Erin Ball on Reimagining Circus and Finding New Ways In
INTRODUCTION
I’ll be honest, I came into this interview thinking I understood this subject more than I actually did.
I first came across Erin Ball (ze/zir) through the circus world, and I was drawn to Erin’s approach to teaching, questioning, and reimagining aerial. There was something in the work that made me want to learn more, not just about Erin’s story, but about the bigger ideas around access, creativity, disability, and what circus can look like when there is more room for different bodies and different ways of learning.
I knew aerial could be adapted. I knew different bodies needed different things. I knew representation mattered. But reading Erin’s answers made me realise how much of my own thinking still came from the version of circus so many of us are taught.
Point your toes. Climb the silks. Master the beginner skills before moving on to the intermediate ones. These are the structures many of us learned inside, often without thinking too deeply about who they work for, and who they might not work for.
I don’t think most teachers approach this from a careless place. So much of it comes from how we were taught ourselves. But Erin’s answers opened up a gentler, more creative way of looking at it.
This conversation also made me think about how easily we can call something inspiring, even when we mean it kindly, without realising how that might land.
Instead, this is a conversation about creativity, access, community, and how much can open up when there is more room for different ways of learning, teaching, and creating.
I went into this interview with a lot to learn, and I left with even more to think about.
I hope this read changes something for you too.
(Image: Erin Ball performs mid-air on red aerial fabric, smiling down. Photo by Benjamin Laird)
Early Days
Jess: Before we dive into your story, I would love to start with a little scene setting. Where did you grow up, and where are you answering these questions from today?
Erin: I grew up in southern Ontario, in so-called canada. Today I am surprisingly also in Ontario, though not in the south. I have been slow touring in a rv with my partner, Maxime, for the last almost two years. This year we are unexpectedly in deep winter in our rv after a contract fell through. It’s been quite the learning journey!
Jess: When you were younger, were you always someone who loved moving your body? Climbing things, doing sports, dancing around… that kind of energy?
Erin: I liked to move as a kid. My mom signed me up for many different lessons, but I didn’t do anything long term. That’s my adhd side, haha. I went through a period in my late teens of not moving very much at all. When I reconnected with movement years later, I realized how much it had been missing from my life. I have rarely stopped moving since.
Jess: So before aerial came along, what did your world look like?
Erin: I tried all kinds of things. I didn’t know what I wanted to do. School, riding freight trains, I became a personal trainer. Finding aerial felt like it was exactly what I had been searching for.
Jess: What were those early training days like for you? I still remember my first time climbing silks and thinking “nope, never going to happen”… I think it took me about six weeks before I could even get up them.
Erin: I think it was 2007 or 2008 and I went to a buskers festival and saw some partner acrobatics and I knew what I wanted to do. I signed up for a “Try a Few Things” workshop and found static trapeze and was completely in love. It was so hard. Everything hurt. I eventually tried fabric and hated it. I couldn’t climb. Footlocks were the worst.
Finding the Air
Jess: When did you realise you were properly hooked on aerial?
Erin: With trapeze, I knew right away. With other aerial arts, it took some time. I developed some strength with trapeze and eventually tried fabric again. That helped me to get stronger. And I went to NECCA for lessons quite often. They helped me a lot as well, and many studios in so-called toronto.
Jess: What do you love most about being in the air?
Erin: It helps to ground me. Sometimes nothing in the world makes sense or feels good to me and then I train and it makes sense. I love the community, the brain puzzles, building strength, and I love that there is always more to explore.
Jess: What aerial apparatus have you played around with so far, and do you have a favourite? And are there any other movement practices you enjoy outside of aerial?
Erin: After becoming a double below knee amputee, I shifted away from trapeze. It was much harder to wrap it around my body. I was left with two options: wrap my shorter legs around the trapeze or wear my hard prosthetic legs that do not wrap around the apparatus very well. I have reconnected with it over the past few years and we’re friends again but I would say fabric is my base apparatus. There is just so much available for my body with fabric. And rope is my deep love that I never seem to get enough time with. I love duo work as well and have been fortunate to work with some amazing folks in the air. I’ve done aerial hoop, harness, straps, etc, as well as custom apparatuses. Other movement practices come and go, like stilting, flow arts, fire arts, and partner acrobatics. Right now, in addition to aerial arts, I do cardio, weightlifting, flexibility training, and handstands. I like running when the weather works out and I can find secluded trails as I don’t like to be stopped and asked questions about my legs while I’m out for a run.
