Past (part one)

So why did I start to work in the circus?
Because I fell in love with it!

My grandparents took me to watch my first ever circus show, back home in Hungary.
I was 2 years old.
Apparently I was sitting there, like a statue, with no reactions, so they tought that I did not like it.

So the next time, when they asked me if I want to go again, I surprised them with my answer : YES!



So that's how it started.My love with the circus.



First I didn't think that I want to be on stage, I just loved the atmosphere, so I wanted to be involved in it.

I started to do little circus shows with my sister and some friends to my family and also sometimes to random people.
I spent my summer vacations on the country side, close to the Serbian border in Hungary with my grandparents and my sister.So we were hanging out with the neighbour kids and we played with them.

When I became 10, my parents asked me if I am interested in to apply for the Budapest Circus School.
I was like "Yeah, whatever ... I am not good enough ... I can try, but I am sure it's hopeless!"

In 1995. I applied.
I passed the audition and they took me.

I spent 9 years there.

The first four years I studied the basics:
juggling,balancing,classical balett,mime,aerial things,floor acrobatics.
I went to the primary school in the morning, and then to the circus school at night.
Even if the teachers knew that I am studying in two school at the same time, and the try to give me less homework, I was still super busy and most of the time pretty tired, too.


After 4 years we had to specialize for an act.
They put me into an inline skating group with 2 other boys and 2 other girls.
2 of us were the flyers, the other 3 were the porters.

At that time I was studying in the Budapest Balett School's High School part during the afternoon, because my circus classes were in the morning.
And I mean really in the morning!
My first class stated at 7:45am and I finished there around 1:30pm, than running to the high school and study there until 6 or 7pm.

(Just like the normal school, the circus school is also from monday to friday, the weekend is free ... if you don't have gigs to do!)

After 3 years we had some difficulties.
For example I grew a lot,but stayed skinny, so I wasn't a good flyer "material" anymore.
Plus we had some conflicts among each other, so 2 of us left the group and got replaced by 2 other guys.
(The skating group split up not long after graduation).


While I was still in that group we did a second number, group juggling (4 of us).
We used clubs, hats and balls.



After I left the group I had a really hard time for few months.
I was mostly working out and thinking of a new act.
Then one of my teachers had an idea, that I should use my flexibility (what I did not loose during the 3 years of skating, thankfully!!!) and she started to work with me on an aerial silk act (tissue).
It happened in 2002., during April I believe.


In the last few months I started to work with a girl, and we created a duo act, but when I came back to finish school after the summer break, she decided (because of her previous injuries) that she is stopping, and won't work in circus anymore.
So as of September 2003. I started to work on my solo aerial silk number.

One of my first gig was in the Hungarian TV.
I remember it was a good experience, but they cut my 6 minute long act into 2 minutes.
Grrr ... :)

The 2003/2004. school year was my last in the circus school.
I was mostly just practicing my number there, doing a lot of gigs and writing my diploma.
(My diploma work was about aerial silk.
This circus diploma is not as strong as any other diplomas, of course ... but still!It's super nice to have it, and it means something in the circus world.)



In January 2004. I participated in a show "Hungarian Gala", what was part of the 5th International Circus Festival in Budapest.
I was NOT part of the contest!
I was part of this special "all Hungarian artist" show, what is basicly mostly for the managers,casting and circus directors to see and buy acts.
That's where one of the Cirque Du Soleil talent scouts spotted me.

Few weeks after, in February I went for an audition for Cirque in my circus school.
It took a full day.

At the end of the day they told me that I can apply to the Montreal Circus School if I want to.
That doesn't mean, that after finishing there I would go immediately to a Cirque show, but I would have better chances.
They also said, that they will put me into their database, so they will know about me, and they might gonna call me in 2 days, 2 weeks, 2 years ... or never!

I decided, that because I already studied 9 years, I should earn some money and took advantage of all my school years.

I got a job in the Capital Circus of Budapest, in the circus building.
It was a 5 months long summer show.

Then I had gigs and I did my winter season 2004/2005. in a cabaret theater, the Moulin Rouge Budapest.
(It was cool.
I had 3-4 shows a week.
The show started at 11pm, and I was in the second half!
At the end of it, I became a zombie.)

I did some other gigs, like working in discoteques, schools, art galleries, dance theaters, different events.

In 2005. I worked in a family circus, in South of England for 8 months.
I did my silk act and for the second half of the season I did my hula hoop act (what I studied,practiced and created on my own.)

Then other special events.
And in March 2006. I got the call, that I got the job in "VAREKAI" (2 years after the audition) !!! ...