No Prep Circus Performance Requires Skill and Grace, Not Boots

As a kid, I never had the dream to run away and join the circus. However, as a 39-year-old grown man, I got the opportunity to do that very thing. This week’s No Prep found me at the Augusta Mall with the Do Portugal Circus. When I got under the big top, I met with Susan Vance, a choreographer with the show, and she informed me that I actually had three tasks this week. 

First, I would be doing a choreographed routine with the Do Portugal Circus Dancers. After that I would try my hand(s) at juggling, and finally I would attempt some aerial maneuvers on the hoop. None of these things felt familiar to me, but no matter - it was time to get in the center ring. 

The Do Portugal Circus Dancers were going to teach me their show opener. I asked them if I could see them do it once before I attempted it and, predictably, they did it flawlessly. Now it was my turn. I jumped into formation with the team, made sure that my toes were pointed correctly, and it was go time! 

Step, step, kick and step. These were the directions I heard and tried to follow. Again, the dancers were doing it perfectly, but I just couldn’t seem to get my feet to match theirs at the end of the routine. I was always zigging when I should’ve been zagging. Also, I can tell you this, my high kicks weren’t nearly as high as the dancers. Of course, they were wearing athletic attire, and I was in a polo shirt, jeans, and boots. Maybe that’s why my kicks weren’t as high. It was the boots. 

(Editor’s note: It was not the boots.) 

The dancers were genuinely nice and told me that I did a great job. I thanked them. They were exceptionally talented, worked hard and, obviously, were very kind. Perhaps not unusually truthful, but kind. 

Then it was on to juggling. I met Carlos, a master of the craft. He had a set of three slightly weighted balls that were about the size of tennis balls, and a set of five clubs. They looked like bowling pins but were a little lighter. I always thought that the secret to juggling was to keep your eye on whatever you were juggling. Carlos told me that wasn’t the case. The real trick was anticipating when you would be catching and throwing. I started with the balls, and I just couldn’t get the hang of it. I knew what I was trying to do, but apparently my hands did not. I think there may have been one time I didn’t just drop the balls outright, but only one.  

Then it was time to move on to the clubs. Carlos told me to start with one and flip it in my hand to get a feel for the motion. I’ll be honest, I was pretty good with one. Once we added another into the mix, it became a different story. 

I dropped both clubs every time I attempted to juggle them. I thanked Carlos for his time, assured him his job was safe, and then moved on to the next task -   attempting some aerial moves on the big hoop that hangs above the center ring. 

Hannah is one of the Do Portugal aerialists and she was kind enough to show me how difficult it is to do moves on the hoop. She told me how people think what she does looks easy. It only looks easy because she practices so hard to make it look that way. She also told me that getting in the hoop took upper body and core strength. We were about to find out if I had enough of either to even get in the hoop without help. 

She showed me the proper way to get in the hoop. It was like a dove landing gently on a branch. I was going to have to pull myself up and flip my legs inside the hoop and then pull the rest of my body in - gracefully. I was able to pull myself up, but I had no idea what was going on with my legs. I thought I was doing it right, however, my legs kept going to the outside of the hoop instead of inside. I tried it a couple of times before Hannah suggested we move on. I don’t think she wanted to call the paramedics for a 39-year-old man who tore something important on the circus hoop. 

She lowered the hoop and let me just sit in it and then had it raised a little to give me a little bit of a feel for what it’s like to be on the hoop in the air. Then she lowered it back down again, my feet touched the floor and my time at the Do Portugal Circus had come to an end. 

Going in, I knew what these performers do isn’t easy. It looks that way because they have been doing it for years, and they practice very hard. Still, I have a new found appreciation for these folks and what they do. Thanks to Susan, Carlos, Hannah and everyone associated with Do Portugal Circus for helping me be the best little greatest showman I could be, because, as always, I had No Prep.