The Colour Purple II

Remember how I said that the whole purple dye thing wasn’t a big deal to me? Especially since it’s only the bottom of my feet that are a bit purple?

Well, the Universe decided to test me on that and I somehow managed to get two big purple stains on my legs during tear down!

Here are my legs upon discovering their insanely filthy post-tear down state:

And here is the major stain three days later after multiple scrubbings:

And just a brief aside... notice the scar on the left? That would be from this.

It's so nice to have souvenirs.

Buuuuuuuuuuurn!

You’ve undoubtedly heard of rope burn and carpet burn. And then of course there’s mat burn and razor burn. But did you know there’s such a thing as couscous burn?

I certainly didn’t, but I do now. There’s nothing like the perils of circus to open your eyes to the many ways you can hurt yourself.

There’s this one part of the show where couscous falls from the ceiling* and it just gets everywhere. Soon after, I roll around on the floor and needless to say, it ain’t always pretty.

Ew.

That being said... 

Seriously?

Couscous?

Seriously? 

Quel vie de cirque...





* Don't ask. It's artistic.

The Colour Purple

It should be common knowledge by now that, for me, one the most important aspects of any space we perform in is the floor. So it may surprise you to hear that I haven't a single complaint against this floor. In fact, it is by far the best floor I have ever performed on anywhere. It's super solid, perfectly level and for the most part, I don't even have to try. Everything just works. I'm so sad that we only had four shows here.

It turns out that this particular floor wasn't always like this. But there was a horse show in the theatre and the stage had to be reinforced in order to support the weight of the horses. So just a note to every other theatre out there: horse proof your floors! It's awesome!

Of course, no matter how good something is. There's always a catch. Fortunately for me, this catch doesn't really bother me at all.

You see, for some reason, when they redid the floor for the horses, they choose to colour it with a dye that can't come in contact with water. If it does, all the dye comes off. This is bothersome for our show since we fling paint everywhere. Only the theatre people neglected to tell our technicians that little tidbit until after they started washing the floor... oops...

But more than that, anyone who walks around barefoot on stage ends up with purple feet.

And it doesn't wash off.

Like I said, it doesn't really bother me, and compared to some, my feet aren't even all that purple. Not like M who walks around barefoot while soaking wet. Not only has the dye stained his feet, but he has left permanent footprints backstage where the dye has come off!

It's not quite as glamorous as the Walk of Fame, but at least now we can say we've truly left our mark.

Cooling Tower

You may be wondering why I've posted a photo of what looks like the cooling tower of an old nuclear reactor.

The answer is simple: this is not a cooling tower. It's a theatre.

More specifically, Le Volcan (The Volcano). Or as the locals call it, the pot de yaourt (yoghurt container).

This eyesore was designed by architect Oscar Niemeyer*, the same architect who designed the city of Brasilia. Apparently there will be one more show after ours and then the theatre will be closed for three years while undergoing renovation.

I'm actually being a little hard on the building. It really is quite interesting and inviting on the inside, and the staff is absolutely wonderful. As you can see in the picture below, the walls are curved like the outside of the building.

Plus, we stayed at a hotel right across the street! I could literally see the trucks of the circus reflected in my hotel mirror! Proximity is always a plus. If the theatre has any real flaws (aside from being on the ugly side of things) it's that there are no windows anywhere. But then, if you're working on stage or in the theatre itself, it doesn't matter where you are, that's always the case. You're just in the dark.

If you'd like to know more about it, this is a great site to bone up on your Volcan knowledge.






* Am I the only one who can't help but break into the Oscar Meyer Wiener song when I read this guy's name?

Earth Day

A small step aside from the circus today to wish everyone a Happy Earth Day! You might think nothing you can do can truly have a positive impact on the environment, but even the smallest gesture is a step in the right direction, and those small gestures do add up.

That being said, I'd like to share this video of Tim Minchin's brilliant Canvas Bags. Enjoy!

 Now go do something good for the planet!

