PERFORMING in the circus is something Dan Phillips has wanted to do ever since he was a little kid growing up in Northfields.

He taught himself how to juggle at the age of 11 and ever since then he would try and teach himself a new circus skill during the summer holidays.

On his 16th birthday he got a unicycle and learnt how to ride it in just two weeks.

At the age of 18 he went to university in Liverpool to study sports science and specialised in biomechanics.

During his time on Merseyside, he got involved with the circus society and learnt how to breathe fire.

That's also when he first started getting paid as a performer.

He told Nub News: "A club promoter wanted me to do fire breathing at his club and from there I met other performers who put me in touch with an agency.

"At 22 I started working for an agency, performing at weddings, private parties, night clubs and even doing television ads.

"The best part of the job however was being sent around the world to perform at different events, it was a lot of fun."

The 32-year-old has spent a decade perfecting his trade and working as a circus performer.

Recently however he has also been working for Mad Science, an after school club based in Ealing Broadway.

He said: "This is my day job and it adds really well to all the performing, which is usually done at night."

Dan has recently moved from Northfields to Ealing Broadway and has set up the Ealing Circus Club.

His aim for the club is to have a mixture of beginners and experienced performers, so that more people learn about circus skills, while those with experience can train alongside other performers, instead of training by themselves.

"It's really useful to be able to train with someone because they can help you improve and point out what you're doing wrong," he said.

At the moment sessions take place every Saturday and Sunday at 3pm in Walpole Park, but once the pandemic dies down and the weather gets colder towards the end of autumn, Dan plans to get an indoor space.

Sessions are free and open to anyone over the age of seven.

Dan has completed a full DBS check and has public liability insurance.

To find out more or get in contact, check out Ealing Circus Club on Instagram.