On March 9, 2021, I was invited to my friend Twisty’s Zoom Birthday party, I call her Twisty as her name is Sarah Twist and a KICK ASS contortionist and sword swallower. That was the first time I had laid eyes and fallen in love with the PHENOMENAL work of Infinity Circus founder Carly Dann. Carly is a hooper, (should also mention that she sets her hula hoops on fire and basically tosses them in the air and catches them). Let me paint a clearer picture for you, Carly, literally lights up her hoops or fire sticks and while they are on fire, elegantly throws them up in the air and catches them. WHILE IT IS ON FIRE! Not to mention the fire eating (pretty damn COOL right!?) As if that was not extraordinary enough, I cannot even begin to list off all of the services Infinity Circus offers during their events. From performances to little camps that teach individuals specific circus tricks. It is remarkable to see the various acts, completely mesmerizing. I asked Carly to write me a little blurb to celebrate the one-year anniversary; because, I think that it so important to assess the little victories such as survival in pursuit of artistic endeavours and that is exactly what she managed to do at the helm of this prosperous empire. Carly, cheers, I AM SO PROUD OF YOU; you have worked so hard! Rania M M Watts, EIC, CCIQ Press
Infinity Circus is a circus entertainment company based in Essex in the UK specialising in party and event entertainment and workshops. We originated under a different name and were far more amateur than we are now. Just over a year ago, we had our brand change becoming more professional and it grew from there.
I started up my own company after working for another company for about twelve years but then two things happened that made me want to separate and go my own way. The company I worked for closed after its leader retired and I was told by an old peer that I would never be a performer because I was too fat and as a woman could never run a company as well as a man. This of course spurred me on to prove them wrong and so I started out as a solo artist 8 years ago before expanding to employ another three people and then expanding again in 2018 to employ another five people. Finally having our brand changed last year to become the formidable company we are now.
We are a team of nine performers now with each person bringing their own expertise to the team. We have the performers who specialise in circus acts and shows and the ground crew who specialise in stilts and workshops and tend to teach more than they perform. Each of us is unique in our own ways and we all get along great! We all have a passion for performing and the circus arts and we all just come alive when we work, some of our team members are just full of mischief but I do not think I personally have ever worked an event where we have not had a fun time, even when the weather has been pants. It is important to us all (me especially) that we have somewhere to work that is inclusive of anyone, is not judgemental or full of competition and strife, and above all is somewhere that we enjoy working. I wanted the company work to not only be fun but to be a break from the daily grind. Some of us only work part-time and have their own day jobs on the side, the rest of us do work for the company exclusively. It is not full-time work yet as we only get paid when we get hired for an event. The company is growing however and that is exciting.
It is a privilege for me to be the company owner and manager of the staff, I try to distribute the work evenly and always get permission from the whole team before enacting any changes. I do not want it to ever be Carly’s company but OUR team. I want my colleagues to feel a sense of ownership and pride within the company the same as I do. It is amazing to work with such a great bunch of people and I feel like I can trust each of them to manage events without me if I am booked elsewhere.
This year everyone has put in a ton of work with perfecting and creating their own acts, social media posts and just being open to trying our latest ideas and things that take them out of their comfort zone with events and performing. I am super proud of each of them, and they should be proud of themselves.
We have several goals to get through but my ultimate dream for the company is to have our own stage show which we then take around the UK in different theatres. Maybe even traveling abroad to perform internationally. Our plan is to spend the next few years re-building the company finances after the pandemic, networking, and planning before eventually making that happen. We have as they say nothing to lose so why not go for it! I am super excited to see where the company goes, and we have absolutely no intention of packing in any time soon if anything we will keep growing and growing.
*All photographs credit, Infinity Circus
CCIQ Press 