Ch. 2 Blackface

In 2010, life happened. We encountered many hurdles, but The Show Must Go On is an ethos we live by in the circus. Trouble started immediately when me and my circus performers tried to get on a plane from Chicago to Houston. On December 31st, New Year’s Eve 2009, just after Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab had attempted to blow up a plane flying from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day by hiding explosives in his underwear. The incident earning him the moniker the Underwear Bomber and of course, triggered Homeland Security to raise suspicions at the same time we left for Houston. 

Circus Mojo at Texas Children’s Hospital

Our Spring Circus brought together youth from Our Spring Circus brought together youth from 12 schools for a performance at the Madisonville Arts Center (MAC), located in the marginalized neighborhood of Madisonville. This resulted in a packed house, or a “straw house” in circus lingo, where the audience sits on the floor due to full seating.

Cirque Devou 2010

If the door is locked, a different knock may, or may not get you in, but most importantly, you have to keep moving.

2010 Spring Circus Madisonville Arts Center

This is why, since beginning this venture in 2009, I’ve managed to host visitors and secured visas for artists from 48 nations to our circus in Ludlow, KY. This exceptional group includes a multitude of shining stars who have all performed, coached, or competed in events I have produced. Individually, they have hailed from: (

Antigua

Argentina

Austria

Australia

Bolivia

Belgium

Brazil

Bulgaria

Canada

Chile

Costa Rica

Croatia

Cuba

Czech Republic

Democratic Republic of Congo

Denmark

El Salvador

Ethiopia

Egypt

Finland

France

Germany

Ghana

Hungary

Indonesia

Ireland

Israel

Italy

Japan

Kenya

Kiowa Nation

Malaysia

Mexico

Netherlands

New Zealand

Norway

Oglala Lakota Nation

Poland

United Kingdom

United States of America

South Africa

South Korea

South Sudan

Spain

Sudan

Suriname

Switzerland

Tanzania

Togo

Uruguay

Venezuela