Peak performance

DON’T LOOK DOWN Window washers Ignacio Javian (left) and Ramon Alvarado say the view is just fine.

Ramon Alvarado, window washer
For a man who spends his days 55 stories high, squeegeeing the windows of downtown high-rises, Alvarado is surprisingly grounded.

“I was kind of scared and nervous [the first few times]…but now it feels like I’m on the floor,” Alvarado says.

Those on the ground, or viewing Alvarado at work, beg to differ. During his seven years working for Corporate Cleaning Services, whose clients include the Park Hyatt, the Hancock and 900 North Michigan, the 25-year-old Mexico native has received multiple photographs of himself on the job from awe-inspired spectators.

As for the lifespan of the job, he’s not sure how long he’ll stick around. But he hopes to accomplish one thing before he leaves: cleaning the windows of the Sears. “Just for the record,” he says. “I’d just like to be able to say I’ve been over there.”

Jeff Krueger, antenna and tower maintenance worker
Of the people Krueger, 38, interviews to work for his antenna and tower maintenance firm, Krueger Tower (whose clients include the Hancock, ComEd and the Prudential building), only 10 percent get hired. Most opt out when they hear how high they’ll have to climb, and Krueger eliminates those who seem the least bit shaky. And among those hired, about 90 percent quit after their first day of work. Perhaps that’s because unlike Krueger, most people aren’t comfortable standing on a ladder several hundred feet above ground for five to eight hours a day with nothing but a safety harness attaching them to the tower.

“The challenge is that you’re doing something most people wouldn’t, shouldn’t and couldn’t do,” Krueger says. “Some people like skydiving, I like climbing towers. It doesn’t bother me a bit.” 

Shana Swanson, aerial dancer
As a professional aerial dancer, 30-year-old Chicago native Swanson makes a living performing tricks on an apparatus—a trapeze, a hoop, rope or fabric—suspended 30 to 60 feet in the air. The catch: She’s afraid of heights. To cope, Swanson practices with her eyes closed.

In 2005, Swanson founded local dance troupe Aloft Aerial Dance. Despite a few nasty falls—including a 40-foot drop in a Sea World performance—her love of the art keeps Swanson going. “If this is gonna be it, at least I’m doing something I love,” she says.

Visit aloftaerialdance.com for upcoming performances at Aloft Loft (937 N California Ave, 773-507-2604).