Awesome! I think it depends on the circus because it really is all about location -- the ones I've seen that go to suburban parks and such are always full because there are a lot of kids in suburbs. They usually have different acts every year as well, which means they want to see what is new each year and keep coming back. 😊
The circuses that travel full time are very rare, as the few companies I know stay local, but travel around the state/counties. In my city, they thrive with local gigs because they often don't have their own space, and the company/circus will assign a person/act based on the need.
For a NYE party for example, it will usually be a big party at a big venue -- this gives the circus a good option for usually having 2 or 3 aerialist for hoop or silks, or lollipop hoop (more portable), and then they will have people for floor work, so that's people who might do juggling or flow arts (think fans, or interlocking rings) while the party is ongoing. Gigs can also be as small as birthday parties, walking in a pride parade, and things like that. For these kind of gigs, it's very ambient so people are trusted to have their own routine planned out and they kind of do their own thing on the fly. Sometimes there are collaberations, like a dance group or cabaret may need an aerialist or fire dancer for an upcoming show to add variety.
Then there are themed shows, usually in theaters for entertainment. Halloween shows, Valentine shows, stuff like that for date nights! Those are much more planned out by the company/circus involved, which can be one company or several volunteer acts. There are usually auditions where we send in vids of our performances or an idea of what we can do for our act. Then the performer can work with the company about what works as far as costumes and props (usually fire, fake blood and glitter are not allowed, but one comedy act that used milk took precautions 🤣).
The behind the curtain moments at these theater shows are my fav. It's hectic and fun. The nerves mean we are sometimes half-dressed or stress snacking but ALWAYS people are stretching 😆 We just get on the floor and stretch. Some people might do acro and just headstand against a wall. We all do odd things to calm down and stretching helps to calm the head and warm up the body. A lot of us are health conscious as well, so people are NOT drinking or getting high before a show; that is sloppy.
Performers may or may not help each other with routines! There are different gyms we usually go to, but if I'm working on a routine that is local with other performers, we'll often practice at the gym at the same time, sometimes giving pointers or helping a transition into another move. Like, "maybe if you transition on the left it will be smoother!" or "maybe you can roll into that position instead of forcing it." Regardless we always hype each other up! There are few gyms that have access to aerial apparatuses, so we usually know each other at least in passing! Practice at the gym is not too different from any other practice, it's just different type of warm up depending on what you're working on! Since I mostly do hoop/lyra, I do a lot of leg, core, shoulder, and forearm stretches because those will get used the most.
For a performance, I prefer 3 months of practice, but I can do it in 2 months (with two days a week of gym time) to come up with a working routine for a 3-4 minute song. You have to account for timing of the song to the move, the costume moving easily, (for example, a skirt or anything dangly could get caught) any props to be used in timing, and saving big moves for big moments in the song. Moving in a hoop means I need to think spherically with my moves: inside the hoop, outside, left side, right side, forward facing, back facing, top bar, bottom bar, on the spanset, through the spanset, and then upside down. And then there are drops, where you have to account for where your body will end up in a position very quickly.
A lot of what we find scary, too, is "Monkey brain" where you do NOT want to let go of that branch!! But you CAN let go, and you can be safe, so sometimes you have to get over being psyched out. Like, an ankle hang really isn't that hard, but your monkey brain goes "too scary!" and it has to be pushed through! You get to understand the tendons and muscles of your body really well, too! I have fallen off my hoop a few times, but usually monkey-brain helps me to catch myself, and we also always have crash-mats.
My favorite part, of course, are the people. You get to see your friends start with a fun idea for an act, then mold it into a routine, fail and fail and then suceed in a move, and then you get to clap for them and be so proud of them for doing well!! And they do the same for me -- supporting my failures and hyping my triumphs. We're all also a little weird, which is great, because we are understanding and empathetic to each other. Circus people are great, and most of us volunteer our time to do acts.
