What A Novel Idea is an aptly named shop where you can find some really unique jewelry items; many with a circus twist. It showcases the 1930′s and 40′s inspired creations of Chantelle Wilson. We managed to catch up with Chantelle to discuss her art and inspiration.

Circus Girl Magazine: Tell us about your jewelry.

Chantelle Wilson: My life has been filled with many creative outlets and if I haven’t done something creative in a while I’ll find myself painting the fridge paisley or dying my cats fur yellow to make her look like a lion. Luckily I recently found a love, nay obsession, for making quirky jewelry.

After having traveled the world as a singer and dancer I came back to Toronto and started my own three part harmony swing band called The Maisies. Singing and developing a love for music from the 30′s and 40′s snowballed into an appreciation of vintage poster art from that era. I was seeing a lot of jewelry claiming to be “handmade” but most of it seemed to be made using cheap supplies with very little thought going into its creation. I wanted to make something that was drawn from the imagination of past artists and then twisted into creations of my own design. The artwork from the circus posters of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is so full of fun and tells such colorful tales that is seemed perfect to be used to tell stories in my own jewelry. The idea of the circus has always been filled with so much romance and mystery that it seems to touch a universal chord with people as they’re taken away to another world and I wanted my pieces to inspire that same feeling.

I’m really enjoying  the reaction I’ve received from my circus themed jewelry and have sold items to trapeze artists in Finland, elephant wranglers in The States and jugglers in Spain!

CGM: Do you have any circus background?

Chantelle: I don’t have any direct background with the circus but with performance. I worked all over the world singing and dancing on cruise ships. There was some aerial work but nothing as intense as what trapeze artists accomplish. I do understand the focus, sacrifice and time it takes in order to dedicate your life to the passion of performance. I’ve also worked in musical theatre and know the close bonds you form with people in your cast who become a type of surrogate family for the time you’re together.

CGM: Thank you so much for your time!

Chantelle: Thanks!

Chantelle also takes custom orders and can be contacted via her website.

Nik Wallenda’s memoir set to be published June 4, 2013.

As someone who performs death-defying stunts on a regular basis including a history-making tightrope walk hundreds of feet above Niagara Falls in 2012—one of the most highly-rated TV events of the decade—“King of the Wire” Nik Wallenda writes of his struggle to maintain his balance on and off the high wire.

In his memoir aptly titled BALANCE: A STORY OF FAITH, FAMILY, AND LIFE ON THE LINE (FaithWords/Hachette Book Group, June 4, 2013), Nik, a seventh generation descendant and member of the famous Great Wallendas, describes his faith as the ultimate balancing force in his life—equalizing the pull of ego, fame and fortune.

Writing with honesty about his stumbles, Nik relives the period when he almost lost his wife and family. After three months with fifteen successful and titillating stunts, Nik fought to regain humility.

“For a guy who is supposedly an expert on maintaining balance, I feel like I’m losing it. I’m off-kilter,” confessed Nik.

“My life has been tilting to one side—my side. How to correct the imbalance? How to negotiate the most challenging walk of all—the walk of life?”

Nik found the answer in a familiar source—his faith—something that sustained him even as a child born into a family of circus performers. “Keeping the faith is all that keeps me balanced. If I didn’t believe, I’d fall in any number of ways. By believing, my spirit stays afloat.”

Nik hopes the lessons shared in his memoir help others stay spiritually grounded.

With a family legacy over 200 years in the making, including high-wire acts while still in his mother’s womb, Nik dreamed constantly of his great-grandfather, legendary Karl Wallenda who plunged to his death from a tightrope in Puerto Rico in 1978. “[Karl] is the man who entered my dreams early in my life and has remained there ever since.” Crediting Karl as the inspiration for last year’s Niagara Falls walk, Nik has worked for decades to acquire the skills needed to perform his stupefying aerial acts.

In the air, Nik insists on minimal support.

“Naturally there is no net. There is never a net. There is the safety of a balance born of experience, a balance that is as natural as speaking or breathing, a balance that assures me the ride will go well.”

