Introduction
28 July 2013
When my letter from Circus Space arrived I was all geared up for a polite rejection, like I had received the year before. At best I'de hoped for some mention of my improvements, or perhaps, somehow, a place on their waiting list. I’m 29 years old, not a gymnast, nor a professionally trained dancer; I am a cabaret artist, Burlesquer and performer who has spent the last two years in the pursuit of the seemingly unattainable goal of becoming a professional circus artist.
Imagine my complete and utter catatonic shock when I read the letter, and they had offered me a place on their degree programme!!! I had to re-read it, dumbfounded. I gave it to my boyfriend to read, to make sure I hadn’t gone completely crazy and that all the months of pull-ups hadn’t somehow rendered me spontaneously illiterate. It wasn’t a shock to him, nor I subsequently discovered, to many of the other people around me. They had all been able to see the hard work, dedication and slow but steady improvements I had been making, whilst I was still only able to see someone who wasn’t good enough.
It took several days for the realisation to sink in - I had been accepted by one of only a handful of institutions in the world which offer degree level programmes in Circus Arts!
“Wait a minute!” You can get a degree in Circus, WTF?!"
There aren’t many places which offer such training, but yes, you can gain degree level tuition and qualifications in dance, acting, music and fine art, and you can in circus too, and why not? Like dance it is physically demanding, like music it takes many many hours of practice, and like all art forms, it requires the practitioner to execute it with a level of quality and skill that both communicates with, and emotionally connects to, the audience.
Much of circus today has moved on from its traditional roots to encompass aspects of contemporaey movement theory, physical theatre, and narrative lead performance, and it has established a legitimate and respected position for itself as an expressive art. It is a discipline that is enduring in both its spectacle, and ability to transcends language and nationhood. It is elemental, astounding and sincere, because it uses as its medium the one thing that we all still share and have in common: the human body, with its incredible potential, and devastating vulnerability.
“So do all professional circus artists have degrees?”
No, is the short answer to that. Just as circus artists come in a variety of shapes and sizes, they also come through various channels: Some are born in the circus, some are self taught geniuses, many go through Youth Circus and Professional programmes growing up or as young adults, and some arrive at the circus world from previous careers in martial arts, dance, sports, and increasingly Parkour and free running.
“So you don’t need a degree to be a professional circus artist?”
Again, the short answer is no. But I do believe that for the majority of people, to reach your full potential, you need full time high quality training, and to be accepted onto that training is tough!
Unlike applying for a most academic degrees, circus schools typically hold auditions lasting anywhere between two days and a whole week. The assessments cover your existing physical ability, creative potential, how you work with others, and how you deal with failure. And don’t expect to only be assessed on the specific discipline or practice you are interested in either! I made that mistake the first year I auditioned for full time training; assuming that because I was an aspiring aerialist they wouldn’t also be looking for skills and ability in floor work, handstands and gymnastics. How wrong I was!
“So why is this degree for you?”
Although I have been working in Burlesque all across Europe for over five years now, and have various types of performance experience previous to that, (I had been a Rocky Horror Shadow Caster since I was 17!) I am essentially self-taught. Whilst feeling my way through the world of contemporary cabaret, and more recently physical theatre, has been a fabulous experience where I have learned a great deal, I have reached a point where I feel that in order to continue to grow and develop as an artist, I need full time performance training. Circus Space degrees are accredited by the London Conservatoire of Dance and Drama, and in addition to attaining the physicality and skills required to perform in circus, I will also get the chance to develop creatively and to be taught by some of the best practitioners in the world.
There is also another crucial reason why I’m so excited to have been accepted onto this course, and that is that Circus Space is one of the only professional circus programmes available which does not set an upper age limit for its applicants:
“Age before Beauty?”
In an age of increased Technology, access, anti-ageing treatments and medicine, the thought that 29 is ‘too old’ is a bit of an anathema. Its true that sports science, physiotherapy and new ways of training have done wonders to increase the efficiency, progress and longevity of athletes, and that these boundaries are constantly being pushed. However, the fact still remains that the majority of people who go through degree programmes or other professional circus training are usually in the late teens to mid twenties, and have spent most of their free time throughout their life’s doing some sort of physical training…..Then there are the small percentage who are like me; creative types, who discover circus relatively late in life, are overwhelmed by a form of art and expression they never though possible, and who then find themselves having to make up for years of sitting at a desk, rather than sitting in a split.
Muscle, strength, flexibility and technique all take time to develop. The training is tough, injury is not uncommon, and (all things being even) the younger you are, the quicker and better your body is able to repair itself and grow. Either for this, or perhaps for reasons of custom, policy or goodness knows what, many institutions choose to cap the age of applicants somewhere between 21 and 25 years old.
“Well if its soooo hard, how the hell did you manage then?!”
The simple answer is hard work. Hard work, sacrifice, and more hard work. I’m not making myself out to be some sort of special case, or a martyr to my cause. As the saying goes, “A person can do anything they want in life, just not everything they want in life.”
As a performer I had already given up many things that people take for granted, but to pursue the training needed to get me to where I am now, I have also given up many other things: possessions, essential time with friends and family, new clothes, haircuts, and even some personal relationships. I gave up the few-hours-a-week job that had been my security blanket when times were good, and my saviour when times were bad, so that I could go and train full time in New York at Circus Warehouse for three months at the end of 2012.
Those three months were the hardest, best, and most elucidating of my life so far. I got a tantalising taste of the professional circus world that what was out there, of what was possible, and just how much work I still had to do to even be able to sense it with my finger tips. When my travel visa ran out and I had to come back to the UK, I cried bitterly for what I thought was my lost opportunity. I never imagined what I would be capable of on my return; that I would be sitting here with an offer for a full time degree programme - genuinely a once in a lifetime chance!
About Vendetta
Vendetta is a Scottish aerialist curently studying at The National Centre for Circus Arts in London. This site is where she shares her experiences on training in one of the worlds top circus schools.
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