54°F
weather icon Mostly Clear

Las Vegas performers struggle to survive coronavirus shutdown

A Las Vegas-based acrobatic equestrian performing group continues to train every day despite the cancellation of shows because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The performers are part of “Gladius The Show,” which is loosely based on gladiators and mythology. The show has performed at the South Point as well as locations in other cities.

“With this whole shutdown, for us it’s not just the city shutting down, it’s the whole country shutting down because we tour, so everything we had booked for the entire year is canceled,” said Erik Martonovich, one of the show’s co-owners.

In the meantime, performers stay sharp by practicing their routine and training the show’s 18 horses on their Las Vegas ranch.

“We have to keep training every day and keep the horses in training every day, but it’s hard because our shows and our performance is why we do what we do and why we love it so much,” said Nicole England-Czyzewski, a performer in the show. “I think the hardest part is just staying motivated when we don’t know when our next show will be.”

It hasn’t been easy.

“We all lost our jobs,” Alethea Shelton, co-owner of the show, said. She added that she was able to file for unemployment from her job as a massage therapist on the Strip.

“We’re just kind of keeping it together somehow.”

Recently, the performers took the show to the streets of the Strip. Adorned in gladiator outfits, they performed feats atop the horses for cars passing by, police officers and construction workers to brighten up the seemingly apocalyptic atmosphere.

^

Contact Alex Chhith at achhith@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0290. Follow @alexchhith on Twitter.

Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.
THE LATEST
‘My dad, he needed help’: Woman says her dead father deserved more from Vegas police

Roy Anthony Scott died in 2019 after being handcuffed and held down by two Las Vegas officers. Scott called 911 to report that a group of people — one armed with a saw — was trying to break into his apartment.