On the ground, Nik has the ultimate safety net. “God’s grace is the balancing pole that keeps me from falling into self-obsession and self-deception. Whatever I have achieved—and will ever achieve—is the result of my relationship with Him.”

Nik will walk across the Grand Canyon on Sunday, June 23 and the walk will air live on the Discovery Channel.

The walk will be higher than any he’s ever attempted before at 1,500 feet above the Little Colorado River, a height greater than the Empire State Building. ■

This photo shows Karo Christopher Kazungu, left, perform during a premiere show at The Great Moscow Circus in Russia – Friday, March 1, 2013 (AP Photo/Victor Ivanov, The Great Moscow State Circus)

A Kenyan acrobat fell through a safety net during a show at The Great Moscow Circus, suffering severe injuries including a fractured vertebra.

An amateur video that aired on Russian television showed 22-year-old Karo Christopher Kazungu diving from a height of 85 feet, hitting the net and going straight through it – landing on the arena floor – during the Wednesday evening show.  First Responders are seen in the video rushing to help Kazungu almost immediately after he hit the ground.

Kazungu was at the end of his routine and was due to dismount after the dive. He was one of a dozen Russian and Kenyan performers taking part in a highly complex acrobatics show; four Russian Swings going at once.

Kazungu leaps from one Russian Swing to another.

Edgard Zapashny, the general director of The Great Moscow State Circus, told Russian television that the German-made safety net had been rigorously tested before it was used.

Circus employees are speculating on whether someone may have tampered with the net or whether it was just faulty. Zapashny said, however, that they did not see any signs of sabotage upon first inspection.

Zapashny told also said that the circus had never had any previous incidents of this kind.

The circus said on its website on Thursday that Kazungu was conscious when he was taken to the hospital and Russian news agencies quoted the director of the acrobatics show as saying that Kazungu was diagnosed with a fracture of one vertebra and was in intensive care. ■

For most circus performers, sight-seeing can often become dull (especially when hitting those pesky “tourist traps”). We end up wanting more out of sight-seeing by sometimes going out of our way to find unique places to check out on our days off or, in some cases, in between shows. The next time you’re in one of these major cities around the world, be sure to focus your attention not only to the national monuments they may hold dear but to other unique man-made wonders… we’re talking about elevators. That’s right, elevators. But they’re not just any elevators… they are the most unique and intricately designed elevators that will make you wonder, “How in the heck did they do this”? CGM’s got a list of some of the most unique elevators in the world! Be sure to hitch a ride in one of these amazing lifts and see the wonder for yourself!

Sky Tower

Located in Auckland, New Zealand, the Sky Tower‘s observation level is impressive to say the least. The 40-second ride up is even more magical because the glass-fronted elevators have gorgeous views of the harbor, city, and the green countryside. Look down and you can see through the glass floor and watch as the ground flies away from you as you speed up to the observation deck 610 feet off the ground!

The Gateway Arch

The Gateway Arch is the centerpiece of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in St. Louis, Missouri. This monument is considered to be one of the tallest in the world. Designed by Finnish architect Eero Saarinen, the addition of glass doors reveals the mechanical complexity of the structure’s interior as the cars chug up to the observation deck which is 630 feet high. The ride lasts four minutes, at which point visitors can make their way out to marvel at how tiny the mighty Mississippi River and all of those cars below appear.

Luxor Inclinator

Located in Las Vegas, Nevada, The Luxor‘s “inclinators” transport guests up the side of the hotel’s iconic pyramid at a sharp 39-degree angle. Unlike others on this list, the cars lack observation windows and they can’t compete with other elevators in height since they only span 30 floors. However, like so much of Las Vegas, the inclinators are all about standing apart from the crowd. There are great views from the top floors of the Egyptian scenery below. Access to the inclinators is restricted to guests only, so the best way to take a ride is to spend the night at one of the 4,400 rooms in the hotel.

Bailong Elevator

Bailong Elevator is located in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, Zhangjiajie, China. It is claimed to be the highest and heaviest outdoor elevator in the world and proves that extraordinary lifts aren’t just for cities. In a feat of engineering, glass elevator cars rise nearly 1,070 feet up a sheer cliff transporting guests to a scenic area overlooking the green valley below. In just two minutes guests are treated to some of the park’s best scenery, including scenic lakes and the distinct sandstone pillars the region is known for.

