Specifically, he's going to study at one of the world's premier circus schools, in Sweden, and he has his parents' blessing. But it's still a pretty bold move.
Peden is a world-class juggler and Rochester resident. He leaves in August for Sweden, where he will begin a three-year program run by a circus group called Cirkus Cirkor. Danshogskolan, as the school is called, "is a combination of a circus school and a dance school," Peden says. He will be the first American ever to study there.
The school has instructors in a variety of circus subjects, including juggling, wire dancing, and acrobatics. But one juggler who teaches there, Jay Gilligan - something like a rock star in the juggling world - was a big draw for Peden. "He is one of my favorite performers," he says.
In Europe, circuses generally focus less on the traditional Ringling Brothers style of entertainment and more on the Cirque du Soleil-like acrobatics, which rely on trained, athletic performers. So Peden will train intensively in a select class of only 16 students. He was one of hundreds who sent in performance videos, and one of only a few invited to go to Stockholm for a live tryout.
Peden has juggled for much of his life: he started at 5, following in the footsteps of his father, Jeff Peden, who is a professional juggler as well. When he started juggling, he says, it was "really just to impress" his dad. Eventually, though, he was good enough to perform with him; now they tour together as the group Airplay. They frequently do shows around the Greater Rochester area and have been featured in local media.
With his departure date looming, Peden is trying to scrape together funds for airfare and living expenses. He sells DVDs of his performances on his website, www.airplayjugglers.com, and he organized a performance Saturday, July 28, at the Rochester School for the Deaf. He has only a few weeks until he leaves; until then, he better work on his Swedish.