Meet Zyair: The circus wonderkid juggling his studies with a life on the road

At a first meeting, Zyair ticks all the boxes of an ordinary Year 7. He comes across as a young student that is adjusting to new school surroundings, is respectful towards members of staff and presents himself with a pristine and proudly kept uniform.

Then as we start to discuss his unique story, what very quickly unfolds is a character of confidence, ambition and a level of professionalism befitting somebody many years his senior. He is already a key member of Circus Zyair, the travelling circus act who are performing nine live shows in Birkenhead Park between Wednesday 19^th and Sunday 23^rd September.

Zyair’s a talented juggler and handy with diablo too, plus he’s keen to sharpen up his acrobatics for future shows. As if that wasn’t enough for the junior performer, he’s also the youngest person in the UK to ride the motorbike in the terrifying ‘Globe of Death’ – an edge of the seat thriller with four motorbikes ­defying gravity inside a small metal sphere, somehow achieving the impossible and managing to avoid crashing into each other.

See Zyair in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_lYqQ91DTc

As a travelling show, Zyair always attends a local school nearby the circus in order to maintain a normal education. We’ve had the privilege of having him join us at The Birkenhead Park School this week and he has been more than happy to share his experiences with his new classmates. As a confident and charismatic student himself, Zyair commented that his new peers were equally ‘easy to get along with’ and have really helped him settle into school very quickly. We dedicated a tutor session this afternoon for our students to watch ‘a day in the life’ video of his circus adventures and then ask him some questions.

When asked about his favourite subjects, it came as no surprise that he enjoys PE alongside Maths and Art as he loves to sketch in his spare time. As well as learning French, he’s also fluent in Spanish. After school on this particularly day, Zyair was going home to learn how to perform an upside down trick on the motorbike – only to be told that excuse won’t hold up if he misses his science homework!

It was when speaking to him about his future that a real sense of maturity shone through. With perhaps the world at his feet for somebody so young and talented, I asked Zyair about his dreams and aspirations. His response:

“I don’t really think too far ahead. I am very lucky to be able to have these experiences; not many people get to travel and constantly make friends in new places. I feel very privileged to be a part of the circus and for now I just want to enjoy it.”

It has been a real pleasure to have Zyair in school and learn about his diverse lifestyle on the road. We left him to go and learn some new football tricks from his new Year 7 classmates…

Information on the Zyair Circus: https://www.facebook.com/circuszyair/