The Replacements

This is something I have avoided writing about since April. I probably should have mentioned it in June, but couldn’t bring myself to do it then either. Its almost November, the axe is about to fall, and I can’t put off writing about it anymore.

C is leaving the show.

That in itself is bad enough, but what pushed me over the edge and is really forcing me to write about the situation at hand is that L just announced that she too will need to be replaced. Only, while C gave notice in April and is officially ending her time on the tour next week, L needs a replacement for the next city.

Moreover, one of our technicians (D) is regularly replaced because he also works on another project. But now, Ch has asked to be replaced for some cities as well! D’s replacement is G. But he has (and is currently) subbing for Ch. Come the new year, however, G will be back to replacing D and so we need someone else to replace Ch. So it looks like R, our maintenance manager and former troupe stage manager, will be making his triumphant return to the stage to replace Ch for a couple of cities.

Confused?

How do you think we feel?

It is utter madness here. We’ve been in rehearsal every day since getting to Reze in order to train up C’s replacement. Personally, I feel that a lot of how the actual replacement process has been very poorly managed. I haven’t mentioned the whole replacement thing until now for a number of reasons, and that is why I will refrain from writing about the actual replacement. Not everything belongs in blogs.

But the level of stress is taking its toll. Everyone is in a terrible mood and I swear the director almost died when it was announced that L needed to be replaced. He aged a good 50 years in that moment. And L is totally the workhorse in this show. Replacing her will not be easy. In fact, it looks like they’ll need two people to replace her! If we thought the rehearsal schedule to replace C has been tough, replacing L may well kill us all.

Right now, I feel like the circus is crumbling around my feet. I’m about to lose my closest friend and confidante, and then L. And due to some other fun personal drama, it feels like I’m losing some of my other ties here as well…

I’m just planning on when is the best time to announce my departure*. You know, in order to produce the maximum amount of chaos… sigh…







* I shouldn't even have to post this, but just in case, I'm just joking!

The Invasion

Everywhere I look, I see them. They’re running between the caravans, climbing all over everything in the tent, leaving a trail of debris in their wake. They’re eating all the food. They’re screaming at every decibel. They’re using all the hot water. The washing machines are completely inaccessible, and the wait for the washroom is probably causing me kidney damage.

In short, they’re heeeeeeeeere…

It’s the school holidays in France and every child in the country is on break. Which means that every person in the troupe who has kids now has them here. Not to mention their spouse or significant other. Plus some extras people (girlfriends, sisters, etc) thrown in for good measure.

Normally, we’re twenty-five people at the circus. That includes artists, technicians, musicians, bar staff and kitchen staff. We are now forty-nine. Forty-nine!

You know how many showers we have?

One.

You know how many sit-down toilets we have?

One.

True, there’s the Turkish toilet, but I’d take my chamber pot over the Turkish toilet any day of the week. And so I do.

Personally, I can’t take it anymore. There are just too many people here. Between the pressure of having rehearsal every day, the fate of the show in tatters, random passers by soliciting information while I’m eating dinner, and screaming families consuming everything in sight (site), I going to lose it.

You may be thinking, “It’s only a week, they should all be leaving tomorrow!”

Unfortunately, you forgot to take into account that this is France. The kids actually have a week and a half off. There are at least three more days of this madness. Throw Halloween and the accompanying sugar into the mix and suddenly my desire to break things goes into overdrive. At least I got to carve a pumpkin. Stabbing something repeatedly kind of made me feel better, if only for a little while.

Just give me some space. Give me some quiet. And while you’re at it, leave me some dinner…

Roubaix

Considering I left Roubaix nearly a month ago, you’d think I’d have gotten around to writing about it a little sooner… Truth be told, Roubaix was not terribly exciting. The floor wasn’t amazing, but it was better than in Nevers, so nothing to report on that front. The city itself is often described as the Detroit of France. Our first night there N had his car window smashed and a bag of drumsticks stolen. And while I’m told there were some seriously crazy events that occurred the last time my circus played there (like a theatre technician being shot outside the theatre), things were pretty tame this time around.

The only thing that happened that I feel is worth writing about is when I screwed up my last line the night of the premiere. I messed up, I did it again, people clapped. It sucked that it was the premiere in that city, but in live performance things don’t always go as planned.

When I got offstage, my cast mate came up to me and was clearly very excited about something.

“Ok, that, THAT was circus! Normally, you go on stage and you’re beautiful and you’re elegant, and that’s great, but that’s all. But tonight, when you fell, you gave the audience this look that was like ‘Yeah, ok. That didn’t work, but when I show you what I’ve got, you’ll be picking your collective jaws off the floor.’ Then you NAILED IT! THAT’S circus! THAT’S what we don’t see enough of in this show! Yeah!”

