The circus is in Skyler Miser’s DNA.
Years before she was born, Miser’s mom was in the Air Force and met a man who was building a cannon.
“His pickup line was ‘do you want to shoot me out of my cannon,’” Miser, 23, told The Post in an exclusive interview. “She said ‘yes’ and ended up dropping everything to run away and join the circus with this guy.”
That “guy” was Miser’s father and the rest is history.
These days, the appropriately named Skyler is Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus‘ resident “Human Rocket” regularly getting shot out of cannons at arenas all over the world.
“There’s nothing in the world I can compare flying to,” she smiled. “The fastest roller coaster in the world goes about four times the force of gravity. The rocket is about seven. Plus, you’re not strapped in, there’s no safety gear…it’s a big adrenaline rush.”
“I don’t get scared,” she continued. “More butterflies but every once in a while, I’ll get nervous before I go. That’s mostly because something weird happened the show before or I had to fix something. I always say it’s more of a mental act than physical. If you can’t talk yourself out of this hole, you can’t do it.”
From March 19-22, Miser (who is also an aerialist) and the rest of the Circus — comprised of 65 performers from 13 countries as varied as the U.S., Ukraine, Russia, Mongolia, France and Germany — are making a four-day, seven-show pit stop at Newark’s Prudential Center.
And it’s going to be a good time.
“We’re putting on a party,” the Indiana native noted. “We’re calling it The Greatest Party on Earth. We’ve got amazing acts, daring performances, big laughs, live music and it’s a good family fun time where you can relax and forget about all of the problems in the world for two hours.”
Plus, her mom and dad might be there.
“They come and see the show about every six weeks. Amazingly, they’re both still performing and shooting out of cannons.”
Her folks are a wee bit competitive, too.
“There’s an ongoing argument about who’s the most talented. I think they know I’m the best, but they don’t want to admit it.”
For more information, our team has everything you need to know about Ringling Bros.’ Barnum and Bailey Circus below.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Ringling Bros. circus tickets
Inventory to see Ringling Bros. live all over North America — they have over 100 more shows scheduled in 2026 at the time of publication — is available on all verified ticketing sites.
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Ringling Bros. circus at Prudential Center
As noted above, Ringling Bros. has seven Prudential Center shows from March 19-22. All show dates, start times and links to buy tickets can be found here:
Skyler Miser interview
Ahead of her Newark run, we spoke to Miser at length about life in the circus, her nutrition plan, being the “Human Rocket” and more.
If you’re feeling under the weather, do you still go on?
I don’t have a backup right now. So, if I can’t do perform, there is no “Rocket.”
If people know there’s going to be a “Rocket” and there isn’t one, I feel bad. One of my favorite things about performing is being able to see how far you can push yourself. I do know my limits, though.
What’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened after you were shot out of the cannon?
Nothing super crazy has happened to me but there was one time when my parents were doing a double cannon, where two side-by-side barrels shoot simultaneously.
So, this time, my dad ended up going out but my mom didn’t. She was still inside. The trigger woman had yelled “fire” and pushed the trigger but my mom didn’t go. After that, they took the cannon backstage and my mom’s looking up the rafters and freaking out because if the cannon goes off, what would she grab?
Eventually, my dad came back and he disarmed everything. That was probably the craziest.
Do you always land on a gigantic mat?
We found that mats are safer.
My dad and mom used to fly into nets but they can bounce you, which is way riskier.
What’s the new act you’re preparing?
I’m an aerialist as well as “The Rocket,” so I’m on this giant hoop that’s 30 feet up in the air, which is something I used to do before I did “The Rocket” because you don’t want to start getting shot out of a cannon too young because the compression can stunt your growth.
Do you have a strict nutrition plan?
It’s tough. Because we live in hotels, eating healthily isn’t easy but we also use our bodies for work. So, you have to try and find that nice balance. I’m gluten-free, so, I have to think about things I can cook in the hotel but not break the bank with because groceries are so expensive nowadays.
On show days, the show does feed us, which is nice. When it comes to our off days though, it’s up to us.
Where do you guys prepare for the tour?
At Ringling Bros’ studio in Ellenton, FL. They have a 6,000 square feet of space that is made up of offices and rehearsal halls. Monster Jam and Disney On Ice are sometimes there, too.
So, you can be backstage and see Mickey walk past, which is cool. It’s the same deal when we’re here on the road touring. They put us all in a hotel and then we’ll fly or bus out from one city to the next.
What do you want to inspire your audiences to do with your performances?
I remember being in awe as a little kid when I saw the elephant act at Ringling (Editor’s Note: Ringling Bros. no longer employs animals and has a robot dog named Bailey as part of the show instead now). That feeling is what I want to give people when they come to see a show.
As a performer, you want to inspire your audience and have them believe that anything they want to do is possible. Knowing that I’m able to provide that in the same way that that was given to me is the best part of this job.
I remember Ringling’s last performance in 2017 (Editor’s Note: The show went on hiatus from 2017-23). I was bawling my eyes out because I thought I would never be able to perform on a Ringling stage. So, when we got the email that the show was coming back, I dropped all my plans. No more college.
I was studying physical therapy school and also thinking about being a pilot in the Air Force. Then, when the circus came back, I was like “let me mix the two and become a human cannonball.”
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This article was written by Matt Levy, New York Post live events reporter. Levy stays up-to-date on all the latest tour announcements from your favorite musical artists and comedians, as well as Broadway openings, sporting events and more live shows – and finds great ticket prices online. Since he started his tenure at the Post in 2022, Levy has reviewed a Bruce Springsteen concert and interviewed Melissa Villaseñor of SNL fame, to name a few. Please note that deals can expire, and all prices are subject to change.
