The curious life of French circus performer Aurélia Thierrée
She performs in her mother’s latest show Bells and Spells at the Hong Kong Arts Festival – and here talks about being part of Charlie Chaplin’s sprawling family
My parents were touring with a show in the south of France when I was born in 1971. It was the early days of their attempt at creating a new kind of circus. They still had some animals in the show and were living in a caravan. My mother Victoria Chaplin-Thierrée’s water broke just before the show and I was born two months premature. I was three the first time I participated in the show. They placed me in a box during the intermission and told me all I had to do was jump out and run backstage. But I fell asleep in the box.
Walking suitcases
My younger brother and I had very small parts in the shows – we appeared in magic tricks or jumped out of boxes – I think as a way of keeping an eye on us. If we were on stage, they knew where we were. In our first real number we were in a suitcase with only our legs showing and we were walking suitcases. It taught us discipline, but it wasn’t demanding.