Circus student
Line Pallisgaard Nielsen
26
South Korea-born Line Pallisgaard Nielsen, 26, always thought she would become a teacher when she grew up, but one day she decided to follow her dream and enrolled at circus school.
Hometown
I was born in Seoul, South Korea, grew up in Denmark, and live now in London
Do you consider yourself to have any disabilities?
I have been suffering from depression since I was quite young
What do you do?
I’m a first year degree student at The Circus Space
Do you already have experience in circus?
I’ve done hundreds of workshops in acrobatics for children, and lots of events – everything from walk-arounds in chicken costume to swinging trapeze at an art exhibition
Did you always know you would study circus?
No, my plan was always to study literature
Why did you decide to start studying circus?
At that point of my life I was very unhappy and suicidal. I decided, that I might as well follow the dream and risk to fail, since I was unhappy anyway. Do I have to say, that I have been much happier since then?
What did you want to be when you grew up?
A school teacher
What do you do all day?
My days are full of training and classes – not only physical stuff like acrobatics, movement, ballet and flying trapeze, but also theatre, rhythm & musicality and circus history. We have classes from 9am until 4pm and afterwards there is time for individual training.
What’s the best thing about working in circus?
That I love it! I do what I love the most every day and it keeps challenging me and makes me want to learn more. It’s the feeling that I want this more than anything else in my life.
And the worst?
You always have pains somewhere on your body and sometimes you ask yourself if it’s really worth it. It also takes a lot of unpaid jobs, a lot of hard work in your spare time and you can’t just call in sick, if you’re on contract.
What’s your dream job?
My hope is to make my own contemporary circus troupe and sell our shows to festivals around the world
Got any wise words for someone who wants to be where you are now?
Follow your intuition! It sounds like a cliche, but it has seemed to be the best thing for me. Ask yourself what you really want to do, and how much you want it. And most important, be honest to yourself.
