Backyard trapeze to be taken down by former circus performer amid neighbors’ concerns

In the backyard of their home, Renato Fernandes and his twin 8-year-old daughters spend their evenings flying through the air on a trapeze as the sun sets.

But now, Fernandes has begun dismantling the 30-foot-tall structure that has towered over his house near Harry Reid International Airport for the past two years after two of his neighbors expressed their distaste for his trapeze at a Paradise Town Advisory Board meeting on August 13.

Over the past two years, Fernandes said he has received letters from Clark County saying that the height of his trapeze required a permit. But when residents expressed concerns, particularly privacy ones, at the meeting, Fernandes said it caught him off guard.

“I went unaware,” Fernandes said. “When the lady got up, I was so embarrassed, oh, my heart was pounding.” He described the experience as feeling like an ambush.

The meeting

As he stood up to speak at the advisory board meeting, Fernandes said he was feeling good about his application for a permit.

When the public comment period opened, a nearby resident took to the mic to share their privacy concerns, namely, that people atop the flying trapeze could see into the yards of neighboring homes.

This is true — the top of the trapeze offers a clear view of the backyards that directly neighbor Fernandes’ home. But these weren’t the neighbors who showed up to the meeting, and Fernandes said he has great relationships with them all.

One neighbor argued the trapeze posed a safety problem, suggesting that people flying on the trapeze may in fact fly off, injuring themselves or a neighbor.

Fernandes said that none of the thousands of people he has taught, his daughters included, have ever injured themselves. “The only accident I’ve had in my career is me,” he said.

Neither resident who spoke at the meeting lives next to the trapeze. Fernandes said he had not met either speaker before then, nor does he know their names.

After the public comment period closed, Fernandes stood up and withdrew his application from the board.

“I apologize to all my neighbors,” he said. “You don’t have to oppose, I will take it down myself.”

Fernandes said that since the meeting, several neighbors have reached out to offer their support for the trapeze.

“I’m about giving back,” Fernandes said. “I’m not gonna sit here and argue with anybody.”

‘I wanted to be the first at something’

Fernandes is a sixth generation circus performer, winner of the prestigious Golden Clown award at the Festival International Du Cirque De Monte-Carlo and former Cirque du Soleil performer.

“There’s two things I really wanted to do in my life. One was to be a father,” Fernandes said. And, “I wanted to be the first at something.”

Fernandez said that in February 2016, he became the first man in history to perform the double twisting double layout and a half on the flying trapeze.

In August of the same year, his daughters Katalina and Vanessa Fernandes were born. “I was just satisfied,” he said.

Now, Fernandes is retired. But his desire to help others grow as trapeze performers led him to create Mestre Trapeze Academy.

His trapeze rig had several homes before it was constructed in Fernandes’ backyard, he explained. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, it could be found at the Las Vegas Circus Center, on South Jones Boulevard at West Sunset Road.

Later, when Fernandes was looking after his friend’s house, he realized he could fit his trapeze in the backyard. And so he moved in, giving the academy a new home.

Fernandes said he accepts clients who are serious about learning the art of the flying trapeze. “We’ve already broken records in this backyard,” Fernandes said. “It’s amazing.”

A new home for the flying trapeze

Fernandes isn’t sure where his trapeze will go next, but he knows he and his daughters will be going with it, hoping to find a new house with a backyard for their trapeze.

For now, his attention is focused on the first International Circus Festival of Las Vegas, occurring November 1 through November 10, which he founded.

Having competed and judged at similar festivals around the world, Fernandes said he couldn’t understand why the United States didn’t have a festival of the same caliber.

And so, he decided to create his own. The lineup for the inaugural Las Vegas festival was chosen very quickly as interest boomed, Fernandes explained, as a judge from the Monte Carlo festival in Monaco will be on hand to review the competition.

Performers who do well at the Las Vegas festival may, if they’re lucky, receive an invitation to compete at the festival in Monaco, a high honor in the circus community, Fernandes explained.

Katalina Fernandes said she’s especially excited to see the jugglers perform at the festival. But she’ll miss the flying trapeze in her backyard.

Contact Estelle Atkinson at eatkinson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @estellelilym on X and @estelleatkinsonreports on Instagram.