Circus Jobs.

Traditionally someone who wished to enter the industry needed to start from the bottom, for example, the stable boy would have to shovel the elephant poop or put the circus tent up in the middle of the night. Luckily times have changed and you can enter with your own unique act and be accepted by any circus really.

Are you interested in a job working as a circus hand or do you want to talk your act on the road? Then have a gander at this Facebook page, it offers jobs to those who are interested in either entering the industry or professionals who are looking for a change of location.

How To Make Your Own Juggling Balls.

This information is taken from The ABC Channel

1. Pour about half a cup of rice* into an empty water or soft drink bottle (if you don't have a funnel, make one from the top of a second bottle).
* The size of your juggling balls depends on the amount of rice you use.
2. Inflate a balloon to about the size of a grapefruit, twist the neck and stretch it over the neck of the bottle.
3. Turn the bottle upside down so all the rice falls into the inflated balloon – then remove the balloon from the bottle and let it deflate.
4. Cut the neck off the balloon – the rice will stay in the balloon.
5. Cut the neck off a second balloon and stretch it over the hole to seal the rice into your juggling ball.
You could use the ball like this, but they look heaps better if you add more balloons for some patterns and colour.
6. Cut the neck and a piece of the top off a third balloon and stretch it over the ball to get a single stripe of colour.
7. You can cut lots of very small holes in a balloon by pinching it between your finger and thumb and carefully cutting off the tips – remove the neck and stretch over a ball to make spotty patterns.
8. Done! You’ve just made some fantastic juggling balls … now all you have to do is learn how to juggle!

This is a quick and easy way to create juggling balls in your back yard with limited cleaning which is a plus. 

Vintage Circus'

Traditional circus' consisted usually of a bearded lady, the strong man, crazy contortionists and the clown. These acts have now been taken over by more contemporary and exciting tricks such as trapeze artists and amazing trampoline shows.

Another type of circus that was around soon after that was the adrenaline filled Dare Devil Acts, these shows where filled with knife throwing, human cannonballs and sword swallowing. These shows

Around the same time the classic Flea Circus side show was very popular, this consisted of fleas that where attracted to shall furniture to show the illusion that they where performing circus acts within small houses.

Interview With a Circus Beginner.

How did you hear about Aerialize?
When I was younger my mother places me in circus school as a way of learning unique skills, at the time I was also doing gymnastics, doing both at the same time helped me with my balance on both the trapeze and the balancing beam in gymnastics. And later in live i decided to go back and try it out again to see if i still loved it, so with a ten year gap of learning circus I went back and tried again.

What was your favourite apparatus?
My favourite was always the trapeze. It clicked best with my understanding of balance and moment, now don't get me wrong I love the silk as well but it doesn't have the same stability that trapeze offers and I enjoy the freedom that static trapeze gives.

What was the first thing you learnt at Aerialize?
Ha on the first day they got us to do the real basics, it was all bout the fundamental that we will have to lean to be able to do the more advances tricks. So we learnt how to juggle, keep a hula hoop up and we learnt to basic stretches that we where going to have to practice.

Do you enjoy the performance aspects of Aerialize? or do you just do it for leisure?
Oh I defiantly love the performing, it is what we work all year on some times, perfecting the tricks and learning new ones to impress the crowd. Its not just the performing that I love, its the whole environment that is created when everyone works together on one project and everything falls into place at the final moment. And after the final show is over everyone comes together in a momentous occasion to celebrate what once was.

What is your practice schedule?
Well I mostly attend the classes for the fitness and leisure and rarely participate in the performances, so my schedule consists of stretching every morning, attending class once a week and generally staying heathy.

Would you encourage others to attend the classes?
Oh yes defiantly, I have made some of my best friends during these classes and it is a great alternitive to  going to the gym every morning and you learn unique tricks and skills that you would not necessarily learn anywhere else.

Thank you, Sonia Hart for answering my questions.

Aertialize - Sydney Areal Theatre

For all you Sydney Siders out there who are interested in learning the basics such as acro-balance, acrobatics, hula hoops, juggling or if your up for some more advanced apparatuses such as  static trapeze, silks/tissue, Spanish web, Chinese Pole, contortion and more then I have the place for you.

Aerialize has courses that are held in a safe and comfortable environment for all ages and abilities. Students leave the classes knowing they have been tough by professional performers and instructors to ensure the safety and progress of the students capabilities. People attend these classes with different intentions, some wish to become professional performers and some attend for recreational purposes.

Aerialize run different kinds of programs such as 'Circus Skool' which is an eight week program that is run after school hours for all ages and abilities to attend, they evaluate your skill level and determine how they are best able to teach you the skills. It is a safe environment that ensures that if you have any physical constraints against your body they are able to teach you alternative ways of achieving the same skill.

Aerialize also have an annual show that the students work all term on perfecting their performances, anyone can come and watch the show. Each year there is a theme for the performance. It is a wonderful show that clearly displays the skills that the students have worked towards.

If you prefer the one on one treatment then listen up, classes last one hour and can accommodate 1-3 students at once. You have the control over what apparatus you with to learn making it easier for you to perfect your tricks and skills. The cost for these classes are cheaper the more people at tend the privet classes. One student - $85 each, two students - $100 an
d three students $120.

Now if your 16 and over and don't want to be surrounded by 12 year olds making a ruckus then you can enrol in the adult classes that are targeted at an apparatus or skill set or you can attend the all round class that teaches you the basics of everything. Or if you are Level 2+ you can attend the open training that is $15 per session where you can go in and practice on the already set up equipment at your free will.

To sign up for any of these classes Click Here. 

Mime Artists

Mime is a form of entertainment that incorporates a performer trying to portray a story while staying completely mute. A traditional mime has their face painted white with black exaggerating the features including eyes and eyebrows.
Mimes have been portrayed in film to be sad and confused this all changed when Charlie Chaplin changed the outlook of the emotion the audience absorbs while watching.
Mime's in the modern day are rarly to seen on TV or as street performers as the silent films are less popular and hardly seen and most circus street performers do more exciting tricks such as juggling and fire twirling.
It used to be one of the only forms of entertainment, but the advancement of entertainment and technology has outlived the need for mines in the entertainment industry, now they are mostly seen at the circus and at carnivals. 

Animal Circus Controversies

Animal-based circus' have been in the eye of environmentalists through the years as they have discovered animal living conditions has not been satisfactory.
Research shows:

• 71% of the observed animals had medical problems 
• 33% of tigers and lions did not have access to an outdoor enclosure 
• 66% of tigers, lions and elephants were malnourished 
• Lions spend on average 98% of their time indoors 
• An average enclosure of tigers is only 5m squared
• Elephants are shackled in chains for 17 hours a day on average 
• Elephants spend on average 10 hours a day showing stereotypic behaviour 
• Tigers are terrified of fire but are still forced to jump through fire rings
• circuses travel 48 weeks per year, 26 hours animals are in cages during transport 
• Every major circus that uses animals has been cited for violating minimal standards in the U.S Animal Welfare Act. 
• 96% of animals live is spent in cages
• Since 1990 there have been over 123 cases of lion attacks at circuses 
• Animals are trained through discipline

Although having animals in the circus enhances the experiences, their medical stability is not worth being damaged for the entertainment of the audience. 

Over time, circus' have created better living conditions for the circus animals but they are still on the path of perfecting appropriate lifestyles for the animals. 

Ways that they can work on further improving the conditions include: less cages, more open space for the animals to roam, no shackles and not making animals go against natural instincts, for example, as stated above, tigers have a fear of fire yet they are forced to jump through fire hoops.