This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Brandeis chapter.
Her Campus: What year are you?
Trevor Kafka: I am a midyear student of the class of 2015 (so, currently a sophomore).
HC: Where are you from?
TK: I was originally born in Manhattan, NY, though moved slightly north to Chappaqua, NY when I was six years old and lived there through High School.
HC: What is your major and minor?
TK: I am currently working towards a double major in Physics and Mathematics, as well as a minor in Secondary Teacher Education. I also plan on continuing to study Chinese at least through my junior year.
HC: What are you involved in on campus?
TK: On campus, I volunteer for the Liquid Latex executive board, where we manage, coordinate, and produce the annual Liquid Latex show, where we feature dancers, models, and other modes of physical expression while painted in various designs of Liquid Latex paint.
HC: Tell me about being in Liquid Latex.
TK: I am also currently choreographing and will be performing in a piece titled Lost in Reality for this year’s show. I was also involved in Liquid Latex last year when I performed in a piece titled Starcrossed, which was a modern reinterpretation of Romeo and Juliet for both a dance and latex context.
HC: What are your hobbies?
TK: My biggest hobby, which I’ve had since high school, is aerial circus arts (which is an umbrella term for multiple disciplines including aerial fabric, Spanish web/aerial rope, static trapeze, aerial hoop, etc.) Other things in life that spark my interest are yoga, pilates, cats, amusement parks, and ethnic foods.
HC: Tell me how you got involved with aerial arts.
TK:Since I was about 11, I had discovered performances from Cirque du Soleil and was fascinated by the deep level of artistry and incredible level of skill. My interest left me motivated enough to attend a circus summer camp in 2006 where I discovered aerial arts, and quickly found it both addictive and rewarding. As a kid, I was always afraid of heights, and never considered myself to have any degree of athletic ability nor stage presence, so a discipline such as aerial arts was a big challenge, though the challenge itself only provided me with more reason to pursue it, as it let me tackle things that I wanted to improve in myself head-on. This is of course not to mention that I found it incredibly fun. I continued with circus camp for four years, and began to take classes in New York City during the school year in High School. After I graduated High School in 2010, I moved to Brattleboro, VT for a year to attend a professional training program at the New England Center for Circus Arts, where I got training in both performance as well as instruction in aerial arts. Since coming to Brandeis, I have been teaching classes on a weekly basis at a studio called Esh Aerial Arts located in Cambridge, MA. The opportunity has been fantastic for me and I am really grateful to be able to do something I truly love as a job three days a week. I also take up performance opportunities when I can with the Boston Circus Guild, which is a local circus collective.