your husband's... So unlike a lot of people when they have a baby and there's lots of question marks about their future, presumably the expectation is that baby Antal, Tony, circus. I would love it. I would love it to do circus because I'm not from circus, I'm private, but I love circus. I think it's one of the motives that I mean, I think if you're not loving circus, it's very, very difficult to stay in it.

But I do love, I love the stage, I love the applause, I love the... Even when it's freezing the water, like you're like, oh my God, it's like it freezes the water, the pipes and everything. But it's still like, when I go home in Romania to my parents, I say I go home. But when I go from Romania, I coming back, I say I go home. I go in my caravan. It's like my small place. It's my home. It's like my small place.

It's my home. And of course, for my husband, it's important that he will do circus and it's important that he will do horses, which I don't know in 10 years if it will still be possible. We hope so. At least the practice with the horses, to have it and to know he loves to be on the horse it's like

father take him on the horse he's like jumping it's 11 months it'll be one year but he love the horses so we hope we hope that um that he will do the circus and he will do jockey but he will have to choose i mean he will give them both opportunities i would like that he have also school because of course it's you never know you never know what they will decide to do and you cannot force it to do it but we will give the both possibilities practicing and studying and when he come the time for, he will choose what he wants to do. So just in a practical way, how do children growing up within the circus, how do they do their studying? How does that happen? I mean, in our days it's more easier because also you can do it online.

Before there was like going from place to place and from the town to town to a new school. And that's what your husband experienced yes i mean he was quite a lot of time in hungary but also like traveling he go like from school to school yeah change every week every two weeks change the school a little bit difficult of course but um i think in our days it's easier, like, will be easier. It's also depending well because my baby's nationality is Hungarian. Because I had a baby in Hungary, much, much problem with the papers. This also like, wow, a story.

But I want to do also the second nationality from Romanian. So I'll see what is easier because like I do not speak so good Hungarian that I can learn with him and I Romania this will be more easier for me we'll see we still have time is just one year but we'll see how we'll do it he we have to this to sort it out still we still we are by the baby part we take everything easier because if you start to think but this but that would be a crazy you know like um yeah when i i mean i'm already 10 years that i want a baby just that my husband was young and was every time like okay and after I get diabetic and I get endometriosis oh wow and now I'm 37 so I was like 35 36 and I say it's time because um time pass and you never know

what will happen so and I say okay I have to of course you think but how you do it in what country you are in what country you are working how is there how you do the diabetes because it's you know being pregnant to the diabetes it's a little bit complicated traveling and 2020 we was in Germany we had to go in Denmark and I say we had a contract for the Jockey and Paderdem so I say was like we have to start in March the season I will let my baby anti baby tablets pills I will let them in April so I say I'm not going to get pregnant so easy so quick I like that you call them anti-baby tablets. It's like, yeah, anti-baby. And I say, because they say, I cannot get pregnant so quick, you know, with all the

problem and the age, they say, well, dour, because all the doctors say, try to get pregnant, is not sure, because endometriosis, and you know. And we was in Germany, and we was in Germany and we had to leave in Denmark my parents love this in Hungary doing some papers and the lockdown come no pandemic and we're staying there and say what are we doing my brother-in-law the smaller Alphonse without syndrome was by us because they didn't pick him I understand very good with him now he's 21 but he was four when i came here so i'm like his second mother and he was with me and lockdown the parents they couldn't come in germany we couldn't leave from there we couldn't go to denmark we was like staying by a smaller circus was we're working this time by the winter quarter from them and waiting what will be and i say anyway i let the pills say like coming i'm trying you know and we're not

working we're staying we don't know how long will be and we stayed three months there after three months open the borders we go in in Hungary we start to work there by a circus in the summer and I was a funny story it's like for me was incredible because I was playing this, this artist and my husband was the Duke and they had a baby. So we was doing our party number. And in the end they bring us the baby was like a doll, a baby, a boy doll.

Yeah. And they bring us this and was like Christopher at first, like that begin with the circus. And I was like three months having this baby in the arm and crying. Finished the number and I was crying. It was incredible. And everybody said, my God, you are playing so good the role. I said, I'm not playing.

I'm really crying because I want a baby. I'm not playing I'm really crying because I want a baby in October finish the season and I get pregnant oh my god I say this baby this doll in the arm three months long oh my god it's so emotional for me now yeah it's like it's like you're doing some sort of fertility yes like because like really nothing happened like everybody say take this and take that and yeah it i think was just like was incredible finish the season and after i go home because i didn't have my medicine anymore and i go to make the check by the doctor and And he said, no, no, you're not pregnant. Just do some fertility test, you know, because we don't know if you like, even if you. And after one week, I make like, like throw up, you know, like.

