THE BALLOON MAN

The Greatest Show on Earth both intimate and awesome

The Uriases continue the family tradition of daredevil stunts in a motorcycle globe in Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey's Zing Zang Zoom Gold Edition show, coming to San Angelo next week.

By Becca Nelson Sankey Special to the Standard-Times San Angelo Standard Times June 2, 2011
SAN ANGELO, Texas — When Jodie Urias says she ran away to join the circus, she's not joking.
In the 1980s, Urias attended a circus show in her home state of Arizona and — like most audience members — was in awe of the performances.
"I had gone with my nephews and my co-workers, and I was like, 'Oh, I want to do that' (about) everything that was in the air," she said. "It was one of those things where a couple of the girls I was working with were a little bit catty and said, 'You can't do that.'"
What Urias lacked in experience, she made up for in determination. The next day, Urias obtained the circus' route, then took time off from work so she and a friend could drive to the circus' next performance destination.
Upon arriving, Urias discovered that a circus member happened to be looking for a partner, and they were willing to train Urias.
"That's not common for somebody to just walk in like that and have somebody willing to teach you," Urias said. "I was smart enough that I knew what I wanted to do, and I was naive enough not to know there was an element of danger because that's the kind of world we live in. I was fortunate to have met the right kind of people to help me learn what I needed to learn. "
Urias made a career out of being a trapeze artist for the circus and eventually joined Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, where she performs with her husband and in-laws, a family famous for doing motorcycle stunts in a steel globe 16 feet wide.

read the rest of the story at:http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2011/jun/02/the-greatest-show-on-earthboth-intimate-and/