It is winter 1969. Outside, heavy snowflakes are falling. The temperature is glacial but at the Grand Palais the cold is the last thing on anybody's mind. Why? Because a circus is in town… and in the Nave! What's more, this is no ordinary circus: these are the Muchachos, the hottest troupe in Spain! Crowds and celebrities are beating a path to the door. Film star Alain Delon, painter Salvador Dali, and the singers Adamo and Maurice Chevalier are among the audience as Paris Match devotes its front cover to the Muchacos. The star of the show is a 13-year old boy: an extraordinary clown whose presence in the ring and expressive facials focus everyone's attention. His name: Pancracio, a real character!
Though initially reluctant, declaring that "circuses are just sequins and nonsense", a little girl named Marie was instantly spellbound. In fact, no sooner had she encountered the human pyramid of Harlequins that greeted the public on avenue Winston-Churchill than her mood changed completely. She went home with two obsessions: the circus and Spain (her bedroom would soon have photos wall-to-wall!). With her sister she was back at the Grand Palais every day to see the circus, chat with the clowns, and delve deep into a fascinating, new world. The next part of the story was inevitable: the clown and the little girl fell in love. After years of patient waiting, lengthy correspondence, and countless return trips between Paris and Madrid, they married and had two children… This was back in 1989. Today they are a happy couple and returned to the Grand Palais with one of their children for "Jours de fêtes". The circus romance has come full circle.