Still Noticing

Considering this blog is supposed to be about my adventures on tour as a circus artist on tour and beyond, there certainly haven't been many posts in that vein for the last couple of months. The reason for this is that we haven't done that many shows in the last couple of months. After having the first three weeks of March off, we had a three day stint in Geneva, followed by another three weeks off. Tomorrow we wrap up a four day stop in Le Havre before heading into a two week break. We're a big show employing a lot of people, and the economy is not on our side...

Fortunately, the next two dates on the tour are a little more substantial (and under the big top!) so hopefully there will be some more exciting stories to share. But if the last two months have shown me anything, it's that there's plenty of circus out there, sometimes where you least expect it! And in the end, the most important thing I can hope to do is share a little bit of the circus with you. Wherever you, or I, or it happens to be!

On the Streets of Paris

I had a few days to kill in Paris while en route from Hungary to the next city on the tour. Whenever I'm in the French capital, I always try to go to Montmartre. I'm not sure what it is, but I simply love that part of town. I'm not religious, but I have quite the soft spot for the Sacré-Cœur and there are heaps of wonderful little shops to browse.

My mistake on this particular visit was that I chose to go to Montmartre on a bright, sunny, Saturday afternoon. To say that it was crowded would be an understatement. I skipped the Sacré-Cœur all together and decided to up to Place du Tertre. It was even worse. I'm not one for big crowds, let alone crowds of tourists. Scolding myself for my poor judgment, I decided to go somewhere else.

And then I saw him. The man that made the entire trip up to Montmartre worth it.

This man, the most wonderful of buskers!

Not sure what's going on? This dude, decked out in tap shoes and Hawaiian shirt, is juggling while balancing a jug of live goldfish on his head!

  
Live goldfish!

On his head!

He was also charming and funny, but seriously... dude was tapping and juggling with fish on his head. What else could you possibly ask for?

Thanks for not disappointing, Montmartre! And special thanks to you, wonderful goldfish busker!

Editorial Cartoon

You've got to love a city where the editorial cartoons reference the circus! Well played, M. Chapleau...

"They stole my idea! I've been playing the clown

in Montreal for the last 10 years!"

Iris Preview

Did you know that Cirque du Soleil is going to be opening a semi-permanent show at the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles? Because they are, and the promo reel has just been released! Take a look...

The past few shows I've seen by Soleil haven't really done it for me. This, however, has certainly piqued my curiosity. Add to that the fact that I have a couple of friends in this show and I've got to say, I'd really like to see it! The likelihood of me getting to L.A. any time soon (or ever) is pretty slim though. But then of course, you never know!

This Just In! A Montréal Complètement Cirque Update!

If you were excited about the program release of Montréal Complètement Cirque 2011, wait until you see the promotional video!


Vidéo promotionnelle 2011 from MONTRÉAL COMPLÈTEMENT CiRQUE on Vimeo.

Montréal Complètement Cirque, Take Two!

The second edition of international circus festival Montréal Complètement Cirque is right around the corner! Taking place in various locations around Montreal, this year's edition will take place from July 7th to the 24th!

The line-up has just been announced, and let me tell you, there are some seriously exciting shows to see! There are local favourites like les 7 doigts de la main (Patinoire, Le Cabaret 2011), Cirque du Soleil (Totem, again), and Impro Cirque, as well as shows from France, Belgium, Ireland, and Australia!

I'm terribly excited for OKIDOK's return to Montreal as I fell in love with them when they performed their show Ha Ha Ha at the Tohu six or seven years ago. But most exciting of all is that Victoria Chaplin (daughter of Charlie Chaplin) and Jean-Baptiste Thiérrée (father of immensely talented James Thiérrée)'s Cirque Invisible will be coming to Montreal for the first time!

But honestly, it isn't fair to single out any shows just yet. Even a brief tour of the different companies' websites is enough to kindle some serious anticipation for the upcoming festival. From poetry to hip hop, and folk to modern and contemporary, this year's festival certainly does seem to have it all! The only foreseeable problem is how to decide what shows to go see... they ain't cheap.