Long Island City Business Center

For most of the elevators on our list, the thrill comes from the view outside the walls but for this particular elevator, which is located in Queens, New York, it’s all about the view from the inside! Don’t be fooled by the building’s businesslike appearance, a psychedelic scene awaits behind the deceptively unadorned doors of the elevator near a small entrance on 31st Street. The one-of-a-kind interior is painted with a massive visage of a grinning dragon with grotesque beasts bursting from its walls. Anyone who works in the building should be able to point the way to this unique elevator for a truly unforgettable experience!

Hammetschwand Lift

Located in Switzerland, the Hammetschwand Lift opened in 1905 as an addition to the Bürgenstock Resort and its birds-eye views of the rugged Alps and the blue waters of Lake Lucern have been wowing visitors ever since. A whopping 499 feet high, the elevator takes about 48-seconds to ride all the way up and is considered the tallest outdoor lift in Europe. While the structure’s spiderweb latticework might seem precarious, the engineers behind the project clearly knew what they were doing because the lift has stood the test of time. Today, modern cars traverse the distance at a brisk speed of 10 feet per second, making this hotel elevator a legitimate thrill ride.

AquaDom

The last one on our list is located in Berlin, Germany, and resides in the lobby of Berlin’s Radisson Blu Hotel. An elevator rises through the hollow center of a cylindrical 82-foot tall aquarium that transports guests through a full panorama of tropical sea life. Housing 1,500 tropical fish and almost a hundred different species, the AquaDom holds over a million liters of water and is the largest cylindrical tank aquarium in the world! If you find yourself performing in Berlin, be sure to check out this elevator for a ride that is perfect for reveling in the sensation of floating in a tropical underwater wonderland. ■

The elevator at the AquaDom in Berlin travels up the middle of the 82-foot tall aquarium. (Caro/Alamy)

Winners of the 37th Annual Monte-Carlo International Circus Festival

At the turn of the 19th century, there were more than 3,000 circuses traveling around the United States. The development of the tent and use of the railroads, the introduction and refinement of advertising, the circus parades, the use of elephants as attractions, and the side show are some of the themes that contributed to the distinctive American quality of the circus.

Susan Weber, founder and director of the Bard Graduate Center, initiated the circus research project and is co-editor of The American Circus ; a collection of essays about the history of the circus in the United States.

In this lecture, she will explore how the European circus was transformed in America into an immense multimedia phenomenon that was eventually billed as the “The Greatest Show On Earth.” ■

If you’re looking for a great stocking-stuffer or just a good read this winter, look no further than “The Night Circus”, dewy author Erin Morgenstern’s debut hit novel. This story is laden with romance, mystery, suspense, intrigue and imagery to rival Fitzgerald’s. It weaves cleverly through intertwining stories and eras that all revolve around the same unique circus and focuses on Marco  and Celia. These two young magicians are pitted against each other in a secret and dangerous game of magic they’ve been honed and trained for since childhood. Their decisions and actions affect all those involved with The Night Circus and the game must continue until a winner is declared. Unexpectedly, they fall deeply in love, making the game all the more complicated and the results all the more impactful. Circus Girl Magazine’s exclusive interview with Ms. Morgenstern gives us an inside look into the makings and ideas behind “The Night Circus”.

Circus Girl Magazine:  Good morning Ms. Morgenstern, first of all thank you for taking the time to give our readers some exclusive insight.

Erin Morgenstern:  Oh, you’re welcome, I’m happy to do it.

CGM: Well let me start off by congratulating you on the success of your new novel. I’ve just finished it and enjoyed it very much. How did you come up with the idea behind “The Night Circus”?

EM: Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed it. I know, I still can’t believe this is all happening. Well, funnily enough, I sort of just stumbled onto the idea. I was working on a different story and I was getting bored so I decided to take my characters to see a circus and the circus became much more interesting and much more fun than the actual story it was originally part of so I decided to see where it would take me and ended up with “The Night Circus”.

CGM: Did you do much circus research in order to write the story?