And I like, my mom was like, huh. And so I think I may have to make a test now. And my mom was like, ha, ha. I said, mom, mom, please. We are not sure. I did a test. And I pregnant amazing yes that is amazing yes it is it is because it was like wow so i come back in hungary but it was still locked down you know like because uh the summer could work but after again close everything and now started close everything and now started the part that you say doctors you are diabetic you have to see a doctor you have to check very carefully your sugar level because i i never think i know i'm diabetic

i had my uh carbohydrate diet to say like this i was eating low carb and i'm i was really fine i could work and everything you know i never think what's mean being diabetic and pregnant because it's a it's a lot of level you have to change the insulin that i didn't know in the first four months and after i tried to find a diabetic doctor in in hungary and they was like oh my god you are in four months pregnant they say like you have to change the the insulin because and you have to count the carbohydrate what you're eating and you have to make six times on the day insulin like waking up in the night checking the 11 eat something make insulin like yeah i was the same thing what and that's all the way through

you're supposed to do yes yes through all Yes, through all the way to pregnancy. And like every bread you put it on the weight and you see how much gram you eat it. And how going more the pregnancy, you have to make more insulin because you are more insulin resistant. I didn't know this. So like every week, check and send to the doctor and go see the doctor and everything and it was okay I mean I really like I took seven eight kilo just in the pregnancy because not being allowed to to eat carbohydrate you are like really healthy eating yes so like seven eight kilos I had like this nobody see that I'm pregnant I'm pregnant like you know because you when you are pregnant the first time you want see that I'm pregnant I'm pregnant like you know because you when you are

pregnant the first time you want to like I'm pregnant yeah but my bump was like that you know like I was working not going in the horse but working going in in the show inside bringing the horse inside and dancing until six months oh wow yes because in time we start to work in the building in Hungary the state building they make online show was not public just but just to help the artist the Hungarian artist and until six months I was going and I still like I wanted to continue you know because I was feeling good I was like really much energy I didn't have no desire to eat like, you know, sometimes you have like, you want to eat this or sweet, nothing. And I, the feeling of sickness was just when I find out that I'm pregnant after I didn't have nothing. So I think it's also like God, because being diabetic and if you throw up, you make it so you throw up, you're not assimilating.

So it's bad. You go down the sugar. If you want to eat sweet, sweet, sweet, like it's not good for you because you cannot do it so I think I say was the perfect pregnancy I say behind the time diabetic my baby was really really really perfect and after my boyfriend broke his leg my husband now because yeah uh practicing and um i was home doing my soling nice was somewhere and how pregnant were you then in seven months seven months pregnant yes and he i get a call he called me and even i was upset on him because hello you have to because normally my caravan was not all the families with the caravan by the building, but it was not so much place.

So my caravan was staying like five minutes walk, to say, from them, in the practice, in the building for practicing. And I said, come home. I said, come on, you let me here alone, I'm pregnant. And you, yeah, but we want to help the practice because you need to have a horse that is not good. And I said, okay. And he called me. we want to help the practice because he need to have a horse that is not good and say okay and he called me and say Emilia don't panic but I broke my leg and I say you can move your leg

because he's not showing me really like a video call was you know but he's not showing me and say you can move your leg your feet oh yeah ah it's not broke then and he said but the bone was outside but he didn't say to me he didn't show me this you know and he said no it's really broke i said if you can move it it's not broke stop it you know like and everybody was like panicking and after i somebody turned the camera so i saw you know and i said's broke. But he said, but be calm, be calm. I said, I'm calm. Nothing, I'm calm. And I said, I'm coming there. He said, no, no, no, just they call the ambulance until you are here.

You know, because I was ready, like. You both sound like you're just quite conversational about this compound fracture he's just experienced. Yeah, I mean, it's like he was very calm in that moment. He didn't, I think he's also, he didn't have pain. He said he don't have pain. He was very calm in that moment. He didn't, I think he's also, he didn't have pain. He said he don't have pain.

Own each step with Peloton. From their pop runs to walk and talks, you define what it means to be a runner. Whatever your level, embrace it. Journey starts when you say so. If you've got five minutes or 50, Peloton Tread has workouts you can work in. Or bring your classes with you for outdoor runs, walks, and and hikes led by expert instructors on the peloton app call yourself a runner

peloton all access membership separate learn more at one peloton.ca running and is that the first time he's been properly injured? Born. Because doing the jockey, doing horse number, you have every time problem with the knees. Like all my brothers-in-law, except Arnold, that he get injured this year, they had problem with the knees.

