Big Time Athletes Drawn to the Big Top
For most world-class athletes, competition is seemingly ever-present. Professional leagues have sprung up for most major sports all over the world. The pay isn’t bad either. Most European basketball leagues, for example, furnish their players with around $100k to start.
But what about the so-called “Olympic Sports,” like gymnastics, martial arts or diving? Well, there’s a place for them too.
Cirque du Soleil has become a haven for athletes that don’t have the luxury of a professional league or other highly competitive outlets. The unique nature of the acts has attracted former Olympic medalists and world champions across a number of disciplines.
One of Cirque’s most popular productions, KÀ, includes dizzying heights and intense martial arts fight scenes. Luckily, former karate champion and gymnast Melissa Urbano has exactly what they are looking for. Of course, she considers herself a top-level athlete, but her true passion is performance, which makes Cirque the perfect fit.
The list of former athletes in Cirque’s shows continues to grow. Raj Bhavsar won a Bronze Medal as part of the 2008 U.S. Olympic gymnastics team and parlayed that into a role in Cirque. X-Games silver medalist Marco DeSanti has brought his skill of inline skating to the stage and former world champion diver PJ Bogart has also been a member of the troupe.
Young athletes might just be a bit more interested the next time the circus comes to town.