(Image: Erin Ball standing outdoors on prosthetic running blades before a run.)
A Turning Point
Jess: After becoming a double below-knee amputee, what did your relationship with circus feel like? Did aerial still feel possible?
Erin: I did not, and I actually thanked my aerial partner at the time for all of the years and was basically saying goodbye to circus.
At the time, I had no point of reference of Disabled people being circus artists. There is not and was not enough Disability representation in circus and there is not and was not enough people who know how to coach and welcome Disabled people. I was in that category myself and was not able to imagine how doing circus as a double below knee amputee could work. We are typically not taught this, unless we are in community. So much of what is portrayed in the media etc, is harmful stereotypes that are put on us.
(Image: Erin Ball performing on red aerial fabric during the last performance before becoming an amputee.)
Jess: Looking back on that time now, what do you think helped you get through such a difficult period?
Erin: Community, perseverance, privilege, and movement.
Returning to Training
Jess: Do you remember the first time you got back on an apparatus? What was that moment like for you?
Erin: I do remember. At one point I decided that I needed circus in my life. I was just learning to walk with prosthetic legs. It was so awkward. The prosthetic legs were so painful and at that time I was not yet comfortable in my new body, so I hadn’t dreamed of taking them off. I was determined at that point though and I just kept going.
Jess: Anyone who trains aerial knows it can be pretty painful at the best of times and you have to be quite tough to stick with it. What were those first training sessions like for you when you started back?
Erin: Both frustrating and empowering. I did not have a roadmap to do circus without meat feet, but I did have aerial experience. At first, I tried replicating things the way I had previously done them and that was part of the frustration. Movement is a big part of my life, and it helped me to feel better and feel grounded, even if it was frustrating and painful (in a different way than typical circus training).
(Early amputee days. Erin upside down on red aerial fabric, finding her way back to circus.)
Jess: Were there particular movements or skills that required you to rethink how you approached them?
Erin: I learned that I needed to shift my thinking completely. I realized that trying to replicate cookie cutter movements was not an option that was helpful, it was preventing me from flourishing.
Previously I had learned and taught in levels-based systems, and it no longer made sense to me. I could not do my level 1 fabric skills (footlocks) but I could do level 5. My own experience combined with other Disabled people coming to me for lessons (after I became an amputee) and what I learned in collaboration with them, made me rethink pretty much everything. I teach an entire course about Accessibility/Disability in Circus Arts which could really be almost a year-long at this point, it’s a lot of information.
Some of the key points I use when training myself or teaching other students (today I teach as if everyone is Disabled so that Disabled people feel more welcome): I think about the essence rather than the specific. For example, previously I would have taught warmups that included running and jumping. One essence for me is moving your body. So, I begin with a general essence and then add potential specifics, knowing that no one movement is going to work for all bodies.
For example: Offering to move your body for the next ten minutes. I will notify you at each minute if you want to change your movement. General prompts: fast, slow, big, small, lengthen, shorten, movement of your choice, etc.
Specific: fast - crawl, walk, run, roll, roll your eyes, move your face, etc
Lengthen: make your eyes bigger, stretch your face, arch your back, do a plank, etc
There is still room for some of the typical warm up exercises, but it also invites people to find their own movement in the moment if they want and it is less othering for Disabled people.
I have been to many classes where the opposite happens. “Everyone point your toes” and then the instructor remembers me “oh except you can sit in a corner and watch or you can do something else”. This approach is a very different vibe that leaves people out. I don’t fault these instructors; I didn’t always have this information. I just hope more welcoming environments become more common. There is so much more I could say here but to sum it up; I had to unlearn and rethink everything.
(Image: Erin Ball by the campfire with custom prosthetic extensions roasting marshmallows)
Jess: I read in another article that when you returned to aerial you described it as discovering “new creative puzzles,” which I love. Could you talk a bit more about what those puzzles looked like when you started exploring the air again?
