Oh, The Places I Go ...

Well, I’ve been with the circus for over five months now! I realize more and more each week that there are both pros and cons of living on the road full time.

Cons:

It’s really hard to try and find the post office, grocery store, Walgreen’s etc in a new city .. every week. It’s definitely sad to get wedding and party invitations in the mail that you know you’ll never get the opportunity to go to. Taxes are gonna be killer this year. Since you have to file taxes in every state you’ve worked in and we are in a new state just about every week .... I win the complicated taxes game this year  :)

But, despite the challenges, there are still So MANY amazing things I discover while out on the road :) Here’s a few recent highlights and discoveries:

Pro: You get to visit old friends in new cities. I got to see my girl Katie Stevenson in Nashville several weeks ago!!

Pro: Touring is kind of like a food and beverage tour of the U.S. In Charlotte, I found an AWESOME coffee shop ... it came complete with a FRIENDS reference. Winning.

   

Pro: Absorbing culture is so easy at the circus. There are people here from China, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Kazakhstan, Brazil, Peru, Russia, the Ukraine, Mexico, Hungary, Italy, and more! Recently, I’ve been eating as much Latin American food as possible and learning to cook it too :)

Pro: Learning a language is so easy because of the aforementioned culture collision that is the circus. My Spanish is coming along quite nicely.   If you happen to want to learn, I’d definitely recommend this Duolingo app and book ... and to get yourself a native who will give you lessons. This has been a wonderful combination in my experience. Also, the Latin Workout Pandora mix is awesome.
                               

Pro: Vising cool landmarks across the U.S. Recently, I was at the Georgia Aquarium, the CNN center, the World of Coca-Cola factory, and a rotating restaurant that Whitney Houston used to frequent in Atlanta. Pretty sweet.

CNN Center

Some sort of Dragon fish at the aquarium ...
you just can't escape the Dragon ;)

    

View from the Westin Sundial Restaurant in Atlanta!

     

Pro: You get to do things that normal people just don’t do at work. In past posts, you can see pics and stories of me riding Cossack trick horses, feeding a variety of circus animals, learning clown skills, posing on a Globe of Steel motorcycle... and other things. This week, I hung out on a lyra – used in aerial acts. We’ll see what act I manage to sneak in next.

  

We are just a couple cities away from hitting the Washington DC area – quite possibly one of the areas I’m most excited about this year on tour.

Until next time ...  :)

Wintering with the Circus

 

After wrapping up "Dragons" in Indianapolis on Dec 2, the Blue unit performers got a much needed 5 weeks off! Ringling Brothers has 3 touring circus units, however, and the other two shows (dubbed the red unit and the gold unit) were in full rehearsals in Tampa over the holidays, preparing to open brand new shows.

After visiting the Tampa rehearsals for a couple weeks, better known as "Winter Quarters,"visiting Ringling's Center For Elephant Conservation in Florida (fed an elephant for the first time!) and even
making it up to NYC for a PR event n Brooklyn, I got to go home and spend the holidays with family and friends in Minnesota.

                                                           


Today, we wrap up our 2 week "re-opening" engagement in Miami! Miami has been a frenzied and hectic two weeks with extra rehearsals, the addition of a new troupe on the unit, and trying to get back into work mode. However, it's been great to have my sister, Sarah visiting me!

We've definitely done all the quintessential Miami things since her arrival- hit up the beach on several occasions,  eaten and drunk Cuban food and coffee (it packs a little more espresso punch than American coffee does), hit up ocean side shops and restaurants, and of course, drank fresh coconut water out of coconuts! :) I've of course, also tried to give Sarah the full circus experience.




Last but not least, the Ringling elephants seemed to be quite popular in Miami. They hit Ocean Drive, decked out in beach attire, upon our arrival. Since then, they also made an appearance on The Today Show from their bayside animal area here in Miami.

                                                         




Up next is Nashville and and the Carolinas - definitely cooler weather than I'm getting here in Miami, but definitely warmer than the -35 degree wind chill I'm hearing about back home in Minnesota ... I'll take it.

Until next time!

Ohio, Illinois, & My Personal Quest To Be In Every Act of the Show

Even though my last blog post was only a few weeks ago, I am realizing more and more how much happens here in circus world on a daily basis. I feel like I've done, seen, and experienced about a million crazy and fun things since I last posted, and it feels impossible to truly share what goes on here, because it is so beyond anything I could have dreamed or imagined! It also goes to show how truly a unique experience I'm getting by working around some of the most talented individuals in the world. In a nutshell, if you want the full experience, I guess you'll just have to come visit ;) I was in several cities in Ohio and am now spending the better part of November in the Rosemont/Chicago area. I'll give you the cliffs notes version of some of the highlights of the past few weeks, and of course, include some photos of my adventures.

