ALEXANDRIA, VA–On Thursday, August 26, which also happened to be National Dog Day, UniverSoul Circus held an outdoor performance with Pompeyo Family Dogs at the Plaza at National Harbor.
Jorge Pompeyo, founder, father, and leader of the family, led his four furry performers through ring jumps and hurdles and balancing acts. As seen on America’s Got Talent (AGT), a nationally broadcasted talent show production, in 2017, Pompeyo Family Dogs is lovable, laudable, family fun for everyone; even every dog. Each dog in the Pompeyo family is a rescue from around the world. With dogs hailing from Missouri to Russia to South America, Pompeyo asserts that “any dog can be trained” and encourages the adoption of rescue animals.
Cedric Walker, CEO of UniverSoul Circus, saw Pompeyo Family Dogs on AGT and knew he had to include the act in his circus. “[Walker] comes out of the entertainment industry,” explains Karin Aaron, Director of Media and Public Relations for Universal Soul Circus. “He always strives to ensure diversity in the circus. He saw their performance on AGT and reached out to them directly to join the circus act.” The Pompeyo Family has been touring with UniverSoul Circus for a few years now.
Pompeyo and his family, human and canine, can be seen trapsing through the harbor between shows, now through Labor Day Weekend. UniverSoul Circus hosts several acts during their shows, which are held three times a day from Thursday to Sunday each week through Labor Day weekend. Tickets can be found at the National Harbor website, or through Ticketmaster. The box office is open every day until 8pm.
This warm welcome back to National Harbor has been a year of waiting in suspense for UniverSoul Circus. “This return is really impactful for us,” states Aaron, “because we want to make sure people know we are still here. We missed the audience, the performers missed the audience, the kids missed us, so we said let’s do it.”
All day on National Dog Day, pups can rode for free on the Capital Wheel and enjoyed all the activities National Harbor has to offer.
