I Joined A Traveling Circus

you hear terms like circus free that we're not a community that's well organized we're A bit chaotic nothing could be further from the truth two days ago this was an empty parking lot today Circus Vargas and I'm going to be performing in that tent Tonight YouTube Superstar runs away C here we go ready [Applause] H oh my God [Music] [Applause] iome [Applause] YouTube this episode is sponsored by shop fire how do I pronounce your last name is k k yes okay very nice circus name really I have a good circus name we're off to a good start then when I was 7 years old I remember seeing the Ringling Brothers and being completely mesmerized at the thrill the Courage the trust but since then I've grown up to be incredibly typ a with control over every second of my day and while that's made me organized I often struggle when I have to give up control to others so what would happen if I dropped everything packed my bags and ran away with the circus thank you so much no proud we've just arrived to Circus Vargas I have absolutely no idea what activities are planned for today I'm still convinced that you guys are going to shoot me out of a [Music] cannon hello and welcome oh oh my gosh hello how are you I'm Michelle it's oh I'm Jonathan Lee Ivers well I shake a lot of hands Jonathan Lee Iverson is one of the greatest showman to ever command the big Tu at age 22 he made a history as America's first black ring master and the youngest ever and wringling brothers history ladies and gentlemen getting his start in the boy's Qui of Harlem at just 11 years old Iverson has performed for four United States presidents as well as Nobel Peace Prize winner Nelson Mandela what he is most proud of is being featured on Jeopardy twice and little did she know Jonathan was the very ring Master 7-year-old Michelle saw perform just over two decades ago this is definitely going to be an adventure of course it is Circus Vargas is very Charming been around since 1969 giving people that that same look you look warmed up you look ready to go shall we explore I'd love to see what this is all about come with me so this week Michelle is going to make the bold and wonderful attempt to find her own act to see what works for her so she's going to try an array of things all of them are spectacular but I think the beauty of it is her body will tell her what works for her so here's the thing circus will weed you out if this is not for you we're going to test you because we're very territorial about our stuff here I mean us welcoming you here is a big deal so my friend are you ready challenge [Music] accepted but before I'm allowed to try my dream ax like trapes I need to First prove that I can be trusted in the face of danger and so my first test is the infamous globe of death oh my God weighing over 5,000 lb globe of death is one of circus's most dangerous acts with the motorcyclists reaching up to 60 MPH popularized in 1904 by Daredevil Duo Rose and lemon lobe is responsible for over two dozen injuries and at least four recorded deaths oh my God this is crazy did you like it how did you stand there so calmly oh my gosh your turn I'm going in there yes I'm going to stand there yes it's your turn flying around yes wait we're just going in there's no instruction just stand there I'm going to help you so you are you going to be here with me no I'm going to help I'm going to show you your steps you like a little bit open that you can balance a little bit better balance is it cuz it shakes shake a little bit right a little bit yeah that's it that's the only instruction uh-huh you can close the door are you ready no okay I didn't even introduce myself I'm Michelle I am Daniel Daniel motorcycle rider okay I'm just going to close my eyes no Don't Close Your Eyes don't close my eyes you have to you have to look into me okay so I'm just looking this way am I doing this in the sh yes I'm sorry I just need hold on to another person don't worry trust me okay I trust you shut the up shut the up trust is the first thing trust me okay trust me I trust you okay [Music] ready yeah oh my God give me a hand now this one there we go there we go open your eyes all right you see look to me no just look to me that's just going to help me okay okay trust me yes I trust you okay woohoo there we go how you feeling how you feel it not normal not normal that was crazy you're crazy how do you learn how to do this all my family do that your family does this my father my uncle my grandpa my brothers all in Argentina do the same thing when when am I performing this tonight that's going to be tonight so you don't have time to think what what you going to do I was then whisked away to the Wardrobe trailer to get outfitted for my first and quite possibly my last circus performance Patricia patri nice to meet you this is the outfit I will be wearing in the globe of Steel tonight hopefully I don't die in it don't kill me I hope I don't die thank you welome all especially children of all ages I am your ring Master John and this is Circus the big one is [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] this is all happening so quickly yeah for sure have you ever been in the globe of Steel yes I used to do that part really yeah okay and you Wen ever scared yeah oh you were a little bit see I keep asking people about this and people will say either they're terrified of it or they've never