Episode #51: Exploring the Circus Industry with Tanya Burka

Tanya went from being a too tall gymnast to performing one of the most iconic silks numbers in one of the most iconic Cirque du Soliel shows, Quidam. She is now working as part of the creative team for the circus company Short Round Production. This episode is filled with amazing insights, from how to break down difficult skills, to  working with people who may not have the quote unquote standard body type for circus, to the impact social media has on the standards of professionalism and ownership over choreography, to how to get work in the circus industry, Tanya shared so much wisdom and insight in this interview.  Follow: @thetanyaburka   Please won’t you be a Patreon?: http://www.patreon.com/theartistathlete This podcast is dedicated to CIRCUS. Aerialist, Shannon McKenna interviews guests from acrobats in Cirque du Soleil to circus therapists and everyone in between. Learn the backstage lives of those who flip, twist, sparkle, and shine under the big top. Shannon McKenna is an internationally recognized circus performer and coach. For the past decade, she has been a freelance artist: giving workshops and classes across 7 countries and working on and back stage for both traditional and contemporary circus shows in the US, Portugal, Germany, and Australia. She holds a BFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts with a concentration on post-modern physical theater (how’s that for a mouthful?). She founded The Artist Athlete in 2018 as a means to produce educational materials for aerial artists and a podcast in which she interviews experts in the circus industry about their careers. If you’re reading this, you’re probably listening to it. Thank you! She currently lives in Atlanta, GA USA, but gravitates towards whichever circus community is the warmest. Find her online: www.theartistathlete.com Facebook: The Artist Athlete Instagram: @the_artist_athlete