Description
Circus artists develop original performance pieces showcasing great artistic and performing skills, emotive depth and artistic proposals for the general public. Alone or collectively, they may perform one or more traditional or original circus disciplines, which are usually based on physical capabilities such as strength, balance, agility, flexibility, ability, and coordination of body parts and combined with performance disciplines such as dance, theatre, mime, etc. The physical nature of the exercises performed often includes a certain level of risk for the performer.
Duties
Circus artists typically do the following:
- Execute a range of circus acts, such as acrobatics, aerial performances, juggling, clowning, and balancing acts, ensuring high levels of skill and safety.
- Regularly practice and refine routines to maintain peak physical condition and performance quality, including learning new skills and developing new acts.
- Collaborate with directors and choreographers to design and perfect acts, ensuring they fit the overall theme and flow of the show.
- Follow strict safety protocols and use appropriate safety equipment to minimize the risk of injury during performances and rehearsals.
- Travel extensively with the circus or production company to various locations for performances, often requiring adaptability to different venues and conditions.
- Engage with the audience through performance, creating an immersive and memorable experience.
- Design or wear costumes and apply makeup that enhances the character or theme of the act, contributing to the visual appeal of the performance.
- Inspect and maintain performance equipment, such as trapezes, stilts, and juggling props, to ensure they are in safe working order.
- Teach circus skills to aspiring performers or conduct workshops as part of community outreach or education programs.
- Participate in promotional activities, such as interviews, photo shoots, and social media engagement, to promote upcoming shows and events.
Other titles
The following job titles also refer to circus artist:
german wheel acrobat
sword swallower
Cyr wheel acrobat
Korean board artist
Chinese hoops acrobat
teeterboard artist
tight wire artist
rola bola artist
icarian games acrobat
hair hanging acrobat
aerial straps acrobat
ladder acrobat
banquine artist
Russian bar acrobat
dance trapezist
aerial silk artist
cloud swing acrobat
slack wire acrobat
rope acrobat
static trapezist
slack wire artist
Spanish web artist
Chinese pole acrobat
contortionist
Korean plank acrobat
aerial circus performer
Russian swing acrobat
silk artist
antipodist
lasso artist
ladder artist
bicycle artist
hula hoop acrobat
aerial rings artist
acrobat
aerial silk acrobat
bicycle acrobat
sword eater
rola bola acrobat
Russian swing artist
fakir
Korean plank artist
impalement artist
high wire acrobat
rolling globe artist
rolling globe acrobat
fire eater
aerial cradle artist
swinging trapezist
equilibrist
hair hanging artist
cyr wheel artist
hand-to-hand acrobat
rope artist
cloud swing artist
aerial straps artist
aerial rings acrobat
Chinese hoops artist
aerial cradle acrobat
Spanish web acrobat
juggler
trapezist
tightrope walker
hula hoop artist
devil sticks acrobat
sword dancer
aerial artist
straps artist
fire artist
Icarian games artist
Russian cradle artist
Russian cradle acrobat
clown
circus performer
circus acrobat
trampolinist
Chinese pole artist
Russian bar artist
aerial acrobat
devil sticks artist
German wheel artist
tight wire acrobat
knife throwing artist
banquine acrobat
teeterboard acrobat
unicyclist
high wire artist
animal tamer
hand-to-hand artist
Working conditions
Circus Artists often work in diverse and challenging environments, including big top tents, theaters, outdoor venues, and sometimes unconventional spaces like street performances or special events. The role involves extensive physical activity, requiring peak physical fitness, flexibility, and strength.
Circus artists must be able to adapt to varying conditions, including different stage setups, weather conditions for outdoor performances, and irregular schedules. The job can be demanding, with long hours of rehearsals, travel, and performances, often on nights, weekends, and holidays. Safety is a paramount concern, and performers must consistently practice and perform with precision to minimize risks.
Minimum qualifications
Formal education in the circus arts can be beneficial, and many performers attend specialized circus schools or academies where they receive training in various disciplines. A background in gymnastics, dance, theater, or other physical arts can also be advantageous. Continuous training and practice are essential to maintain and improve skills.
Experience is typically gained through performing in smaller productions, local shows, or community events before progressing to larger, professional circuses. Networking within the industry and participating in workshops or festivals can help build a reputation and secure opportunities. Flexibility, creativity, and a passion for performance are crucial attributes for success as a Circus Artist.
ISCO skill level
ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:
- the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
- the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
- the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.
Circus artist is a Skill level 4 occupation.
