Also called: Aerial Artist, Trapeze Artist, Aerial Silks Performer
Performs acrobatics high in the air on trapeze, silks, hoops, or straps.
An aerialist trains four or more hours a day for strength and flexibility, rehearses a routine with the rigging crew, then performs twice a night 30 feet above the stage in a show like Cirque du Soleil.
Approximate. Novelty performers are usually self-employed and paid per show or contract; income ranges from side-gig money to six figures for headliners. Cirque du Soleil contracts pay steady salaries plus benefits.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Certificate, about 2 years after high school. Circus school (e.g., New England Center for Circus Arts) or gymnastics background.
Ways in: Trade school, Self-taught, On-the-job training. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Circus Arts, Dance, Gymnastics.
Growing about average. Small field; Cirque and Las Vegas shows anchor demand.
Low risk for 10 years. Live aerial acts are human performance with real risk; AI and robots won't replace them.
Classes: Gymnastics, Dance, Physical education, Theater.
Official data: O*NET occupation 27-2099.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.