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Meet Sarah Parsons of Circus Stripes in Boulder

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Parsons.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Sarah. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Hey there! I am an acroyoga/acrobatic performer and instructor and I discovered acroyoga and partner acrobatics through the Burning Man community back in 2011, but didn’t start exploring the practice until 2014. At the time, I was in a place where I didn’t believe I could do something like that – acrobatics, even the word sounds hard! Back then I was fueled more by a discouraging narrative than I am today. I hardly recognize that past self anymore. Partner acro at first glance looks incredibly challenging, and it can be, but there are many deceptive beginner moves that look more challenging then they are. When I finally learned to turn that negative narrative off I dove right in, and that was the beginning of where I am today.

Flash forward six years and I am now deeply immersed in the acrobatics community. I am a certified acro instructor (through the Superhero Circus Academy, a school that teaches acrobatics with a social justice focus) and teach a weekly beginner acro class at the Boulder Circus Center, as well as occasionally at festivals and events. I am also a circus/acro performer and event organizer; I run the Colorado Acro Campout retreat and a monthly Acro Brunch meetup aimed at bringing the local acro community together to find connection and common ground outside of the practice. I really enjoy bringing people together.

Partner acro is REALLY fun. Being lifted and lifting others into the air is exhilarating and life-changing, but I can’t say that the physical elements of the practice are the most rewarding parts for me. Being a part of a community that literally catches you when you fall, and creates space for your big wins as well as your “failures” brings with it its own special way of teaching you how to trust in yourself and others more than you had before. It also teaches you how to ask for what you need and how to better listen to others’ needs in return. It redefines “failure” into something you want to do so you can continue to learn and grow. Also, did I mention it’s super fun?

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The journey to becoming an acrobat and getting to where I am now hasn’t come without its challenges, and I find that I am facing new ones every day. A couple of years ago I was faced with one of my biggest challenges – being diagnosed with an incurable, unpredictable condition known as Meniere’s disease. The condition affects the inner ear and most commonly causes: significant hearing loss (either on one side or both ears), ringing in the ears, the feeling of aural fullness, and sometimes debilitating vertigo spells. The worst vertigo spell I’ve had to date was while I was visiting Lake Tahoe, California a couple years ago, where in the middle of the night I woke up and the room was spinning so badly that I had to lay on the floor for five hours. That spell lasted for over ten hours. Some people get them for over twenty-four. I was sick to my stomach the whole time. One of the more frustrating aspects of having Meniere’s (as if the vertigo wasn’t enough) is that there isn’t a lot of research yet to support lasting cures or even sustained remedy patterns among patients. Part of the issue is that it often gets misdiagnosed and presents in a way that looks like other conditions to doctors so it doesn’t get treated early enough. Those of us working through Meniere’s are mostly on our own.

Just as I was starting to lose hope, something amazing happened – I found some groups on social media that led me to a comprehensive, citizen-led research database for the disease. People all across the world afflicted with Meniere’s started their own Meniere’s research platform, where individuals can input their data, it will analyze it for you and even send you personalized emails when someone with your similar age, weight, size, etc. submits data like yours! It’s absolutely incredible. I owe a lot of my hope and growth through this process to that platform and the individuals out there who have contributed to it. Thank you!

So there I was, an acrobat with a “balance condition.” I was told I had lost 30% of the hearing in my right ear and may lose more, there was “no cure” and “there isn’t much we can tell you.” Meanwhile, I’m struggling to hear people and grappling with a new, permanent, life-altering condition that may or may not be progressing. Also….I had to quit drinking coffee. Caffeine is a known trigger. I don’t know about you, but I was a STAUNCH coffee drinker. That was no easy feat. I started re-envisioning my life without hearing, without acrobatics, without spending time in large groups of people because that’s where my hearing presents most of its challenges. After multiple doctors, years of not knowing what was afflicting me, various medication trials, and frustrating day-to-day changes in my hearing, I finally found the right doctor and a medication that worked to manage the condition!

One night I found myself at a gig, waiting to perform, and the dizziness and vertigo began to set in. I didn’t know what to do. I took the medication, tried to relax and hoped for the best and luckily the medication worked and I was able to perform. Thankfully, that hasn’t happened since and I rarely experience vertigo spells. However, I still experience hearing loss and my ears feeling “full” often. It fluctuates every day. I haven’t had a vertigo spell in over a year and a half (yasss!) and I can hear fairly well. I’m learning to adjust my expectations around my hearing and how to communicate about it to others.

Looking ahead, things are going well with my ear condition as well as my acrobatic practice. My partner and I gave a name to the Meniere’s, we call it “Manny” to make it easier to talk about and manage when it comes up. I am still able to teach, perform, and practice acrobatics (yay!) and I in no way take it for granted. Some days it feels like three steps forward and two steps back and I am learning to be okay with that. I am still able to organize events and continue planning some larger-scale projects that I have in the works. I have started to learn American Sign Language and am reading up on Meniere’s research as much as I can (including the story of Alan Shepard, the astronaut with Meniere’s who went to the moon despite his condition. So cool!) I don’t believe in giving up on yourself or your loved ones. There are so many resources out there, we just have to find them.

Circus Stripes – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I get paid to basically have fun and put a smile on people’s faces 🙂 I am a freelance circus/ acrobatic performer, acro instructor and event organizer. I get contracted by entertainment agencies and companies to perform or teach at events, like festivals, shows, workshops, etc.

Some things I believe set me apart are:

1) My ability to create a welcoming, inclusive atmosphere no matter what.
2) My acro teaching background that approaches the practice through a social justice lens, which is an emerging need in the global acrobatics community. My teaching work has been growing ever since receiving this certification, and I believe that we should be working to bring inclusion and representation to all types of spaces, not just some.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Hmm…that would have to be a tie between teaching acro to the Burning Man community in 2018, or when I received my acro teaching certificate. Both were really pivotal moments in my career. Burning Man initially brought me to acro, and it was realllly special to be able to give it back to the community in the way that it happened. The class was a huge success and everyone was smiling and beaming afterwards. My teaching program was an exhilarating roller coaster of emotional learning experiences and physical challenge. When I started doing acroyoga and partner acrobatics, I never thought I would become a teacher of it one day. I sooo highly looked up to (and still do) my early teachers and mentors. It’s a huge accomplishment and I am incredibly proud of the work I’ve done to get there.

Pricing:

  • Boulder Circus Center Beginner Acro Classes $15 (currently postponed due to COVID)
  • Private event bookings vary. Please contact me for details.

Contact Info:


Image Credit:
Studio Oscura Photography, G Mark Lewis Photography, Caitlyn Pender Photography, Angelina “Dez” Hernandez

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