From Schoolyard Bullying to Finding Belonging Through Circus
James Bustar was singled out at school for the qualities that made him different. When he discovered the Flying Fruit Fly Circus, those same qualities helped him find a community, complete his education and build an international career.
This is not a story about bullying making somebody stronger. It is a story about what can happen when a young person is heard, supported and given the opportunity to find somewhere they genuinely belong.
Standing Out at School
When I arrived in Australia from England at eleven, I already stood out.
I had a Geordie accent, a lisp and a tall, skinny frame. I was interested in magic and performing, and after learning to juggle during a family holiday, I became obsessed with practising.
At school, those differences made me an easy target. I had experienced some bullying in England, but it became much more pronounced after moving to Australia. Juggling gave me something I loved and wanted to improve, but it also became another reason for students to single me out.
It was difficult to imagine that the skill attracting negative attention in the schoolyard could eventually become my profession.
The Holiday That Introduced Me to Circus
During a family holiday at Club Med Lindeman Island, members of the resort’s circus team taught me to juggle and introduced me to flying trapeze.
Something clicked. I returned home wanting to practise every day and began using my pocket money to buy juggling equipment.
Circus did not immediately make school easier, but it gave me a direction of my own. It was something I could work at, improve and feel proud of, even when I did not feel accepted by the people around me.
Years later, I returned to Lindeman Island as a professional circus instructor and performer. I had the opportunity to give other children the same kind of introduction to circus that had changed my own life.
Caption: James developed an interest in magic and juggling as a child, but the unusual hobby initially gave other students another reason to single him out.
The Week That Changed My Direction
As a teenager, I completed separate work experience placements with Bell Shakespeare, Channel 9 and the Flying Fruit Fly Circus in Albury-Wodonga.
The circus placement changed everything.
For the first time, I was surrounded by young people my own age who trained, performed and shared my enthusiasm for unusual skills. The interests that had made me feel strange at school were treated as an ordinary and valuable part of the day.
I remember sending my parents a message that said:
“I’m in Heaven.”
It was more than excitement about learning circus skills. I had discovered an environment where I could participate, contribute and connect with people without trying to hide the things that made me different.
My Parents Listened
My parents could see how happy I was at the Flying Fruit Fly Circus. When I told them I wanted to leave my existing school environment and pursue circus, they listened.
This was not a matter of abandoning my education or simply “running away to the circus.” With my parents’ support, I left Barker College at the end of Year 10 and moved to Albury-Wodonga to join the Flying Fruit Fly Circus around early 2003, aged sixteen.
I continued my academic schooling, completed my Victorian Certificate of Education and gained a Certificate III in Multimedia. At the same time, I trained, performed and began teaching younger children in weekend circus classes.
The importance of my parents’ decision has become clearer to me as I have grown older. They took an unusual interest seriously and recognised that a different environment could offer me something my existing school could not.
From an Unusual Interest to an International Career
The skills that made me stand out in the schoolyard became the foundations of a professional career spanning more than two decades.
After leaving the Flying Fruit Fly Circus, I performed on the streets at Circular Quay before accepting a contract at Huis Ten Bosch in Japan. I performed three shows a day while developing the act I hoped would eventually take me onto cruise ships.
That ambition became a reality in late 2008 and early 2009, when I began working aboard international cruise ships. I went on to perform for Royal Caribbean, Disney, P&O Australia, Norwegian, Carnival, Celebrity and other major cruise lines.
You can read more about my work as an international cruise ship entertainer.
My career has also included:
- Becoming a semifinalist on Australia’s Got Talent
- Performing at Glastonbury Festival
- Presenting a solo show at London Wonderground
- Appearing in consecutive Cromer Pier summer seasons
- Performing in theatres, festivals and corporate events internationally
- Achieving multiple unusual juggling records
- Appearing on Australian television, radio and in advertising campaigns
- Teaching circus skills to children, adults and emerging performers
You can read more about my career and performance history or view selected photographs and publicity material in my media gallery.
Bullying Did Not Make Me Stronger
People sometimes describe successful adults as having become stronger because they were bullied.
That is not how I see my experience.
Bullying made school a painful place to be. What changed my direction was finding supportive adults, having parents who listened and discovering a community where my interests were understood.
The positive part of my story is not what other students did to me. It is what happened when I was finally placed in an environment where I could belong.
Circus gave me a practical outlet, but it was the community around it that made the real difference. I met young people who shared my interests and adults who treated those interests as something worth developing.
Not every young person will find their place in a circus. They might find it in theatre, sport, music, technology, gaming, volunteering, a community group or another interest that the adults around them do not immediately understand.
