SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
From the outside, the Jordison family home looks relatively unassuming. But in actuality the dwelling is the city's big top - a place acrobats-in-training call home, with a Chinese pole coming out of the floor and an aerial rig hanging from the ceiling.

For the last four years the Jordison family has operated a circus camp out of their home. They hope to expand this year with a larger venue. Kara Cherland, left, Janelle Jordison, 7, Zefer Jordison, 9, and Scott Jordison are part of the team. - Meagan Leonard/NNSL photo

Spearheaded by Scott Jordison and flying relatively under the radar NWT Circus has slowly been gaining a foothold in the community and continues to grow each year.

Jordison says growing up his father was a teacher and amateur magician, so he came by his fascination for the circus arts naturally. He says the fire-eating act he performed during the Long John Jamboree was something he learned with his family when he was 15.

"(I've been) doing magic since I was three years old," he said. "When I was 12 I got a book on juggling and our whole family learned how to juggle, then we got a unicycle."

Training at the National Circus School in Montreal in the late 90s, Jordison says for a long time street performances subsidized his income. Over the years he has continued to perform individually and with the Circus Cowboys, accumulating a variety of skills and paraphernalia. When Jordison's family decided to move to Yellowknife, it only seemed natural the circus would come with them, and NWT Circus was born. Still in its infancy, its main performers are currently Jodison's two children Zefer, 9, and Janelle, 7.

"Right now my troupe is my kids because they can practice all the time and they each have two or three numbers," he says. "Zefer does pole, silk, ball, chair and bike, and Janelle has a hoop act she's got together."

For the last four years, the family has hosted a circus camp at their home for two weeks in the summer with admission funds going toward purchasing new equipment including an 18-foot aerial rig and circus stage.

During the camp, Jordison says they expose children to many different types of circus acts including unicycle, acrobatics, aerials, pole, trapeze, hoop and various forms of juggling - with participants usually gravitating toward a particular skill. For beginners, he says stilts are the easiest, but regulars at his camp are able to master more difficult acts. In this way he hopes to create a more permanent troupe.

"There's some people who have a really keen interest, we'll push them a little further and practice every week so everybody can juggle, everybody can unicycle and then we'll have some other acts intermingled so we can easily perform at any event," he said.

For the most part, the camp has consisted of family and friends and only been advertised through word-of-mouth; however, as it continues to grow Jordison says they are now looking into booking a bigger venue to accommodate more participants.

"This year the goal is to have a bigger space, get a few more people in," he says. "It's part of our family, (but) we also share it with the community at large and slowly but surely we are expanding."

Until then, Jordison and his children will continue appearing at events around the community - their next performance is April 18 at the Ecology North coffee house at 8 p.m.

"Circus is fun and the whole purpose is to make people smile so we get a great response," said Jordison.

"It's a hobby, we have to do our 9-5 ... job first and then fit it into other spots . I'm a web developer by day, and circus artist by night."