The circus Motinha e Nhá Fia was inaugurated in São Paulo by the couple Mário Pinto da Motta and Nair de Campos Motta, both sertanejo artists (Brazilian country music). Before they met, Motinha and his brother Silvio sang "moda de viola" while Nair formed the duo Nhô Pai and Nhá Fia with his cousin João Alves dos Santos, the author of the song "Beijinho doce". Mário and Nair left their musical partners and formed a new duo together - Motinha e Nhá Fia. Soon after they started performing in a radio program and bought the Circo-Teatro Recreativo from the Vieira family - José Vieira, his wife Natalina and their three sons Emílio Gabriel, Ivan and Osli Antonio. From that moment on the circus was renamed to Circo Motinha and Nhá Fia.