Today we’d like to introduce you to Angela Higgins.
Hi Angela, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Angela Higgins, I am 41 years old and I am a professional entertainer. I wasn’t always an active, productive person. I had a troubled past and a lot of physical obstacles to overcome. The story of how I got to where I am today starts February 21st, 2011. That’s the day I can say is the pivot point for change in my life. That was the first day I stepped onto a roller rink as an adult, and oh boy was I bad at it. Bit of my back story- I spent most of my formative years in a plastic back brace, so I was unable to do most sports or activities. I filled my time with sedentary things, like reading and drawing. When I finally came out of the brace my spine was very weak and my body was so tight from lack of movement. I was told I’d never be flexible and I was told that most physical activities were not recommended. Fast forward a few years, I’m deeply invested in becoming an alcoholic. I spent the majority of a decade (1999-early 2011) either blackout drunk or hungover. I was okay with this state and had no aspirations to do anything else with my life. In February of 2011, I was to the point where I could not hold down food or water most days, and I was drinking over 2 liters of hard alcohol at a sitting and smoking upwards of 3 packs of cigarettes a day.
I had been let go from a semi-seasonal job and I was anxious about becoming sedentary and a friend of mine suggested we go roller skating. I was reluctant because I never wanted to go anywhere that didn’t serve alcohol. She pushed me into going and I hated it, I was so awkward and clumsy and I felt so self-conscious. I went home that night and got drunk, of course.
Then she made me go again. And again. On the fourth rink visit, a miracle happened… I learned a trick! I was floored by this. As a “gifted child” I always thought you were born with your talents, they were things to be perfected, not things to be learned. I felt exhilarated like I had discovered fire. So I took lessons, I learned, I tried harder, I tried things, I failed, I cried, I tried again, and started to recognize a pattern of success/failure that creates hills and valleys and plateaus. I got… GOOD. And the need for alcohol became fainter as time went on until one day I didn’t want it anymore. I had something new, something to look forward to.
In 2013, I got talent scouted by a local booking agency. To become more diverse and “hireable” I started training in aerial acrobatics and I was awful at that too! But same story, I kept at it and now I perform professionally and train other adults to do these wonderful things.
Fast-forward to today: I co-own the biggest adult circus school in Minneapolis- Dragons Lair Performing Arts- and I am the head adult roller skating coach at Cheap Skate Roller Center. I perform every weekend at various venues and I am one of the main characters in a major act at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival. Not bad for a hopeless case and a “late bloomer”!”
My dream is to bring this joy to as many people as I can, and if possible, reach out to a broader community so I can help others find peace in movement and discover sobriety like I did.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I feel as though I have had some lucky breaks in my journey, but it has definitely had some very rough times. My scoliosis created a lot of unique challenges when it came to the movement arts. I wasn’t even supposed to be doing these things, especially at my age, and I had no “background” with dance or any precedent with performing. I had to learn EVERYTHING from scratch in my 30s and now 40s, things that most of my peers learned as children/teens. I had to struggle with a lot of basic things that dancers/gymnasts can take for granted. I had no body awareness. I had no performance experience. I was a machinist by trade and an alcoholic at heart.
When I quit drinking, it gave me the opportunity to completely reinvent myself and create the persona I knew I had inside me. It was quite liberating.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I specialize in many different categories- but I spend the majority of my time on Roller skating, and aerial acrobatics. I already mentioned the adult skating lessons at Cheap Skate and my studio Dragons Lair Performing Arts, but I also help run multiple shows around the cities and I am in one of the bigger acts at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival.
How do you define success?
My definition of success is not prosperity, or notoriety, or material objects. My personal definition of success applies to me directly, and I recognize that other people may have different and valid personal definitions. For me, success is measured by how far removed I am from the person I used to be, and by extension, how many people I have helped along the way.
Pricing:
- Skate lessons $20/class
- Aerial Lessons $25/class
- Skate sessions $8
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hazmat.circus/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/angela.higgins.798/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA59LUkqu35Rd0ieT-p_9pw
Image Credits:
Steve Bozeman
Anne Fry
Fred Sobottka
