Eight black stallions, adorned with pink feathers and sparkled bridles, are lined outside of a red and white-stripped tent waiting for their master’s command. You can hear the sound of laughter and clapping. “Alright, you’re up,” a voice shouts. The horses disappear into the tent, following a woman sparkling in pink from head to toe.
Beyond the tent is a half circle of R/V trailers. The one farthest to the right has its door wide open. A young woman touches up her lip-gloss in front of the mirror hanging by the door, before hiding her long blonde hair underneath a short black wig. She glances one more time in the mirror, and then quickly paces out towards the big tent, slamming the door behind her.
Her name is Crystal Landkas. She likes music, dancing, pedicures and shoes, like many normal 22-year-old women would. But normal hardly describes Landkas’ lifestyle. She is circus performer, working for her family’s show “The Coronas of Circus Hollywood.” Although born into the business, Landkas was not interested in performing until she was 9 years old. What originated as just a hobby of swinging multiple hula-hoops around her hips developed into a unique act.
Landkas is a fourth generation performer to the family show, originating in Czechoslovakia. “I love my family,” she said. “And being with them all the time is a blessing because most circus performers after a certain time can’t, for business reasons or marriage.”
After eight months of working on the road, she returns home and lives with her family and their animals on 10 acres of land in Bradenton, Fla. She relates returning to Florida to leaving the office at the end of the day—it always feels good to come home after a long day at work.
But even during the off-season, Landkas is busy watching other performances, designing new routines, and staying in shape.
She smiles when someone says that they loved her performance, or when a young girl says, “I want to be just like you when I grow up.” But Landkas laughs at the idea of being called a local celebrity.
“Our lifestyle is a lot harder than the lifestyles of the rich and famous,” she said.
In addition to her full time role as a performer, she also is a part time zookeeper. Circus Hollywood has 25 dogs, camels, a giraffe, monkeys, goats, elephants and horses.
In the future, Landkas could take over the family’s show one day or take a different route as a performer. No matter what direction she takes, Landkas wants to be in front of an audience. She is currently on a world tour with Cirque Dreams performing for military bases around the world. Having opportunities to travel and experience new people and places is one of Landkas’ favorite things about being a performer.
“I have endless reasons for why I love being in my position. It’s like living in another world. Like if there is life on other planets … I feel like I am on another planet, where I am so different and I came to earth and everyone is ‘normal,’ ” she said. “I love being unique. The ring is my ‘earth.’ ”
You actually make it appear so easy with your presentation but I find this matter to be really one thing which I think I would by no means understand. It kind of feels too complicated and extremely extensive for me. I’m looking forward to your next put up, I will attempt to get the hold of it!