Hailing from French Guiana, Antino Pansa is very proud and passionate about being one of the first Slackwire artists to come from his hometown. “It’s not a lot of circus artists from that country,” he said. “I feel like I have to go further to show the people behind me… how to get there, and to work hard also.”
When he first began his training at 14 with his father, he was instantly enamored with the new abilities he’d gained. While perfecting his craft in trampolining and floor acrobatics, it was Slackwire that he loved the most. By 2018, following his audition in Paris, Pansa was accepted to the National Circus School of Montreal. “You have to wait at least three months to get accepted… it’s a stressful moment,” he remarked. After three years of dance lessons, workout sessions, and Slackwire training, Pansa was ready to take on every opportunity that came his way.
Pansa also shows a great deal of perseverance. He recounted an injury he had following a split on the wire during a warm-up, in which his Achilles’ heel had developed an irritation. However, he didn’t let this deter him from his path. He got right back onto the ropes just two months later, better than ever. Pansa also shares his acrobatic abilities with his brother, Stephane. “I showed him how to do Slackwire when I was back home…we trained a lot together, and we’ve only performed one time for our family in French Guiana… but we haven’t performed together for a big audience yet.” Pansa was very excited about the prospect of performing with his brother again in the future.
Pansa is currently touring with Cirque de Soleil: Echo, which will be in Atlanta from November 5 to January 21.
Antino Pansa is a Guyanese circus artist of French nationality. He began circus at the age of fourteen, and this passion - passed on by his father, who also practiced slack wire - was soon to take center stage in his life. He is a graduate of the National Circus School of Montreal.
Antino specializes in slack wire, but is also a talented trampoline and floor acrobat, as well as a hand-to-hand carrier and Korean plank acrobat. He loves group work and is passionate about dance, movement and acting. He is currently a slackwire artist in Cirque’s newest creation, ECHO.
