Thank you
Thank you to our dedicated Roustabouts (Donors & Volunteers) who made this exhibition possible.
Kinetic Arts Center
Jaron Hollander
Victoria Angello
Jennifer Wong
The Cast and Crew of Watch the Throne Cabaret
The UNCLE JUNIOR PROJECT is a community driven digital exhibit dedicated to celebrating and sharing the inspiring stories of African American circus performers.
This exhibit was made possible by our Roustabouts. This is our community of passionate and named after the title given to people who would set up and tear down circus tents.
If you’d like to help us continue preserving and celebrating the history of black circus performers, please consider donating below.
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All donations are tax deductible through our fiscal sponsorship with Fractured Atlas.
Beginnings
“Of course, every kid wants to run away with the circus. I was totally enthralled with the big animals and wanted to be a part of it.
I just didn’t know how.”
Bernice Collins grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, the middle child of 6 siblings.
Her father was a musician and teacher. Her mother was a homemaker who would take the family to the circus every year.
After highschool, Bernice traveled to Chicago to see the circus. After the show she met a member of the King Charles Troupe and clown Dwayne Cunningham who told her about Ringling Clown College.
The King Charles Troupe
Dwayne Cunningham
1977
Bernice enrolled in clown college.
"I think I was just cute and funny. I used a lot of facial expressions to relate to the audience.”
After graduating, Bernice performed as a clown for two years with Ringling Bros. & Barnum Bailey Circus.
Desiring to work to become a showgirl, Bernice studied dance while was clowning.
“I wanted to dance and ride the elephants and wear all those beautiful and elegant costumes.”
Bernice was a showgirl for 10 years with
In 1982, she asked circus owners, Irvin and Kenneth Feld, if she could train to become a tiger presenter.
They agreed and asked legendary trainer Charly Baumann to mentor her.
Bernice worked as Charly’s apprentice, learning how to present tigers.
“It brought my dreams, which I had been carrying with me since I was a child, to a reality.”
Throughout her career, Bernice has performed a variety of roles in the circus.
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
Clown
Showgirl
Tiger Presenter
Horse Presenter
Props and Wardrobe
Tour Manager
Big Apple Circus
Company Manager
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Company Manager
Cirque du Soleil
Wardrobe Attendant
“Circus is an art, a lifestyle, a part of who you are, your soul.
And if you’re a part of it once, it’s always a part of who you are.”
In all the books I would read in the library about circus performers, there weren’t too many black people in there.
I wanted, at the end of my journey, to be in those library books so children could read about me, and know that they could do those kinds of things as well.
I wanted to make a mark in history… and I’ve done that. And that makes me very proud.
UJP INTERVIEW with Bernice Collins (2020)
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