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RISE AND SHINE
I don't know what time you get up, but for me it's
pretty much 5:00 a.m. every day. Being part of The
Greatest Show On Earth means a lot of hard work
and discipline. And of course, the tigers always
get up at the same time. They don't care if it's
a weekend or holiday.
PACKING
OUR TRUNKS (1)
Here are two of the elephants I
perform with during the show. They like bread, fruits,
vegetables, hay, just about anything. In The Greatest
Show On Earth, nobody does just one job. We're all
part of a team, even during the performance.
AH,
THE GLAMOUR (2)
Here I am chopping ice for the tigers, so they can
have cool water on a warm day. With all that fur,
they need all the "cool" they can get.
There's plenty of physical work at the circus, and
we all pitch in. There may be "stars"
in the show, but outside the ring, we're all equal.
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KEEPING
FIT (3)
Even though performing with and caring for the animals
involves lots of physical labor, I still work out
to stay in shape. I do weight training, jogging, whatever
I can while we're on the road. The last place you
want to feel weak or tired is in The Great Cage with
eight tigers! And if you think I have to keep fit,
imagine what some of the other performers go through
- like the acrobats and aerialists. They're truly
world-class athletes.
YES,
I HAVE HUMAN FRIENDS, TOO (4)
In fact, traveling the country 11 months out of
the year with The Greatest Show On Earth gives me
the chance to make friends everywhere! I love when
non-performing friends come to visit me, and I have
many close friends in the show, too. This circus
is a wonderful place to make friendships that last
- with people from all over the world.
SHOPPING
SPREE (5)
Actually, I don't get to go shopping much. But I
love to do it whenever I get a chance. And I love
wearing what I buy, whether I'm dressing up for
a disco or just "kicking back" in my trailer.
Of course, the absolute best time to wear new clothes
is (you guessed it) when I'm shopping for more new
clothes!
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GETTING READY (6,7)
Here I am being made up for a PR event. It takes
a long time, and so does having my hair done - about
an hour and a half, total. So patience is another
of the virtues you learn in the circus.
Another good
example is when I'm waiting in the globe, the one
I emerge from during the show. Even though it's
only about a three-minute wait, it's really tight
in there. But when it opens, and I see the crowd,
then all the work and all the waiting are worth
it. There's no other feeling like it!
SHOWTIME
Does performing with tigers take courage? I suppose.
But mostly it takes love and trust. It's like being
with your eight best friends in all the world, all
at once - plus all my new friends in the audience
during every performance. I love the tigers...I
love the elephants and other animals, too...I love
performing for people like you...and I wouldn't
trade my life with The Greatest Show On Earth for
anything.
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