I have three broke ligaments by my knee. You do? Yes, I do. And this is because of just the stress that's put on them? It's because of stress is because of falling falling and falling like every time like jumping on the horse and you don't jump and you like make this to the knee like yes. Okay. And yeah this is the the typical injury for the people that work with the horse, doing acrobatic on the horses. And how do you find it now?

Has it become second nature to do your dancing with horses? Of course. I mean, it's like... It's been a long time now. When I broke first time my ligament, and I didn't work two days, I was staying and watching the show, you know, they were working. And I was like because we are screaming very much in the in our traditional number we make a traditional hungarian

we make with the jockey because the jockey is a circus a traditional circus number from hungary so it's specialty of hungary and it's much screaming like ah hey ah and i was watching from behind you know like and i was screaming i making the compliment and screaming oh my god what i'm doing i'm not working i'm just watching you know like it's really like it's in you yeah it's in you and how often do you because do you practice every day or do you once this once the routine is set do you just the boys and my husband and the horses it is like practicing every day is depending you have three shows you cannot practice of course you cannot put the horses to do a practice when you have three shows but the three days and yeah it's

because the horses have to run the horses have to to keep them their condition and we have to keep our condition and it's every time like you want to learn new tricks you have new horse um just before when you come my husband on his side was inside the horses practicing and um when we do something new, like having a new horse, for example, also for the pas de deux or for jockey, they teach it because he's running. Actually, it's this running around. But it's very important for us because you cannot teach every horse to do that. Some horses, they're scared of the light. Some horses, they are scared of the light some horses they are scared of the

music some horse they are just stressed because there are too much people in the circus so you have to take it easy yeah like go inside let him smell let him see let him see the whip let him hear the whip to don't be scared of the whip and we have much much time like the people say yeah but he make a phew the whip is me say yeah but say look the horse he's not get scared so that's mean he's not scared of the whip sound and this we try like to don't be scared yeah not all the horses they are um getting to do the show, of course. But we have our horses, like it's Dolar, the white one,

it's 20 years already and needs to have it over 10 years. Okay, wow. And when it was 2019 here, I make a small about the horses because when I start to speak about them, I cannot stop. We had a horse, he was 27 when he was here by giforce 2019 he was not working anymore but he was traveling with us because it was part of the family was like they had it since they start they

start 2001 the boys to do the jockey and uh since then they had the horse Wow and was traveling with us and he was 27 even we presenting every time when they're coming like open doors we had and we bring him inside and show him and after thousand and we 28 at 2020 he started on feel so good and we called of it and they say one, two days and you're not going to. So we bring it in the clinic and we put it to sleep. Was also emotional for my brother-in-law and my husband, they'll go with him. And I'm happy that I was not there, but they say even the doctor was crying

because the vet was crying because they see them and they say oh my god and yeah he traveled with us in the last moment and I think with Dolar it would be the same, he's now 20 and if you will be okay to travel because you don't know long travels

and if you will be okay to travel with us he will stay with us yeah because we have a new horse now okay that we we practice with that he take the work from him you know to don't yeah yes and and typically how in in your husband's family how late into life are people performing like is there a sort of retirement age it's not it's how long you can do it how long you can do it yes yes how long you do it um jockey it's very it's um going much to the knees to the legs so it's like it's depending my brother-in-law the older brother-in-law, he's still doing it. He's now 42, 41, 42, but he has broke legs.

So he's just making small trick. Okay. His legs seem to take a lot of, that's a lot of damage. Yes. Who are you saying that's just broken their legs? One of your brothers? One of my brother-in-law, the second after my husband. So he's 27.

Yeah. second after my husband so he's 27 and when we they the first day of practicing by Giffords when we started the practice he just make a jump on the horse and he slide and he fall on the other side and he just broke the leg and they had to operate because was like cross broke up and down and they couldn't they they tried first to fix it with the um um like plot faster kind of no no plus like they put the the not caught on how you say the white thing that you put it the cast cast oh cast yeah yeah and after they did one x-ray and they see because it's twist so they had to operate but apparently when it happened the other brothers were finding it quite funny because

he was the last one to be injured he was never injured he never 27 no injury it's not possible i mean you have to have it it's like it was like something is not wrong and he's really skinny and when you are really skinny the bones they are broken more quick to say like that you don't have like strong legs you need to have strong legs to but no he's the skinny one and i say no and they was like really really everybody was funny funny funny of course when he gets in the hospital and i i even have a photo like this with him because i was thinking the moment they put the cast, they say, yes, they don't have to operate. You know, it's cast two weeks, three weeks.