Erin: I think of it as how to get from point a to point b, or even how to find point a and point b. It’s a puzzle and if I am willing to explore it, or my students are willing to explore it, we will likely figure out an answer in collaboration with each other. For example, maybe I can’t hook my knee above my hand, but I found out that there is space for my knee to fit and hook under my hand. Or maybe I want to find a position to add skills onto: how can I use the body parts that I have in the ways that they move to create ledges to suspend myself? There are so many ways to think about creative puzzles instead of trying to replicate an exact skill or movement. And not all skills are for all bodies. There are some positions that I am very strong in that will not work for others and there are some skills that others may be very strong in that will not work for me. I like using each individual’s strengths and uniquenesses as a starting point or base position to build onto.
One other technique that I use a lot these days with coaching (and my own circus practice) is the idea of space and tension. If something is not working, I find it is often helpful to determine if more space is needed or more tension and to go from there.
Jess: Has this experience changed the way you think about teaching or sharing aerial with others?
Erin: Deeply, as mentioned in previous questions. I also learned about Disability Justice by SinsInvalid and would highly recommend every human being learn about and find ways to implement Disability Justice action-based principles to everyday life, including circus. I’ll share the link in the resources. Two more concepts that I would love to pass on to folks who want to create more welcoming and more accessible circus environments:
- Nothing about us without us. This is a common phrase in the Disability community (and it applies for all marginalized communities). Making decisions, planning accessibility, booking access providers, etc without involving Disabled consultants is likely not going to be functional (since we can’t know someone else’s lived experience), and it leads to further erasure instead of collaboration and learning/growing together. Disabled people have so much wisdom as they navigate a world full of barriers on a daily basis. Working together benefits us all.
- This goes along with the previous point: learn about accessibility and Disability from Disabled people connected to the community and compensate them for their expertise so that systems of harm are not perpetuated at the expense of Disabled individuals. Most likely people would not learn circus arts from a carpenter, it is the same concept.
I offer courses, both in-person and online with my partner, Maxime, who is also a Disabled circus artist.
There are many more Disabled circus artists and coaches out there to connect with. I also would be happy to connect people together from similar areas if it could be of help. :)
Community
Jess: I saw that you’re helping raise funds for a circus artist currently in Gaza. Would you like to tell our readers a little about him and how people can support?
Erin: Youssef Khader is a dear friend who Maxime and I have been in contact with very regularly since 2023. Youssef is a circus artist who is in Gaza, performing at refugee camps. Youssef’s wife and son were evacuated to Egypt but there were not enough funds to get Youssef out before the border was forcibly closed. The cost of living in Gaza is EXTREMELY high in addition to all the atrocities that this family and many others have had to endure. Youssef is in need of money to survive and to try to leave Gaza to join his wife and son. Youssef is so open to connecting with people. If you cannot support financially, perhaps you could consider reaching out to him and/or sharing the fundraiser.
Jess: Is there anything you wish people understood better when they see your work online?
Erin: Often when people engage with my work online, they go into the “inspiring” narrative, and I wish that people would move beyond it. If I was not Disabled, people probably would not be thinking that I am inspiring simply for existing. Yes, it was a feet/feat (ha) to relearn circus without a roadmap and to continue aerial arts despite all of the barriers that exist to access circus and to navigate the world, however, me, a Disabled person, living my life and being an artist is not inspiring. If people are interested in learning more, and unlearning “inspiration porn”, I would encourage them to check out the video by Stella Young “I’m not your inspiration, thank you very much”. Link in the resources.
I know that the inspiring narrative can come from a well-intentioned place, but it is also important to share that the impact of it can be received as very othering, hierarchical, and misinformed. I share this with love and care with the hope for a better world, because as Maya Angelou shares; when we know better, we can do better.
Jess: Your story must resonate with a lot of people, especially those navigating similar experiences. Has that changed the way you show up in the aerial world, or the sense of purpose behind your work?
Erin: Definitely! Prior to my accident, I was doing cookie cutter skills, and I knew it was not quite what I wanted to be doing, but I did not have the information to find a different path at the time. I also wanted to incorporate more storytelling and did not have a sense of which stories I wanted to tell. Today I have so many ideas for both creative skills and storytelling while not having enough time to bring to life all the possibilities that are in my brain. I also have expanded my understanding of the world and today I strive to empower multiply marginalized Disabled artists, advocate for Disability-led art, challenge discriminatory industry norms, and strive to create more accessible/welcoming spaces. My work aims to reach as many people as possible with creative and innovative artistry with various forms of accessibility woven in.
(Image: Erin Ball exploring stilt-like prosthetic leg extensions)
What is Next
Jess: What’s exciting you the most about your aerial practice these days?