The full line up of shows is as follows:

• Wunderkammer, C!RCA, Australia.
• Tom Tom Crew, Tom Tom Crew, Australia
• L'Impro Cirque, L'Impro Cirque, Canada
• Patinoire, les 7 doigts de la main (solo show by Patrick Leonard), Canada
• Le chant du dindon, Compagnie Rasposo, France
• Totem, Cirque du Soleil, Canada
• Miroir miroir, Happés Théâtre Vertical, France
• Cirque Carpe Diem, Cirque Carpe Diem, Canada
•  Le Cabaret 2011, les 7 doigts de la main, Canada
• Throw 2 Catch, Throw to Catch, Canada
• Timber!, Cirque Alphonse, Canada
• Le Cirque Invisible, Victoria Chaplin et Jean-Baptiste Thiérrée, France
• Kô Ryass, Productions Kalabante, Canada/Guinée
• Cirque de Légume, The Cirque de légume, Ireland
• Tous Cousins!, Les Zyrgomatik, Belgium
• Slips inside, OKIDOK, Belgium
• Le Carré Curieux, Compagnie Carré Curieux, Cirque Vivant!, Belgium
• Les parfaits inconnus, Les parfaits inconnus, Canada

To find out more about the shows, where they're playing and when, follow this link. I hope to see you in Montreal this summer!

Káprázat és Csoda

While in Hungary, I had the pleasure of attending Káprázat és Csoda, the show currently being performed at Fõvárosi Nagycirkusz, Budapest's permanent circus space. This was my first time seeing a circus show in Eastern Europe so I really had no idea what to expect. But even if I had had expectations going in, I really don't think anything could have prepared me for Káprázat és Csoda...

 Behold the majesty!

Snakes! Fire! Some dude juggling a crocodile!

I almost died from an overdose of cheese and awesome.

Try and imagine it... drag queens in disco ball outfits playing the drums, pirates, mermaids doing an aerial act while suspended from a woman, a bubble act, a domestic cat act, sequined fig leaves covering men's junk, Vegas showgirls, a swinging pirate ship act, a Jack Sparrow inspired clown, and a gender unknown chubby kid with no coordination portraying an angel for no reason whatsoever...

 

And that's not the half of it. I say that because my camera's batteries died before we reached the end of the first half. So while I may not have any pictures to illustrate my adventures at Budapest's circus, I do have something better...

The promo video!

It's World Circus Day!

Ladiiiiiiiiies aaand gentleman! Boys and girls! Children of aaaaaaaaall ages! Happy World Circus Day!

Not sure how to celebrate? Why, there are hundreds of ways!

You could brush up on your American circus lingo. Or perhaps hum a few bars of Julius Fucik's Entry Of The Gladiators, the Universally recognized theme song of the circus. Or you could discover a lesser known circus discipline with a quick search on Youtube! Might I suggest antipodism, Icarian games, or perch? Or, if you prefer to make some discoveries on your own, the National Circus School of Montreal has a great list of circus disciplines. Just click on the name for a brief description.

Better still, find out if there are any events happening near you! With 32 participating countries registered, you never know, there may be an event right in your backyard!

If there are no official events, maybe there's a circus in town? And if there isn't, what better excuse to watch Tod Browning's Freaks or Cecil B. DeMille's The Greatest Show on Earth?

Then, of course, there are the truly hands-on methods of celebrating this day of circus. Head outside and do a cartwheel, a handstand, or other acrobatic feat in your repertoire! Try and juggle! Throw a pie in someone's face! See how many people you can fit into a car!

Okay, now I'm just getting silly...

So grab a leotard and your floppiest shoes and celebrate the circus!

A Nod to the Buskers

The following is a bronze statue of a street performer in Szeged, Hungary. The details incorporated into this statue are really wonderful. You can't quite see it in the picture, but there are actually 'coins' at the musician's feet! The boutonniere, the pigeons, the suitcase as stage, the juggling balls... this is easily one of my favourite statues I've ever come across during my adventures in Europe.

In fact, I love it so much, I had to join in!

Forget Circus School...

I want to go here!

Is That So?

A recent article from the Montreal Gazette...

World Circus Day

Did you know that there's a World Circus Day? No? Well, I'm rather embarrassed to admit it, but neither did I! The good news is (for you and for me), that's no longer the case! Celebrating its second edition, World Circus Day 2011 will take place on Saturday April 16th.

