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Some Thoughts on Becoming an Aerial Angel
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Our company members vary widely in their talents and backgrounds. Of the fifteen people we have working for us, only one has serious gymnastics training. But our work is always informed by where we come from: theatre, trampoline, figure skating, dance, rugby. If you're interested in joining, you should have some theatrical or physical experience, and more importantly, a demonstrated interest in doing things with your body and growing as an artist and as a performer. Check out the bios to see where Angels come from.
The number one thing we look for is drive: are you self-motivated, will you always work your hardest because you're too proud to do a crap job, even if what you're doing is difficult, discouraging or lonely.
The number two thing we look for is the ability to work with others - Angels don't have to be the world's most social people (a lot of us don't hang out other than working together) but they do have to be liked by the other Angels and able to get along with people in a car for sixteen hours at a time. We spend 24/7 together for anywhere from five days to two months, traveling in strange places, eating unfamiliar food, dealing with weather, travel, homesickness, missing significant others and sharing hotel rooms while working a demanding schedule in all weathers.
The number three thing we look for is toughness. Can you do four shows a day and keep smiling, even if you're hurt, sick, tired, or currently in an argument with someone else on the team. In our job, there are no sick days. There are scheduled work days and scheduled days off, and we can't be replaced if we don't feel like working that day. We certainly accommodate injuries and illness within the show, but no-one gets to sit out unless they're injured badly enough to be sent home and replaced.
If you're under 18 and interested in circus, go to Circus Smirkus and do the summer camp. If you're over 18 and ditto, go to NECCA and do some weekend workshops or the training program. But if you passionately want to perform and interact directly with audience members, are excited about circus as a medium and have strong physical and/or theatrical skills, we might be for you.
We're on the road a lot, and we hear from a lot of potential performers, most of whom are not serious. That's not a put-down, it's that most people aren't able to be serious about what we do, or they don't genuinely understand what the life is like. So we tend to take awhile to return phone calls and respond to emails, especially when we're busy booking work (most of the time) or doing work (also most of the time). Be patient, but be persistent. And if you're right for us, and we're right for you, the time will come. Meanwhile, keep us in the loop on what you're doing, and keep training.
Return to the audition information page.
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