Mikael Kristiansen is a handbalancing circus artist and a handstand coach with the Handstand Factory.

In Conversation #93, Mikael and I discuss: the highs/lows of performing at a high level, why he is basically a robot in pain, the type of mindset needed to achieve the one arm handstand (OAHS), some anthropological observations from the circus and what he plans to do as he gradually transitions to another phase of his life.

As always, I hope you enjoy. Kyrin out!

Timeline:
(0:00) - Intro to Mikael
(0:51) - Breakdown of Mikael's circus career
(6:26) - Venue layouts
(12:33) - The performative art of handbalancing
(19:10) - Normal jobs (for shady companies)
(23:44) - Behind the scenes of circus life
(31:06) - Performance anxiety & pressure
(38:05) - Getting outside of your comfort zone
(44:30) - Why do people retire from circus?
(54:50) - General injury prevention
(59:09) - Overtraining is subjective
(1:06:11) - Is wrist pain inevitable from one arm training?
(1:11:25) - Determination & obsession for the OAHS
(1:13:36) - Drilling vs playing
(1:20:11) - Teaching the opposite of natural tendencies
(1:25:23) - Burning out
(1:30:51) - You can't contain obsessive passion
(1:35:02) - Psychology during training/performing
(1:41:03) - Were people in the past stronger?
(1:45:06) - Circus families & crazy Chinese shit
(1:51:14) - Recent rabbitholes: Micro Mouse & Colours
(1:56:22) - Origami
(2:00:11) - My handstand origin story
(2:02:38) - Connect with Mikael


Mikael's Links:
Website: https://www.mikaelbalancing.com/
Handbalancing Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikaelbalancing/
Origami Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulsfolder/
Handstand Factory: https://handstandfactory.com/

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