Home Circus Performer Resume template
Circus Performer resume template
A clean starting structure with example content grounded in what circus performers actually do day to day, not generic filler. Download and replace the bracketed placeholders with your own details.
Which resume format should you use?
Reverse chronological
You have a steady work history. This is the format almost every recruiter and ATS expects by default.
Functional
You're changing fields or have gaps in your employment. Leads with skills rather than a job-by-job timeline.
Combination
You're early career or have worked consistently but for only a few employers. Blends a skills summary with a shorter chronological history.
This template uses the reverse chronological format: the one most circus performers should default to, since most Australian recruiters and ATS software expect it.
Professional summary
Circus performer with a focus on aerial and acrobatic disciplines, including silks, trapeze, and hand balancing. Experienced in touring productions and festival performances, with a strong commitment to safety and collaborative creation. Combines technical skill with physical conditioning and event coordination to deliver engaging live acts.
Key skills
- Aerial silks
- Trapeze bar
- Rigging hardware
- Crash mats
- Event coordination
- Google Workspace
- Physical stamina and dexterity
- Safety and compliance awareness
- Attention to detail
Experience: example bullet points
- Rehearsed and performed aerial silks and trapeze routines for touring productions, delivering consistent performances across a 20-show season.
- Inspected and set up rigging hardware and crash mats before each performance, maintaining a spotless safety record and ensuring compliance with WHS standards.
- Collaborated with directors and choreographers to develop new acts, contributing to two new ensemble pieces per season.
- Maintained physical conditioning through daily strength and flexibility training, reducing injury downtime and sustaining peak performance across back-to-back shows.
- Coordinated event logistics for festival performances, liaising with production teams to align rehearsal schedules and apparatus availability, which kept shows running to time.
Education
Typical pathway: many circus performers hold a Bachelor degree in performing arts or circus arts, while others train through a Diploma of Circus Arts or Certificate III/IV qualifications in live production or physical performance.
Keywords an ATS is likely to scan for
Applicant tracking systems match your resume against terms in the job ad before a person ever sees it. Only include the ones that actually apply to your experience, but if a term below matches something you've done, use the same wording the job ad uses.
- Safe Work Australia
- Work Health and Safety (WHS)
- Rigging ticket
- Working with Children Check
- First Aid Certificate
- Aerial silks
- Trapeze
- Circus arts
- Physical theatre
- Adelaide Fringe
- Melbourne Fringe
- ACAPTA
- MEAA
Getting past ATS screening
- Match the specific skills, certifications and terms used in the job ad, not just your own wording for the same thing.
- Keep formatting simple: no tables, text boxes, columns, headers/footers or graphics. Parsers frequently drop content placed in these.
- Submit as .docx or PDF unless the job ad specifies otherwise.
- Use standard section headings (Experience, Education, Skills) rather than creative alternatives.
- List your core skills and technical competencies in their own section so a keyword scan can find them instantly.
This is a starting point, not a guarantee of interviews. Tailor every bullet point to your own real experience and the specific job ad.