A Day in the Life of a Circus Star
The show stopping performers of the Walker Brothers Circus leave us on the edge of our seats; but long before spectators file in under the big top the magic of the circus has already begun.
Dallas Rosaire Zoppe, the ring mistress says her day starts at the crack of dawn as she cares for her 8 dogs. She then travels about 60 to 80 miles to their next performance city and they then set up their big top.
But arriving is only the beginning. To transform their lot into the circus atmosphere it takes about 3 to 4 hours with everyone working hard. They say they never know what their location is going to be like so they're always ready to adapt to make sure their show can fit into any venue.
Rosaire Zoppe says they defiantly live an exceptional life that's very different than everyone else. She says living life on the road makes even the smallest performer mature at an early age making them grow up to be independent adults.
And while traveling the country is a major perk to the job, it can also leave the performers a little lost. When asked where she was the previous night, she couldn't remember - saying they work 7 days a week and sometimes the days and locations all run together. The Walker Brothers Circus spends 10 months out of the year performing across the country, but even in the 2 months of down time work never stops.
So after hearing that the circus isn't all the fun and games many of us fantasize about you may wonder why would anyone want to run away and join the circus? But for many... It's just in they're blood. Several of the performers say they are just carrying on the family job just as generations and generations have done before them - while others say they they actually ran away and joined the circus.
The Walker Brothers Circus is based out of Florida and has been traveling the U.S. for the past 20 years.
