Mckenna Lovett, from Jindera, trips the light fantastic with Hudsons Circus

Alexis and Ryan Lovett, and their children Carlos, 16, Mckenna, 11, Emmerson, 10, Van-Dawson, 7, and Londyn, 3, left behind their home, schools, and work places 10 months ago to go on the road with Hudsons Circus.

Every member of the family has a role in the show's two-hour production - from working backstage on lighting and curtains to presenting a talented trick dog in the opening act.

Even little Londyn makes an appearance in the spotlight, tasked with the all-important job of handing the ring master their hat!

Alexis, who previously worked in aged care, said she first became captivated by circus life when she answered an advertisement for casual snack bar staff in May 2022.

"I was struggling to juggle my work with child care and the circus hours suited," she recalled.

Two weeks later when the circus was set to leave Albury, she was asked to stay on and help at shows in surrounding towns.

"I travelled from Friday to Sunday - to places like Deniliquin and Griffith - for a month and I knew I wasn't ready to give it up.

"I had fallen in love with the magic of the circus."

So she bundled up the family, hired a caravan and joined the circus at Dubbo that July school holidays.

Alexis admits Ryan, a former project manager with Kotzur, probably thought "I was a bit cuckoo" but went along with it.

Then he did some work with the crew and "started to understand my obsession with it".

The family talked about whether they might join the circus on a full-time basis but the boss said there wasn't an opening at the time, according to Alexis.

"Instead we were invited to go the central coast for three weeks in September (2022); it rained every single day and we were ankle deep in mud," she said.

"At the end of the second week our boss said, 'If you can handle this, you can handle anything'."

And that was all the invitation they needed to sign up for a year.

The Lovetts received mixed reactions from family and friends to the decision - from thinking they were crazy to "freakin' amazing" for taking a gamble on something so different.

The school-age children complete schooling via distance education, although only a certain number of subjects are available online, leaving Alexis and Ryan to pick up the rest.

But Alexis insists the skills their children are learning from the circus can't be taught in a classroom!

"We've seen how much the children have grown and learnt since we left our normal lives," she said.

"We've seen more of this country than we could ever have hoped, we've been exposed to different cultures and the kids get to hang out with the performers who have been generous in teaching them so many new things.

"It's a tight, tight-knit family environment."

The Lovetts, who rented out their house and put "our life in a storage container", say they occasionally miss the creature comforts of home.

"Like really long hot showers," Alexis lamented.

And, as a family of seven, space is an issue - the two eldest children live in a converted truck while the rest of the family crams into the caravan they bought for the adventure.

"The rewards far outweigh the down sides," Alexis said.

For 11-year-old Mckenna, a former Jindera Public School student, circus life has opened up a new world of opportunity.

She has discovered a particular affinity with the circus animals (the dogs, ponies and camels) and now has a small part in the opening act, presenting one of the trick dogs.

Between them, the family is hard-pressed to name which act is their favourite, although they agree the Globe of Death has the "wow factor".

As for Alexis, she still recalls being spell-bound the first time she saw the opening of the show.

"And it doesn't matter how many times I see the opening, it still gives me goosebumps," she said.