People told her not to chase dreams in Singapore. She started her own circus anyway
Beverly Wan directs, produces and performs in her own show.
by Matthew Mohan · CNA · JoinSINGAPORE: Watching cartoon characters and pop stars alike performing flips and stunts, a young Beverly Wan could see herself pulling off the same acrobatics.
It helped that she and her siblings were also picking up parkour from their father, a practitioner in his own youth.
"We wouldn't open the gate but climb over it. We'd jump over the wall to get into the house," she recalled.
Their mother on the other hand did Chinese dance, which Ms Wan later took up as well.
"I had the parkour experience, the dance experience, you put it together and you have a circus artist," she said.
At the age of 15, she wrote this goal down in her diary.
"I was like: 'What do I want to achieve before I die?'" she said. "I wanted to be part of a circus ... The idea kept developing until (it became) 'I think I need to run my own circus'."
WALKING ON HER HANDS
Three years later, Ms Wan enrolled in the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. She was training and studying for a diploma in dance, but also used whatever extra time and opportunities she had to further develop her circus skills.
For instance, she made it a habit to "walk" home late at night from the bus stop - but on her hands, in order to get comfortable with handstands.
"When they have recitals or performances, I tried to sneak in some contemporary acrobatic skills," said Ms Wan, now 27.
After graduating, she continued to hone her craft, and saved up money to attend acrobatics and flying trapeze courses around the region.
"I got coaches to teach me how to do it, how to take care of myself, how to make sure I'm safe when I'm practicing and how to help other people achieve the same thing," she said.
Ms Wan then co-founded the Circus of Altrades company at 24 years old.
She gathered various acrobats and performers and the group, on their own time after work, trained together at Housing Board void decks and playgrounds.
But as their stunts grew more complex so did the need for a dedicated training space, and Ms Wan's father eventually provided them a warehouse in Tuas.
It was in this far-flung location in western Singapore where the group progressed and unlocked skills of higher difficulty.
"It was just a lot of trial and error and figuring it out ourselves," Ms Wan said. Also important was ensuring "exit plans" and contingencies ahead of each big stunt.
Eager to showcase their talents, the group put on their first show in 2021. But due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it had to be done digitally, with the entire performance videoed.
The group went on to do two more shows, with more and more people outside of family and friends attending.
"A lot of people doubt what they are going to come and watch, they don't know what we can do, they don't know what it's going to look like, they don't know what to expect," Ms Wan recalled of their earlier performances.
The misconception is that circuses either take the form of Cirque du Soleil or solely feature animals and clowns.
Ms Wan's show is "somewhat in the middle" but it's hard for some to visualise, she said.
All of this made it tough to sell tickets to defray loans and costs around production, venue rental and payments to performers.
Ms Wan, who also coaches circus arts on the side, has relied on her own income to tide things through.
"All of that gets reinvested into everything I do," she said.
She has since started her own circus group called Frisque SG, which boasts a total of 36 performers - 27 acrobats and 9 musicians.
One of them, 26-year-old Ella Wee, shares Ms Wan's ambition to build a circus community in Singapore.
"I also have my own personal dream of seeing how circus and theatre can come together," said the freelance actress, who does aerial stunts and contortion.
Come December, Frisque SG will perform at Marina Bay Sands in a show comprising various acts like fire spinning, juggling and of course, acrobatics.
The end goal for Frisque is two-fold, said Ms Wan. She hopes the group can one day go on tour overseas but at the same time, also run a daily show in Singapore.
While her family has been supportive in her journey, Ms Wan regularly hears comments from others on how she'd only be able to chase her circus dream by going abroad.
"A lot of people do say the same thing: 'Don't chase it here in Singapore. No hope'. It's a bit sad," she said.
"I don't want to leave the country. Something needs to grow. If everyone that has a talent leaves, then Singapore will always be the place you don't come (to) if you want to chase your dreams.
"We want people to be able to pursue their dreams. And that's not possible if you cannot make a career out of it," Ms Wan added.
"You can choose to be the person that makes the change."
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