Learning how to be a street performer has never been easier.

Instead of leaving home to join the circus, children ages nine to 14 are welcome to sign up for a three-day circus camp later this month when a world-famous street performer comes to town.
Bob Palmer, or Flyin' Bob as he is known to many, has space for 25 kids who would like to learn how to juggle, walk on stilts, ride a unicycle, wire walk and try their best to defy gravity.

While Palmer has been performing full-time in 13 countries for the last 20 years, it wasn't until he turned 21 that he learned how to juggle.
"If kids are starting at ages 9 - 14, they have a nine-year advantage on me. By the time they become the age I started, they could be professional performers," said Palmer last week.

Palmer has performed for several years, and teaching others how to have as much fun as he does has been a natural extension of what he loves to do. "You feel really special about yourself by performing. I had that enthusiasm, and it was just natural to get more people involved," said Palmer.
Facing your fears is both a challenge and a rush of excitement young performers can look forward to.
"It's a matter of re-learning balance. With a unicycle, it's like learning to walk all over again. After three days on stilts, you get an adrenaline rush and you tend to get addicted to it. I’ve seen kids after two to three days with sweat pouring down their face. They are hooked on it and they won't stop. We have a blast."

All material is provided, but camp participants are encouraged to make their own juggling equipment.
On the final day of the camp, Palmer will have a presentation for parents to show off the unique talents and skills their children have learned over the course of the week.

With every stunt a street performer does there is a risk, but Palmer has never had anyone seriously injure themselves. There are zero negatives except bruises, cuts and scrapes, but you can wear those like a badge of honour.
"Just like when kids learn to ride a bicycle, a little cut or scrape isn't going to stop them."
Palmer is not about to turn away from being a street performer, since it is so much a part of who he is.
“I am a grown up who is allowed to keep playing with his toys. I haven't had to grow up and get a real job. There’s total freedom when I come up with a new trick or skill. I love having that control of my own destiny."

A warning to budding doctors or scientists: your career path might change after experiencing the circus camp. It happened to one young adult in Rosetown, Sask. who was on his way to becoming a doctor, but he got to see Palmer's zany performance first. For better or for worse, he dropped out of school and went to Montreal to train at a professional performance school. He's now in an acrobatic troupe that tours all over the world.