Circus artist career path
Similar occupations
These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to circus artist.
circus arts teacher
performance artist
conceptual artist
choreographer
street artist
Essential knowledge and skills
Essential knowledge
This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of circus artist.
- Circus aesthetics: The way the circus concepts and traditions have evolved through time and their artistic meaning.
- Circus vocabulary: The specific terminology related to the circus activities.
- Acting and directing techniques: A range of training and rehearsal techniques that seek to encourage emotionally expressive performances. These techniques address all aspects of making a film, play, or performance in general.
- Circus dramaturgy: Understand how a circus show is composed.
Essential skills and competences
These skills are necessary for the role of circus artist.
- Manage feedback: Provide feedback to others. Evaluate and respond constructively and professionally to critical communication from colleagues and customers.
- Apply company policies: Apply the principles and rules that govern the activities and processes of an organisation.
- Check the production schedule: Check the daily and long-term schedules for rehearsal, training, performances, season, tour, etc., taking into account the project timeline and all the preparations required by the production.
- Practice circus disciplines: Have a very high level of practical and technical skills and competences of one or several chosen circus disciplines in order to enter into the professional circus field.
- Define artistic vision: Continually develop and define a concrete artistic vision, starting with the proposal and continuing through to the finished product.
- Manage artistic project: Manage an artistic project. Determine project needs. Establish partnerships. Manage the budget, schedule, and contractual agreements and assess the project.
- Describe your artistic aspirations in relation to artistic trends: Identify your areas of interest and ambitions. Relate them to artistic trends.
- Adapt artistic plan to location: Adjust plans to other locations with regard to the artistic concept.
- Check circus rigging before performance: Check the rigging installation for circus acts in order to ensure safe and correct operation.
- Select artistic materials to create artworks: Select artistic materials based on strength, colour, texture, balance, weight, size, and other characteristics that should guarantee the feasibility of the artistic creation regarding the expected shape, color, etc. – even though the result might vary from it. Artistic materials such as paint, ink, watercolours, charcoal, oil, or computer software can be used as much as garbage, living products (fruits, etc) and any kind of material depending on the creative project.
- Make up performing artists: Use cosmetics on artists for stage performances.
- Renew artistic practice: Stay informed on new trends and apply them on artistic experiences.
- Balance the project requirements with health and safety concerns: Adjust the level of effort required for the artistic production. Adapt or adjust movements and movement sequences. Set performance limits. Allow recovery periods and take other measures.
- Define the visual universe of your creation: Define the visual universe that will surround the creation using painting, drawing, lighting, projections or other visual means
- Work with circus group: Work together with other circus artists and management. Make sure to do your part while keeping the performance as a whole in mind.
- Analyse own performance: Understand, analyse and describe your own performance. Contextualize your work in one or various styles, trends, evolution, etc. Self-evaluate your work in rehearsals and performances.
- Carry out physical training: Plan and carry out a physical training regimen (daily) to maintain a good physical condition.
- Coordinate artistic production: Oversee the day-to-day coordination of production tasks so that the organisation fits within the desired artistic and business policies and in order to present productions in a uniform corporate identity to the public.
- Manage artistic career: Present yourself and your artistic approach. Position your work in target markets. Promote and market yourself and your oeuvre.
Optional skills and competences
These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of circus artist. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.
- Select music for performance: Select pieces of music for a live performance. Consider factors such as ensemble abilities, availability of scores and the need for musical variety.
- Define rigging needs for circus acts: Define the specific safety, technical and performance needs for circus acts rigging in a technical rider or description.
- Use body language: Use and understand body language, gestures and other paralinguistic cues.
- Ensure safety of exercise environment: Select the correct training environment and assess risks to ensure it provides a safe, clean and friendly fitness environment and that it will be the best use of the environment in which clients are exercising.
- Maintain rigging equipment: Check rigging equipment before fitting up, and make small repairs if necessary.
- Use rope access techniques: Apply ropework to work in elevated position. Safely ascend and descend ropes, wearing a harness.
- Instruct riggers on assembly of circus rigging equipment: Instruct riggers in detail about intended use, place, requirements and safety issues of circus rigging equipment in order to ensure safe and accurate assembly and fit-up of the equipment.
- Assess artistic proposal: Identify the essence of a proposed artistic project. Assess the strong and weak points of the proposal. Judge whether to accept the proposal, and whether to propose modifications.
ISCO group and title
2659 – Creative and performing artists not elsewhere classified
References
- Circus artist – ESCO
- Career Guide: Circus Artist – RoleCatcher
- What Makes a ‘Circus Artist’? – The Circus Diary
- Featured image: Image by Igor Almeida Suassuna from Pixabay