The group went on to do two more shows, with more and more people outside of family and friends attending.
“A lot of people doubt what they are going to come and watch, they don’t know what we can do, they don’t know what it’s going to look like, they don’t know what to expect,” Ms Wan recalled of their earlier performances.
The misconception is that circuses either take the form of Cirque du Soleil or solely feature animals and clowns.
Ms Wan’s show is “somewhat in the middle” but it’s hard for some to visualise, she said.
All of this made it tough to sell tickets to defray loans and costs around production, venue rental and payments to performers.
Ms Wan, who also coaches circus arts on the side, has relied on her own income to tide things through.
“All of that gets reinvested into everything I do,” she said.
She has since started her own circus group called Frisque SG, which boasts a total of 36 performers – 27 acrobats and 9 musicians.
One of them, 26-year-old Ella Wee, shares Ms Wan’s ambition to build a circus community in Singapore.
“I also have my own personal dream of seeing how circus and theatre can come together,” said the freelance actress, who does aerial stunts and contortion.
Come December, Frisque SG will perform at Marina Bay Sands in a show comprising various acts like fire spinning, juggling and of course, acrobatics.
The end goal for Frisque is two-fold, said Ms Wan. She hopes the group can one day go on tour overseas but at the same time, also run a daily show in Singapore.
While her family has been supportive in her journey, Ms Wan regularly hears comments from others on how she’d only be able to chase her circus dream by going abroad.
“A lot of people do say the same thing: ‘Don’t chase it here in Singapore. No hope’. It’s a bit sad,” she said.
“I don’t want to leave the country. Something needs to grow. If everyone that has a talent leaves, then Singapore will always be the place you don’t come (to) if you want to chase your dreams.
“We want people to be able to pursue their dreams. And that’s not possible if you cannot make a career out of it,” Ms Wan added.
“You can choose to be the person that makes the change.”
