Aerial performers swing through hoops, whizzing through the air seamlessly as they contort their bodies into shapes that have audience members bewildered.
But, while circus acrobats are balancing the tightrope for viewers’ entertainment, they’re often toeing the line between their health and livelihood. They push through chronic pain as their bodies sustain injuries without proper preventative care or pain management, according to Laura Martinez, an assistant professor of communication studies in the Greenspun College of Urban Affairs.
In a 2024 in the journal Circus Arts Life and Sciences, Martinez — a researcher on organizational communication and pain work — explores why pain seems expected in the job and is rarely talked about or downplayed in the profession.
She defines pain work as "work that requires employees to sustain, endure, and manage embodied pain to enact their occupational role."
Martinez, herself an aerial artist, started taking classes in her graduate program. She has taught recreational classes in her specialty — sling and chain hoops — and is a stage manager for circus events, including one this spring in Southern Nevada. When she took classes to learn aerial artistry, she experienced pain and got a few tips to get conditioned to the pain.
Last summer, she lived among circus performers on tour in New England for an ethnographic research study.
“Pain becomes a marker of your ability to do the job,” said Martinez. “Sometimes the more painful the things are, the more impressive they end up being, and the more applause performers get. Organizations end up commodifying workers’ pain and workers themselves embrace that as part of their identity and being a part of their job.”
The circus industry includes the artistic performances of entertainers in dance, acrobatics, musicians, comedy, burlesque, and theatrical productions such as the most well-known Cirque du Soleil.
Like with any athlete, injuries are to be expected. However, unlike many athletes, aerial performers who work in the circus industry are not considered part of a recognized sport. As a result, they often bottle up their emotions and accept the pain because they consider it a part of their identity, Martinez said.
For her study, Martinez interviewed 13 aerial acrobats from two circus arts studios to understand why performers will continue to perform despite injuries to soft tissues, ankles, spines, shoulders, and hips.
Martinez wants to change the conversation about what aerial performers need to successfully perform and care for their bodies.
“Changing the discourse is not an easy task and will likely require a significant culture change. However, starting the conversation and bringing awareness to these issues opens the door for organizations and workers to create discourse more centered around wellness and an acknowledgment of the long-term consequences on workers (and by default, on organizations) of perpetuating discourses such as 'circus hurts,'" Martinez said.
Aerial artists often work on contract and are not supported by a union. Sports medicine doctors and physical therapists may be on hand during a production and while the performer is under contract, but these resources are non-existent after the contracts end.
“The term 'circus hurts' carries so much meaning about the organization and the type of work people do,” Martinez said. “How can we shift the way we talk about pain and encourage workers to endure pain in a way that is not damaging and ultimately does not result in detrimental injuries?”
She recommends the following steps:
- Workers, and their organizational counterparts, need to examine their dialogue to understand how they communicate the demands of their occupations and their influence over newcomers. Newcomers often continue to support the idea that pain in their jobs is part of the profession.
- Circus organizations can start this shift in discourse by emphasizing recovery from pain is important in occupational expectations. Workers may feel more empowered to advocate for their needs.
Some circus organizations have figured out improved systems for workers, such as rotating out entire casts to ensure that everyone gets proper rest and recovery time, Martinez said.
“It's a two-prong effort here. Both organizations and workers need to become aware of the discourses they are reproducing and how these constitute ideologies and influence behaviors, contributing to an endless cycle that ignores the physical (and mental) wellness of workers,” Martinez said. “Workers need to feel empowered to advocate for themselves without fear of being replaced. Organizations need to provide sufficient resources that meet workers' needs so that they may be able to fulfill occupational expectations."
