A circus with a unique equine twist comes to town August 21 through 29. Cirque Ma’Ceo is a spectacle from the mind of Olissio Zoppe, an eighth generation Italian equestrian circus performer on his father’s side — and ninth generation on his mother’s side. The show features many of the same electrifying stunts, dance, acrobatics and aerial arts that a circus provides, but its horses are as much the stars as the humans that accompany them. The show displays bareback riding, where performers stand on horses’ backs and do a series of jumps. Zoppe says that it “is a really special act because it’s the oldest act in the circus.” Which is true — the standard circus ring is 42 feet in diameter, specifically calculated in 1872 for performers to ride bareback while using gravity and centrifugal force to stay on the horse. Cirque Ma’Ce also features Russian Cossack riding, which is a series of different types of gymnastics performed on top of a high-speed horse running around the ring. “The horse is so in tune with the rider and understands what’s going on, and the rider is able to make it all the way around,” Zoppe says. The cast is made up of different horse breeds from around the world, including mustangs, miniature horses, a Friesian horse from the Netherlands and an Andalusian horse from the Iberian Peninsula. “We have so many different breeds, and I get a chance to work with them and showcase them and show off their beauty,” Zoppe says. “To see them all together in one location doing amazing things is really rare.”

Cirque Ma’Ceo is 7 pm Friday, August 21 and August 28, 4 pm and 7 pm Saturday, August 22 and August 29, 1 pm and 4 pm Sunday, August 28 at Oregon Horse Center, 90751 Prairie Road. Tickets are $40 for adults, $25 for children and available at CirqueMaceo.com.