Erin: Coaching Disabled and multiply marginalized folks so they can take the practice, make it their own, and bring it to their communities if they choose.
In my own movement practice, I am loving duo work, and especially anything silly. I have become a base in the last couple of years which has been very empowering after so many people have insisted that I could not be a base as a double below knee amputee. I also love exploring with apparatuses to find spaces where my small legs fit that longer legs might not or that I might not have previously thought about.
I am excited to continue my aerial practice in the second half of my forties. I am still learning so much, getting stronger, and I’m excited for the on-going journey.
(Image: Erin and Maxime share a connected aerial moment on red fabric. Photo by Benjamin Laird)
Jess: Are you working on any projects, performances, or ideas at the moment that you’re really looking forward to?
Erin: I just performed with Maxime a Cirquelesque act (thanks to PACA) that was everything I love in a performance. It was so over the top fun, silly and unexpected. The show was Seven Seas themed and the reaction of the audience, after they had just taken in a few other pirate acts, when I walked across the stage with two real peg legs, was epic. We shared such a lovely moment with the audience, and I hope I never forget the screams of delight that came from the crowd throughout the act. It was magical.
Next up is using technology, in collaboration with David Bobier and Jim Ruxton of VibraFusionLab, and musician Andrew Heule, to increase creative accessibility for audiences. All that is to say that there will be several ways for audiences to take in the information from the performance through the music and vibrotactile technology that strives to enhance the story of an aerial fabric duet. Integrating creative accessibility in performance has a big piece of my heart these days. Circus arts are typically so visual so to consider multiple ways to offer the information, and letting these ways lead the story, has been so exciting.
Jess: If someone reading this interview is going through a moment where their relationship with movement has changed in a way they didn’t expect, what would you want to say to them?
Erin: You are welcome as you are. It’s okay to take the time that is needed to figure things out, access takes time and is not linear. We can’t know what might happen in the future but if there’s a way that I can offer some support by sharing some of the techniques that I use, or brainstorming together, please reach out! I love connecting with individuals and reimagining movement.
Jess: And finally, where can people follow your work and keep up with what you’re doing?
Erin: The best way is to reach out to me on instagram and ask when courses/performances/etc are happening. I used to post a lot and maybe I will again someday but with everything that is going on in the world, posting about my work feels hard.
@erinballcircus and @intercomplementaryjourneys
OUTRO: WHAT STAYED WITH ME
When I read Erin’s answers back, the first thing I did was watch the Stella Young talk that Erin referenced.
And honestly, it made me think.
It made me think about how quickly we can call someone “inspiring” without questioning why that is the word we reached for. Especially when it is being placed on Disabled people simply for moving, creating, performing, or existing in a space.
I don’t think most of us mean harm when we say it. I think a lot of the time, we are trying to express admiration. But this interview reminded me that good intentions do not always mean something lands the way we hoped.
It also made me think about autopilot.
We all move through the world with certain ideas already sitting inside us. Things we were taught, things we absorbed, things we accepted as normal without ever really stopping to question them. And honestly, sometimes autopilot is useful. It gives our brains a break. We cannot question every single thought all day long.
But as I get older, I find myself wanting to look a little more closely at the things I have inherited. Not just the negative beliefs I carry about myself, but the wider ideas I was fed and never thought to pull apart.
That is what I am taking from this conversation. To listen more carefully. To question the ideas I have inherited without realising. To use a little more critical thinking, especially around the things that feel automatic. To learn from Disabled artists and educators. And to remember that access is not about having all the perfect answers, but about being willing to keep learning.
I’m so glad I followed the pull to reach out to Erin. Sometimes certain conversations stay with you in ways you were not expecting. I’m really grateful for the generosity of Erin’s answers, and for the way this interview has made me think.
Circus has always been about possibility.
And maybe part of that possibility is making sure more people can find their own way into it.
Maybe it is also about stepping out of autopilot every now and then, and seeing the world, and each other, with fresh eyes again.
Resources & Links
Stella Young’s Talk
https://www.ted.com/talks/stella_young_i_m_not_your_inspiration_thank_you_very_much
Disability Justice Principles
https://sinsinvalid.org/10-principles-of-disability-justice/
Youssef’s GoFundMe page
https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-youssef-stay-alive-reunite-with-family