We had the good fortune of connecting with Rocco Lapaire and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rocco, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
When I finished college/military I was offered a job in IT (Information Technology). I had always expected that that would be the kind of job I would work for the rest of my life, but I turned it down to try my hand at being a professional acrobat.

This is such a strange decision to have made because I’m actually very fiscally conservative. Here I was offered a job that would have had me say for life, in the career field I chose in school, but instead I took a risk and made a deal with myself. I told myself I would make only money performing to survive for a year. I made a budget for myself that was so low that it didn’t include AC in the summer and I had figured out how to keep each meal under $1/lb, but I lived only off performing for my first year, and then I just kept on doing it until now, over a decade later. I’ve now performed in dozens of countries and most US states, and making enough money isn’t a concern any more.

That was probably the biggest risk of my life and it paid off well, but I also take risks every time I perform. As I write this I’m working on a cruise ship, and if things go wrong in a show I could fall 10 feet on to marble. Two of the riskiest stunts I do are balancing on a board which is itself balanced on 5 rolling cylinders, and a handstand on blocks attached to a pole 10 feet in the air. If the ship should suddenly lurch at a bad time, it’s entirely possible I fall over my back onto a very unforgiving floor. I also juggle machetes on a 5 foot high unicycle and do flips, fire breathing, and other tricks, but the high handstand carries the highest risk of all the tricks I do.

I think the risk is very important to my success. I could have taken the easy road with the I.T. job, but then I always would have wondered if I could have been an acrobat instead. I could also have learned only the easy skills like stilt walking, fire eating, or aerials, but then I wouldn’t have been unique enough to get hired as much as I do.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My partner Nova and I co-own Gravity Entertainment. We specialize in providing all-in-one custom circus shows. What makes our company special is that we can put on a full show anywhere. There are many companies that can provide dancers, jugglers, fire performers, or other themed acts to provide atmospheric acts, and we can certainly do that too, but we can also bring a 30-60 minute Solo or Duo show full of original material and polished choreography to a theater, outdoor stage, or even living room. We are just as comfortable working with an ensemble as we are bringing all our own audio equipment. All we need is a venue and we can do all the rest.

I have worked in large shows all around the world. They would require large casts and a large truck to ship all the large props around. Having all these massive sets and props is amazing, and I still work on these types of shows to this day, but I decided that if I was going to sell my own show I wanted it to be easy to hire.

It’s paid off to be so portable. The contract I’m currently working on is a Princess Cruise, and we have a whole hour of material that we fit into two free checked bags to fly to the ship. We might be the only duo in the world that can bring such a highly portable and unique acrobatic show.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Historic Fourth Ward Park is at the top of my list. Such an amazing place with so many free activities! Active people meet and play volleyball, skate, frisbee, yoga, and much more right on the beltline!

The Atlanta Botanical Garden is pretty amazing. I appreciate how they are always bringing new themes to the gardens. We’ve performed there a number of times.

Grant Park is also amazing. Great place for a first date, with nice places to eat and drink nearby.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Atlanta Circus Alliance!

The Atlanta Circus Alliance is run by a collection of people that have given tirelessly from the very beginning of circus performing in Atlanta. It is a lovely group of black, white, trans, gay, straight, talented performers and non-performers that come together to practice circus arts together. There’s is no profit involved, only sharing of knowledge and circus props.

Website: https://gravityentertains.com

Instagram: @roccolapaire

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/roccotheacrobat

Other: https://maps.app.goo.gl/6QCqXjfGUi3FQNS78

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutAtlanta is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.