When you think about life in the circus, it conjures a certain picture. Usually, one that begins with someone running off to join the circus.
But for Caz Walsh, her career in circus began with a university degree. And she's not alone.
When it comes to Suitcase Circus - which Walsh is directing and performing in as part of this week's Canberra Circus Festival - the majority of performers have a Bachelor of Circus Arts.
What's more, Suitcase Circus is not the stereotypical circus where performers travel, perform, live and breathe together.
The six performers - all with different talents and skills - are effectively freelance performers, taking on different contracts and performing in different shows across Australia.
This week, the performers found themselves performing in May Wirth Big Top - the circus tent owned by Walsh and her partner Mason West - but once their contracts are over, they will be performing somewhere else.
"There certainly still are traditional circuses that travel around and we're slowly starting to get there," she says.
"At the moment, it's seasonal, we chase the sun. We always head up to Queensland over the wintertime and then head back down.
"But life on the road has its ups and downs, especially with two young children both under four. They're getting very used to long car trips. It's not that perfect situation, where I get to have two hours of stretching time beforehand. Normally it's like 'OK, we've just finished setting up the venue and then it's half-an-hour until it's showtime'."
Suitcase Circus is one of the numerous shows and workshops being held on Chifley Community Oval and at Warehouse Circus as part of this week's festival.
An all-ages show with the simple premise of how many magical things can be taken out of a suitcase, it has everything from acrobatics and aerial feats to juggling and balancing acts.
And as a nod to the circus's name, Melbourne-based performer Hazel Bock even juggles suitcases using her feet.
"I've never had a real job. I just did circus and then I went to the National Institute for Circus Arts. So I'm fully qualified. But everybody, nobody cares about your bits of paper, they care about your act," Bock says.
"And that's very variable. Depending on where you're working and what the gig is for the day, you have to be very adaptable to a lot of different situations. I think that's the real way to make it a career in the circus.
"It's not saying I'm going to be the only person who can do this one trick - if you're good at it, maybe you can get away with that - but realistically, being adaptable to a lot of different situations is what makes you good at it."
The Canberra Circus Festival runs for five days from Tuesday, with plenty of circus shows, elite training for young circus artists, and free workshops and activities for the public.
Suitcase Circus has shows on Thursday at 7pm and Saturday at 2pm. For the full program or tickets go to canberracircusfestival.com.au.
