Flipside of a Carpenter

Many children wish to run away with the circus, and Alex is no exception. Except he has gotten a taste and wishes he could have more.

He started with dancing, primarily jazz and tap. He then transitioned into acrobatics, and finally found his way into circus performing. Boy did he love circus performing. Alex Carpenter was only 12 years old when he had his first workshop. Six years on, he’s wishing he could go back, but unfortunately his commitment to full-time study just won’t allow it.

Alex curled up in his tissue in a performance.

He told me wistfully about all the different tricks he used to perform and events he got to attend. For example, the group, Flipside Circus, would go to a function and just ‘rove’ through the crowd in costume and do basic circus tricks, such as juggling and hand balancing. He also got to participate in many performances at bigger functions where they would get a set to perform with small groups each getting to do an act. These larger acts would usually have people unicycling, balancing and performing group acrobatics and juggling.

His favourite though, was the tissue. The tissue is when a long, ribbon-like apparatus is suspended from the ceiling and the acrobat performs tricks within it, fully suspended. Other such acts would use a hoop or trapeze. But nothing could compare to the tissue. Alex said he thoroughly enjoyed it because, “A lot of people who do the tissue are usually girls, where they will get into an almost contortionist position. But because I was a guy, I could focus a lot more of my performance on feats of strength and daring drops.” Even more, he added that he enjoyed coming up with his own tricks that would look incredibly dangerous and would involve a lot of falling movement.

To an amateur, such as myself, such an idea sounds terrifying. All I could think was, ‘What if you fell?’ Alex simply said. “I never did. Apart from one time…”

“One time, when I was climbing up nice and high during the middle of a performance, I fell. Usually in a drop you are wrapped in such a way that once you start the trick it doesn’t really matter what you do, because essentially you are tied into the tissue. But the trick I was doing was one that required you to grab the tissue at the last second as you were rolling, and if you didn’t get it, you kept going and unwrapped and fell. So, the wrap I was in didn’t hold and I fell down about five metres. I grabbed back onto the tissue as I was falling, but I kept sliding down all the way to the bottom. I was left with bloody hands and lots of skin clinging to the tissue. I didn’t have time to panic. Your body just realises your falling and kind of takes over.”

Alex jumping over fire

In all honesty, something like that would usually scare someone away, but he couldn’t wait to for his hands to heal so he could climb back up again!

Alex recalled his best memory of his time in the circus. He told me, “Probably my first successful solo act. It was just me on stage with the tissue and my routine.” The emotion was strong as he recalled the memory.  He seemed euphoric, yet at the same time sorrow seemed to creep over him. “It felt so good to have it all come together and have the crowd love it,” he added.

I started to realise that this was something that he would love to do forever if he had a chance, but now he was no longer able to even do it for leisure. The pain of having to let go now shadows his happiest memories.

Alex hanging from the tissue in a performance.

Clearly, it’s something that is very much a part of who he is as a person and he’s had to give it up for his study. I asked him if he thought he’d ever go back, to which he responded:

“I want to go back all the time. I loved it so much. But I don’t think I will. I think this is one of those things that life just does. Maybe, when I’m older, but not for the foreseeable future.” 

And in that moment, his eyes downcast, he seemed deflated. Being on top of the world, looking down on the crowd from high up in his tissue nest, was what made him the Alex Carpenter he is today. He claimed that he had lost a lot of his strength since discontinuing his circus ways; but he seems stronger for the experience of having to give it up.