And after they make the exit, they say, no, we need to operate. I was like, oh, my God. Yeah, that must be. I mean, I suppose with your pregnancy, is that something you were, in the circus, is it something that, you know, is a very big deal about the time when you need to be physically able to not be doing your job? I mean, presumably it's a big step back. I mean, I was thinking that it would be more difficult to come back on the horse.

I mean, also with the age, because I'm not the youngest. I'm not 20, 25 to say, I'm going to 38. So I will be one month, two months, 38. And I will say, oh, my God. But I think it's like not taking so much kilos. And after two months, but maybe it was two months, I start to work. Not the pas de deux, but the jockey. In the jockey, I don't do so much, but I'm on the horse.

I do my trick and I'm jumping down from the horse and I was was thinking will be difficult but no I was I was like really surprised oh and when so my baby's born in end of June 29 of June this month will be one year old that's exciting and in March we came here so he was like eight months and we started the practice and we start really to practice and all the winter i did nothing because we didn't have work was like christmas circles we didn't have of course because of the pandemic again you know like yeah yeah and um you cannot move so much in the winter and I say oh my god we get here and we start practice with the horses practice with the show the finale dancing everything and I said my god but I was like really good the only problem that I had my knees I have incredible pain in the knees like finish the practice and put

ice and I was walking like I just burned a baby but actually was the the pain in the knees that was because a long period of time doing knees and this was but like physical I like my mother-in-law saying I'll be hard actually my husband had it more difficult because after his injury yeah I was gonna say to recover he recover for the injury so he he here he really start to make the saltos and going back to what he was doing and after the party though with me and after the party though with Tweedy because like it's a double number you make that two times the number yeah one after each other doing with me and after with the clown it

tweeted doing also and when you make the practice like the general practice all together you have to make everything and you finish you're like oh he was like oh my god i don't have air oh my god and i was like what i said i cannot no condition no condition i said okay so i had the baby but for you it's more difficult but yeah of course he's more physical for him staying on the horse and holding me and of course so what age did physical for him. Staying on the horse and holding me, and of course. So what age did they start, the family line? How young are they? My husband, sorry that I say boyfriend,

because we were 16 years together, but we were not married. We just married in February. Really? Yes. Congratulations. Thank you. So it's so difficult to say husband. It's new for me.

He was 10, 11 when he started to work. It was 2001. Yeah, it was 2001 when he started to work. Arnold, he was also like also 11 because he go later in the number inside. And yeah, 15, 16, the other brother-in-law that I had and how do you when you were describing some of your routines they sound very romantic is it is it nice does it like to do that with your husband like a part of the show now I have to say when I start when I start to work with with them together I did the part of the show now i have to say when i start when i start to work with them together i did

the pas de deux with richard with the older brother and with my husband i start to do it seven years ago yes seven years ago uh and it's quite romantic yeah because here is not so romantic the number but our how we are working is like a Spanish number, and it's like really with much touching the face and like romantic. And, yeah, it's not always... The people see it very romantic, but you are like, what you do there? It's not always working, I have to, you know? There's another story going on. There's a subtext.

And I did the pas de deux with the oldest brother. After the older brothers get injured, I mean, I had had them small operation take some bones out from the knee like you know you go any show look these are my bones yeah and I practice with the second older brother-in-law that he actually he's a big guy big strong he was the porter actually he was doing all the in the joke a because he was making like pyramid on the horse and pyramid with saltos from horse on the other horse in the back. Wow. Yes. And he was like the base.

