Today we’d like to introduce you to Nova Hawkins.
Nova, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
If you had told me at 15 that one day I would be a touring circus performer, I never would have believed you. Yes, I always loved performing, but I never did gymnastics or ballet or any of the common circus precursors. Instead, when I was in high school, living in Brazil, I went on a mission trip. I was convinced by my friend to join the mission’s circus troupe, and I was given just a day or two to master as many acrobatic group pyramids and skills as I could before being sent out to perform for poor communities all over Paraguay. The performances were untidy and ridiculous, but they were amazing! After that experience, I sought out circus anywhere I could find it, until stumbling upon a circus club at the University of Sydney when I was 20. This assortment of acrobats, aerialists, magicians, and flow artists became my family, and I knew I wanted circus to be a big part of my life. Here in Atlanta, I found local circus groups and incredible artists who taught me, encouraged me, and believed in me. I owe all my success to the dedicated people who invested their time and love into me.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Honestly, trying to become an artist seemed like a quarter-life crisis. As a straight-A student, I always figured I would work in a corporate or medical office. In fact, I started my career in research at a rehab hospital named Shepherd Center. After all, circus arts were just a hobby, right? My insecurities about starting too late, being too old, or becoming a starving artist were all too real. On top of that, I had terrible muscular and postural issues that caused so much discomfort that some days I would leave the office in tears. Some physical therapists gave up on me, saying they wouldn’t work with me if I continued to pursue circus arts. But two people came into my life that changed everything. I found an incredible physical therapist named Kate Edwards (Precision PT) who worked with me one-on-one and believed that circus was making me stronger and more balanced. I also met an world-touring acrobat named Rocco, whose business-oriented pursuit of a circus career constantly ensured a steady stream of work, even during the slow seasons. With Rocco’s seasoned partnership and Kate’s belief in my physical capacity, I found the confidence to quit my well-paying job and make circus life a full-time endeavor! I always say “life is better in teams,” and my team is the whole reason that I am living my dream!
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Gravity Entertainment – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Gravity Entertainment is just Rocco and me! We’re a two-person company that can offer all kinds of physical performance, from walk-about skills to full 45-minute stage shows. Primarily we are an acrobatic duo, but we love a broad skill-set and can perform unicycling, juggling, Chinese pole, hand balance, fire arts, contortion, stilt-walking, aerial arts, clowning, and a few more things that are too weird to easily explain! Partnerships are not always easy, but after years together, Rocco and I are proud to be able to bring professional entertainment of such a broad variety to events all over Atlanta and more!
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Rocco and I are actually just days away from our third tour in Germany! We will be touring until late March, at which point we’ll be diving headfirst into our next big project! Our dream is to create a 45-minute duo show for cruise ships so we can perform and travel the world! This is an enormous challenge for the two of us, since we can only bring what we can pack into a suitcase, and acrobatics for 45 minutes would be impossibly exhausting! Many ships don’t accommodate fire or aerial arts, so we have to bring every skill we can wow with! We’ve got a plan in the works for an amazing show which will be ready to sell in 2020. We’re excited to bring our show’s debut at a theater in Atlanta, so be sure to follow us for when the time comes!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.gravityentertains.com
- Phone: 4047074041
- Email: nova@gravityentertains.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/gravityentertains
- Facebook: facebook.com/gravityentertains
Image Credit:
Marissa Sheldon, J. Pruski, Kev Lowery, Thomas Cube, GoForth Photography
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