THE BALLOON MAN

Circus performers continue family tradition, spend life on the road to put on a show

From- weau.com

By Joe Nelson

Jun 10, 2014

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) - Tigers, clowns and jugglers all made their way to Eau Claire Tuesday for the 67th annual Shrine Circus.

For dozens of performers and staff, the show continues long after the grand finale. With all eyes on them, these performers thrive under pressure. But spending ten months or more on the road each year, avoiding injury and staying at the top of their game comes with a unique set of challenges.

While other 18-year-olds are spending their last summer at home before starting work or school, Ashley Felix found her passion long ago, and already has ten years of experience.

“It's pretty fun because in other jobs, you don't get to meet a lot of people or meet a lot of really cool places, in cities that you want to explore,” Felix said.

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(As an aerialist) First you just gotta train a lot to be strong enough to be able to do a lot of flexibility, a lot of dedication to what you want to do so yeah, it takes a lot of time to get good at what you want to do.”

The aerialist, hula-hooper, and elephant performer travels year round with the Shrine Circus; the only life she's known.

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