Yeah. The porter. And we practiced two times on the floor and one time on the horse. And we go in the show and did the number. But this was another story because he was doing the jockey and porting just by jockey on one horse and you make the trick you go down but the part they do is like four or five minutes continuing balancing on the horses with me on top so this is what your one on each horse yes one yeah there are two horses you hold one leg on one horse the other

one the other horse the boy and it's like this movement yeah it's like four or five minutes long whoa and plus that have to take care to balance it me to don't have this hop um uh that the people don't see this i have to stay really okay so he's exactly this is doing balancing that i'm staying yes you gotta keep yourself yes so that you just absorb so he's exactly this is doing balancating that i'm staying yes you've got to keep yourself yes so that you just absorb and he's this the underman that is doing that yes so he have to because if not i'm looking like that you're wobbling around yes wow and i did this with the second brother-in-law and he like was so finished after he finished the number he was doing the show and he said i don't feel my legs i don't feel my legs and um yeah it's every time you go inside and you hope for the best like the horse is running good yes and you need to have this um tempo together you know to don't

be contra tempo like it's three powers working together yes Yes, two humans and the horses Yeah, so I have to like everything have to go together to look nice, of course and like sometimes you too early or too late and the other one is not in the same time with you and like No, what you're the any after you make the So nice we are so low. We love each other so much and i think what you are doing no it's your fault oh no it's your fault you know it's a little bit tricky you know like and continuing smiling yes and i yeah yeah i work with my husband as well

exactly the other thing i was thinking about is because obviously with the circus, the actual show is the heart of it. That's the bit when all the strands come together. But the day to day, when I had my first baby especially, I definitely found aspects of it quite isolating. And I wondered if it's hard if you're traveling and you haven't always got access to your friends and your family. If you're parents, how easy is it for them to come and visit you not easy yeah my mom was one time she was one time in uh in hungary when i was working seeing me and the second time when she can visit me was when i get married uh only two times my my father it's um it's not so easy to move.

So he didn't come. He didn't come. But I go home so much time that I can when I'm free. I try to go home to my family. And when my baby was four months old, I bring it to see them, to see my family. And what about the family that you get? Does it feel like you're part of a big family? Of course. Yeah. big family? Of course. Yeah.

Of course. Of course. Especially like the donors, the family for my husband is, of course, before I was also part of family. But having the baby, it's like all the family is concentrating on the baby. Yeah. all the families concentrating on the baby yeah when i had the wedding and my brother-in-law come from germany he was and he's like a tough guy you know he's like circus people are tough you know like they're not complaining that they have pain and they are like really you know like this and my brother-in-law is like really he's a special guy in this type. And he was nonstop with the baby in the arm.

And he was like, because he was saying like, ah, babies are crying. And they are shitting. Sorry. And he was there and he was with him. And he said like, okay, you can do another baby. I take this one with me. He was like, I cannot believe Adrian. He's like that with a baby i never see my father

in law i never see my father-in-law so you see the tears in his eyes sometimes he's like he's just doing a poop and he's like oh my god he did a poop he's so intelligent he's like really my father-in-law he's speaking like that about the child because they are really tough you know they're really like every time and i think maybe because he's the first baby in the family yeah i don't know but really like well i was really surprised i never never think in my life that would be so attached and so like poor on him and are there other children traveling with the circus at the moment we know we don't have i mean yes just only it's um it's um uh ron the the one guy from the orchestra have a boy but he's all like six seven and he's not staying he's just coming the weekends coming so it's no we don't have we don't have that. Sometimes it's coming, you know, Toti Giffords is coming with the daughter

because Red is, when she has time, she's part of the show. Okay. Like part of, she's presenting her pony. Okay. I think she will come in London. And they have a smaller sister and she's 11 months. Oh, okay, same. Yes, 11 months old. And when they meet you know they're

like really interacting the babies they're speaking and they're touching themselves and my boy's like very like shy and she may like and she's like going on him like catch him yeah but in this no he don't have so much contact with babies. But he gets all the other stuff. He gets the big community of people. He gets all the artists. Like each one I have is, my caravan now is backstage, to say it like that. It's really behind the tent. And my husband just put his swing outside.

And he's watching from his swing. He's watching in the back tent and all the artists passing and they go and they play with him and I take him in the arms and it's five minutes by this one and five minutes but he's lovely he's not crying after mommy he's like from hand to hand to everybody yeah the biggest attention and he love attention yeah he's like really really a circus boy and also he might get some he might get ideas of a different part of the show that he wants to be part of yes yes and he's with grandma by the show is every time watching the show with grandma and he's sitting there

watching the show clapping yeah enjoying it i love that he's really really a circus boy that's so sweet yeah yeah I mean I suppose can you imagine what life would have been like if the circus hadn't come your way oh it's so much part it seems so much part of everything yes I think will be I don't know I think being in Romania having a boring office job and yeah routine the same one wake up in the morning go work eight hours come back and what is strange is before I never understand when I get first in the circus the first years when you hear the people circus people saying yeah but I could never do a private work it's

eight hours to stay in the office and I was like come on really and now after so much years I say the same of course you if you have to do it you do it in the pandemic I was working I was working to ice cafe in Germany I go work okay still with the public because I love to to communicate with the people. It's incredible. But for me, it's my life. I cannot stay behind, never, and be close. I need to communicate. It's very important for me.

