Anika Baines

My name is Anika Baines (a.k.a Chardonnay Sommers). I wasn't brought up in the circus world and I wasn't raised by an artistic family. I was born in Johannesburg, South Africa and was homeschooled from the age of seven until I got my diploma at sixteen. During this time I was competing at a regional and national level in numerous sports, including gymnastics, soccer and sailing. Once I quit gymnastics, I started pole dancing and through that I was introduced to the world of circus. I have been doing circus for five years now and in the past year I have also started doing burlesque and performing on a bi-weekly basis. During this past year, I have discovered that I love to make and perform acts that work with a comedic elements, including, working with audience interaction in my pieces and adopting the burlesque style of making random audience member a part of the show. I love to read (mainly fantasy) and watch musicals and, generally, make very bad puns and I am currently focusing on finding diverse ways to incorporate these elements into my performances.

The perfect mix of spunk and sparkle to quench your thirst. I believe that that world is full of magic and it is my job as a performer to help share this magic with others.