by Jesse Florea

Denise Gray proves that you don’t have to be a kid to want to become a circus performer.

“It’s very cool that at blank-blank years old I had a chance to join the circus,” she says with a laugh.

While Denise may be a little shy discussing her age, she’s not at all shy performing in front of thousands of people and giving God the credit for her new career.

“I believe God picked me up and brought me here to do some wonderful things,” she explains.

And Denise didn’t join just any ordinary circus. For the past 18 months, she’s been part of La Nouba (New-ba) for Cirque du Soleil in Orlando, Florida.

La Nouba is unlike most circuses you’ve ever seen. You won’t find any animals in the 1,671-seat theater, but you’ll get a good dose of bicycle jumping, trampoline bouncing, yo-yo throwing, chair balancing and high-wire walking—all wrapped around a mysterious story.

At times so much is going on during La Nouba that you don’t know where to look.

“It’s a great experience,” Denise says. “There are so many talented people all together. I’m in awe to see how much work and training goes into what they do.”

Denise’s awe is obvious on stage . . . and that’s a good thing. La Nouba begins as her character, La Petite Madame, shows up to clean a “factory.” The doors swing open and she enters to start her work. But that’s when all these marvelous things happen. Denise spends most of the show on stage being surprised and entertained by various acts from around the world.

Clubhouse caught up with Denise before one of her shows and found out how she joined the circus and what God is teaching her.

Clubhouse: What attracted you to La Nouba?

Denise: Cirque du Soleil does auditions all over the world. Their casting people came to New York City, and I answered an ad in the newspaper. Initially I didn’t know anything about Cirque. I’d never seen any of its productions. I auditioned and while I was there, one of the casting people suggested that I come back the following week to try for a specific role in La Nouba.

I almost didn’t go back, because they said they needed lots of clowns. I knew I was not a clown. I was an actress. I had a talk with God and decided to take a chance.

What is your performing background?

I have been very blessed to work in the performing arts for more than 20 years. I’ve done Broadway and off-Broadway. I’ve done some film work. And I’ve done all kinds of singing—gospel singing, jazz singing, musicals. I’ve toured all around the world: Europe, the Philippines and Japan. But New York has always been my home.

Did you always want to be a performer?

I grew up in Brooklyn and spent a lot of time singing in front of the mirror: “Sound of Music,” “West Side Story.” In junior high, I was fortunate enough to have a tutor who took me under her wing. I went to a performing arts high school where I studied music and acting. If your readers have an interest in the arts, it’s the most wonderful thing to do at a young age.

Then I went on to New York University School of the Arts. All my life, I have loved the arts.

What’s the hardest part of being in La Nouba?

I had a fear of heights, so I’ve had to work through that fear. I did not know I’d have to get up on all those platforms [her character stands on platforms that rise 30 feet in the air and on angled pictures that dangle from the ceiling]. But the Bible says that fear is not from God. God has things for you to do. God has a plan for you.

Because I did not know the immensity of it, I just walked in for training in Montreal and they worked with me. I sat in a cherry picker, and every day I went up higher and higher and higher. By the time I finished, I could do it. I’m hooked in when I do those things. And now I’m not afraid anymore.

That sounds really hard. Do you have any advice for how our readers can work through difficult situations in their lives?

If something is important enough to you—like overcoming a fear of heights was to me—then it gives you a goal or objective. You just need to move through that uncomfortable feeling and continue to do what will get you where you want to go.

I also know that while you’re doing it you may sometimes feel alone and like no one understands. But you are not alone, because the whole time God’s got ya. I know that. And if He has you, you’re not by yourself.

	Q: What kind of animal has the most fleas? A: A flea-line. Carly R.,12, Ohio Clubhouse Jr. Click here to subscribe