But you can do it. Of course you can do it. But how it is, how you feel, it's not the same. It will be very, very difficult to let the circus life and go back private will be will be hard yeah once you're here once you're part of it and you love it when it's i every time say because they ask me every time what is harder the private life or the circus life they are both hard but the circus life it's a different life it's a life in life so like it's the world and after the circus world in the middle of this and um i mean just in the night you go outside and

you see another one another caravan you know and they make a party oh what you do oh we drink something oh come on let's drink something or um you stuck with your caravan you need to push it and oh come on everybody come on everybody we have to move the caravan or you know it's like I think in the private life you go to work you have your colleagues maybe friends or something you go from the office and you get home and you get to your private part of your life in the circus you don't have this i mean you do your show and you go into a caravan but still all your colleagues are your friends actually and every season you have different friends because you have different colleagues.

And of course, they stay, they stay. You keep in touch, you know, with some of them over the years. Like you find a good friend and you have every time contact with him and you hope that you are again with him working. And with the other ones you work now, you like on Facebook the photos or you make some comments, of course. And maybe in two, three years or five years, you work again with them. And, ah, we was working together, I don't know how much years, by that circus. And also, like, now being a mother, it's very difficult keeping contact. Even with the best friends, you don't have the time for it I'm to speak with my parents and my sister just in the weekend because she's

work in the mornings like here it's seven o'clock my my in Romania it's nine o'clock it's two hours that so seven o'clock in the morning I speak with my mom and my father every day almost every day in the weekend I speak with my sister in the morning uh but friends it's it's not possible yeah one time in a morning oh I have to call because he tried to call me and I didn't pick up and you you try you try to keep it but um working and taking care of the baby that's all you that's all your hours, isn't it? Yes. And I think it sounds a bit like, from your description,

it sounds a little bit like when I'm on tour. It's like lots of fun and there's always everybody around and things to do. Exactly, exactly. You're all kind of united in the shape of your days as well. Yes. You get into a routine. And is it how you expected it, having a baby? And I suppose things might have felt a little bit different if you had a girl

because she might not have had this line that follows through of these, you know, next generation tiny. That's quite significant, I think. I think it was like a big pressure on me and actually was not not not big pressure but was my husband i was saying please make me a boy please let be let him be a boy i didn't care i mean all the donors they wanted a boy to be a boy because it was the first from the family. I think that was very important for them.

And aside from my family, they wanted a girl, because my sister have a boy. So everybody, they want my father. My father wanted a girl, because even, I have a sister, it's me and my sister, and my father never wanted boys. He wanted girls strange for a man because normally they like one boy but no he said no boys they are bad they make make bad things the girls they are and he had two girls my father and he wanted so much and i say i don't care what it is if it's a girl or a boy i want to be healthy i i and um i wake up in the morning and i say it's a boy not knowing because that by the four month check they couldn't see and i say it's a boy and uh i say to everyone

i say how do you know i say i feel it's a boy without no just and my father buy for my grandmother you know to make the the vest you know this i don't know how he's calling when knitting yes knitting yeah because by in our family it's tradition you have this vest knit by the by the grandmother yeah and he bought red and pink and i said papa no don't buy pink because you you're not you're not going to be a girl i feel it's a boy it doesn't matter i'll change it if it's a it's a boy i'll change it and i go and i make the the checkup and they say it's a boy and i could see my father that he was really disappointed i have to return them return the wall yeah but but um but he's happy he's of course yeah once the baby's here yeah he's like

it's always gonna be that baby yes they are talking every morning in the phone I mean sweet because my baby boy he's talking he can say papa and mama and tata um but he have his own develop his own language is he learning English too? Is he learning other languages? He grew up with Romanian because I speak Romanian. My husband, he's speaking German with him. My parents-in-law, they are speaking Hungarian with him. And me and my husband speak English.

And our TV is German. No wonder he's getting his own language going. Yes. So like in Hungarian, grandfather is like nagy papa, you say papa. But in Romanian we say papa, you say like bye, like you're going away. And also we say you want papa, Like you want to eat? So he say papa, but we don't know like the context. What do you mean now? Because he see my grandfather, my father-in-law. So it could be grandfather.

