User:Joelheidtman

Joel Heidtman, legal name Robert Joel Heidtman, is an American professional juggler of German and French ancestry. Born August 10, 1968 in Columbus, Ohio he was raised in rural Sunbury, Ohio. Most of his relatives are from West Union, West Virginia. He is a practicing Lutheran and speaks English, Spanish and Japanese.

At a very young age he was influenced from the Florida State University “Flying High” Circus. His family vacationed annually at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Georgia, which was the summer home of the FSU Circus, where the student performers were employed as recreation counselors in addition to performing six days a week. This is where he learned how to juggle. He made his performing debut with them on August 9th, 1984 – the day before his 16th birthday.

Upon graduating from Big Walnut High School in 1986 he joined the Royal Hanneford Circus, traveling with them to Montreal, Canada to film the movie “Barnum” with Burt Lancaster.

Almost immediately after filming the movie he went to Venice, Florida to attend the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College. He is a Graduate of the Class of 1986. Having just graduated from high school he was one of the youngest members of the class. After Clown College he was offered a contract to perform at Disneyland at the Circus Fantasy event in 1987. In the summer of 1987 he was offered a contract with the Red Unit of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and joined the show at The Cow Palace in San Francisco. The next six years were spent on the Red Unit and the Blue Unit of The Greatest Show On Earth. He is a four time instructor at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College, 1990-1990-1996-1997. He returned to Ringling as the Public Relations Coordinator in 1998.

After leaving Ringling at the end of 1992 he moved to Orlando and began performing at Walt Disney World in The Magic Kingdom and in the Disney Village Marketplace, performing there until his contract expired in August of 1993.

He then accepted a contract to perform at the brand new “Grand Slam Canyon” at Circus Circus in Las Vegas, where he received his two week notice on his first day – they had overhired. Almost immediately he accepted employment with the Kinoshita Circus in Japan, and spent four months in Kita-Kyushu and Miyazaki. Returning to Las Vegas, he then was offered another contract in Japan and spent the summer of 1994 in Osaka.

In the fall of 1994 he began a six year run at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas at the Grand Adventures Theme Park, and was there until the park closed for the first time. A six year run at the Excalibur Hotel & Casino followed, beginning in August of 1999, ending only when new management terminated the entire entertainment program.

In the fall of 1996 he was sent on behalf of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus to compete at the Wuhan Performing Arts Festival, in Wuhan, China. He won an “Excellence In Performing” prize and went on a 51 day, 14 city tour of China. It was at this time he was formally invited by the Vice Director of The Ministry of Culture to perform in Pyongyang, North Korea for Kim Jong Il. The U.S. State Department strongly advised him not to make the trip, so he didn’t.

He has performed at the Red Skelton Performing Arts Center in Vincennes, Indiana three times, in 2009, 2010 and 2011.

On January 4, 2011 he suffered an appearant Transient Ischemic Attack, or minor stroke, at home. As a result of the fall he was briefly knocked unconscious and received six stitches to the head, leaving permanent discoloration above the left eye.

Classically trained as a Butler, he was named “Employee of The Month” for the Monte Carlo in November 2011, where he has been employed since February of 2006.