‘A plastic hoop changed my life’
Rachel Conlisk, 45, lives in Oldbury and is a circus skills trainer.
I catch the final juggling ball and grin as the audience cheer. Putting on a show, and bringing light and colour to people’s lives feels amazing every time.
One thing’s for sure, being a circus performer is a world away from my previous job as a data analyst in a school where I’d worked since 2009.
My adventure began in May 2013, when I went to Swingamajig festival in Birmingham and saw a group of hula-hoopers perform between bands. It looked such fun that I turned to YouTube tutorials at home to have a go.
I began to practise constantly – even at school during breaks. My confidence grew and my body shrank – I went from size 14 to a size 10 in eight months!
And when I heard about a local hula group in August 2013, I went along to join them.
As my skills and network grew, I was asked to run a Saturday hula class at a local centre in late 2013, and also began to help them adapt classes to suit people with disabilities. Then I performed at my first festival, the Lunar Festival, Birmingham, in 2014. There, I befriended fire-breathers, jugglers and acrobats.
By now, I’d decided to start my own company. As well as doing performances and children’s parties, I wanted to help people with physical and learning disabilities.
This story is from the January 19, 2021 edition of WOMAN'S WEEKLY.
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This story is from the January 19, 2021 edition of WOMAN'S WEEKLY.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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