Alexandre Romanès (b. 1951) was born into a famous Romani family in Paris called Bouglione, whose members were all dedicated to the world of entertainment. With his grandfather, a famous and charismatic artist of the circus world, he developed his talent in the art of balancing, acrobatics and animal taming. At the age of 25 he left the family circus, disillusioned with certain commercial trends. Accompanied by the legendary writer Jean Genet, who saw in him an essential poetic voice, he came into contact with the world of literature. He has written numerous books of poems including Paroles perdues (2004), Sur l’épaule de l’ange (2010), Un peuple de promeneurs (2011), Les corbeaux sont les Gitans du ciel (2016) and Le luth noir (2017); their themes revolve around his vision of the survival of the Roma identity in the predatory context of modernity. In 1994, he founded his own circus company, Cirque Romanès, together with Délia Romanès, providing a uniquely Romani experience throughout Europe. In 2016 he was awarded the medal of the Legion of Honour by the French Ministry of Culture, being the first Romani man in history to receive it.

Délia Romanès (b. 1970) is a musician, singer, orchestra director, and co-founder of Cirque Romanès. She was born in a large, humble Romani family of artists in the town of Viişoara, Transylvania. When she was 15 years old, she left her native Romania, escaping from the dictatorship of Ceausescu. After a long and arduous journey through Yugoslavia, and swimming across the Danube towards Germany, she settled, not without innumerable problems, in France. It was then that she met Alexander Romanès, with whom she founded the successful company. Mrs Romanès, the essential voice of Cirque Romanès wherever she travels, accompanies the circus shows with the traditional Romani music of her extraordinary Balkan Orchestra. She is the first Roma woman to become a member of the Order of Arts and Letters of the French Ministry of Culture.