Every young person deserves the opportunity to find somewhere they belong.
What I Hope Parents and Educators Take From My Story
My experience does not make me a psychologist, counsellor or bullying prevention specialist. I can only speak honestly about what happened to me and what helped change my direction.
I hope my story encourages adults to:
- Listen when a young person says they are unhappy or unsafe
- Take bullying seriously rather than dismissing it as a normal part of growing up
- Look beyond conventional ideas of what a successful education must resemble
- Pay attention to the interests that give a young person confidence and connection
- Help young people find communities where they can meet others with shared interests
- Recognise that an unusual passion may be more than a temporary hobby
- Seek qualified assistance and appropriate support when bullying affects a young person’s wellbeing
My parents did not know that juggling would become my career. They simply recognised that circus gave me a sense of purpose and belonging that I had not found elsewhere.
That support changed the course of my life.
From Finding Community to Creating It
The importance of connection has continued throughout my career.
When live entertainment disappeared during the pandemic, I created online collaborations that brought isolated performers together. I later interviewed approximately fifty working entertainers for a film about the financial and emotional effects of losing their livelihoods.
That project received national media coverage and led me into arts advocacy, helping give working entertainers a voice during an extraordinarily difficult period.
My wider creative collaborations have continued to bring performers and ideas together. I have also shared more of my professional journey through interviews, including the Behind the Scenes podcast and a live appearance for World Juggling Day on Weekend Sunrise.
Today, I continue to perform while helping create opportunities for other artists. My life and business partner, circus artist Kylie Simpson, is the founder and Creative Director of Cirqular Entertainment. I joined the company as Managing Director, bringing my performance, publicity and business experience to the organisation Kylie created.
Kylie and I also perform together through Chaos Meets Circus, combining our different performance backgrounds in a shared show and business. What began as a friendship during the pandemic eventually developed into a personal and professional partnership.
We also work to help connect clients with professional performers through Event Act Connect.
Looking back, there is a clear thread connecting these different parts of my life. Finding the right community changed my direction. Today, Kylie and I are building a life and businesses around performance, connection and creating opportunities for other artists.
Interview and Collaboration Topics
I am available to contribute my lived experience to responsible media, education and awareness projects.
Possible interview topics include:
- Experiencing bullying after moving from England to Australia
- Being singled out because of an accent, lisp, appearance and unusual interests
- How juggling was initially both an escape and another reason to be targeted
- Finding belonging through the Flying Fruit Fly Circus
- The role my parents played in supporting an unconventional path
- Continuing my education within a circus environment
- Turning an unusual childhood interest into an international career
- The difference between trying to fit in and genuinely belonging
- Why I do not believe bullying made me stronger
- How creative communities can provide connection and purpose
- Teaching circus and supporting younger performers
- Building community within the entertainment industry
- The personal realities behind a career spent touring internationally
- Building a life and entertainment businesses with Kylie Simpson
About James Bustar
James Bustar is a Sydney-based comedy juggler, circus performer and entertainment producer with more than two decades of professional experience.
His career has included Australia’s Got Talent, Glastonbury Festival, London Wonderground, Cromer Pier, international cruise ships, corporate events, television appearances and advertising campaigns.
During the pandemic, James created international online collaborations, documented the experiences of Australian arts workers and advocated for working entertainers.
James is now Managing Director of Cirqular Entertainment, which was founded by his life and business partner, circus artist Kylie Simpson. Together, James and Kylie also perform and produce entertainment through Chaos Meets Circus.
Media Enquiries
James is available for interviews, podcasts, written features and selected collaborations exploring bullying, belonging, unconventional education, circus and the importance of supportive communities.
James shares his personal experience rather than providing clinical, legal or professional advice about bullying. Where appropriate, he welcomes opportunities to work alongside established organisations and qualified professionals.
A detailed chronological media case study, supporting material and additional photographs are available on request.
Email: [email protected]
Website: jamesbustar.com
Media gallery: View photographs and publicity material
Contact page: Send James an enquiry
Why James Bustar?
With more than 25 years of professional experience, James Bustar has entertained audiences across Australia and internationally at corporate events, festivals, community celebrations, weddings, theatres, cruise ships and on television. As a multiple juggling world record holder and experienced comedy entertainer, James combines skill with the ability to read a crowd, connect with guests and adapt to the energy of an event. For roving entertainment Sydney audiences can genuinely engage with, James brings experience, spontaneity and plenty of laughs directly to the crowd.
Planning an event? Get in touch with James to discuss how roving entertainment can bring your guests together and create memorable moments.