Spotlight: Interview with Rachel Jones

An interview with Rachel Jones shows an inside look at what it means to be a part of the Flying High Circus.

Instagram: @rachel_annette96

Q: What year are you in school?

A: I am a 5th year, I'm a graduate student, and I just auditioned for the circus my senior year, so last year was my first year being a part of the circus.

Q: What is your major?

A: My undergraduate degree is in marketing, and now I’m a grad student for sports management.

Q: What would you say are the values of the FSU Circus community?

A: Teamwork and communication are a really big part of it, so aside from actually performing, we also work lights and sounds, and we rig all of the acts, and during shows we have to do that silently and in the dark. So, being able to communicate with each other without using verbal cues is a really important thing that we have to learn, so we learn hand signals and things like that. Integrity is a really big part of it, so holding yourself accountable for the acts that you are a part of and your teammates as well as everything you’re rigging is important.

Q: So everyone is required to rig their own acts?

A: Yes, so you need to know how to rig for your own act so you can put it up during your practice times. For shows, we have designated riggers who know how to rig all of the acts. We’re the ones wearing the blue mechanic jumpsuits, and we’re wearing our costumes underneath, but we are the ones putting up all the equipment.

Q: Do you believe this is a community that supports one another?

A: Yes, absolutely; we could not do what that we do without supporting each other. My team, for example, Elena and Kay, the other girls on my balancing team, depend on me to hold them up, and I depend on them to stay balanced on me so that I won’t fall from underneath them. So, depending on one another is a really big thing here.

Q: What specific acts do you participate in?

A: I do hand balancing and Spanish web.

Q: Does the FSU circus have any traditions?

A: A lot of the traditions stem from the summer program we run in Georgia each year called Callaway Gardens; only 24 student performers are chosen each summer to go work there, and there are a lot of secrets and traditions that originate there. As for on campus, we sing the fight song before each show, we have welcoming ceremonies at the beginning of the year.

Q: What is your favorite role to play in the performances?

A: Performing is definitely my favorite part of the show; aside from performing we are doing hair and makeup, lighting and sound, and rigging. But, being on the stage is definitely my favorite thing, especially with these Halloween shows because they're so theatrical, and the music is so out there, and the costumes and makeup are so wild, so it’s a lot of fun getting to play a part.

Q: How do most of the performers feel about having to rig their own equipment?

A: It’s something that we have to learn, we have to figure out what works for your act so that its safe. In order to do their acts, they need to know how the rigging is done in order to ensure that it’s done safely and they are not in any danger. We all don’t mind rigging our own acts, its not too much of a hassle. Some acts are harder to rig than others, but we accept that we have to do it in order to stay safe.

Q: In my research, I found that the circus has been this shining light of pushing cultural norms. Do you believe this is still relevant today?

A: Yes definitely. Especially with The Greatest Showman having just come out last year, it’s sparked interest in the circus arts, whether that’s being a performer in the circus, or people coming to see the shows, that topic has definitely been brought back to life, and increased the popularity of the circus as a whole.

Q: What kind of reactions do you get from the audiences?

A: When you practice as often as we do, you become numb to how cool what we’re doing actually is, but to people who have never seen it before, they’re always in awe of it. Sometimes we find that the biggest applause we get is when we fall out of a trick and we mess it up, and we get back and do it a second time, we get an even bigger applause. What I think is cool about live performance is, when you mess up, I think it reminds the audience that this is a live show, and what we are doing is actually really difficult, because if we make it look easy, they won’t really appreciate how hard it is.

Q: How do you think the community stays motivated?

A: We have to motivate each other because there’s definitely days where, you might have two or three practices in one day and it really is physically draining. Each act has its own cons, as well as pros, but everything we do hurts in some way. If it doesn’t hurt, you’re not doing it right, so there are times when you’re physically exhausted and you’re mentally drained from school, and you might not want to practice, but you know that for your team you have to do it and we’re all working towards something bigger in the end, so we motivate one another.

Q: How does the circus communicate within the community?

A: We have a facebook page for the entire circus, so everyone involved in the circus is a part of that page. Within that, there are facebook pages for each act you’re in, and each act has an act captain, so I’m act captain for hand balancing, and my job is to relay information in our group chat, whether that be reminding people we have a practice, or a mandatory dress rehearsal, or cleaning up and making sure the lot is ready for our shows.

Q: Is there a lot of work that goes into each performance?

A: Yes. A lot of what you don’t see is going on in the hut, so there’s three long tables of hair and makeup going on. Each person basically has their own hair and makeup person working on them because it takes so much time, especially for the Halloween shows with all the special effects. My hair alone takes about forty-five minutes to do. When these walls are down, and you can’t see outside, all the riggers are out there setting up the equipment for the next act, since we have to do it silently and quickly so that what we’re doing doesn’t distract from what’s going on in the show. We also run concessions, ushering, ticketing. Everyone has to work together and communicate about what their jobs are.

Q: How have the current Halloween shows been doing?

A: So far so good, they’ve all been sold out. Student tickets are available until we run out of them at the door. I think Halloween shows are everybody’s favorite because the music is so fun, and the hair, makeup and costume is really cool.

Q: What are some other themed shows? Are all of your shows themed?

A: Not all of them are themed. We have our parent’s weekend shows, and we only do two of those. And then, we have our four Halloween shows, and then we don’t perform again until the Spring; we have seven home shows. The theme of those shows is menagerie of wonderment, which is a sort of “circus” theme. Each act represents stereotypical circus themes, such as the strong men, and the ballerinas, and my act’s theme is masquerade.

Q: Is the circus a big part of your life?

A: It is now, yes. I’ve been in marching band for 9 years and I never thought that anything could replace my love for band, and the circus hasn’t replaced it, but I played ultimate Frisbee a couple years ago, didn’t love it. So I thought to myself, I consider myself pretty strong and flexible, I’ll try out for the circus. So I did and I joined; at first I only came for my practice and left. I was kind of introverted, so I was afraid to make friends, but once I started putting myself out there, coming to the tent to do homework, and really making an effort to get to know everyone, was when I really started to come into my own in the circus. So now I come to help my friends rig for my acts, and I’ll come and hangout or have lunch here. You get out of it what you put in, so, the more often you’re here, and the more you try to interact with everyone, them more friends you’ll make, and the more you’ll get out of it.

Q: Do you think that being a part of the circus has changed your life?

A: Yes, for sure. Not many people can say that they are in a circus. I had the opportunity to work at Callaway Gardens over the summer in Georgia, so me and 23 other college students lived together in this house for nine weeks, and they became some of my best friends that I know I’m going to have for the rest of my life. I’m also learning really valuable skills about communication, and accountability.

This interview was conducted in the circus tent, so I had the opportunity to see the tent and the hut, as well as some of Rachel's teammates practicing.

It was incredibly interesting to get an inside look at the performers and the tent without all of the costumes and sets. There were many performers practicing, setting up equipment, having lunch together and socializing, and working on different projects. I definitely felt a unique sense of community as I walked through the hut and looked around through the tent.