"Xiec" (Circus) taken by photographer Christian Rodriguez was posted on National Geographic magazine last year. In order to take those photos, he visited Vietnam three times from 2009 to 2012 and lived with circus performers in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City for 8 months. Despite several difficulties, he didn't give up.
"The central circus in Hanoi is the main scene in his work. 5 years ago, Hong Thuy first became a circus performer and worked hard for her passion. She is now the main performer of the circus with a difficult acrobatic act. Tống Toàn Thắng, an experienced performer, was captured behind the stage", Christian Rodriguez - a photographer from Uruguay - said.
"Circus is an international language that has helped us understand each other very quickly. He portrayed the circus performers' working lives in a very real way. It's hard but they always shine on stage. That is also their motivation to continue with this job", meritorious artist Tong Toan Thang - Vietnam Circus Federation - said.
Another photo by Christian Rodriguez
"The most important thing is to keep practicing. Through hardship, we learn to appreciate and love our job even more", Lo Hong Thuy - circus performer of Vietnam Circus Federation - said.
Circus is a hard and dangerous job. Through the photos of Christian Rodriguez, people can see not only performers' efforts but also their passion and bravery.
"The Vietnamese circus has proved its position in the world with several medals and prizes. However, through his photos, people get to know another angle. We get to see the performers' lives full of vigor and devotion", Christian Rodriguez added.
