LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Have you ever wanted to run off and join the circus? Some students at the University of Kentucky have done just that, and they might flip what you know about the circus upside down.
The Circus Club meets weekly inside Barker Hall, where staff advisor Kylee Pipgrass is used to questions.
"Do you deal with fire, and do you have an elephant? Once I clarify no, it's not that kind of circus, then they ask, 'Okay, what do you have?' And I get to tell them about all the apparatus you see here."
Members of the Circus Cats practice performing on aerial silks and hoops, juggling, and even walking on stilts. They use skill sharing to teach each other what they know.
"We have so many beginners who learned so much just from stepping in their first time here," club president Amber Singh told LEX 18.
"We don't have lessons to teach people stuff," said Pipgrass. "It's you teach people what you know; they teach what they know."
Learning while playing was the goal of Professor Meg Wallace. Inspired by her Circus and Philosophy Class, she helped students organize the club in 2021, the first of its kind at any Kentucky college.
"One thing I know about the circus arts, and I've been in the circus arts about a dozen years, is it's contagious," Wallace said.
The love for the circus has spread across campus. Wallace says about 50 members meet each week, and they've also performed in multiple showcases.
"It's a bit deceptive, in a good way, because it seems silly and playful and superficial," she said. "But it takes hard work, practice, it takes dedication."
Because of that, she says a college campus is the perfect place for a circus.
"You're not going to come here if you're not just a little bit curious, a little bit fearless to try something new and different, to look a little bit ridiculous and try something weird," Wallace said. "Like, none of the circus arts make you look good unless you're really good at them."
The club is open to any UK students, staff, or faculty. You can learn more here.
The next showcase will be at the end of the spring semester.
