5 Things To Know When Booking A Circus Performer
When looking for exciting circus entertainment to complement corporate and sporting events, it’s important to know what to expect and what to avoid. To help, Grace Good has prepared a list of need-to-know items to make your event shine above the rest!
What Types of Circus Shows Are There?
Many circus performers have requirements that make or break the success of their shows. Grace has some specific elements she lets her clients know about — here are some of her ideas that may align with your potential clients as well! Let’s start with narrowing down the type of circus show.
What are the most common circus performance types?
Stage vs. Ambient
Stage shows are 5-10 minute non-stop performances meant to fully captivate your audience for that time. There are often opportunities to extend this time to 20-25 minutes with audience interactions and teaching moments. Grace points out that this is also a great opportunity to have circus performers entertain in-between band sets or keynotes!
Ambient shows provide a more atmospheric experience for attendees. This is ideal for longer events (up to 3 hours) where performers will have set times. For instance, Grace typically schedules 20-minute performances followed by 20-minute breaks.
What about a mix of both stage and ambient shows?
Grace and most other performers recommend this. Generally, there will be an ambient hour, a stage show, a break, and another ambient hour. This is a great way to captivate multiple audiences or keep the excitement up throughout the night. This model helps create a sense of anticipation. It also provides performers the opportunity to work together and create an even more dynamic show!
2. What Circus Performance Type Is Right For My Event?
As a top cirque performer, Grace Good has a wide variety of skills and exciting elements to include in her shows. Here are her favorite skills to include in her shows, but there are many more performance types beyond those listed below:
Fire Stunt Show - Fire performers incorporate the manipulation of fire in their artistic performances. Working with fire requires a particular set of skills and techniques.
Professional Hula Hooping - Hula hooping is artistic movement or dancing with a hoop that combines technical moves and tricks with freestyle dancing. In Grace’s case, she combines hula hooping with fire for a jaw-dropping show!
Aerial Arts - Aerial performers execute a number of acrobatic sequences off the ground, whether it be on aerial silks, an aerial hoop (also called a lyra or cerceau), or other equipment. Many come prepared with their own portable rigging system, but can also use any venue with a proper setup.
LED Shows - If fire is a no-go at your event, don’t worry! Grace recommends finding performers that use LED lights as show elements. LEDs can be just as captivating as fire for stunt performances!
Circus Ensembles - Looking for a longer show? Some performers like working together to make the show even more exciting. Whether it’s archery, contortionists, or a Big Ball Balance extravaganza, the possibilities are endless.
And SO MANY more, but as a reminder…
3. Will Circus Performers Help Plan the Event?
Cirque performers have so many talents, it’s all about finding the perfect fit for your event! If they can’t do it, they’ll definitely know someone who can.
If you find yourself unsure of what acts can fill the space, performers often have enough experience to know exactly what will work and can tailor their performances to provide the best show possible. Circus acts can have many elements so providing an ideal run of show that is solidified before booking will help with their planning.
Circus acts are often incredibly flexible (pun intended), and can make any spaces that meet their safety requirements into the perfect show. Being open and willing to some changes in your vision will go a long way and give you the opportunity to have an even greater show than you may have originally imagined!
4. When Should I Book a Circus Performer?
Making sure to give performers a good amount of time to prepare and schedule your performance plans helps them create unique and exciting experiences for your attendees! Grace recommends that event organizers give performers at least 1-3 months’ notice before the event.
Many circus performers are constantly on the go and can often make things work, but prefer to have the opportunity to make the best experience possible for your event-goers.
5. What Safety Precautions Should I Take for Circus Performances?
When crafting her cirque shows, Grace makes sure that each experience is unique and specifically tailored to each event. Her top priorities are always:
Safety
Excitement
And of course:
Leaving an audience awe-struck!
Grace takes all measures necessary to ensure the safety level is at or above the code of her performance environment. Knowing your performers’ safety concerns and requirements is crucial for the execution of a great show!
Below are several production specifications for Grace Good’s shows that you can use as a reference for your events:
Minimum 15ft - 18ft ceiling height for ALL performers.
Venue must be fully up to code with Exit signs and fire extinguishers.
For fire stunt shows, the audience must be 15- 20ft away from the performance area.
Venue must provide a fuel area 15ft away from the performance area.
More Questions?
While all performers are different, Grace knows that many of them share the same concerns and requirements for their shows. In her words, “Performers are friends and enjoy putting on shows together! We all joined the circus world for a reason, to make people smile!”
To learn more, Grace’s FAQ page will help you better prepare for hiring an amazing circus performer. Find some highlights below:
How do you stay safe with fire?
Playing with fire is dangerous and always requires caution! Grace’s team of professional spotters and safeties are with her for every fire performance. She treats her clothes with professional-grade fireproof chemicals.
What type of events does Grace Good do?
You dream it -- she’ll make it a reality! Grace has appeared in TV productions, at festivals, and for corporate events. She takes celebrations to a fiery new level. She’s performed in large-scale, world-touring productions and at small high-end private parties. She loves performing at events for kids and watching their imaginations ignite! She’s even performed for virtual events during the pandemic. If you’re seeking a one-of-a-kind show that has a stand-out WOW factor, Grace Good is your gal.
Interested in booking Grace Good? Contact us!