It Was Med School or the Circus | StarTalk

2m read

·Nov 11, 2024

It just so happens we have on our video call. I think we've brought them in. We have someone who's a tight RPP instructor, Sonia Harpstead. She teaches at the Circus Warehouse here in New York.

Uh, Sonia, do we have you on the line?

Yeah, I'm here.

Oh Sonia, hello! Thanks for being on Star Talk.

Hi, it's great to be here.

Yeah, so I guess we know intellectually that people such as yourself exist, but to really see you, you teach people high wire stunts?

Yes, that's a correct statement.

Okay, so what kind of mindset does it take to do this? Who comes to you to do this? That's really what I should be asking here.

Well, you know, the funny thing is that a whole range of people come to us, and it's really interesting to see who's interested in the challenge. We teach the wire's not that high, so it's not a fear thing. It's really more about finding a way to get your body to do something that's really challenging.

So are you saying you can actually teach this skill? It's not just some psychological state of the person who finds you well?

A little bit, you also teach the psychological state, but you can absolutely teach tight wire walking. Anyone can walk a tight wire.

And when did this begin in your life?

When I was in high school, I went on vacation and they had a flying trapeze there. When I jumped off, I just knew I was going to do this for the rest of my life. So I found some classes and I worked on it through college, and at the end of undergrad, it was med school or the circus, and I chose the circus.

So you're telling me, by probably age 17, you were in a position to tell your parents you wanted to run away and join the circus? That's what you're telling me here?

Yeah, very cool.

Well Sonia, thanks for sharing some time with us on Star Talk.

Thanks for having me. I'll come watch you one day and we'll take physics notes and we'll compare notes.

Absolutely! We'll tell what law of physics kept you alive and what would have killed you had you messed up.

Okay, all right, thanks Sonia.

All right, no F, thank you.

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