Lisa Simes, 24, works for Cirque de Soleil "O".
She has a COOL JOB as a Trapeze Artist.

"I used to do Gymnastics...now I'm an Entertainer."

Her Gig:
Imagine flying 30 feet above water to be caught by another person in mid-air. That's what Simes does everyday in the Cirque de Soleil 'O' in Las Vegas. "I get to be around cool people and I have fun every night. That's my job," said Simes.

In college orientation when Simes told her colleagues that she wanted to be in Cirque de Soleil, they looked at her like she was crazy! "No one knew what it was," she said. Today, Cirque de Soleil is a household name and people are flocking to get a glimpse of the spectacle. After 16 years as a competitive gymnast, Simes found the perfect way to utilize her athletic talents in a career. Her career involves an 1,800 seat capacity theater that is nine stories high and breathtakingly beautiful. The show is held in a theater over water at the Belagio Hotel in Las Vegas.

A Day in the Life of:
It's not all fun and games though. Simes performs in 10 shows a week. She does two shows each day, one at 7:30pm and one at 10:00pm. She is constantly practicing, learning new routines and perfecting her act. Her schedule is draining.

On a typical Friday she will go to work at 1:00pm and warm up in the training room for an hour. She may ride the bike, stretch or lift weights. From 2 to 3pm she practices on stage with other performers. After practice she will head home for a cat nap. At 5:30 she heads back to work and attends a meeting with other performers, management and coaches. At 6:30 she heads to the dressing room to transform herself into character. Each performer learns to put their own make-up on (Simes has it down to 25 minutes!) and they have strict guidelines to follow. At 7:30 it's showtime!

"To fully understand what I do, come and see the show," Simes said. Her job is difficult to describe in words. It's breathtaking, beautiful, artistic, flowing and stunning. She is a natural at what she does and she makes it look easy and peaceful. She is an artist and an entertainer.. to say the least. Simes has less than 1 hour between performances.

Career Path:
This is her first job out of college.

In December of 1999, Simes sent a video tape and gymnastics resume to "Cirque" outlining her gymnastics career. She gave accomplishments and history as well as a list of her skills. On the tape, she showed a variety of recent routines. "I heard back fairly quickly that I was accepted to audition in September of 99' in Toronto. I didn't want to wait that long, so I changed the audition to June in Montreal," she said.

Before the audition, the cirque recruiter at that time was recruiting at Canadian Nationals where he spoke with Simes' former coaches from her Canadian national team days and they told him that she was interested in "Cirque." "It's funny because I don't even know how they knew that!!," she said. "I received a phone call verifying my interest and the fact that I had an audition set up. However, about a week later I received another phone call announcing that I was a candidate for the opportunity to come to Montreal for the summer formation to train for bateau (my main act in 'O')," Simes said.

Montreal is where the Cirque headquarters are. It is a huge and beautiful facility with everything from wardrobe to offices to facilities to accommodate artists with a variety of apparatuses. "Throughout the next week or so, we had regular contact where he asked me various questions such as my weight and if I was afraid of heights. By the end of the week, which was early June, he asked me to join them in Montreal without even having the audition. I said yes within seconds and because the formation had already started, he wanted me there ASAP!" Simes had just graduated in May, but was taking spring classes to fulfill her last credits. Her last exam was on June 17 and she had a flight to Montreal on June 20th. It was pretty quick!!!

The formation in Montreal consisted of about 50-60 individuals from all over the world with a variety of backgrounds all training for spots in various shows. Simes' training contract was strictly a training agreement in which she was not guarantee contracts with any of their shows. The training was 4 months and it consisted of the specific area in which each person was chosen for (for Simes it was bateau and cadre) , as well as training in dance, movement, acting, pilates and various other daily work shops. They also had a final show at the end of the formation as a cultural event for the public. Basically, it was a normal 9-5 work day with the day filled with classes and training.

"Within one month of my training, I was offered a contract to 'O'. After the formation ended in September, I had about 1 week off before I left for Vegas," Simes said.

High Five:
"It's fun meeting people from all over the world." Cirque de Soleil 'O' has 81 performers from 18 different countries. Simes said that her job is NEVER boring. "You can always learn from other people's experiences."

Down Low:
There are definitely days when Simes just wants to stay in bed. They key is finding the energy to perform on days like that. "If you focus on your character it's easier," said Simes. Another taste of a bad day is when she has a close call during a show. "I've fallen before, it doesn't feel good!!" she said.

Words from the Wise:
"You have to do it for the right reasons. I wasn't ready to be done with sports."

How Cool is This?
Cirque performers take acting classes, French classes, clown classes and they are certified in SCUBA.

Wow!
When Simes and the other trapezists do their routine, they can reach up to 30mph flying in the air!!

Education:
BA in Sports Management from the University of Michigan.

For More Information:
Cirque Du Soleil