• Attended the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, OH

• Went to my first House of Blues concert (the arts management in me mostly gushed over the lighting)

• Attended my first ever Circus Mass service performed by nuns & priests who travel to do services for people on the road
• Saw two awesome shows in Chicago: Kinky Boots (starring Billy Porter who I worked with this past summer at Lyric - hey again Billy!) and I Love Lucy Live on Stage (I grew up watching Lucy and I just about died being at the show -so incredibly heartwarming :))
• Experienced my first "Annual Haunted Clown Car." Every year, our clown alley spends weeks preparing a haunted experience for everyone on the train by converting an old school bus and their train car into a haunted house. They dress up and are part of the "interactive" experience as well haha You even have to wear 3D glasses because the inside of the car is painted with neon, 3D paint. It is quite the extravaganza and I screamed/laughed uncontrollably every time I went through. Happy Halloween on the circus.
• Took a trip from Ohio to the Michigan IKEA (made me miss my northern roots!!) and also took a trip to Baraboo, Wisconsin to see some Ringling history (more on that below and again, made me miss my northern roots - cheese curds for all!)
• I am currently attempting to somehow be in every act on our show ;) (what's life without a little risk?), so in the past couple weeks, I've gotten on the Globe of Steel motorcycle, ridden on of the horses in our Cossacks horse act, been juggled around (now I just need to learn how myself), fed some goats and horses (not exactly the same as teaching the goat to walk across a high beam, but you have to start somewhere) ... and I'm just beginning. You'll have to read my next blog post to see what all else I've planned on getting myself into here haha :)

 

• Last night, I also helped put on and attended my very first circus party. At the end of every year, the arena space is transformed, everyone dresses up, and comes out for a catered banquet, awards ceremony, and this year a No Talent, Talent Show (which - is the most interesting spectacle of *ahem* "non-talent" I've ever seen considering these circus performers can do just about EVERYTHING).

  

For those that don't know, Baraboo, WI is where the Ringlings are from, and definitely a huge part of our circus history. On Monday, I took a trip with our Train Master (who is in the process of trying to buy the original Al Ringling's home and convert it into a museum/B&B) and others to see the Al Ringling house, the Al Ringling Theatre, the Clown Hall of Fame, Circus World Museum (including an exclusive tour of the library there with artifacts, costumes, relics from the circus dating back to the 1800's), the old location where the train was stored in the winter, and the historic site where the first Ringling circus performance was held. It was quite the trip. I have so many pictures and videos from the day, it would be impossible to upload them all on here!

Circus World Museum 

Water For Elephants band wagon

There was a gorilla on the show back in the day ...

Circus World :)

Al Ringling House

This was Al's box at his theatre :)

Clown Hall of Fame

Well, I'm looking ahead and the only things that stand between me and a wonderful Christmas break at home in MN is a few more weeks in the Chicago area, a week in Indianapolis, and a short rehearsal stint in Tampa. The end of the year is coming so soon!

Until the next post ...

Encontrarme en St. Louis

If it wasn't official before, it is now. I'm re-learning and actually hoping to master Spanish while on tour. Besides being a hobby to take up, I'm finding that I speak a good deal of Spanglish and use a lot of charades to communicate with many of the performers who speak Spanish on a daily basis. Many performers who know English still choose to speak Spanish as well, so learning to speak Spanish is not only helpful, but a great way to get to know people here. So many individuals are willing to pass on their skills - and what better way to learn than from native speakers. My Spanish books arrived yesterday, and I've got a multitude of willing teachers at the arena every day :)

Since we arrived in St. Louis, I visited the iconic "Arch" and FINALLY made it to a Hard Rock Cafe. Hey bucket list.

Random stuff that makes me feel cool:

1. Besides getting my first "individual" insurance card in the mail the other day and the fact that I'm racking in quite the lot of company stuff (Ringling Bros clothes and jacket, random circus paraphernalia, a company computer etc), I'm feeling quite grown up. Now to convince them I need a company car …

2. I recently acquired a TV a DVD player in exchange for paying for someone's dinner. In the circus, apparently it is considered rude by many performers to accept money for gifts. You simply exchange for food or a favor etc. Winning.

3. Everyone believes in making the train more "homey." I've had offers from other performers/crew to come customize my tile flooring, to put carpeting in my car etc etc. Its actually kind of amazing to see what people have done to customize their train cars.

Lastly, cross your fingers. Until now, I have not had internet in my train car (and only have internet access while at work). I ordered what will hopefully be my ticket to unlimited train internet (Wifi device that I'm hoping is as good as some of the people here say it is).

Maybe next time, I'll be able to post from the comfort of my own train quarters. :)

Until then … and until Cleveland … Adios!

Group photo opp at the top

The gorgeous views of St. Louis

It's pretty high up ...

Views from the top

Downtown STL

This is the tiny spaceship like elevator you ride up to the top in.... kinda creepy.

Overlooks quite a bit