Broadly: For over a decade, Canadian clown Shannan Calcutt has performed topless in Cirque Du Soleil's Zumanity. The sex-themed circus (tag line: "18 +: Rated Cirque") plays nearly every night at the New York, New York hotel in Las Vegas. Calcutt regularly rehearses to remember cues and freshen up her scenes, but after she gave birth to one of her children, her body interrupted her performance. One night, Calcutt remembers, another performer chased her down the hall: "Shannan, you forgot your milk!" she screamed.
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I never knew - or even suspected - that Cirque has such a fantastic maternity leave policy! I think it's smart - and, you know, humane - of any company to offer good options for the women in their workplace, but it's especially important for Cirque. As the article points out, these women are athletes and performers, and their health is essential to their jobs. For a company like Cirque, that does such dangerous work with such talented performers, it would be very important to help all these artists through their pregnancy and recovery. It's especially cool that Cirque provides links to programs and doctors to help them get back in shape for their work. I imagine this is also easier in Vegas than on touring productions, especially with MGM providing nursery care. I was also surprised that the family circus spirit is still a big part of Cirque - I suppose I imagined that a lot of performers came from many different backgrounds.
I'm actually so happy that Cirque has such a strong maternity leave policy! It's really amazing that the company has the right kinds of structuring to allow for performers to be able to take care of themselves as well as their families so well, while offering opportunities for their families to continue to grow. I'm also very impressed by the commitment of the performers to both the show itself and their newborns, and it seems like Cirque promotes that kind of healthy relationship, regardless of the long or late hours that the performers have to work. I'm also surprised that the hotels themselves allow for Cirque performers to use their daycare facilities, which I think is really amazing as well. I think this is part of the reason why performers are put off by the thought of a Broadway career, because the business model just doesn't allow for these kinds of freedoms that a Cirque show can offer. It also leads me to wonder if long-time running shows like The Lion King offer some of these additional benefits because they are so established.
I never really thought much about how a circus would juggle maternity leave and things of that sort. It just never really occurred to me that of course, some circus performers were going to be mother and fathers-- DUH! Anyway, I think the fact that Cirque has such an understanding and in depth policy for maternity leave is absolutely fantastic and not one that is seen in every industry. I've seen two of the Cirque du Soleil shows (Wintuk and one else that invoked a man on bicycle being flown--forgot the name of the show) and I've been blown away by them every time. The costumes and animatronics catch me every time! I also went to circus school for a little bit and I must say, aerial acrobatics are really quite fun. So is walking and trying to balance yourself on large horizontal barrels! Many people don't understand what it takes to be an aerialist or a clown but it's something of a high caliber, lemme tell ya. Having to be in such tip top physical shape is insane and I can't imagine having to do it after giving birth to another human being!
Yay for maternity leave! I was actually so shocked to find out that Cirque had such a wonderful policy. They are setting wonderful examples for all companies out there. Too many women suffer during or after pregnancy, because their employers don't protect them. I think it's wonderful that Cirque supports its employees so much. Aside from that I loved this article because it makes having a child, and being a performer, a realistic goal. Often I hear people in theater who are around my age say that having kids, and being a top notch professional is very hard to do. However, this article proves that you can be a mother, and still be kick ass at what you do. I can't wait for a time where women don't feel like they have to choose between the two. We have made a lot of progress, but there is much more to be done. Women need to feel protected by their employers so they don;t feel like getting pregnant, and keeping their careers intact is a choice.
I guess I never considered the maternity leave policy of a circus. It makes sense though, especially for dancers and arealists. It's ironic that a show promoting such traditionally illicit things as well as the de alizarin of women has such a forward thinking maternity policy.
There was one thing that kind of got me, though. I have never seen Circ de Soleils Zumanity (an 18+ show according to the article) but one of the mothers in the article reported joining the cast when she was 16. Now this may be a family friendly show? But I digress. And now, as her daughter is being trained to join the life as well, and as the woman tries to go to college at the same time, I wonder if the lifestyle of circ is suitable for the upbringing of children. It just strikes me as odd to raise a child to become a performer. I don't know though, the article certainly makes it seem that these women are doing a fine job. More power to them to be able to pop out a kid and do backflips three months later.
Sometimes I worry about my future with children so much that I have to force myself to completely lie to my own brain and tell myself that I will never ever have kids. When the subject of having kids comes up in a conversation, I usually automatically make some kind of gagging sound or twisted, disgusted face. I force myself to believe that the idea of having kids is bad for me because I want to be the kind of person who passionately gives her entire life to her career. I wish I was the kind of person who actually was disgusted by the idea of having kids, I wish I was the person who threw herself into her work and didn’t even think once about a little tiny child of their own. Reading this story only brought on copious amounts of fear. How the heck am I suppose to do that? I already know I am going to be running around trying to find work everyday, how am I suppose to also think about my uterus? My uterus gives me nightmares, and so does Cirque de Soleil.
I have a deep undying lie for cirque that has only gotten stronger after reading this article. I knew that they treated they're artists extremely well, but I had no idea they had such an incredible maternity leave policy. Currently in the United States, the family medical leave act allows three months of unpaid absence. Unless the company has a better policy, that's all a woman will get. Cirques policy is encouraging and I hope that other theater companies adopt similar maternity leave policies.
