Diamonds: Tosca Zoppé

Business Owner/Artistic Director/Equestrian | Greenbrier

At 3 days old, Tosca Zoppé had her first elephant ride, signaling the beginning of her career in the family’s circus. Soon afterward, she was performing as a ballerina on horseback, and as she grew, she excelled in equestrian artistry.

As a sixth-generation performer, she carries on her rich heritage of bareback equestrian arts, a family legacy that dates back to 1842. Zoppé has had an extraordinary life performing a variety of circus disciplines in all 50 U.S. states, throughout Canada and in multiple countries around the world. Now calling Greenbrier home, she directs her family’s theatrical production and continues to be the creative vision behind the Zoppé Circus.

What was it like growing up in a circus family?

I’ve traveled since the day I was born, so you could say growing up in a circus family was and still is completely normal to me. For most kids, it would be a wild adventure, and, at times, it was for us, as well, but a beautiful one. From the time I was little, I toured the U.S. and Canada with my amazing family, learning the art of performing.

Circus is a place of family, love and connection. Although you’re traveling all over the world as a child, you’re doing it with your family and with people that you truly care about. All circus families have different skill sets, so perhaps one friend is a trapeze artist, the other a tumbler, and perhaps another has elephants as their family companions, so you learn every aspect of it. It’s almost as if you are in circus university from the time you’re born.

Did you always want to perform?

Yes, I have always wanted to perform. Perhaps it’s because I was performing before I knew anything else — my first official performance was at 2 years old — but I’m sure that I was in the ring before that. When the time was right, I started practicing on horses with my father around the age of 4.

What are the names of your horses? What breed are they?

Romeo, our veteran, is 26 this year and still tours with us. He was born on our farm and is retired but refuses to stay home. The circus is his life, and without it, he gets very depressed. He is a Percheron/Appaloosa cross. Zingaro is a gorgeous black Brabant. Violetta is a beautiful Brabant/Percheron cross, who is new to us this year. Bisu, a Gypsy Vanner, is also new to us and is in training.

Then we have all of the littles: Bianca, the little white one who never wants to get on her pedestal; Valentino, the black one that is always the comedy relief, and we have two more little ones that are in training, Bianco and Arlecchino.

What sustains your excitement and enthusiasm after doing this for so long?

I think it goes back to my heritage and feeling the connection with the audience and love of performing. It’s important to me to keep this tradition alive; I am very blessed that I’m married to someone that did not wish to take me away from this but engulfed himself in every aspect of it. Jay truly loves the circus and our history and heritage as much as I do.

What do you hope audience members take home from every performance?

My hope is that it resonates with people in the way that it feels like home and feels like a safe place for them whether they’re 5 or 85, that it feels familiar and it feels friendly and offers connection. That’s my hope anyway. I want my legacy to be that I was like my mama, perhaps just a little bit, in that I spread love and joy and gave people a place to feel like they were being hugged by the whole circus.

The monthly “Diamonds” feature shares the lives and views of a diverse roster of proud Arkansans who are doing amazing things and are outstanding representatives of the Natural State. To nominate someone, email dwain@aymag.com.