done it so you've done circus for how long 25 years and you've never gone in the because I know my place is it scary yeah have you been in there no I don't like this no so you wouldn't step foot in the glove no I would not do it do this just stand still this is a life or death situation even though the only thing I technically have to do is stand still it's still really really scary ready ready I'm ready she doesn't look scared at all she got it look at her you're not going to punk out are you I can't not at this point let's go let's [Applause] go Shing comfortable is comfortable [Music] [Applause] very [Applause] should I go in can I go [Music] [Music] in [Applause] W oh my God I'm never doing this again I'm never doing that again I'm never doing that again was that okay yeah oh my gosh um what I have a little problem on the tire right now there's a problem with the they get flat yeah oh it's okay I got to put the bike inside okay apparently Daniel's Tire got a flat during the performance and I had no idea but the globe was only my first first test over the next few days the stunts I'll be trying will be increasingly more difficult all an attempt to find my act so here's the thing everybody has their bit of Magic In Circus right so you mean every person can find an act in the circus yep every person you truly believe that yeah I do I do so here is Circus Vargas as you can imagine we have an array of disciplines we have Daredevils we have clowns we have this beautiful troop of teer board artists we have so many different styles of juggling oh almost too many to name but I believe Michelle will see what works for her and I think she's going to make a wonderful addition to Circus [Music] varg I I'm the dad yeah the dad the whole family is here we are the leester sisters we do the foot juggling act I'm Michelle nice to meet you my ACT is Rolla Bola Rolla yes hello hello hi you guys are crazy just L these looks scary out of juggling these are the hardest so we're just starting with the hardest thing right at the gate oh my God wao does it feel strange it does I don't want to break my foot I don't want to break my foot what we learned in the beginning is just to rock back and forward just a little bit you just throw it with a right Spin and then try to put it onto your here oh oh we're getting that yes almost go all the way forward yeah she's too light oh she's light this is such a whirlwind I am trying so many different things every single act requires a completely different skill set the skill level required for every single one of these acts is so high and I still have no idea which act I'm actually going to be able to do for the performance hello hello hi it's so nice to meet you guys guys what's your name Albert Albert Albert my wife nice to meet you nice to meet you are you ready for what for something nice we want to make you a demo to see what we do on yeah please the t board act it's technically a seesaw act with a lot of tumbling you have to have a lot of support ability I know Michelle today she's going to be the second person in a fourman high stun which is actually very dangerous and difficult stuns very excited that uh she's able to do that you make cheor or something like this oh yeah yeah oh it's the same we make the bunking we throw you oh I'm being thrown okay yeah I'll just do what you told me to honestly thankfully a year ago I did a cheerleading Challenge and a lot of those skills have translated really well to the teer board specifically however it was a long time ago that I did that ha yay um and so I'm relearning those skills the day before I'm supposed to perform them now let's do the other one what's the other one on the p on the B we just escalate so quickly around [Music] here okay straight straight yeah like this and watch in the front yeah okay straight your legs uhhuh don't forget you need to be like a Ood you can go now down hands here jump go [Music] okay apparently tomorrow I am going to be in the Teeter board act as the second person out of four in the four person stack and it's a little bit intimidating because I can't shake or mess up cuz there's someone literally Landing from the sky on top of us and that's a lot of pressure I know out of everyone in the stack I have the least amount of responsibility but for someone who's never done it before for them to just throw me into this is kind of crazy and in addition addition to teer board I will also be performing in the national anthem and in the big finale dance number but even after an entire day of training I still don't feel super passionate about them and therefore still feel like I haven't quite found my act and so the next day I convinced Jonathan to let me try the one act I've been dreaming of since I saw it live at 7 years old when you think circus trapez is one of the first things that comes to mind and I was most excited to try this [Music] um um but now that I'm seeing it I'm having other thoughts about how I feel about this but I have a big fear of heights hopefully I can figure this out and maybe I'll even get to perform in tonight hi hey I'm Michelle Izzy he Marella nice to meet you nice to meet you are you afraid of heights at all just out of yeah definitely a little bit like 100% oh that's okay my mom was very spright of heights and she still did Tre peas for many years so okay we did flyer pce for about 28 years along with my family and Kya