Flying Fruit Fly Circus graduates land dream job with The 7 Fingers on a cruise ship

Campbell Clarke, 19, and Tom Leask, 18, will join major international circus company The 7 Fingers to perform their world-class teeterboard act on a cruise ship sailing around the Mediterranean.

The pair have been training on teeterboard - an acrobatic apparatus that resembles a playground seesaw - for about four years with the Fruit Flies and have been working on their double act since November.

Wodonga resident Clarke said The 7 Fingers team contacted him after seeing their tricks on social media platform Instagram.

He said they had landed a five-month contract to perform their act on Virgin Voyages' second cruise ship Valiant Lady.

"We're pretty excited!" he said.

"We know we'll be doing teeterboard in the show and night club performances on the voyage, six days a week.

"We think we'll be the youngest two in the show but there will be two other ex-Fruities, now based in Queensland, joining us."

Wangaratta resident Leask said it was the chance of a lifetime to launch their professional career.

"I'm looking forward to working with the company and stretching our professional careers," he said.

"I'm looking forward to working with artists from all around the world.

"It's our first big opportunity, professionally."

MORE LIFESTYLE NEWS:

Asked whether the teeterboard act would be more difficult aboard a ship, the graduates said they would simply have to adjust.

"The rocking is something we'll get used to!" Clarke quipped.

Training with the Fruit Flies in South Albury for eight years, Clarke said it had been excellent preparation for an international career.

"I really just stumbled into circus and it became my passion," Clarke said.

"I'm lucky to be born here and to now travel the world doing what I love.

"My family has put in a lot of time, effort and energy for me to train with the Fruit Flies."

Similarly, Leask said his family had supported him over seven years at the Fruit Flies.

"There were lots of trips up and down the freeway!" he said.

Clarke and Leask fly out of Australia this weekend ahead of two weeks of rehearsals in Orlando, Florida.

From this month, Valiant Lady will sail from Barcelona to destinations in Italy, Spain, Gibraltar and France after her maiden voyage from Portsmouth to Zeebrugge on March 18.

The 7 Fingers is an artist collective based in Montreal.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: