Mariah wise
“I get to show someone new, like the human body and what it can do and what it's capable of in all of that sense,” Mariah Wise said.
At the young age of 21 years old, Mariah Wise snagged the long-term position of aerial captain onboard a cruise ship off the coast of Florida. In late 2019, she was a shoo-in for the spot, having been an aerialist since 2013. Now she has completed two cruises and is reflecting on what the experience has meant to her.
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This story starts back in August of 2019. Mariah got a tip about an audition for an aerialist position on a cruise ship. She attended but didn’t put too much weight on the outcome.
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“I think August, October, a couple of months after, was when I got my official offer. ‘You're going to be starting like January. Congratulations. You're doing like a six-month Caribbean contract out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida,” she recalled as she sat on a lounge chair on her cruise ship off the coast of Southern California.
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January came quickly and soon she was boarding the ship. “We're in our first week, which is called our install week, where it's like you have one cruise to kind of like open up all the shows because the previous cast left on that embark day. So you get on and you just kind of start working to put up all the shows,” they said.
(Left) Mariah holds a handstand on the deck of the cruise ship she performed on for nine months. (Right) Mariah gives a thumbs up next to her artist's biography marquee.
Photos courtesy of Mariah Wise.
At this point in the story, it is March of 2020. Because of the introduction of Coronavirus, the cruise was put on pause and all performers were quarantined on the ship for two weeks. When the pandemic worsened, everyone was sent home. Mariah spent her time on land performing within her community and with individuals who were working to better the community.
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Fast forward 13 months and Mariah finds an email in her inbox from her cruise ship company. They were reaching out to let her know that they were finally ready to welcome her back on board to perform again.
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“They were like, ‘Hi Mariah, Equinox is, like, planning to return to service. Could you come on May 28th, do a two-week quarantine? You'll have two months of rehearsals on board before you start sailing with guests in July,’” Mariah said.
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This time around, things were different. There were COVID 19 protocols in place and, on a cruise, there was a significantly higher risk of contracting the virus. Mariah said it was “very much just like a floating petri dish.” With the essential daily support from her fellow cast members, she got through nine months onboard.
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Nine months is a long time to do anything, but it is an especially long time on a cruise ship with little connection to the rest of the world. For someone to perform on a cruise for that long, they must love what they do. For Mariah, she loves inspiring others.
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“I remember the impact of shows that I saw growing up, and I was like, those hold so much value to me now. So I'm like, if I could do the same to someone else, I would feel like that's it for me. I love that feeling,” they said.
“I want to make people feel something.”
(Left) Mariah pulls a split on her lyra in the middle of a show.
(Right) Mariah holds a contortion pose on her lyra high above the rest of the cast members on stage.
Photos courtesy of Mariah Wise.
Just two months after returning home, Mariah received an all too familiar email in her inbox. This email asked if she would be interested in the position of aerial director on a ship off the coast of California. They wanted her to come on board and install a show on that ship.
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“For install, the term of it is, you're kind of there, teaching the shows, looking over everything, making sure it's up to the integrity of the company and it flows very well. So I got an email and it's like, ‘Would you like to come install as an aerial director?’” Mariah said. She accepted the position and found herself on the west coast.
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Mariah has been performing some form of circus arts since she was 13 years old and was now accepting a non-performing role at 22 years old. Knowing this, I wondered what it was like to coach and watch other people do what you have been doing for almost a decade. She opened up about what that was like and what feelings arose as she worked in her current position.
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“I think now most of the time where it's like, I do miss performing, but being able to do something I knew I've always wanted to do, and especially at such a young age, it's kind of, like, weird because it's like, ‘Wait, should I be here? Should this be me in this moment?’ But the more I've been getting used to it and having rehearsals, it's like, ‘No, I've been training my whole life,’ and I was like, it's almost like second nature,” they said.
Mariah pulls a full-extrension needle in the center of an empty stage.
Photos courtesy of Mariah Wise.
In a few days, Mariah will return home to Orlando. The past couple of years of her life have been a whirlwind of performing, travel, excitement, and new experiences. Without any more nine-month contracts on her horizon, she plans on taking life slow and easy.
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“I'm in such a place where I'm going to take things day by day and if things are meant to be, opportunities will arise and it's kind of like I'll make the decision when I have to,” she concluded.
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Mariah is the embodiment of what every young circus performer hopes to be one day. She values always doing good and being kind to all. I have been a circus performer since 2012 and I have looked up to Mariah since the day we met. She is introspective, incredibly strong-willed and fights for what is right. She is paving the way for careers in the performing arts and has positively impacted more people than she will ever know.
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(1) Mariah and a friend pose on top of the cruise ship at sunset. (2) Mariah dressed up on her 22nd birthday. (3) Mariah holds up a peace sign on the shore with the ship in the background. (4) Mariah and two friends pose with roses after a show. (5) Mariah and eight friends pose for a group picture.
Photos courtesy of Mariah Wise.
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Published on May 1, 2022