Aerialist Kirsten Rowe, the one Canadian on the tour, says circus work reignited her love of performance
The ‘Canadian Circus Spectacular’ is touring New Brunswick and last Friday it touched down in Tantramar. It did not take long for excitement to fill the air at the Tantramar Veterans’ Memorial Civic Centre as a crowd of approximately 200 were entertained for 90 minutes with artists from around the world.
The crowd witnessed magicians, clowns, motorcycle cage theatrics, semi-finalists from America’s Got Talent ‘The Chicago Boys’, aerialist Kirsten Rowe, and more. Of the 12 acts in tour titled Circus Rocks, 25-year-old Rowe is the only Canadian performer. This is her second circus tour. CHMA news had the opportunity to speak with her after the show.
Hear the story below:
Life on the road with the circus
Full of joy, Rowe described what it was like to be part of a touring circus.
“I love it so much. I get to travel, I get to perform. I’m working with really, really amazing producers and amazing people. Overall, like, it’s super exciting every day, something new every day.”
Having started circus work only five years ago, this was not Rowe’s first time on the road with a touring company.
“It’s my first time on this circus, but I have toured before on other shows.”
From music and film to aerial work
A lifelong musician, with no background in cheer, dance or gymnastics, Rowe had been studying film and media when the pandemic hit.
When film production came to a halt, she said aerial work began as a hobby during that time, but quickly reignited her passion for performance.
“Funny enough, I actually started when I was about 20. So I came into the business kinda late.”
“I discovered that I love being active and I love performing for people. I’ve been a musician but I’ve never been a dancer. I transitioned into dance later in my life.”
She said the choreography and storytelling came naturally because of her background in music. However, she said the physical side of the art was different. With no athletic background, she trained four to six hours a day at some points to catch up.
Eventually, she transitioned into circus full time, thrilling viewers young and old as she spins in the air at heights of up to 35 feet.
She says she’s been doing it year-round ever since.
Learning to trust the height
After the show, CHMA News asked Rowe how it felt to be up there.
“I used to find it incredibly scary when I first started, and I didn’t wanna go above, like, five feet. But now our normal working height on this tour is about 10 to 15 feet, and on a different show we can go as high as 30, 35 feet.”
Rowe said the fear has faded with training and trust.
“So now I’m not scared. I trust myself and I trust my partner 100%, who’s the one that pulls me in the air. Very important. So (I’m) not scared anymore, but definitely at the beginning, took a while to learn.”
Life on the road
She said this year’s East Coast tour gave her another chance to take in Atlantic Canada through camping, hiking and visiting parks with the crew before the shows began.
“I think everyone here is very friendly and welcoming, and every tour stop we’ve had, everyone cheers us on and makes sure we are well taken care of.”
Her first trip to New Brunswick was on a family road trip when she was 15. She recalled her love for the scenery and friendly people.
On the tour schedule the Circus is visiting nearly 100 communities across Eastern Canada, with their next stop in Miramichi as they make their way towards Quebec and Ontario.
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A few snaps from the event 📸:
Clinton Davis is a community journalist and audio producer covering the people, events and ideas shaping the Tantramar region.
