Thinking of joining the circus? Here's how that works
Sorry, the human cannonball jobs are filled; do you like elephants?
(Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN )Ringmaster Alex Ramon performs at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus at the Frank Erwin Center on Wednesday August 18, 2010 Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2010
It's filling out forms that the human cannonball hates most.
"They ask for your occupation," Tina Miser , 35, says with a sigh. "You don't want to just write 'entertainer' because that sounds a little sketchy." So she writes "human cannonball," knowing the person reading the form probably won't believe it. But that is her job with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus. She's done it for six years, and she's doing it in Austin this week through Sunday at the Erwin Center.
In these tough economic times, the idea of being shot 90 feet out of a cannon sounds like a viable career choice. Let's face it: The circus isn't that far from the business world. In both, workers can expect to walk tightropes, juggle and occasionally pull a rabbit out of a hat.
These days, circus jobs come with vacations, medical insurance and 401(k) plans. So why not run off and join the circus? Miser's glad she did, although her parents made her go to college first. So is Ryan Henning , who tends elephants, and Alex Ramon , the ringmaster — or Zingmaster , as they call him in this show; he performs magic and is master of ceremonies for the circus.
"It really is the greatest show on Earth," Ramon says. "I would not do it if I didn't love it."
"They ask for your occupation," Tina Miser , 35, says with a sigh. "You don't want to just write 'entertainer' because that sounds a little sketchy." So she writes "human cannonball," knowing the person reading the form probably won't believe it. But that is her job with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus. She's done it for six years, and she's doing it in Austin this week through Sunday at the Erwin Center.
In these tough economic times, the idea of being shot 90 feet out of a cannon sounds like a viable career choice. Let's face it: The circus isn't that far from the business world. In both, workers can expect to walk tightropes, juggle and occasionally pull a rabbit out of a hat.
These days, circus jobs come with vacations, medical insurance and 401(k) plans. So why not run off and join the circus? Miser's glad she did, although her parents made her go to college first. So is Ryan Henning , who tends elephants, and Alex Ramon , the ringmaster — or Zingmaster , as they call him in this show; he performs magic and is master of ceremonies for the circus.
"It really is the greatest show on Earth," Ramon says. "I would not do it if I didn't love it."
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