Hanne Berdino, co-director of Cirkus Arena, has died at the age of 81. She passed away on Wednesday, and the circus and the Berdino family announced the death in a joint post on Facebook.
With her husband Benny Berdino, she ran Cirkus Arena, which the couple turned into the largest circus in the Nordic region. Earlier this year the pair celebrated their 50th anniversary as a director couple.
Hanne Berdino grew up in a circus ring. Her father, Alex Reinsch, and his two brothers were the first to complete a flying somersault from one running horse to another, and as a young woman she balanced on large rolling balls alongside her sister, back when her surname was still Reinsch. She performed in the ring herself until the mid-1980s, after which she worked behind the scenes.
Her grandson, 35-year-old circus artist Patrick Berdino, paid tribute in an emotional Facebook post. "Today I have lost one of the people who have meant the most in my life. My grandmother has passed away, and it is hard to find words to describe what I feel right now," he wrote.
"My grandmother was so much more than a grandmother. She was a great-grandmother, grandmother, aunt, mother and wife. She carried all those titles with a love, warmth and care that made her quite unique," he said.
He added: "I wish I could have a little more time. Just a little more time to hear her voice, see her smile, give her a hug and tell her how much I love her."
Based on reporting by Politiken and seoghoer.dk.