Unlike other commenters, I found this article encouraging rather than scary. I hope to have a child/children someday. Although I won't have time for quite a while, it is wonderful to see proof that you can have both. You can have a successful career in the industry and a family. I was scared before, but after seeig the professors here with families and reading about these women, I think I can do it.
It is great to hear that some companies have adopted such strong maternity leave policies, particularly ones that require so much physically from the mothers. It is also great to hear that so many mothers from Cirque return to work within a reasonable amount of time after giving birth. I guess it makes sense that a circus would already have a strong alternate system in place for any form of injury or illness due to the extreme physical nature of the show, and they implement this system when needed for maternity leave.
Because Cirque offers such a forward-thinking maternity leave policy, I am curious if they also offer paternity leave, particularly in cases where both parents are Cirque performers. I found the story of the family of Cirque performers over multiple generations great. It means that any one performer having a personal accomplishment or something worth celebrating would be a celebration for the whole team in a way that is fairly uncommon in companies because many people are actually related.
Huh, sounds like a pretty healthy policy for a company who's employees can be relatively low turnover and I would imagine, difficult to replace. I would think that the pool of people that can perform any given trick in a Cirque show to be a relatively small bunch. It makes sense then, that Cirque has an interest for looking after the wellbeing of their employees. That being said, it was surprising to hear how dedicated some of the female employees were to Cirque. It really isn't just a job, but a lifestyle as they explained. I suppose that shouldn't be surprising since it sounds like a lot of their employees have not known any other job or lifestyle other than that of a Cirque employee. Although, I wonder if any of them think about quitting after having kids, given the safety hazards of performing. Then again, you probably have to be of a certain mindset in the 1st place to be a clown at Cirque, so maybe those kinds of thoughts don't cross their mind.
Maternity leave is a hot button topic recently, especially since the US is one of the two countries left to not guarantee maternity leave. I’m glad that Circ is so dedicated to allowing women time off for their pregnancies, and I’m especially glad the decision is a medically based one, since in that profession that may be the most important thing. It really makes the actors feel safe to start families without negative repercussions. It also makes the workplace a more equal environment in regards to gender. This policy allows women to continue working and succeeding in their field while simultaneously having a family. Often women feel they must choose between the two, as so few employers are flexible about things like maternity leave. Circ’s policies are incredibly important for creating an equal, safe environment. The only issue I have is that maternity leave is unpaid, which leaves women with little to no financial support if they do not have a partner. That can be incredibly damaging to the women, and is an issue which must be addressed. But otherwise, Circ’s policies are ones to be looked up to and eventually expected of other industries and professions.
After hearing so much about accidents and falls in Cirque shows, this article provided a nice change of pace. It genuinely sounds as though the company is invested in the mothers' health. The case by case basis of allocating and establishing maternity leave is also an excellent idea. While most companies have a set amount of maternity leave that can be used, Cirque's abiding by doctor recommendations is a much better approach I believe. That said, since Cirque performers have very specific and physically demanding occupations (and - subsequently - roles), it does make sense for maternity leave calculations to be more tied to doctor recommendations due to the bodily and physical concerns related to these specialized performers.
Another interesting aspect of this article was how (for lack of a better word) allowed children are, and how familial the company seems to be. One of the children featured, Nika, does not seem to want for anything. In fact, it's as though her playground is far beyond the average child's.
Wow, this made me so happy, that a huge company like Cirque is so understanding of their performers. Because, it must be tough to have a child and then return so soon after, and you have to look impeccable. So, I'm glad they let them have the time they think they need off. It would be horrible to have a pregnant woman suspended 20 feet in the air, and I'm so glad they let them have that time.
This also reminded me of how crazy and amazing this world of Cirque and cricus performers really is. A lot of them have been doing it since they were very young, and they all seem to love it. It's this crazy world of travelling and high stakes acts and feets, and yet they all cherish it and want their children to do it. It seems so old world and mysterious to me. I've never seen CIrque Du Soliel, but I did see Pippin recently and I have seen circuses, and if you read the program, this is what they've been doing since they were incredibly young.
Wow, it's really great to hear that Cirque has a pretty great Maternity Leave policy. You really don't see that everywhere, especially in the US. Having the doctor, the person with the most expertise, decide the time for maternity leave is just awesome. It leaves the performer exempt from forced labor or the chance of being fired. I love Cirque! The last time I watched a show was in Las Vegas when I was about 10 years old, and it was kinda very creepy but also so magical. The movement of everyone onstage boggles my mind. Come to think of it, I never thought of the performers as parents or future parents. I thought of them as magical performing beings whose lives were devoted to just the circus. It's cool how this article brought about the idea that they do have another life once they leave the stage every night.
This article is pretty incredible! There are many jobs that I look at and think, “how the hell would one do this job and be a parent?” As someone who one day wants to be a parent, and wants to have a successful career in entertainment I am kind of nervous to how exactly that is going to happen. Being a parent is like having another full time job, and working in a field that potentially requires you to be “on” as much as we are is a really scaring thing. However, reading this article truly reshaped that way that this is possible. Once you are going down this path you are going to have to make many decisions and you just to spend more time thinking. You are definitely going to have to cut back in the amount of commitments that you have, but I am sure it will be worth it in the end.
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