Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Russia's Got Talent
Booze and juggling? I can think of a few places where this guy would do quite well...
Circus and Parenting
Here's a really nice article about Zarkana performers Jeremie Robert and Julie Dionne and how they juggle life under the big top and life as parents.
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Friday, June 22, 2012
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
The Grass is Always Greener...
...until the circus comes to town, that is.
Our tent was set up on a soccer field. When we arrived, it looked like this inside:
When we left, it did not. I neglected to take the after photo. But quite frankly, it was such a sad sight, that was probably for the best.
Sorry about your soccer field, Ilkirch!
When we left, it did not. I neglected to take the after photo. But quite frankly, it was such a sad sight, that was probably for the best.
Sorry about your soccer field, Ilkirch!
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Arlette Gruss
It turns out that we weren't the only circus in town when performing in Strasbourg. We shared the city with famed French circus, Arlette Gruss. It was pretty funny, actually. At the tram stop directly across from our Big Top was a poster for their show... oops. As luck would have it, we were dark one of the nights they were performing and so D and I went out to see the show. This was a little over a month ago, so bear with me if this seems a little jumpy.
Now I don't have too much experience with traditional shows, so in a lot of ways, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. Would it be like the show in Hungary, or would it be full out trad?
The answer was in the first act.
There was netting all around the ring before the show even started so you could kind of tell the first act would involve the big cats. So I found it pretty strange when the lights started flashing and the show was announced only to immediately go to black to do the final installation for the cat act that was already obviously the first act. Weird.
As an artist that has only done more contemporary shows, I was amazed at how indiscreet the technicians were. No effort was made to hide any of the manipulations. Not even the poop sweeps. Though I suppose what they lose in discretion they make up for in speed. Also, poop sweeps?
All in all, the acts were quite good. There were far too many animal acts for my taste, though. Tigers, elephants, liberty horses, another horse act, a dog act, probably some more that I'm forgetting. While I do enjoy some animal acts, I must admit, I prefer seeing people do incredible feats.
The swinging trapezist was particularly good. He opened his act with full twist catch heels. Full twist catch heels! Outstanding! The handbalancer was also lovely. And there was a duo straps act, but not like the kind in Varekai. This was actually more of a static hand-to-hand act performed really high in the air. You know this move? Okay, imagine that, but the porter is holding himself in splits in the straps. And the two of them are a good 25m off the ground. They were awesome.
And who can resist the wheel of death?
And for the first time in my entire life, I saw a motorcycle cage! It was insane. Insane! They started off as
three and when two more cyclists came out you just had to ask "How will they all fit?" And that's when three more cyclists showed up! Now that's edge of your seat entertainment. But I really must ask, how do you even start doing that? Let alone find seven other guys to do it with you? And I cant' even begin to imagine the level of trust and concentration that you must have to perform such an act. Hats off, boys!
Definitely a fun and interesting experience, but once all was said and done, the show was far too long (almost three hours!) and a bit lacking in human performers.
Now I don't have too much experience with traditional shows, so in a lot of ways, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. Would it be like the show in Hungary, or would it be full out trad?
The answer was in the first act.
There was netting all around the ring before the show even started so you could kind of tell the first act would involve the big cats. So I found it pretty strange when the lights started flashing and the show was announced only to immediately go to black to do the final installation for the cat act that was already obviously the first act. Weird.
As an artist that has only done more contemporary shows, I was amazed at how indiscreet the technicians were. No effort was made to hide any of the manipulations. Not even the poop sweeps. Though I suppose what they lose in discretion they make up for in speed. Also, poop sweeps?
All in all, the acts were quite good. There were far too many animal acts for my taste, though. Tigers, elephants, liberty horses, another horse act, a dog act, probably some more that I'm forgetting. While I do enjoy some animal acts, I must admit, I prefer seeing people do incredible feats.
The swinging trapezist was particularly good. He opened his act with full twist catch heels. Full twist catch heels! Outstanding! The handbalancer was also lovely. And there was a duo straps act, but not like the kind in Varekai. This was actually more of a static hand-to-hand act performed really high in the air. You know this move? Okay, imagine that, but the porter is holding himself in splits in the straps. And the two of them are a good 25m off the ground. They were awesome.
