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In 2013 when Sally Corbette Newman, who does acroyoga (yoga plus acrobatics) and circus arts on the side, heard her friend was about to host Romain Philippe Guimard, a bona fide French acrobat, through Couchsurfing.com, she persuaded her friend to let him stay with her instead.

“You don’t get a ton of opportunities to host a professional circus performer,” said Ms. Newman, who had been dazzled by his circus troupe at the Spoleto Festival in Charleston.

“It’s a contemporary circus, not big-top Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey stuff,” she said. “It’s a lot more muted, a lot more modern. It’s a magical spectacle.”

She took a break from work that afternoon to screen him over coffee at Normandy Farm Artisan Bakery in downtown Charleston, and after they managed to connect and communicate, despite the fact she spoke little French and he little English, she handed over the keys.