Who is Helen the Foot Juggler? How a language barrier mistakenly landed 'AGT' Season 19 star in the circus
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA: From Season 19 of 'America's Got Talent', Heather Wonjila, known as Helen the Foot Juggler, is a novelty performer specializing in foot juggling. Foot juggling is a traditional circus technique originating from China and Russia, less commonly seen in the United States.
Helen, an Ethiopian-born entertainer, learned foot juggling at a school outside Beijing, China. She describes it as "a happy accident" and has performed at NBA and hockey halftime shows, among other venues.
Helen was raised in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. She was a champion gymnast known for excelling in floor exercises and balancing beam, competing for her country's national team.
Several champion gymnasts, including Helen, received scholarships to China. Despite their hopes for a gymnastics scholarship, they were mistakenly awarded circus scholarships due to a language barrier, which couldn't be corrected.
"There was a misunderstanding,” Helen told Nola. “It was a circus school, not a gymnastics school. Ethiopia sent the best gymnasts they had. We got there, and we didn’t speak Chinese, and they didn’t speak Amharic. So we started training.” Helen was selected for foot-juggling studies due to her long legs.
'AGT' Season 19 star Helen the Foot Juggler found her career break in a circus in Germany
Lying on her back, she learned to juggle large pots, tables, and various other objects. She also mastered other stunts such as spinning plates and juggling hats.
No other country sent competent gymnasts to the school, giving the Ethiopians a significant advantage. Helen recalls that upon their return to Ethiopia, the Ethiopian Gymnastic Federation greeted them with flowers at the airport.
Despite not having trained in gymnastics for the past two years, they were still expected to compete at the All-Africa Games. Helen chose to pursue her career as a circus performer in Germany, while others returned to China.
She eventually found employment in the Middle East and Turkey before being recruited to work at a safari park in San Diego, where she currently resides alongside a few other former Ethiopian gymnasts.
'AGT' Season 19 star Helen the Foot Juggler has a decade-old career as a circus artist
Helen is currently a full-time mother living in San Diego. Recently, she has been entertaining at halftime shows for sports such as hockey and the NBA. Helen feels fortunate to have moved on from gymnastics, considering it a highly competitive sport. Later, she was hired by LadyBEAST to join the Venardos Circus on tour.
In January, Helen completed her contract. In 2007, she started foot juggling with Afrika Afrika Circus. Later, she transitioned to the Mother Africa Circus, where she also began hula-hooping.
The 'AGT' star began performing as a foot juggler and hula-hoop performer at Circus Circus Casino in 2012. Later, she moved to Circus Zuma Zuma, where she worked for nearly two years.
Helen started working for the Norwegian Circus Line in 2014 and remained there for approximately seven months. She has been working as a freelance artist for over 13 years, accumulating nearly 10 years of experience in the field, leading her to Cirque Dreams.
'AGT' Season 19 star Helen the Foot Juggler's act includes more than juggling
Helen's main performance consists of juggling a Japanese drum that she paints to resemble a slice of orange or watermelon, spinning a table on her feet, and tossing it end over end. She just made her stage debut in New Jersey, where she was practicing a new act in which she spun rugs while hanging in midair.
Tune into 'America's Got Talent' on July 9 on NBC at 8 pm ET to watch Helen the Foot Juggler perform.