Meet Nicole Londraville | Circus Performer and Instructor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nicole Londraville and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicole, what makes you happy? Why?
For some strange reason the circus really spoke to me. From my very first aerial lesson, that I stumbled on by chance, I knew it was what I was meant to do. So much so that I eventually quit my job as a scientist and went to circus school. It’s hard to describe the hold this art form has on me. But I guess I love the challenge of it all. You have to be incredibly strong and flexible. You have to be a performer and tell a story without actually saying anything. You have to find your own style, both in how you move, what you wear, your make-up, and how you do your hair. I love all those little details! It’s an old art form but it continues to grow and change. Contemporary circus has ditched the lion tamers of old and has become a hybrid of acrobatics, dance, and theater. With so many things wrapped into one it can never be perfected. But I will spend my life trying. I also love the community. Circus was created by outcasts so everyone is welcome. We don’t care what you look like, who you love, where you’re from, we care what you can do and what you have to say. I am very fortunate to have found something I love so much and made it into a career. I hope everyone is lucky enough to find their circus!

Alright, so let’s move on. Can you describe your art?
I am a vertical aerialist and cyr wheel performer/instructor. I train and perform on a multitude of circus apparatuses including aerial rope, cyr wheel, aerial silks, multi-corde, cloud swing, aerial sling, and aerial straps. I resonate towards contemporary circus as a performance style. I love combining big dynamic movement and strength-based skills along with theater and dance to tell a story with my body. My goal is to amaze the audience while also making them think. I started circus arts in 2011 when I was living in Boston MA. A friend convinced me to take an aerial class and I was immediately hooked. From then on my plan was to quit my job as a scientist and run off with the circus. For five years I worked full time and trained at Esh Circus Arts, a Boston area circus gym, on nights and weekends. In 2016 I was accepted into the Protrack program at The New England Center for Circus Arts (NECCA). So, I moved from Boston MA to a very small town in Vermont with my Husband, two cats, and a dog. There I spent two amazing years training circus arts full time with NECCA’s world class coaches. After I graduated I wanted to move somewhere new where I could start my teaching and performing career. My husband had family in Denver so we decided why not? I now make a living teaching aerial arts and cyr wheel to children and adults at Aerial Cirque Over Denver and Frequent Flyers. I also perform locally with companies such as In The Wings Aerial, The Phantom Circus, Rainbow Militia, Frequent Flyers, Moth Contemporary Circus, and more. This path I chose is not the easiest one but I spend my days doing what I love and have never regretted following my heart.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would take them to Cafe Miriam near city park for breakfast and then bring them to the botanical gardens. For lunch we would eat at Hops n Pies and then walk around Tennyson Street. For dinner we would go to Safta and after that we could hop around Rhino. I’d also take them to a burlesque/Aerial show at the Clock Tower to support my circus peeps.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

Esh Circus Arts in Boston MA – My first circus home (eshcircusarts.com)

The New England Center for Circus Arts in Brattleboro VT – This is where I went to circus school. They gave me the skills to turn my passion into a career (necenterforcircusarts.org)

In The Wings Aerial – An aerial dance company I am currently a member of. This group has given me an outlet to be creative and grow in Colorado (inthewingsaerial.com)

Aerial Cirque Over Denver – This studio hired me right when I moved to Denver. It has a great working environment and I love the management and fellow staff as well as the students. This is a great place to try aerial arts and cyr wheel classes in Denver (aerialcirqueoverdenver.com)

Frequent Flyers- I have been working at this studio for about a year. It is a non-profit and was started in 1988 by the current Artist Director, Nancy Smith. This is a great place to take aerial dance classes in the Boulder Area (frequentflyers.org)

Website: http://nicolelondraville.com/

Instagram: nicole.londraville

Facebook: nicolelondraville

Image Credits
Aerial rope photos – Martha Wirth Photography Cyr wheel and aerial silks photos – Annabelle Denmark Portraits