Meet Leah Grandstaff | Circus Artist
We had the good fortune of connecting with Leah Grandstaff and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Leah, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Ultimately, I think of risk as a gauge. In evaluating any particular risk/s & my propensity to face it/them, I can get a strong sense of how valuable the end goal is for me. Assessing risk informs me of how committed I am to take on any given challenge. In my line of work, as a circus artist & coach, I am continually assessing & mitigating risks. However, in coming in to this as a career, I had to take on risks head on in a different sense. The biggest risk I had to take in making that leap, was trusting that I would continue to believe in myself & my tenacity to persevere in the face of what I knew would be some failures or rather, not initial successes.
Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
While I wouldn’t say my journey to becoming a full-time semi-professional circus artist has been easy, there have been a lot of things that have seemingly fallen into place rather effortlessly. I attribute at least part of that to becoming more comfortable being the person that I am in this world. There have been many opportunities that just seem to have presented, that I didn’t have to hunt down. I believe that is in part because past encounters presented opportunities to connect with folks & that’s exactly what we did.
It has been important for me to honor myself & be easy with myself while trying to maintain discipline & push my limits & continue to strive. Balance does not come easy for me but it is essential for my mental health which is ultimately the gift I received when I found aerial movement. I openly share my story with those who care to hear it, the short or the long version, time & interest dependent!
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Uh oh…so I pretty much only go to Circus places! hahaha
Ok, we would definitely go train at my aerial studio in RiNo & there’s a great ArtPark in RiNo now too, so probably a walking tour of the murals, food at any little spot (Park Burger is a fave) & playing around at the park. RiNo love all the way.
I heard there is a really cool AirBnB Experience with little tiny cars you can drive around downtown…Tuk Tuk I believe…that would be silly fun but doubt we’d actually do that!
More training at all the main aerial/circus studios (Circus Collective, Aerial Cirque over Denver, Gravity Aerial Arts, the Boulder Circus Center) with friends in the community.
We would also get in a trip to the Art Museum & maybe Meow Wolf. Red Rocks is always pretty for a daytime visit too.
If time permitted, we would take a drive to the Western slope & visit circus friends & artists in Paonia….but I guess that doesn’t qualify as “the city”
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
So many people have inspired me in my life & I have amazing mentors. Of all the folks who have been a part of my journey, I don’t think anyone has inspired me more than my mother. She has shown me firsthand how to live my life for me & to follow my passions yet somehow still be a source of strength & love for so many people in this world. Not sure that I am filling her shoes per se, but she is the strongest & most graceful person I know. Also so much appreciation & love for my friend LeighAnn DeLoach who inspired me to take a frickin aerial class already & thus began my love of aerial. I am beyond grateful to have aligned with so many incredibly talented & also totally stellar humans who have given me a chance to be a part of a community & world I can’t imagine now living without. Extra thanks to Natalie Brown & The Phantom Circus for taking me in & helping me sprout! Also to Fallon & In the Wings aerial dance company, to Cathy Gauch at Aircats, to Brittany Plaven at Aerial Cirque over Denver, & to Rebekah Leach at AerialWorks. To Bayard for the countless learned concepts & skills & the deepened appreciation & understanding of partnering. There are so many more individuals who have been a big part of my journey, too many to name them all, so I’ll sum up with the two humans in my life that I couldn’t be more proud of with their own successes & appreciative of their support…my daughter Sadie & my son Gonzalo.
Website: http://leahtardwedgie.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leahtard.wedgie/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeahWinniegypsy/
Youtube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-_uImTQB2y1Hd64LY1awYw3Y8cLXOOGL
Image Credits
Martha Wirth Photography Annabelle Denmark Photography Eric Brown, Upside Brown Photography Will Strong Photography Sean Sidelko
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