Giovanna Robatini, a young woman from a long circus lineage of the Robatini family, is making history by taking the circus to the digital world. Born in Cuiabá, MT, this talented artist, inspired by her parents’ legacy and Cirque du Soleil, has found her niche as a social media sensation, garnering nearly 5 million followers across her various profiles.
Her circus journey began as an adorable “little clown”, following in her father’s footsteps, who still performs as the main clown and performs impressive acrobatics in the Globe of Death. However, as she grew up under the circus tent, Giovanna discovered her true passion for hula hoop. With relentless practice and dedication, she is now able to balance 50 hula hoops simultaneously, a feat that captivates audiences.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Giovanna started recording videos to combat the boredom of the temporary closure of the circus, showing her life in the traveling circus, with her illusionist mother and her clown brother, in addition to other family members. These fun and authentic videos captured the attention of social media, making Giovanna an online sensation.
Through her funny posts and vlogs, Giovanna shares the daily routine in a way that demystifies the idealized view of the circus, humanizing it and showing that life under the canvas has its ups and downs.
Although living in a circus brings challenges, such as distance from friends and occasional prejudice, Giovanna believes that the positive aspects outweigh everything. Her future plans include studying Cinema, inspired by artists such as Zendaya, Grace Good, Irina Akimova and Selena Gomez. With her innate talent and infectious charisma, Giovanna Robatini is redefining the circus for modern generations, demonstrating the true value of circus art and family.
You mentioned that your inspiration comes mainly from your parents and Cirque du Soleil. How has their influence shaped your career and artistic style?
The first time I saw any type of circus performance was watching my parents perform. The first time I saw hula hoops performed was at Cirque du Soleil, watching a young woman performing with hula hoops on a Cirque du Soleil DVD. Since then, since the first time I saw this performance with her, I started to pick up some tricks and learn how to behave on stage. This also came a lot from my parents, as I was very inspired by them. I think I got a lot of inspiration from that, especially in the way I behave on stage. Over time, I developed my own way of presenting myself on stage.
Balancing 50 hula hoops simultaneously is an impressive skill. How did you come to master this art and what challenges did you encounter along the way?
Before I was able to fly 50 hula hoops, my previous mark was 40 hula hoops. This was my biggest achievement so far, and I decided to challenge myself to raise it to 50 hula hoops. It took me about a week to beat my own record. I faced many challenges during this process, the biggest being the weight of the 50 hula hoops. It was much heavier than the 40 hula hoop class, which required me to strengthen my spine a lot to avoid problems. That was the biggest difficulty I encountered, but everything worked out in the end.
During the pandemic, you started sharing your circus life on social media. How was the transition from a traditional circus artist to a digital influencer? What were the main challenges and rewards of this process?
During this transition, a lot has changed, especially the way I present myself. My presentation with hula hoops went through major transformations, as I started to charge myself much more after gaining visibility on social networks. Many people started to come to the circus especially to watch my performance, which became one of the biggest challenges. I put a lot of pressure on myself to improve my performance for this audience that came especially to see me. However, the rewards have been wonderful, as I get a lot of love, especially from young audiences, including kids my age. It is very rewarding to see these people coming to the circus especially to watch me.
His videos and vlogs show the reality of circus life, demystifying some myths. What message do you want to convey about circus life and your family?
What I really want to convey is that in the circus we are a family that brings art to other families. Many people had a very different idea of this before seeing some of my videos on social media. I received a lot of messages from people saying they had a completely wrong idea before. I want to show that this is not the case, that we are a family with a lifestyle that, in many ways, is similar to that of people living in the city. The difference is that we move more often, but deep down, we are very similar.
You mentioned your interest in studying Cinema in the future. What are your aspirations in this area and how do you think the circus experience will influence your work in film?
I understand that cinema is not something you are completely sure of pursuing at the moment, but it is a will that you still carry with you. It is interesting to note how circus art can enrich this experience, especially in content creation and interaction with the public. Although it is not yet a definitive decision, it is valid that this will be present and that you continue to explore the possibilities in the future. Combining different art forms can indeed enrich your creative journey.
In addition to Cirque du Soleil, you mentioned some influences on your art and life. How do these personalities, like Zendaya and Grace Good, inspire your work?
It’s wonderful to see how you draw inspiration from different artists to improve your work and performance. Grace, with her hula hoop skills, and Zendaya, with her stage presence and acting, are excellent sources of inspiration. Looking to other artists for inspiration can help you develop your own skills and artistic style, allowing you to grow and excel in your field. Keep following these inspirations and shaping your own creative path.
Giovanna, you mentioned in the release that you faced challenges, including prejudice from some people, throughout your circus journey. How do you deal with these obstacles and what advice would you give to other young people who may be facing resistance in following their artistic dreams?
It’s inspiring to see how you turned adversity into opportunities and used your social media visibility to address important issues. Having a voice to speak out on these topics is a valuable responsibility and can make a real difference in people’s lives. His advice of not giving up and persisting in the pursuit of making a living from art is valuable. The challenges can be many, but as you mentioned, in the end, the rewards and satisfaction of following your passion are priceless. Keep inspiring and making a difference with your work and your voice.
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