By Jana White

Jennifer Dempsey has been juggling a lot more than just knives since becoming a circus performer as a child. 

Dempsey, 37, and her four siblings performed with the Oak View Youth Circus in Fairfax, Va., under the tutelage of coach Jim Moyer when they were growing up. When asked if her parents were in show biz, she joked, "Sort of. My dad is a lawyer and he used to emcee our shows. My mother makes our costumes now. Both have always been very, very supportive of us kids, whether it was being in the circus or doing other careers." 

Dempsey said, "I started when I was 8 years old, my sister was 12 and brother was 10. My younger brother started when he was 6 and my younger sister was born into it." 

They were also born into Irish heritage. Dempsey’s family on her father’s side comes from Ballyscullion, Limerick and Cork. She stated, "Since I am Irish American, I knew I wanted to go to Ireland." She said that while visiting a friend in Edinburgh, they took a ferry from Stranraer to Larne for a weekend. 

"I knew instantly that I wanted to spend time in Belfast. For all its troubles, Belfast is an incredibly community-minded, friendly, welcoming place. I was fascinated with everything: from the thriving music and art scene, to the Travelers site on the Glen Road, to the soldiers walking the streets, to the murals in the different neighborhoods, to the fashions of the students. It was constantly interesting."

So interesting, in fact, that during college, Dempsey traveled to Belfast on an exchange program where she studied English and Irish literature at Queens University before leaving her studies to join the Belfast Community Circus. The production was founded in 1985 by drama teachers Mike Moloney and Donal McKendry, who according to Dempsey, "wanted to spice up their workshops with stilts."

"Twenty years and lots of grants and personnel changes later, BCCS is considered the most successful community arts program in Northern Ireland," she said.

Dempsey said that there are many reasons the BCCS is so successful. Among them, she stated, "it’s an activity that is not ‘owned’ by either community. Funders see the benefit of children performing, children from different backgrounds coming together to practice and perform. Also, as they grow up, participants have employment opportunities in both teaching and performing."

Dempsey’s own employment opportunity came when she was walking through Queens University one day and spotted a poster for the Belfast Community Circus outside of the student union. This poster prompted a change of direction in her life. 

Dempsey began working for the Belfast Community Circus in 1989 as a volunteer tutor until she was given performing jobs. She eventually became a paid tutor for community workshops before serving as artistic director from 1993 to 1995. 

"After that," Dempsey stated, "I got hired by a company in London called Circo Rum Ba Ba as a performer. I spent two years with them (traveling back and forth to Belfast). Then I moved back to Belfast and — along with continuing to teach community workshops — started my own company called Circus Spectacky. It was an all -women circus theater group...a lot of fun."

The BCCS became a comfortable part of her life. "I instantly felt at home with the BCCS. I knew I was going to stay there for a long time—although I didn’t think it would be 12 years," she exclaimed. 

However, during those years, Dempsey said that her perspective changed a lot. "I half-jokingly say I was socialized in Belfast. The kids there had a hilarious, mischievous sense of humor, which lent itself to great performances. It was also very rewarding to see shyer kids come out of themselves and gain confidence through performing and learning new skills."

Dempsey recalled the story of a quiet 6-year-old boy. "He kept to himself during the workshops. But when it came show time, he did this rolling globe act where he walked on this ball, jumped roped and juggled. It was a real showstopper. That was always very satisfying to witness."

Likewise, every circus has a clown. When working with circus children, plenty of clowning around is to be expected. Dempsey said that the BCCS had kids who like to "horse around," but their energy could be effectively redirected with a little attention and some positive reinforcement. 

"My belief was that if you could tap into a kid’s natural temperament, you’d have a good show. So I naturally identified with the rabble-rousers right away and made them some kind of ringmaster," she stated. "Kids who are troublemakers are usually bored or need some attention, so I always assigned them an ‘important’ task right away."

In addition to working with children, the BCCS also trained adults, which reminded Dempsey of one of her lasting memories. "There was a 72-year- old man who would come to circus school on Saturdays determined to learn how to ride a ‘one-wheeled bike if it was the last thing he did!’ We highlighted him in a show. We had two people support his arms as he rode across the stage. He got a standing ovation."

Working for the Belfast Community Circus was more than just a positive working experience for Dempsey; it was an inspiration and the experience that geared her toward becoming the Scarlet Sister she is today.

