Raphael Cruz

My deepest deepest sympathy for your family at this time. May god bring you comfort. Filipenses 4:6,7

I never had the honor of meeting any of Francis's sons. I know Frances loved his sons more than life itself. I can not imagine this kind of loss and hope I never have to. What a wonderful human being and son, brother and friend Raphael must have been to be loved by so many. Sending love to his family, Judi R.

I first saw Raph in Traces when they performed in Melbourne, Australia! His energy and smile were electric, contagious! His stage presence clearly showed one of the nicest guys ever, fun, quirky, cheeky, intelligent! That show, that team of acrobats, that Raph inspires me to this day!

I later moved to Montreal to train swinging trapeze and had the privilege of meeting Raph a couple of times. He was the kind of soul who made you feel like you'd known him forever! Such a legend!!

I first met Raphael on Paramour, the Broadway production from Cirque du Soleil. I was parachuted into a creation in a difficult moment and it was a very awkward moment to join the project since everyone had been together already for quite a while. Raphael was one of the first one to welcome me and he made me feel like I had been part of the team since the start. He was kind, generous and without any ego. His welcome made a huge difference for me. I did not know him very well but I could tell...

I'm sad to say I will not be able to share in the community of celebration of your beautiful son/brother/uncle/nephew/cousin/friend, Raphael.

I'm in LA at an ACDA conference and will honor his memory by thinking of him and his family at every exquisite musical event I attend.

With love,
Kristy Juliano