Eating. Goodbye or I'm hungry. I'm hungry, yes. So, but he see my father-in-law and he say papa. He say papa, like papa. But when you leave, he say papa and he waves and i say to him you want papa and he say puppy puppy so i think he know the difference yeah he'll get it between it's amazing he's got those languages yeah and with my my father every morning they have them chat and make

and after that and he explained to him something we don't know what but he's explaining something and he's very like he's trying to one time he just hit my brother-in-law alphonse i think as well it's really sweet for there's a nice end to the the story that your parents were so especially your mom was so horrified when you first went to circus. And now it's like part of the bloodline now. Yeah, and I was like, this is me. I said I didn't care if it's a boy or a girl. Donners wanted boy. My husband was begging me, please, please a boy.

And it's a boy. And I would like to have also a girl. So you think there might be more babies one day? I don't know know but i hope so we'll see so i'm coming to see you tonight very excited um what is your day like between now and then what do you do to get ready for tonight will you be practicing on the horses what's the time now so it's coming up to 12 o'clock it's like just gone half 11 yes 12 o'clock 12 o'clock my baby have his um lunch after we eat also um and start to prepare putting makeup my husband is washing the horses

um we are eating also uh i have a big big luck with my mother-in-law because by the shows, she's the one that she's doing the cooking and take care of my baby boy. Yeah. I say, hat up for all the women that have babies and they don't have nobody with them. Like, they're happening. That's mommy and mama and papa, they're alone with the child. And so they bring in the backstage, they put in the baby wagon and just can i go work can you look my baby for two minutes please until i you know like this is this is the the normal going of the couple that they have a baby in the circus just bring in with you

and other artists take care of the baby yeah uh and i'm i'm very lucky because i have my mother-in-law and my mother-in-law is there with the baby. And I know I can concentrate to my work because she's really fine. And he's not crying after me. He's crying just when he sees me for the titty because I'm still breastfeeding. But if he doesn't see me, he's happy and playing my brother-in-law's guitar. So I have such a big luck I it's very important I can concentrate to my work you know it's not like I oh my god oh my god you know it's no it's concentrated work and I have finished the work is my baby and it's it's

very important yeah I can I can see that and I think that idea of like i mean they always say it takes a village to raise a child exactly i could replace village with circus it's a small village a circus a small village and you yeah everybody help you if you need oh come on i take your baby i just go there oh come on give me i you know so you have the five minutes to relax because after there are things that just the mother do that nobody can take you know like he's still waking up in the night two times and i breastfeeding and even if my husband is waking up that he's not because he don't hear because my baby's not crying he just go up like this on his bed and make mama and mama make like this okay come up even if he's waking up my

husband he cannot do nothing because he just want me he's not that he's hungry he's not he just want this this intimacy with uh with mommy so they are just things that mommy can do and of course you are tired but you you have also much help with other things like entertaining he he's getting entertained from all the family and all from all the artists so yeah this is beautiful yeah that's lovely yeah i mean i think um if he was growing up uh in a normal village he'd find it a lot more boring this is like a really exciting one it's really and even when he's coming by practicing like we have finale practice rehearsal this coming the the the choreograph and we do and he's like because first without music you know and he's sitting there and he

starts to be bored he's moving and like and when he start the music and he's like he's dancing and moving and he's a circus boy. He loved this. He loved it. Yeah. So lovely. Well, I can't wait to see you tonight. I hope you'll enjoy the show.

And thank you so much for talking to me. And thank you to whoever. Who's looking after Tony now? Is it your mother-in-law? My mother-in-law. What's her name? Elizabeth. Elizabeth.

Shout out to Elizabeth for all that she's doing because she sounds like she's really brilliant too I can't wait to see her and your husband as well, I'll see the whole show, it's going to be great I was happening talking with you and I hope that I didn't talk too much no, not at all I think there's more stuff we could have spoken about

I mean it's just from the outside looking in I can see the hard work, I can see the hard work. I can see you need to be resilient. But I also think that there's something very special about being part of something like that. That's traveling around and, you know, bringing such joy. And you must get so much from the crowds as well. Oh, yes.

Especially by Gifor Circus. The Gifor Circus is a special circus and a special public. And you see them. I mean, I love... because it's a special circus and a special public. And you see them, I mean, I love, for Nell, Rest in Peace, the boss from Circus 2019 here. She come and she was watching the pas de deux and she didn't care so much about the technique part, how much she cared about the emotional part and the contact to the public and she was watching the

party there and it's for me it's very important is because I'm not very technical I'm more like hard working and connecting with the people and what is difficult a little bit if being on the horse if if everything going is okay you have can have this contact with the public but in the moment that they're down under you it's happening things you you cannot have this contact with the public but i love the contact with the public and she is coming now and she's watching the show and i remember a time i saw her because i look the public you know i see the people i see this one to say that i see the people waving to me from the public.

