I was 7 years old when I saw
my first aerial performance.
I thought it was one of the
most amazing things I had
ever seen! Inspired, I started
training with a local circus
group a few times a week
and my passion grew.
From a young age I learned
to rely on myself as you cannot cheat your way to a
better performance. It is a
very honest form of physical
entertainment where glitter
can’t compensate for technical weakness. Everything
you do in the air is a direct
result of your training but also
reflects your creativity and
imagination.
This training and mind set
made me jump at the
chance to go to Zihuatanejo,
Mexico as an exchange student at 16.
I was far from home, alone and
living in a different language
but I found it exhilarating.
Through my art, facing challenges head on had already
become second nature to me.
As with aerial acrobatics, I became addicted to the thrill
of travel, going somewhere
unknown and starting a new
chapter in my life.
While visiting Zihuatanejo again
a few years later, a travelling
circus came to town. I was very
excited about seeing the show
and one male performer, a
tightrope walker and an aerialist, really stood out for me.
A few days later, I was walking
down the beach with some
friends when I saw him again.
He had already walked past
when something made me run
back to him. Normally a shy
person, I blurted out that I had
seen the show and explained
my own background and interest in aerial performance.