Sam Bernstein, cub writer
Freshman Sky Fabe has a dog, he finds photoshopping cats in space hilarious and he aspires to be a performer. A circus performer. Not like the Ringling Brothers, or a conventional American circus, but like French-Canadian circus arts, with Cirque Du Soliel type acrobatics.
“The biggest misconception about circus is that I work with animals, or I walk on a trapeze and breathe fire. It’s a separate performing art,” Fabe said.
Canadian circus arts are a mix of stunts, high-flying aerialists and lots of different colored silks.  He became interested in the sport after he started looking for a more creative outlet for his talents, yet he wanted something with a competitive edge to it.
“It’s very intriguing to see how interested people are in circus, not only the art, but the culture around it, and coming from [competitive] gymnastics, I was really attracted to the sport side of it as well,” Fabe said.
While looking for this outlet, he found Kinetic Theory Circus Arts, a small studio in Culver City with 14 other acrobats. He was immediately interested in the art of circus. What sweetened the deal even more for him is that he met his closest friend through the program.
“There was a connection, and we instantly became friends, and when I heard about what she was doing, then I got interested in that,” Fabe said.
Fabe’s beloved friend is Audrey Burgomaster, an 8th grader at the Archer School for Girls. Burgomaster is an aerialist at Kinetic Theory. She raved about how enjoyable sharing the experience with Fabe is.
“Working with my best friend is really cool, because our relationship is a lot stronger and we can understand a lot of the pains that accompany working in circus,” Burgomaster said.
Fabe trains for nearly 11 hours in a normal week and 21 hours in a tech week, or the week before the show. Fabe works this hard because he wants to continue in circus, and he looks to attend École Nationale de Cirque, which is a highly touted circus college in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. After he graduates, Fabe looks to join Cirque du Soleil or Cirque Eloize, which are both famous Canadian troupes (companies). Fabe simply stated why he wanted to continue in circus: because it makes him happy.
“I would hate having a regular job, I would hate doing something that makes a lot of money but doesn’t fulfill anything to me,” Fabe said.  “It’s an escape from the real world.”