And like I say, my God, they are so the gift for public is so special because there's really they are there with you, you know, really. And I go out from from the show and I get a text and was Nell saying to me how incredible I am. And I think the circus was Nell's circus, was her. And she was like that emotionally and the public, it's exactly her. It's the way that the people take, they see all the hard work that you are doing and still you can smile and you can look the people, the public in the eyes, you know, and see them. Yeah. And I think, is this what she wanted? And I see now 2022, it's exactly what Nell wished for it yeah I can exactly know what you mean the heart of it because I suppose Nell was someone who loved what the circus could bring

yes so she made sure she created the environment to really give that life and i see in the public every time when i watch the public i'm i see nell inside them i see this love for the circus and for what people are doing that's gorgeous it's amazing that is well tonight when you look up you'll see us yes i know i see even the the choreographer she's coming and she's's there every time in the last row, you know, like the last line. But I see her clapping and standing up, you know? Yeah. And she's there and giving the energy, you know?

Yes. And it's amazing. Yeah. Well, that's what's in the core of it, isn't it? All of you going, like, you all have to give each other support. Yes. Yeah. That's fantastic. I love that. I can't wait to see it i'm excited now i hope i hope like tonight is the premiere the big official premiere in london it's for everybody it's a big thing you know yeah it will be it will be long and will be stress and will be but i i hope will be everything

like have have to be it's gonna be great yes it's gonna be great I can't wait thank you so much thank you that was my chat with Amelia horse acrobat extraordinaire and all-round lovely person and I don't think I mentioned it but we actually recorded that chat sat just outside Nell's beautiful circus wagon and we got taken on a little tour by Emma who does the press for the circus and she showed us around everything all the backstage bits all the amazing costumes the bits where the performers stay and travel. And it's just incredible.

There's about 50 or 60 people in the travelling circus. And I suppose it's a little bit like being on a full production tour all the time, but everything's a little bit more cosy and it's like a little travelling village. Pretty special. I can see why it appeals. But also you definitely get a sense that everybody works really, really hard. So yeah, they put a lot into doing what they do and keeping fit and keeping it in this really good state. So very impressive stuff. And as for me, I'm not going to run away and join a circus, but I do like watching one from time to time. And you know what? This is the last conversation of this series can you believe it number 70 what happened that was so crazy quick

I think I must be coming up to my two-year birthday of the podcast which is pretty wild so thank you so much to all of you for listening um what an amazing community we've built here and honestly I've done so many things with my work, but nothing is quite as lovely as when someone tells me they've listened to the podcast and enjoyed it. I think just because it's such a pet project and the people I work with, it's such a small team. It's literally my friend, Claire,

who I've known since I was a teenager, who produces it. And it was my first choice to work with me on it and has been brilliant. Richard, who edits it. So that's kind of the working team. And then we've got lovely Ella May, who does the artwork, who I know because I once wrote a song with her dad. So isn't that a funny thing?

And it's just really lovely, this really nice team. And everybody's so talented and does what they do really well. But obviously what I really need is people to say yes to speaking to me and people to actually want to hear it. So thank you very much to you. It's a real pleasure. I absolutely adore it. And you should see the list I've got for the next series.

I'm already up and running with it, actually. And there's some amazing people. So I can't wait to share that with you. And yes, I'm really excited about the future. So thank you very much and if you have any suggestions please send them my way I know I'm always banging on about it but it's just such a delight to be introduced to new and amazing people so thank you very much and in the meantime well I hope you have a really nice summer I think this is coming back I think

I'll try and get back in, like, middle of August. I don't want to leave it too long, really. I know August can be a bit sleepy, but we can all still listen to podcasts. We're on our holidays, can't we? If you're lucky enough to be having one. I'm going to go away with the kids for a little bit, just at the end of July, I think, or beginning of August.

But apart from that, I'll be around, because I'm doing loads of festivals. So, yes, I'm in and around London town. And I hope if you manage to get away, I hope you have a really lovely time. And maybe see you somewhere in a field where I'll be singing at you. That'd be nice.

In the meantime, lots of love. Thanks so much to the podcast team. Thanks so much to all the people who said yes to talking to me. And thank you to you for lending me your ears. I will see you in a month or so all right that's enough bye Thank you.