The following is an excerpt from the July 10, 2010 edition of The Destin Log, “Breaking out of her ‘comfort zone': Local dancer performs with Le Grand Cirque.” Read the full story.

Since Morgana Phlaum was a kid, she had always wanted to run away and join a circus— now she is experiencing one first hand as a dancer with Le Grand Cirque.

“This is kind of like that,” she said of joining a circus. “But I didn’t have to run away from home to do it.”

Phlaum, a 22-year-old Destin resident, is a recent graduate of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and has been performing with Le Grand Cirque since the show opened Memorial Day weekend.

The energetic Phlaum is trained in ballet and modern dance, and said she “has been dancing since she could walk.”

She thanks her parents for their love of the arts, and their support in life. Her mother Sherry Londe is a long-time performer and dancer, and her father Stephen is a cardiologist at Sacred Heart in Sandestin.

“Performing in this show is different than anything I have ever done before,” she said. “I am able to explore more of the improved aspects of dance.”

The St. Louis native has performed in shows such as Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella and the Nutcracker, in addition to performing under the tutelage of world-renowned choreographer Robert Battle.

Phlaum said getting ready to perform in a world-famous show like the Cirque was a little nerve racking at first, with rehearsals and practices taking place just a week before the show was set to open.

“It was a lot of rehearsal in a short amount of time, but it was fine. That is what we were there for,” she added.

Read the full story.