of course we're trying to pass this on to the next generation and our daughters that are performing indust actually eth generation performers pioneered in 1850 9 by French acrobat jewes leoti the flying trapes has been passed down from generation to generation and as the circus Caravan traversed the nation during the Golden Age of American circus the flying trapes sort new heights of popularity quickly becoming synonymous with the iconic big top itself like what will determine in this training if y'all think I'm ready to perform tonight I think if you can manage your fear of heights and be able to think clearly then it'll be okay what's your name sorry Tad Tad yeah nice to meet you you were amazing Tad's going to be the one on that side catching you too you what yeah Oh I thought I was just what I just witnessed is what I'm doing it's a different trick so he'll catch you but like we always say the flyer does the trick leave the catching to the catcher you don't ever try and catch the catcher perfect so as soon as you grab the bar you're going to get into that Arch position perfect we're going to say knees up bring your knees up nice and fast hook them under the bar good hook them down Point your toes yeah so you're going to stay in that first position first bring your hands up onto the bar good and you're going to stay just like that until we say hands off so keep your head in and then we're going to say hands off that's when you reach back exactly reach back like not fall off well you're not falling off you're good then we're going to say hands back up and you're going to bring them back up grab the bar good and then we're going to say legs down so bring them all the way down perfect just like that my God the ground feels so good it's going to be great the ground feels so good okay I think you're good to go are you serious are you like serious at h.com what come let's go oh my God what you'll be fine perfect head all the way up I'm not going to lie climbing this 40ft ladder is my worst nightmare you know I'm thinking about this a lot it's a pretty good view from up here right but if I'm not willing to trust my partner in practice I won't ever get the chance to perform it live in front of a crowd ready good just often times a leap of faith is required to achieve a dream like when I quit my job to start this YouTube channel or when I trusted my team to Cod me for my boxing match and most recently when we launched the challenge accepted apparel line in hopes of spreading that message in a tangible way that people can feel and touch which has been powered from the start with Shopify who have also so kindly sponsored this episode ready good Shopify is a Commerce platform that allows you to take your business to new heights and they help millions of entrepreneurs all over the world take their own leaps of Faith from first sale to full scale allowing anyone to sell online in person and across all major social platforms go Shopify is sort of like a big sturdy safety net waiting to catch you below which is exactly why we trusted them with our first product launch our goal with the collection was to inspire you guys to try new things and go for that dream of yours and it's been a constant reminder for me to always do the same so if you have a dream entrepreneurial project you've been itching to start get a free trial for Shopify right now at shopify.com melar and now it's time for me to Double Down On My Own leap of faith once I catch you and we're swinging together I'm going to swing forward just stay straight I'll say forward backward forward okay I'm going to say let go you let go and you're just going to land flat on your back yep don't think too much about it I'm not thinking I'm literally not just do the same thing you just did and you got it no problem ready bend your knees go good legs up now good H them down hands off good gotcha nice and kick forward backward forward lay on your back nice God oh my God this is crazy that was perfect and then look pretty for the crowd there you go we just finished the rehearsal they think I can pull this off in the show tonight and I really hope I can because I get one shot at it and it would be so embarrassing to miss catching his hands in the middle of the show I'm actually having a lot of fun so that's a good sign thank you this is so cool I had a ring Master tell me early in my career I'll never forget this his name was John Fugate he said young man once the sawdust is in your veins you'll never be the same and that is the truest thing I I've ever heard from anybody in the circus sawdust is in your veins you're a complete convert but before my final performance it was time for the circus to pack up and relocate to its next destination and that means bringing the tent with us only 24 hours before we arrive it's Barren it's quiet it's mundane and then 24 hours later it's this bustling magical Dynamic happening [Music] I mean you have people driving by what is that what's going on what's happening this tent has been our greatest marketing tool just seeing it go up in the middle of a parking lot and suddenly that parking lot is this magical enchanting place I think that's the magical superpower we have as a circus Community to turn any space into something incredible to offer an invitation into Miracle making cuz that's what we do as I'm watching the tent go up I'm realizing that the men and women