Let’s talk about circus education.

Access to becoming a professional circus artist has grown exponentially. In the 1970s the first circus programs began to educate students who weren’t born into circus families. We are now in an era with a plethora of recreational programs for participants of all ages and abilities. Circus schools in many countries offer bachelor’s degree programs, with a few even offering (and developing) master’s or doctoral work in circus arts performance. The European Federation of Professional Circus Schools (FEDEC) has conducted a variety of downloadable studies into circus education, ranging from training manuals to an assessment of key skills needed for new artists. They find that many (even most) of the people entering the circus profession are coming from circus schools (Herman, 2009). With so many circus programs claiming to train students to become professional artists, this seems like an excellent time to look a...