Dempsey and younger sister, Jessica, are currently living in Santa Ana, Calif., where they perform together as the Scarlet Sisters Circus, an all-woman’s performing troupe. "The best part of having the Scarlet Sisters Circus company is the creative outlet that it is. There are many parts to it: performing at interesting events, teaching and performing with kids, coming up with new acts and ideas and having a way to bring them to life, and the international connections of circus," Dempsey said.

The Scarlet Sister’s connection to the circus comes from an act Dempsey performed in Belfast called "The Return of the Waltzing McTilders," the story of the first female circus family. "It was all about Madame McTilder and her daughters the Scarlet Sisters. So when I started working with Jessica here, I just thought, ‘we're sisters, it's easy to remember and it meant something fun to us, so why not just use it.’"

The Dempsey sisters, as well as members Harmony French and Christina Cripps, who are all acrobats and stilt walkers, and singer Lahila Oppenheimer comprise the troupe.

Dempsey met both French and Cripps at a gym where she used to teach. She said that they had gymnastic backgrounds and were interested in learning acrobatics and stilts, which according to Dempsey is "half the battle – not many adults are interested in learning stilt walking." She met Oppenheimer in acting class. She stated, "When our acting class ended , we all realized we had a lot of skills that could complement each other. So we started workshopping and next thing we have a very classy act called "Cirque du Scarlet." 

According to Dempsey, Cirque du Scarlet is performed cirque-style; Oppenheimer sings in 'circlish', which is her own language, "full of emotion and feeling and expression," she said. While she sings, Dempsey, her sister, Jessica or French perform acrobatics. 

When asked for a description of the act, Dempsey playfully replied, "If you were describing it in a program, maybe it could read something like this: ‘Step into another dimension, Cirque du Scarlet combines acrobatics balancing, contortion and knife juggling with mysterious ethereal singing to create an act from an unknown time and place.’" 

However, performing acrobatics in Cirque du Scarlet is not the only act Dempsey carries out. She focuses a lot on stilt walking, as well as acrobat balancing, knife juggling and developing new characters for her part in the group. But that wasn’t always the case. "I used to do trapeze when I was in Belfast, but I no longer perform it – too high-maintenance. I now stick with acts that are easier to transport and can be performed almost anywhere."

Being a performer is a lot of work and requires a lot of training. Dempsey does hot yoga three times a week and she stretches everyday, but she said that she is not a workout fanatic. She also stated that she likes to eat healthy, but she doesn’t restrict herself. "I look at the circus as a creative outlet rather than a sport, so I live accordingly. It is not a competitive sport, so I don’t eat or workout that way."

Rather, she works to entertain by performing in cabaret-like shows. "The cabarets are great fun – a mix of circus acts, comedy, music, poetry and magic."

The real magic is the generosity of the group, since they hold cabarets to benefit charities such as Yellowstone Women’s Recovery Home, Family Support Network, Orange County Breastfeeding Coalition and their current focus, the WAVE Trauma Center.

The group is also planning on hosting circus students from Belfast this summer for a cultural-exchange program. While here, the kids will stay with host families and attend workshops where they will be doing acrobatics, stilt walking, juggling and clowning. They will also work with Orange County circus students, and enjoy California attractions. 

"We will have a regular practice schedule, so Northern Ireland kids and Orange County kids can practice together. We will perform together at the Sawdust Festival in Laguna Beach and Fourth of July celebrations in Orange County. They will also have plenty of time at the beaches, to go to Disneyland and take day trips with their host families."

Currently, the Scarlet Sisters are receiving support for this exchange program from Community Foundation of Northern Ireland and the Citizens Peace Building Program at the University of California-Irvine. They are also expecting support from the DC Friends of Ireland, the Unitarian Church in Orange County and the Center for Spiritual Discovery in Orange County. "We are always on the lookout for support, whether it’s financial or equipment or costumes," Dempsey stated.

"If anyone is interested in supporting this trip or wants more information, please e-mail jenld68@yahoo.com," she suggested.

While Dempsey has not been back to Northern Ireland since her return to the States, she indicated that she is planning to go in September to meet with WAVE and to talk to parents about the exchange trip. 

"I will definitely see friends (and family, I hope!) when I am there. My older sister, Amy, lives in London and my younger brother, Jason, lives in Scotland," she said, adding extra value to the excursion. In the meantime she will continue performing with the Scarlet Sisters, dating her boyfriend, Dave, and hoping that his English bull terrier, Bubba, learns some new tricks. 

"Bubba’s most recent trick," she lamented, "was eating my best acrobatics costumes."