building the tent are the actual performers themselves and they all live on the road in trailers doing everything together as a family how long have you done C um I was born into it so I don't know just in my family for a lot of generations and stuff how many generations I want to say like eight so you were growing up on the road to most of the time yeah do you have family with you here on circus Vargus yeah my husband and my two daughters he's he does the wheel we met when we were like 2 years old on the show when we were really really little it's a family affair it seems like everyone's families are here yeah pretty much Cirus is all about families it's all about families raising their kids giving their best education giving their best training most of the acts that you'll see they all have families you know husbands wives children dogs pets the good news is nowadays in the old days it was only people from generations to generation were passing it on but circus has become so popular and it has been seen more as an art form that there is a lots of first generation circus performers coming out and I think they going to be able to see it now when Michelle is on the show because that is you know you're our first generation Jonathan are you ready I'm always ready I'm I know you are I'm okay it's going to be great who knows you'll get nicked with that sawdust but what is this saw us I haven't seen any saw what it's this thing that happens to people I told you I had a friend of mine this is all this is all verify you can read about it in the huon post she had a sixf fig beautiful corporate job she worked in a jewelry business and she goes on a lunch break her curiosity got to her she passed by this furniture shop that was really a traes school in the back she goes there she got up there did it and at the end of the lesson she was like I think I have to do this so she quit her job her mother looked at her like she was crazy her boss basically cussed her out she went to her car crying she said I was crying because I was free cuz I knew what I wanted to do and I had to do so she committed herself for 9 months training she ends up 9 months later at Ringling Brothers then Cirus solle and she ended up flying here at Circus Vargas that's what I mean about a sawdust people changed their whole lives for this place I'll see how tonight goes that would be quite a story YouTube Superstar runs away with honestly it's kind of a believable story it is a believable story you don't to do you think it's going to be great to see you [Music] after [Applause] [Music] [Applause] of all children I'm your ring Master [Music] the we are it's show time I'm so excited [Music] no not again please rise remove your join us of you got it that's it don't don't [Music] stress by the dark light what [Music] so [Music] will I said [Music] no you got this I win with this [Music] [Applause] look sometimes we work you know [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] sometimes it's time for the Teeter board national anthem I think went well but all I had to do was walk and smile did it look okay looks good yes now it's time to go from walking to [Music] Flying got NE no no it's going to be [Applause] great [Music] [Applause] w [Applause] W ready [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] h [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] feel [Applause] when trolling by the sand I see now and then B [Music] part all through the I remember all of your charm your splend city of light [Music] and how you feel that was so awesome actually you did a good job for sure you can Jo the circus are you serious don't forget us [Music] [Applause] yeah [Music] it's time I am going to attempt to do a flying trapes act right now let's hope this goes well for now what's up thanks for having me heree and the superar with ar PE and dashing etherial arry C has to present [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] legendary [Music] [Applause] yourselves for this most historical week watch as the dazzling Isabel attempts the [Applause] triple [Applause] Izzy is a world class trapes artist and to see her miss the triple Summers Sal made my heart drop but the way she recovered from it was so beautiful it was like nothing was wrong she hit the style and went on her Merry way and so I was like you know what I can do this our has accept the challenge of saring alongside the legendary to so please welcome The Dashing D on YouTube the star of the international Mega hit [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] ch [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] you guys so now we change for the finale we got to get dressed we do everything here thank you for having good good job I originally came to Circus Vargas to challenge my need for control in my everyday life and while I absolutely made progress learning how to put my trust in others I also separately discovered a passion for an art form in a place I didn't [Music] expect and though I will not be quitting YouTube to run away with the circus I am really grateful to have found such a wonderful hardworking group of people who accepted me into their own family Leaving Me Maybe with a little bit of that [Music] sawdust

Channel: Michelle Khare

Views: 2,705,723

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Id: Fqptx5fNXR4

Length: 35min 13sec (2113 seconds)

Published: Thu Oct 12 2023