Biography

Having worn many a hat in many a place, Benjy is an aerialist, juggler, and general circus thing hailing from Chicago, IL. After a dizzying dive into the circus world in his late teens, Benjy became a founding instructor and performer with Defy Gravity Pole Fitness and Aerial Arts Studio in Champaign, IL. He traipsed across the country to continue his training in Seattle, WA and New York City before landing back in Chicago. A technically trained circus artist, he is most interested in creating fantasy narratives and making outlandish, queer art; which is to say he spends a lot of time crawling around like a nightmare lizard or frolicking in the air hoping he sprouts wings. Just kidding, he’d prefer a tail. Benjy specializes in aerial silks, aerial sling, and juggling, with proficiency in pole dance, duo trapeze, partner groud acrobatics, and aerial hoop.

 

As well as performing, Benjy has a BA in Global Studies from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and has spent the last few years bartending and serving. When he’s not in the air you can usually find him with his head in a book, meandering through a dark corner of his imagination, or exploring a new part of whatever city he happens to be in at the time. Resume, photo gallery, and video can be found here.