Florida State University’s Flying High Circus begins long road to recovery after May 10 tornadoes

On the morning of May 10, three tornadoes touched down in Tallahassee in less than 30 minutes, leaving behind a trail of destruction that destroyed FSU’s iconic circus tent.

Since the mid-1960s, the FSU Flying High Circus had been the only collegiate circus in the United States with a big-top tent. Now, the tent’s fabric is in tatters, its steel structures and seating in disrepair. The tent and all its contents underneath, including equipment, are unusable.

With a cast of 100 student volunteers and staff members led by Director Chad Mathews, the circus is a fully operational production with routines including on-stage acrobatics, aerial acts, clowning, dancing and a ringmaster.

“The circus has been an integral part of FSU’s history and tradition since 1947, providing entertainment and education to thousands of students and community members every year,” said Amy Hecht, vice president for Student Affairs. “We are deeply saddened by this tragedy, but we are also determined to recover and rebuild better with more sustainability.”

The circus was one of the first ways of integrating men and women after Florida State became co-ed and serves as an extracurricular activity for students under FSU’s Division of Student Affairs.

FSU alumna Nicole Viverito, who works in the FSU Office of Research, said, “I sought out FSU because of the circus and met some of my best friends. It’s the biggest family I’ve ever had.”

Viverito said her father, Wayne Fearnbach, a high-wire performer at FSU from 1969-1973, played a part in influencing her decision to leave New Jersey and join the FSU Flying High Circus while getting her degree. During her time at FSU from 2007-2012, she mastered aerial cradle and the flying trapeze. She also met her husband, Matt, who went on to be a professional flying trapeze artist and now works at FSU’s Department of Psychology.

Her love for her circus family didn’t end when she completed her degree. Viverito served as the president of the Circus Alumni Association for three years and was instrumental in the 75th anniversary of FSU’s Flying High Circus celebration.

“You make such wonderful connections with not only peers and their families, but the Tallahassee community as a whole,” Viverito said. “The circus touches so many people in so many positive ways.”