And that was one of the best compliments I’ve ever received. And it was true that at the end of my act the audience clapped even harder than normal. That second attempt wasn’t just about me, it also became about them and they were invested. That’s one of the wonderful things about circus. The audience wants you to succeed. And when you mess up and try again, and then get the move in question, they applaud not just the number and the tricks they just saw, but they celebrate the triumph. It’s an old principle of circus and it works. Its called mounting the tension. Some people do it on purpose. Some people turn mistakes into opportunities… In the end, seeing someone fall and then seeing them get back up and kick ass becomes about the collective and not just the person doing the falling and getting back up. Suddenly, everybody wins.

Sometimes, this job feels extra good. I also discovered that looking at people makes them clap.

Weird.

And useful.

Later French Detroit!

This Guy

Is awesome.

This guy right here is what I was talking about when I said I had a final point to make about the Taschen book.

Can you imagine how awesome it would be to see a circus show peopled entirely by acrobats that looked like this guy? Chubby, bendy, non-specific European stereotypes?

Hi-larious!

Yoga Toes

This is a post that I have been meaning to write for quite some time. In some ways, it is simply inexcusable that it has taken me so long to do so. You see, Yoga Toes are of such importance, nay, are so life-alteringly amazing, that you need to know about them. And you need to know about them now.

Now you must be asking yourself, "What exactly is a Yoga Toe?"

To that I say, "Behold!"


Now, don't let the cutesy spa-like photo fool you. Those babies have nothing to do with getting a pedicure. And while you may think those little toe separators used when getting your toes all prettied up are basically the same thing, you're sorely mistaken.

Yoga Toes are made of silicone are designed to stretch apart your toes. To get an idea, spread your fingers apart as far as they go. That is what Yoga Toes do for your feet.

Now you may be wondering why anyone would want to do that, not to mention the point of it all. To explain that, I would like to tell you about my first encounter with Yoga Toes.

I first learned about Yoga Toes a few years ago while working at a 1930s style carnival. One of the other artists in the show was a slack rope walker and if anyone knows anything about foot care, its wire/rope walkers (that stuff hurts). B went on to explain how foot care is a crucial part of your overall health, and something that most people completely ignore. That is why, she went on to explain, you see so many elderly folks who have difficulty with balance and the ability to walk.

She then made a connection that has stuck with me ever since. B explained that we are connected to the world in three ways: Our eyes perceive the world, our ears submerge us in the world, abut it's out feet that connect us, or better, ground us to the world.

How could you go on ignoring your feet after that?

She had a whole array of foot care tools like rollers and whatnot. I too have since acquired an amazing foot roller that I use before every show and right after my act. It is an amazing tool and when I don't use it for a while or use it after some serious foot abuse (say, a day in heels) I really feel the effect it has on my feet.

The one I use is on the bottom left.

But the star remains the Yoga Toes.

I admit, I bought them a bit on impulse. But I have never once looked back. No exaggeration, they have changed my life.

It used to be that when I woke up in the morning, it would take a few minutes before I could fully put my weight on my feet. It was like my arches had shortened during the night and I had to lengthen them again, very slowly, in order to stand. It was quite painful. After a few weeks of using Yoga Toes, the pain vanished and I have been pain free ever since. Only later did I realize that one of the few movements that helped my feet feel better was exactly the position that Yoga Toes hold your feet in.

But that still doesn't explain what they do. How do they work? For that, I will steal words directly from the Yoga Toes website.

• By spreading, stretching and exercising toes.
• Help correct and realign foot structure.
• Strengthen and stretch foot muscles.
• Helps improve circulation and appearance.
• Balance the entire body and stimulate/improve posture.

Not only that, but they also help to improve or correct foot problems like hammertoes*, plantar fasciitis, crossed toes, and bunions!

All that by sticking some jelly things on your feet!

They recommend that the first time you wear them, you only keep them on for 10 minutes or so then build up your endurance. I, of course, thought that being a circus artist made me hardcore and planned on keeping them on as long as possible. Well, it turns out that my feet were in such poor shape that after 5 minutes the pain was too much and I had to take them off! At least I knew they were working.

Now, I take them everywhere. I don't wear them as much as I should, but on the days I know I'm going to need them, it's good to know they're there. They are a bit pricey, but they're worth it. The good news is they do go on sale somewhat regularly. I purchased my pair during a four day sale when they were 50% off, and had the good fortune of finding the pair I bought for my sister on clearance, also at 50%.

So if you're looking to pamper yourself or have tried in vain to relieve foot and leg pain due to your profession (be it circus or something that finds you on your feet quite a lot), might I recommend investing in a pair? I promise you won't be disappointed.



* Hammertoes, by the way, are somewhat terrifying. I do no recommend you Google it.