Samuel Roy
Casting and Show Support Director at Cirque du Soleil. He has extensive experience in the live entertainment industry, specializing in talent selection, artistic coordination, and comprehensive support for large-scale productions. His work focuses on supporting creative and operational processes, ensuring the quality and consistency of productions. He is known for his artistic vision, organizational skills, and professionalism, which have made him a key collaborator within one of the world’s leading contemporary circus companies.
Vladimir Shaban
Director of the Belarusian State Circus since 2013 and one of the leading figures in contemporary circus in Eastern Europe, he is the founder and director of the Minsk International Festival of Circus Art, a major international platform dedicated to promoting circus arts since 2017. Throughout his career, he has served as a jury member at prestigious international circus festivals in Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Latvia, Hungary, Spain, and France. His experience and leadership have made him an international authority in the circus arts.
Ronghua Tong
A legendary figure in Chinese acrobatics and one of the most respected personalities in contemporary Asian circus, he will be part of the International Jury at our festival. With over fifty years dedicated to the acrobatic arts, he has developed an extraordinary career as an artist, director, and leading figure in stagecraft in China. He is currently Vice President of the China Acrobats Association, President of the Sichuan Acrobats Association, and Director of the prestigious Suining Acrobatic Troupe. His extensive experience has led him to serve on important international juries, including the renowned Wuqiao International Acrobatic Festival and the highest award in Chinese acrobatics, the Golden Chrysanthemum Award.
Cesar Aedo
Director, artist, and entrepreneur, the renowned mime César Aedo dedicated 30 years to developing his career abroad in Europe and the United States. His show “El Vuelo del Cóndor” (The Flight of the Condor), inspired by the myth of the four Ayar brothers, gained particular fame: it ran for six years at SeaWorld in Orlando and, from 2005 onwards, in Peru. In his home country, he has been acknowledged for creating shows and educational programs that disseminate and promote Peruvian culture and identity to tourists and schoolchildren, emphasizing social inclusion.
Ruben Caballero
Former trapeze artist and, since 2000, director of Circo Caballero in the United States. In 1985, he became the second person to execute the quadruple jump on the trapeze. He has performed in some of the world’s most prestigious circuses: Ringling Bros, Knie, Bolshoi in Japan, Circus Circus in Las Vegas, Carré, Verona Festival, and twice at the Monte Carlo Circus Festival (1985 and 1995). His children and nephews won gold at the festivals in Girona (2023) and Monte Carlo (2025) with their triple quadruple trapeze act.
Li Chi
After receiving extensive training as a dancer and choreographer, he embarked on a career devoted to dance. He served as the artistic director of the Guangzhou Chimelong Group, which operates several theme parks and three large permanent circuses. He was also the artistic director of the China International Circus Festival (Zhuhai). Currently, he is an expert at the China National Art Fund, President of the Beijing Acrobats Association, and President of the esteemed China National Acrobatic Troupe, likely the world’s most renowned acrobatic troupe.
Péter Fekete
Director of the Fovarosi Nagycirkusz, Budapest’s permanent circus, and of the biennial circus festival held there (2025/18 and 2022/present). He was an illusionist and served as the artistic director of the Jókai Theater in Békéscsaba, later taking on the same role at the Water Theater in Szarkas. He studied in Germany, Wales, Veszprem, and Kiev. He received the Jászai Mari Award for his contributions. In 2015, he began working as a ministerial commissioner to establish the national strategy for circus arts. From May 2018 to June 2022, he served as Hungary’s Minister of State for Culture.
Alexander Grimailo
Born in 1951, he started his career as a clown, taking part in circus festivals in Paris, Monte Carlo, Moscow, and Wuqiao. He later became the director of the Tula Circus, where he nurtured his artistic creativity. He then relocated to Moscow to advance his career and organized the only circus festival ever held in Red Square. He is the founder of AG Studios, where he engages in creative and artistic agency work. He served as the artistic director of the Great Circus of Russia and the Great Circus of the World in Lima, Peru, for six consecutive years.
Joan Mompart
After graduating in Tourism from the Maresme University School (Catalonia), he completed an Official Master’s Degree in Hotel Management at CETT-University of Barcelona. Since 2008, he has become a pivotal figure in the production of shows organized by the Circus Arts Foundation, where he serves as vice president: the Golden Elephant International Circus Festival in Girona, the Great Christmas Circus in Girona, and Circus Nights in Roses and Besalú. In the latter town, he is developing Circusland: the first professional circus museum in Europe.
Maxim Nikulin
As a journalist, he contributed to various Moscow magazines, the city’s radio station, and the central television network ORT. The son of one of the most renowned artists in the Russian circus, the clown Yury Nikulin, he serves as the director of one of Moscow’s two permanent circuses. In 1997, he succeeded his father in leading the circus. From this role, he has transformed the Russian circus by organizing tours in Japan, establishing the Circus Festival for Young Talents, and directing the charitable foundation “Circus and Charity,” which aids elderly and disabled circus artists.