My Name Is… Jessie Miller

A love for performing

I’ve always loved performing. I was involved in theater and choir, but I missed the athleticism. This is a really good combination of the two.

I am 19, and I started doing high-flying trapeze with a club in Westminster when I was 13.

Off to London

My parents have lived in Golden for 20 years. I definitely identify Golden as being home. I took several classes at Golden High School, but for my sophomore year I was accepted to the New England Center for Circus Arts in Vermont. So I moved to Vermont when I was 16 and continued taking classes online to finish high school.

I just finished my first year out of three at the National Centre for Circus Arts in London. It’s an all-around performing arts school.

There are plenty of places to train in circus arts, but this school is one of the only ones where you can earn a BA in circus arts. I really wanted to have a credible degree.

Not a clown school

London is a culturally rich city. Being involved with the performing arts community provides the opportunity to see smaller, experimental theater that’s off the beaten path.

In Europe, it’s ingrained in their culture — it’s not like I’m going to clown school.I’d like to perform. That’s my first and foremost. But there’s so many things you can do. Choreograph, teach, go on the road — and there’s a lot of really cool things such as cutting-edge research about how circus can help child development or trauma victims.Communicating through performance

Circus shows are created for different purposes. The traditional American circus was created to impress people, so it was really flashy.

In contemporary circus, we can cover all spectrums. We can tell stories and folklore. You don’t have to go through all your tricks in one show. It’s more about communication.