Many kids grow up dreaming of running away and joining the circus and it was the same for Brandon Livanos.
“It’s a dream as a child to always be like ‘I ran away and joined the circus,” Livanos said.
And he actually did.
The 31-year-old South African first caught the eye of circus recruiters in 2008 during a diving meet.
“I was a high diver,” Livanos said. “That was my sport. I competed for South Africa.”
After he was scouted, it took four years for Livanos to get a callback from the circus.
He spent those years working as a stunt double and acting in Hollywood productions.
Now Livanos is a performer with Cirque du Soleil’s new high-energy show, Volta, with shows running under the Big Top in Montreal’s Old Port until July 23.
Livanos described the show as a “marrying of the circus with extreme sports.”
“It’s beautiful,” he said.
But that magic doesn’t happen by itself – Livanos said there’s a lot of hard work involved.
“It’s a full-time job for sure,” he said.
“We actually have six days when we perform and every day, we’ll basically have training to tweak things… to integrate new artists into new acts… there’s a lot of training that goes on.”
Keeping fit is only one of many challenges performers face.
For Livanos, the biggest challenge was the transition from athlete to performer.
“Maintaining 300 plus shows a year… keeping that energy level up for the audience — you don’t learn that as an athlete,” he said explaining that athletes usually prepare for one, or a few big competitions per year, not 300.
“You have to hone your craft,” he said, adding that the troupe is constantly doing workshops to help bring performances to the next level.
Livanos admitted that live performances, often come with the possibility of making mistakes.
“It happens all the time,” he said.
The question just becomes: “Are we good enough to cover it that no one can see it happen?”
Regardless, Livanos isn’t one to dwell on mistakes.
“I don’t think there is failure, just opportunities to try again,” he said, adding that “it (failure) crafts us to be who we are destined to be.”
For Livanos that destiny has led him to the circus.
“I think I have found my niche in life and I don’t see myself leaving the circus,” he said explaining it’s possible for performers who reach the end of their career to branch out into other avenues within the circus such as choreographer, or director, to name a few.
Livanos doesn’t seem to be in any hurry.
“I have performed with some guys who are 40, 45 and they’re still doing incredible,” he said. “I’d like to just let the ball continue rolling and see where it goes.”
{ SOURCE: Global News | https://goo.gl/Pw8oBZ }