EM: You know I actually didn’t. I did read up on some circus stuff and found some interesting facts. For example, I learned that in the 1800’s some trapeze performers for Barnum and Bailey circus performed wearing evening wear and top hats which I found just fascinating. The circus in this story is really the backdrop for a story about magic so that was really my focus.

CGM: What was your inspiration behind the black, white and red color scheme of the circus?

EM: I really just liked the idea and look of it. I knew I wanted the circus to be nocturnal and unique and really just wanted to make it elegant and different. I wanted it to be striking and visually captivating and I thought that I could achieve that with that color scheme.

CGM: I was also intrigued by the seemingly abusive relationship between Celia and her father.

EM:  Yes, the relationship between Celia and her father is very strained.

CGM: Bailey, I found in the end, to have a pivotal role in the story and I have to say I was a bit surprised since at first his character didn’t seem to harbor that much importance to the whole of the story.

EM: Yes, to me Bailey’s story was always just as important as that of Celia and Marcos’. It was important to me to tell his story and have him sort of fulfill his destiny.

CGM: How do you expect and, more importantly, want circus artists & performers to perceive your book?

EM: That’s a very good question; I would hope that they’d enjoy it for what it is: a story about magic set in the circus. I, in no way, consider myself a circus expert or anything like that and wasn’t trying to convey that with this book. I hope that they’ll see my fascination and intrigue with the circus and how I was inspired with it to develop my story.

CGM: Finally, do you have any upcoming projects we should be on the lookout for?

EM: Oh, yes, I’m working on something right now. My new book is very different from “The Night Circus”, however. The best style label I can put on it is like a “film noir” heavily influenced by 1930’s/1940’s detective stories.

CGM: Cool! I look forward to reading it. Again, on behalf of all our readers, thank you so much for your time Ms. Morgenstern and congratulations again on your success! ■

“Like” Erin Morgenstern on Facebook today at facebook.com/erinmorgensternbooks and visit her webpage erinmorgenstern.com for updates and her live twitter feed!

We leave you with an excerpt from “the Night Circus” courtesy of the author and Doubleday.

“The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per­formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.”

Anyone who has spent extensive time traveling knows that coming home is never as easy as pulling into the driveway and switching on the lights. Coming home from a season of Circus work could potentially mean coming to a fight for your home. Unless you’ve had someone checking in on your place for you, you’ll be coming home to months worth of dust settled over all of your belongings; not to mention the pest infestation. I remember a common practice when arriving home after a long season was to scour the house for roaches… and there were always roaches. One of the most resilient vermin on earth, cockroaches can colonize quickly and are a major problem for the returning circus performer. Not to worry though, an array of effective poisons and bug sprays are available at most retail stores. I would recommend Ortho Home Defense Indoor Insect Killer Spray, it is effective and does not have that nasty chemical smell. It is also said to be safe for pets and children; which is always something important to lookout for.

There are also ways to keep roaches, spiders, ants and other creepy crawlies from invading your home while you’re gone. Some prefer to call an exterminator and have poison professionally spread over their lawns, however my father would purchase pump spray poisons and do it himself, making sure to hit the windows and thresholds. Coming home means a lot of hard work, most of you have lawns and gardens that need tending, a whole lot of cleaning to do, not to mention unpacking and cleaning out the trailer. I remember the first week back from any trip always meant sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, and other such domestic tasks. So, for those of you new to the circus biz, when you’re getting back from your season, be prepared!

Another unavoidable but irksome issue is food. There’s never anything in the fridge and when you open it you’re usually greeted with a stagnant musty smell. There isn’t much you can do about the lack of food until you’ve gone grocery shopping. Common sense indicates that it is a bad idea to leave any food around when you leave for a long trip but there is a good counter for that yucky smell. Leave an open box of Arm and Hammer Baking Soda inside the fridge. Leaving one in the refrigerator before departing should  prevent the odor from setting in while your gone.

Whenever you come home, rest assured you’ll have your work cut out for you but isn’t it worth it? Sleeping in your own bed again, living in your stationary, solid, unmovable home? Fighting the bugs, dust and decay is a small price to pay for your home which is always waiting for you at the end of the road. ■