According to the website, "World Circus Day is a special day for families all over the world to celebrate the magic of the circus. Stage a special event, take a kid to a circus, throw a circus party, dress up like a clown, join a circus fans association, or create your own circus, complete with your family pets."

Headed by the Fédération Mondiale du Cirque and under the patronage of H.S.H. Princess Stephanie of Monaco, this year's World Circus Day will consist of events in 32 countries!

For more information about World Circus day and the Fédération Mondiale du Cirque, visit their website.

World Circus Day is a week from today, how will you celebrate?

Origins of a Discipline

Another video find! This time dating back to the 1930s and 40s!  The first 30 seconds are absolutely wonderful, what with flying Frauleins and all. But then it just gets weird...  I'd say more, but I think it's best if I let the video do the talking.

Enjoy!

Origins of an Artist

For those of you who are familiar with les 7 doigts de la main and are also fans of Cirque du Soleil, do I have a special treat for you!

The following is a video report about Isabelle Chassé back when she was 13 years old and had only just begun her circus career! Isabelle is, of course, one of the founding members of 7 doigts, and the contortion act she performed in Nouvelle Experience (and the subject of the video below) is what launched her circus star.

The video is in French, but even if you don't speak the language, it does offer some really interesting footage of the earlier days of Cirque du Soleil (this was filmed in 1991 and the company was founded in 1984), as well as the early days of l'École nationle de cirque de Montréal.

Enjoy!

How Close?

I keep mentioning our proximity to the airport while performing in Geneva. But just how close were we? Well...

From the front of the Arena...

... you take the bend toward the artists' entrance...

... and just across the barrier...

Planes!

An Important, Non-Circus Post

Ladies and gentlemen, this post has nothing to do with the circus, though it certainly is aimed at circus artists. The subject is just so important that I am permitting myself this step away from Kicking Sawdust's usual content.

On May 2nd, Canada will be holding a federal election. For the first time in my life, I will not be home to vote. But am I letting that get in my way? Of course not! And if you're a Canadian currently working or living abroad, then neither should you!

Simply go to the Elections Canada website, heck, I'll make it even easier. Go to this section (for French click here) of the Elections Canada website. From there, you simply need to:

• download the special application form to vote by mail (click the continue button)
• print it
• fill it in and send it to Elections Canada via one of the many methods possible (mail, fax, embassy...)

Applications must be received no later than 6:00 p.m. on April 26, 2011.

Then, Elections Canada will send you a kit to vote by mail. The completed special ballots must be received at Elections Canada by May 2, 2011.

That's it! That's all it takes for your voice to be heard. My friend J is working on a cruise ship and is currently floating out there somewhere in the middle of the ocean. She sent off for her voting kit by fax and you know she's going to vote. I'm having my ballot sent to the hotel I will be staying at while on tour a couple of weeks from now, so you can bet your big floppy clown shoes I'm going to vote.

And if J can vote from the middle of the ocean, and I can be organized enough to have my ballot sent not where I am, but where I will be, then you certainly have no excuse not to vote.

Make your voice heard or lose the right to complain.

Thank you.

The Long Walk Home

Due to the unforeseen circumstances that crippled all things sound related the day of the run through, we started the test run of the show later than usual. Normally that isn't that big a deal, but seeing as the arena was flanked by the airport and a highway, walking back to the hotel really wasn't an appealing option.

The good news is, the hotel provided a shuttle service from to and from the arena. The bad news is, that service ended at 11pm. Seeing as we only started at 9pm, the chances of making that last shuttle were slim. As soon as we started and the small technical difficulties began to pile up, it was clear that those chances were quickly becoming none.

And so, after the show, we all waited to see how we would get home. There were a number of people who had cars at the arena but all conversation quickly gave way to "But it's such a lovely evening!" This was actually code for "I don't want to lose my awesome parking place!"

And so we began to walk...

I feel it's important to mention that no one was entirely sure of how to get from the arena to the hotel. We knew we had to cut through the airport...

But we got turned around more than once. I'd even go so far as to say that we got a little lost.

Eventually, we managed to find our way to the highway, and from there we could see the hotel in the distance.

Needless to say, that was the first and only time anyone made the trek to or from the arena on foot.