Sarasota 10-year-old juggles priorities in Lakewood Ranch

Being he is the son of one of the top daredevils in the world, 10-year-old Dominick Bauer probably doesn't want to experience a crash course in anything.

But there he was March 23, making his performance debut, with conditions a little less than ideal. This lesson involved dealing with not-so-optimal conditions on the spot.

Dominick was set to close the Imagine School at Lakewood Ranch's first talent show, A Night with the Stars, with a spirited juggling and balancing act that would take a little more than four minutes.

His proud dad, renowned ringmaster Joseph Dominick Bauer, had him plenty prepared. But then the temperature dipped into the lower 60s, and the show, after all, was being held outside in the school courtyard in front of about 100 people.

Although the show started in the daylight, it was being closed in total darkness. The few stage lights were colored, and not very efficient in terms of providing actual light.

While his classmates thrilled parents with singing and dance numbers — a fact Joseph talked about all night long — Dominick jumped up from his seat about 20 minutes before his performance, and walked toward his dad.

"My hands are frozen," Dominick told the elder Bauer.

That's not the prescription for juggling success.

The two Bauers, who live in Sarasota, disappeared into a classroom, bringing props with them. They were calm, and determined, tossing the props in rapid-fire fashion, producing a bouncing effect to the human eye, as opposed to a catch and release.

Joseph soon learned what he knew all along, that his son had his head in the game.

The environment was so dark, Dominick said he was going to take a trick or two out of his scheduled performance.

Those who have followed Joseph's career know he is the master of evaluating his environment. That might not have seemed to be the case when he performed 240 feet in the air atop the Watergate condo in Sarasota in 2011. He braved higher-than-expected winds and fog to do his act on his 50-foot high Wheel of Destiny to promote Circus Sarasota. Even so, he weighed all the factors before going forward.

Understanding the conditions and your own abilities is a key to any performance, and ultimately, not disappointing the crowd.

With Dominick's routine set, and the hands warm once again, he was ready to take the stage in front of his Imagine School classmates. Joseph, who assisted his son, followed along toward the stage, thinking back to his own performance debut.

"I was 5," he said. "It was 47 years ago in Osaka, Japan."

His family, which was performing as The Fearless Bauers, was presenting a show of which he wasn't a part. One of the promoters saw the small child running around the performance ring and thought he was cute. His dad, also Joseph Bauer, was asked if he would work his son into the show.

"I did a handstand on my dad's arm," he said.

By family standards, Dominick might be starting to perform publicly a bit late, but it's been coming.

Dominick, a fourth-grader, is well aware of family history, and he takes pride in becoming the ninth generation to follow in the same footsteps of his circus ancestors. He isn't saying yet whether he will be like dad, a master of the 50-foot Wheel of Destiny, the high wire, skywalks, sway poles and incline motorcycles, and a ringmaster for Cirque Soleil, Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Circus, the Moscow Cirque and Circus Sarasota.

"We are so proud of him," Joseph said of his son. "He has been around this circuit his whole life."

That being said, Joseph has made sure Dominick understands that "education is everything in life" and that he needs to be prepared if his path doesn't take him to circus performance.

At Imagine School, Principal Selenia Quinones said Dominick is doing just fine. "He absolutely knows he is a leader," Quinones said. "And he's a showman."

Joseph's 25-year-old daughter, Ambra Bauer, performs circus stunts after going through the process. Dominick seems a sure bet to follow.

"I was doing a (media) interview in 2011," Joseph said. "Dominick was 4. We couldn't keep him off the wheel behind me. It's in his blood. He never has said, 'I want to fly an airplane."

Dominick's mom, Caroline Williams, is a master of equestrian stunts, and she would like her son to concentrate on "ground aps" such as the juggling and balance act he was performing at the Imagine School. Then again, she knows that isn't likely.

"We know his dad is a daredevil," said Williams, who is divorced from Joseph but remains close friends.

"His mom told him she wanted him to be a vet," Joseph said. "He said, 'What?'"

Joseph said Dominick already has "walked around" the Wheel of Destiny in rehearsal (wearing a harness) with him and his cousin, Circus star Bello Nock.

"But we don't push him," Joseph said. "We've never had any success by pushing. That causes accidents."

Many parents might wonder why Joseph would put his son into harm's way, but he doesn't see it that way. With proper preparation, he believes much of the danger is taken out of their stunts.

"One of my friends is teaching his son to ride a motorcycle," Joseph said. "That would scare me to death. I would rather hang from a helicopter."

Dominick wasn't about to hang from a helicopter at the Imagine School, but Joseph might have felt that way. His son took the stage, faced the crowd and spread his arms straight out to both sides with his palms facing upward. He waved his arms to inject some life into the crowd. They responded.

His dad started flipping him balls and plates, and the show was on. Dominick climbed aboard a Rolla Bolla board, performing a balancing act with his legs while still flipping props with his hands.

Proud dad and mom watched from the side.

His dad nodded and smiled as his son took a bow.

"They loved him," he said.

The newest generation of Bauers left the stage. "I loved it," he said. "The adrenalin gets into my veins."