PERU — A small knot formed in Brittany Vincent’s stomach as she glanced at her fellow circus performers.

One by one they entered the dark arena.

Dressed in a blue leotard, Brittany reached the center of the arena and came to a halt in front of a rope ladder. One hand in front of the other, she climbed upward, higher and higher until she was nearly four stories above the crowd.

The 15-year-old felt her nervousness disappear as she reached for the trapeze.

A somersault in the air and she safely landed in the arms of her friend, 15-year-old Chris Robinson, before she catapulted back to her original trapeze, to the applause of the audience 40 feet below.

It was Brittany’s first year being a part of the flying trapeze act for the annual Peru Amateur Circus.

“I’m excited to fly through the air,” she said.

For 49 years, youth between the ages of 7 to 20 have taken part in the circus. The circus continues through Saturday, with this year’s theme “Circus Goes to the Beach.”

There are approximately 220 local performers and 26 acts in the 2008 show.

Generation to generation, the people of Miami County pass down their heritage of high flying trapeze acts, clowning, tumbling, juggling and high wire performances.

Most of the volunteers, trainers and board of directors were once circus performers themselves.

Tom Gustin, 65, was one of the first performers in the circus. At 17, he was thrust into the role of a tumbler.

“They needed somebody with a strong back and a weak mind — and that was me,” he said with a laugh.

Years later, Gustin can still be found at the circus. However, he does avoid tumbling in public.

“You really just kind of grow up in the act,” said Brittainy Wallick, 19.

Wallick is part of this year’s final act involving high wire stunts. For her part, Wallick walks across a slim bar suspended high in the air while balancing other performers on her shoulder.

“I’m an ox,” she said, while insisting she no is no longer scared of the high wire.

Not all circus performers are so fearless.

“I don’t breathe. I don’t even think about breathing,” said fellow high wire performer Samantha Crone, 17.

“We practice so long, we just do it,” chimed in Chelcie Carpenter, 17.

In bright red costumes, Crone, Wallick and Carpenter lift smaller performers on their shoulders or onto unicycles and pyramids. They act as anchors for Maddy Eddy, 12, Leanne Jamison, 15, Tarrin Cooper, 17, Carly Christensen, 12, Kayleigh Gray, 11, and Tessa Brunner, 14.

The nine girls are the finale.

“I always wanted to do it,” said Cooper. “After three years of trying out, I made it.”

As Jamison returns to the ground following a recent show, she can’t help but look up with a mix of satisfaction and disbelief.

“Wow,” she says to herself, “I just did this.”



Circus City Festival:

Circus performances are at 7 p.m. today and at 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $13 for adults and $12 for children.