The Santa Monica Trapeze School, located at the Santa Monica Pier, has been in operation since 2008. Johnny Tu has been a catcher there for three years. I started taking photographs of him at the end of summer 2024 until the beginning of summer 2025. I was struck by how much personality he revealed while swinging on the catch bar about twenty-five feet off the ground. 

 

Johnny was born and raised in Los Angeles and only became interested in the circus as an adult. His first encounter with the trapeze happened when he was walking past the school where he would later train and become one of its regular catchers. On the ground, Johnny is shy; he admits his mind is scattered, like someone with ADHD. However, when he's up in the air, he is focused. He compares his catching technique to performing a root canal, which requires making constant, minor adjustments to ensure the procedure is successful. Johnny is set to start dental school at UCSF in the fall. Fortunately, he has secured a part-time job as a catcher at Circus Center in San Francisco while attending dentistry school.