During the school year, senior Jens Omdal is a political science major. During the summer, however, he is a professional circus performer working for the Aerial Trapeze Academy. Based in South Florida and Palm Beach, the Aerial Trapeze Academy are experts in the performing arts, presenting circus shows as well as teaching workshops in trapeze to the public. Omdal works as an aerialist and a juggler, specializing in tricks on the flying trapeze and fire juggling. “It’s something I enjoy,” says Omdal. “It’s definitely a challenge but it’s rewarding.”
Omdal began his training in the art of circus performance when he was 11 years old, when lessons were offered at a kid’s camp he attended. As he became more skilled, Omdal went on to work professionally with the circus as his summer job. When asked what initially attracted him to the trapeze, he responded, “I think it’s that I was scared of heights. It was a way of overcoming an obstacle.”
Omdal’s typical workday begins at eight in the morning, teaching students the mechanics of flying trapeze. Some days are devoted to these classes, with each lesson lasting about an hour. If it’s a performance day, the afternoon is spent setting up for their evening show. Omdal remarks that the Academy’s schedule fluctuates fairly often. “Show times vary; in the summer there’s a lot of carnivals and festivals that want us to perform, so it’s possible we would perform every night for a week. Other times you go three weeks without a show. It depends on where the attractions are.”
When asked specifically about his job description, Omdal described himself not only as a performer, but also as a staff member. “The circus term for it is a Roustabout-someone who sets up the show. Everyone begins as a Roustabout; so you know how to set up the rig, change sets. If you can’t do that, then you’re not helpful to the show, and if you’re not helpful to the show then you are destructive. If all you are capable of is your own particular act, then you’re only good for five minutes.” As well as contributing to set up, Omdal performs a juggling act, starting with a few balls and then slowly increasing the difficulty level up to juggling fire. He also does an Adagio act, meaning an act showcasing an acrobatic partnership typically with a man as a stabilizing base while a woman performs flips and twists. Finally Omdal performs tricks with four other artists on the flying trapeze. These tricks include layouts, or forward moving backflips, and a plounge, which involves placing the trapeze bar behind your hamstrings and arching your body upside down. Acts on the flying trapeze require careful precision and planning. Omdal commented, “We have our tricks planned beforehand because we want our tricks to work together aesthetically as well as sequentially.”
Omdal could feasibly make his living working professionally as a performer and aerialist. When asked why he attends Houghton, he replied, “I desire an education, and Houghton is my outlet for that. A lot of people who perform in the circus make it their career and livelihood. But it’s a short-lived career because of the toll it takes on your body, after 15 or 20 years in the industry your body is well advanced.” Despite the risks involved, Omdal remains passionate about his role as performer, as well as its impact on his life. “Circus is a way of making art with our bodies. We are creative in our own right. One thing the circus had taught me is that you have to commit. If you’re performing a trick on the trapeze and you don’t commit, you’re going to fall.”