Matt Beard (photo), Dominique Lemieux (costume)
- Estefani Evans is a fifth-generation circus performer starring in Cirque du Soleil's Alegría.
- She began trapeze at 10 years old. Her husband works alongside her, and their kids travel with them.
- "I was 4 years old the first time I stepped on stage," she says. "It's definitely a beautiful life."
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Estefani Evans, a fifth-generation circus performer currently starring in Cirque du Soleil's Alegría. It has been edited for length and clarity.
I'm a fifth-generation circus performer, and I was 4 years old the first time I stepped on stage. I grew up in Brazil, and my dad used to have a circus there. My brothers made me a costume and threw me on stage as part of a clown act.
That's where it all began — I always knew the circus would be my life.