Circus Family Life

Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey have been in the business of providing fun, family entertainment in the form of circus acts for over a century.  Hundreds of multi-talented performers work together to bring audiences “the greatest show on earth”. In addition to the professional demands of the industry many of these performers are parents as well.

 I recently had the privilege of interviewing Priscilla Iverson, a Brazilian dancer in Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Presents DRAGONS show. In addition to her responsibilities in the show, she also enjoys her role as mother to two children and wife of Ringmaster Jonathan Lee Iverson. This busy family of 4 is on the road eleven months out of the year but Iverson says that circus life is great.

A typical week for the family includes 1-2 days of travel on the train (depending on their destination). These days are spent watching movies together, playing games, reading and eating some of Iverson’s traditional Brazilian cuisine. The family resides in a private train car that includes all the amenities one would find in a small apartment such as living and sleeping space and a kitchen. The remainder of the week (usually Wednesday through Sunday) is spent at or near the arena where the show is presented.

During show days Iverson says that wake up time is usually around 8:30 am for the children. Once everyone is up and about, the family heads to the arena area so that Mom and Dad can work while the children head off to the circus nursery. School-aged children are picked up by their teachers from the nursery and brought to school which is provided by the circus as well. All childcare workers and teachers travel with the circus providing consistency for children.

After school, children are returned to the nursery and picked up by their parents at the end of the work day which is typically late. In addition to hanging out in the nursery after school Iverson’s 7 year old son Matthew takes acrobatics, piano lessons and juggling lessons from fellow performers. Her 4 year old daughter Lila takes dance lessons. Many parents in the circus take full advantage of the talents of their colleagues and seek out lessons for their children.  Some children of performers sign on with the circus themselves when they reach the age of 18 since they have had the opportunity to train with the best.

Long days and no sports teams for the kids are the down sides of circus life according to Iverson. However, the positive aspects far outweigh the negatives. The children are exposed to people of all cultures and have friends from all around the world while traveling across the United States. The family goes to museums and parks in almost every city they visit and are “together all the time”. There is a true family atmosphere amongst the performers and staff giving the children a unique extended family. The children also get to see the Circus show at least once a week and thoroughly enjoy the interaction of the pre-show (which occurs 1 hour before the show).

Dragons, the show that Iverson is currently in, will be in Raleigh, NC from February 6-10 at the PNC Arena. Iverson speaks highly of the show and says that “every day amazes” her.

For more information about the circus, please visithttp://www.ringling.com