SINGAPORE – With dozens of eyes trained on him, Jonathan Goh scales a wobbly, unsupported ladder to the top rung before gracefully guiding himself back down to earth with a deft front somersault close to the crowd, as the ladder crashes behind him.
While it is clear hours of training have gone into this and other stunts he performs as a busker, what spectators may not know is that the 30-year-old has a degree in his craft.
The National Centre for Circus Arts in London confirmed, in response to The Straits Times’ queries, that Goh is the first Singaporean to graduate with their Honours degree in Circus Arts, doing so in July 2025.
His field of study might make him an outlier, but his mindset during his educational journey was quintessentially Singaporean.
Said Goh: “I was like ‘Okay, die die must at least have good results.’ Throughout my studies, most of the time I’m the just pass, average kind of student…
“But there was a lot of pressure when I went to circus school knowing that I’m the first… If you don’t do well, then what’s the point of being the first?”
Xyn Foo, an independent circus producer and director whose Master’s thesis was on Singapore’s circus landscape, believes Goh is the first person here to earn a degree in circus arts from any institution, let alone one recognised by FEDEC – the international network for professional circus education.
“To have someone who’s willing to invest both financially and time to pursue a degree, especially in Singapore, where culturally we may not truly value arts as a career, I think it is a very significant thing,” said Foo, who is in her forties and a member of the local circus collective Bornfire.
From professional performer to full-time student
Goh picked up circus arts at the age of 11 after being mesmerised by a fire-spinning performance and first dreamt of pursuing a formal circus arts education when he was still in secondary school.
But having chosen instead to go straight into performing, he thought a formal education in the field had passed him by, until the Covid-19 pandemic stuck in 2019 and left his career in limbo.
That was when Goh, who is also co-chairman of Buskers’ Association Singapore, decided to take “a leap of faith”. But that leap also meant a hit to his pocket.
The course at the National Centre for Circus Arts was for three years, with annual fees set at around £18,000 (S$30,500) for overseas students.
These days, Goh said his income fluctuates, ranging between $6,000 and $12,000 per month.
The 30-year-old said the question he gets asked the most about his career choice is “Can earn money, meh?”. But he added that when people learn the amount he earns, “it’s hard for them to give disparaging remarks”.
During his studies in London, however, with classes five times a week for around seven hours each day, he could not perform full time like he does in Singapore, meaning he had to “scrimp and save”.
He did, however, perform at Covent Garden – a renowned Mecca for street performers – as often as he could, earning between £200-£400 a week, which he used for living expenses, such as rent and groceries.
During term breaks in the summer he would perform across Europe, including at the renowned Edinburgh Festival Fringe. During the winter holidays, where the shorter daylight hours and colder climes meant there was less appetite to watch street performers, Goh would fly back to Singapore to perform.
Ultimately, Goh believes his tenure of full-time study has been invaluable to honing his craft, which involves an array of circus disciplines such as the trapeze, aerial and Chinese pole, teeter board, and ball, club and ring juggling.
He explained: “Before circus school, it was a lot of trial and error, a lot of guessing – just doing and hopefully, it works for the best.”
He also now thinks more deeply in terms of the creative process, trying to tell a story rather than just execute moves. And when he is working on tricks, Goh says his greater understanding of body mechanics means he knows the ways “to train your mind and body to get the trick faster”.
Foo says Singapore’s circus arts community is also reaping the rewards of Goh’s higher learning.
She said: “He is very excited about giving back – holding creation labs, sessions for fellow circus practitioners and trying to nurture practitioners that may take interest in his speciality…
“He is a community leader, one way or the other. He has always been.”
