Stilt walkers, a fire-eater, a magician and a mime came to campus from Cincinnati to entertain at this year's annual Late Nite Carnival.
The performers each work with the Cincinnati Circus, a company that hosts circuses, teaches classes, rents out equipment and travels to do events, according to its website. One performer said the company has gone as far as Hawaii and may travel to Saudi Arabia this summer to perform their acts.
Ben Gray, a 22-year-old stilt walker, has been a part of the circus for two years. While he originally wanted to study to be a doctor, he recently graduated from Cincinnati University with a degree in communications and eventually wants to be a musician.
Gray said stilt walking is actually much easier than it looks.
"There's really nothing to it. You just strap them on and you know that you're tall — it's basically normal walking," he said. "You have to be mindful of your surroundings, though. Little things can trip you up."
But he's not just a stilt walker. Gray said he loves the flying trapeze and performing with fire.
Each performer with the circus has to be able to do it all, has to be "a jack of all trades," as the other stilt walker put it.
Heather Mason, a 27-year-old from Cleveland, Ohio, said she "ran away and joined the circus" after visiting Cincinnati and realizing she loved the flying trapeze.
"I just loved it so much that I couldn't picture my life without it," Mason said.
But like Gray, she had to learn to do it all. She also juggles, stilt walks, makes balloon animals and teaches trapeze classes. But above all, she said she's an entertainer.
"This is actually my full-time job," Mason said. "I had other jobs along the way, but I discovered I didn’t need them anymore. I needed more time to practice and to just do what it is that I do."
She said the best part of her job is seeing the joy on a child's face when she gives them a balloon or when she convinces someone to jump when they first try the flying trapeze.
Adam Leite, another entertainer, was performing with fire at the carnival. He said he joined the circus about three years ago, and fire and magic are his passions.
Though he said playing with fire can be dangerous, he said he's done it since he was a child.
"I'm a bit of a pyro. As a little kid, I'd set things on fire, make a mess, cause trouble," Leite said. "Then the circus was like, 'Hey do you want us to just pay you for doing that?'"
Leite is only 23 years old, but he said he knows he wants to continue performing with fire for the rest of his life.
"I'll do it until I die," Leite said. "Until this stuff kills me."
He said most people think there's a gimmick to "this whole fire eating thing," but there's not.
"There's no trick to it. It's just hot. You just eat the fire," Leite said. "But it is a great way to burn calories."
Two Ball State students, Angelica Chacon, a senior criminal justice and psychology major, and Lexy Rodriguez, a sophomore criminal justice and social work major, said the performers at this year's carnival made it more fun than in the past.
"It's so cool to watch something different, to not just sit on rides," Chacon said. "[Late Nite] has never done anything like this before."
The girls both said watching Leite perform with fire was both entertaining and scary.
"He pretty much gave us a baby heart attack," Rodriguez said. "The fire came at us; it was awesome."
Leite said he enjoys being able to get personal with his audiences by getting the fire as close to them as he safely can. He's suffered from many burns, but he said his only concern is keeping the crowds safe during shows.
Chacon and Rodriguez said they thought Late Nite's Carnival this year was a hit because of the Cincinnati Circus performers, and they hope Late Nite brings them back next year.
"It was just a really nice variety compared to last year," Rodriguez said. "It wasn't just the rides, the food and the games, two of which cost money. … It's really fun to watch."
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