After years as a circus acrobat, Mark Pieklo ’94 still feels the pressures of putting on a show – the glare of the spotlight, the eyes of the crowd, the need to nail every performance. “Imagine all that, only you have to do backflips at the same time,” said Pieklo, a longtime aerialist with the French contemporary circus Cirque Plume. In Boy Throws Girl, the act he performs with his wife, Laura Smith, Pieklo must climb to a perch high above the circus floor, toss a somersaulting Smith into the air, and catch her again. And they do it all without safety lines. Taking chances comes naturally for Pieklo. He earned a bachelor’s degree in math from Mary Washington but bypassed a conventional career, opting instead to audition for the National Circus School in Montreal. Two decades later, he’s still flipping, twisting, and bouncing his way into audience members’ hearts. But to realize his dream, Pieklo – now 41 and the father of twin toddlers – would turn once again to his alma … [Read more...]