Rachel Schiffer

By Circus Smirkus | Published March 9, 2020

Rachel Schiffer, Big Top Tour trouper 1995-2004

Photo credit: Lucie Roux

Rachel Schiffer caught the circus bug when she was only seven years old and has been circussing in some way shape or form ever since.  Rachel began as a gymnast and then toured with Circus Smirkus as a wire walker, aerialist and acrobatic flyer (’95-’04).

After studying religious performance, dance and biology at Middlebury College she turned her full focus back to circus arts and performed extensively throughout the US with both traditional and contemporary circus companies such as The Midnight Circus and Zoppé Circus.

In 2011, Rachel’s circus world shifted to Europe after a series of planned and unplanned events and chance encounters.  Since then she has been lucky to spend her time working in theaters and under big tops from France to Germany; from the UK to Switzerland, performing aerial cradle and wire with small and big companies alike.  Highlights include a 4-year tour with Le Cirque Poussiere, NoFit State Circus, a brand-new cradle act with Duo Elles Errent, and a creative project currently unfolding between Denmark and Sweden.

Her most recent piece of work, “En Fugue” was an experiment-turned-real-project, created during the time she was in “lockdown” during the Covid-19 Pandemic in France.