This is the second part of a new feature we're calling 'Why Not Become A...', in which we meet the folk behind some of the region's most fascinating and quirky professions.

Profession: Circus Acrobat

Pro: Travelling the world

Con: Being away from home most of the year

Starting salary: £21K plus

Hours: Can be unsociable

Qualifications: A background in gymnastics and ideally a sports diploma or degree in circus arts

THERE aren’t many jobs that routinely see you flying through the air, clad in stage makeup and sparkly trousers. But David Rimmer’s is one of them. The 25-year-old acrobat from Southport is a teeterboard artist with Cirque du Soleil, the Montreal-based company responsible for iconic shows like O, Mystère - and Amaluna, which pitches its ‘grand chapiteau’ (that’s ‘big top’ to us) in Manchester later this year. Loosely based on Shakespeare’s The Tempest, the play will see audiences transported faraway from intu Trafford Centre to the rather more exotic surrounds of a mysterious island ruled by goddesses and guided by the cycles of the sun.

We’ve performed in every continent except Antarctica

Rimmer is one of the hunky young group of men who find themselves shipwrecked on Amaluna after its guardian Prospera causes a storm: setting the scene for a tumultuous tale of forbidden love as one brave suitor falls in love with Prospera’s daughter. Cue aerial carousel feats, mermaid contortionists and Rimmer’s mind-boggling teeterboard act.

But is circus life as glamorous offstage as it is on? We spoke to Rimmer, currently in Germany with Amaluna’s European tour, to find out... 

Hi David, so an unusual career choice... what drew you to being an acrobat?

Rimmer: "I started gymnastics when I was five, first focusing on artistic gymnastics and then moving to trampoline. With trampoline I competed in the World Championships and performed in the 2012 Olympic ceremony. I was then approached to consider Cirque and send in a video as part of the application process. Once you find a company and enjoy it, you generally stay: this is my second Cirque show."

In terms of skills and qualifications, what’s most important?

R: "Most acrobats have a sports qualification - I did a sports diploma at college - but nowadays you can get a specialist degree in circus arts. Either way, the vast majority start gymnastics from a young age. There are loads of different disciplines - artistic, acrobatic, aerobic, rhythmic - and apparatus like bars, vaults, beams... normally you’re put on something that’s related to your experience: I wasn’t trained on teeterboard, Cirque put me on a six-month training programme, but my trampolining background made it much easier."

 

 

What does an average day look like?

R: "Generally we do two-year tours and as a company we’ve performed in every continent except Antarctica. So there’s a lot of travelling! So far I’ve been to Asia and South America and we’re now touring round Europe. Usually we get Mondays off and a week’s break between each city but we also have to invest a lot of time hitting the gym and keeping fit. Each week we also have three 1.5 hour sessions on the teeterboard."

Sounds fantastic (the travelling, not so sure about the gym...) - although being away from home a lot must be hard?

R: "Yes, I struggled at first but you get used to it. At the moment we’re performing in Europe so it’s only a short plane ride back and we get a fortnight off every year too. Plus it’s a big team - there’s around fifty acrobats alone - so it’s like having a second family: luckily we all get on!"

What do you find most challenging about working for Cirque?

R: "Performing nine to ten shows a week and maintaining the same level of energy throughout - it’s a ‘young’ profession for good reason."

 

David Rimmer is performing in Cirque du Soleil’s Amaluna, coming to Manchester’s intu Trafford Centre from 7 September 2016. Tickets on sale now at cirquedusoleil.com/Amaluna 

Or why not become a...Posh Pawnbroker?