"It's 7 a.m., and I'm woken up to a dull thud-thud-thud above me. My dog's ears prick up, alert, ready to defend our home from whatever is persistently trying to force its way in from above. Another thud, followed by a gurgling squawk - it's a gaggle of seagulls divebombing my caravan. I rub the sleep from my eyes and stumble out of the two-berth caravan into the vast field we have set up to call home for the next week,"
"It's true that there is a level of glamour with this industry that I never would have achieved outside it - I'm a kid from Virginia who was raised bouncing along the poverty line, where the concept of a passport was a fantasy and most career aspirations for girls teetered out beyond teacher, shopkeeper, wife. I've now performed on five continents, dined with British aristocracy, and performed for royals of all flavors in private theatres nestled in White Lotus-esque resorts."
A circus performer maintains a full-time touring career, often living in a two-berth caravan on show fields and sleeping at work. Early mornings can include seagulls divebombing trash and disrupting camp. Performances include aerial feats, sometimes hung by teeth or from unusual body parts thirty feet above ground. Public perception emphasizes glamour, but the work also requires building tents in lashing rain and sharing stages with unpleasant conditions. The performer rose from poverty in Virginia to perform on five continents and for aristocracy and royals. The touring schedule erodes work-life balance, complicating personal plans such as planning a 2026 wedding between contracts.
Read at Business Insider
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