And who can resist the wheel of death?
And for the first time in my entire life, I saw a motorcycle cage! It was insane. Insane! They started off as
three and when two more cyclists came out you just had to ask "How will they all fit?" And that's when three more cyclists showed up! Now that's edge of your seat entertainment. But I really must ask, how do you even start doing that? Let alone find seven other guys to do it with you? And I cant' even begin to imagine the level of trust and concentration that you must have to perform such an act. Hats off, boys!
Definitely a fun and interesting experience, but once all was said and done, the show was far too long (almost three hours!) and a bit lacking in human performers.
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Wallenda Completes 1,800-foot Journey!
Read the article on the Montreal Gazette website
View the photos on the Ottawa Citizen website!
Watch the video on the Calgary Herald website!
Friday, June 15, 2012
Continuing the Legacy
Here's a great video from ABC promoting Nik Wallenda's crossing of the falls. I'm not going to lie, I teared up a little when the Danger by Design part came up.
I was also amazed to see Jenny Wallenda in the video. The images I have of her are of signed photos left to my grandfather when the Wallenda's stayed at his hotel in the early 70s. It's truly amazing to see the continuation of a family of circus artists.
The crossing is happening tonight at 8pm CST. Watch it if you can!
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Crossing the Falls
I really wanted to write a nice long entry on this subject, but being mid-trip, I'm afraid I just don't have the time. But this is far too exciting an event to let slip by unnoticed. In a matter of days, Nik Wallenda will be crossing Niagara Falls on a tightrope!
Nik Wallenda is a seventh-generation circus performer, and one of the famed Flying Wallendas. On June 15th he will become one of a dozen or so wire artists to dare cross Niagara Falls. What makes this crossing particularly unique, however, is that Wallenda's 1,800-foot tightrope walk across the brink of the falls will take him from the United States into Canada and is first such crossing of its kind. All other crossings have taken place downstream from the brink, never directly over the falls.
Initially denied permission for the crossing by Canadian authorities (he pestered them for two years), this will be the first wire act permitted in the area since 1896!
For a far more interesting read on the Wallendas and this exciting circus event, check out this article by the Associated Press.
Nik Wallenda is a seventh-generation circus performer, and one of the famed Flying Wallendas. On June 15th he will become one of a dozen or so wire artists to dare cross Niagara Falls. What makes this crossing particularly unique, however, is that Wallenda's 1,800-foot tightrope walk across the brink of the falls will take him from the United States into Canada and is first such crossing of its kind. All other crossings have taken place downstream from the brink, never directly over the falls.
Initially denied permission for the crossing by Canadian authorities (he pestered them for two years), this will be the first wire act permitted in the area since 1896!
For a far more interesting read on the Wallendas and this exciting circus event, check out this article by the Associated Press.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Seeing What Developed
In my last post I mentioned that over the next two weeks I would be traveling up through the Baltics into Finland and so would have little time to blog. I also mentioned that before beginning that trip, I would be doing a photo shoot on trapeze.
Well the photo shoot has come and gone and if I may say so, hot damn!
The pictures came out better than I ever could have imagined! Especially the ones we took in the abandoned slaughterhouse. I'm a little disappointed with the photos in the tree but mostly because I feel that I didn't do the tree justice. I mean, this tree was simply magnificent. I think it has to do with the lighting and so I'm hoping that once the colours have been corrected they'll pop a little more. Also, I was so high up in the tree that the pictures aren't quite as intimate
More than anything, I feel like I've taken a huge step forward on my journey into becoming an aerialist. I've never rigged anything before and I've never worked anywhere that wasn't an actual circus space of some kind. It was exhilarating.
And of course by 'exhilarating' I mean 'terrifying'.
Holy crap, I might have looked all cool in collected but I was trembling the entire time! I was fine once I was on my trapeze, but climbing over the beams in the slaughterhouse? And way the hell up that tree? Yeah. Shaking in my chevillรจres.
The slaughterhouse was quite unsettling. Completely trashed and abandoned, you always felt that someone was in the shadows. The place was beyond filthy. Broken glass, pieces of machinery, and twisted metal littered every surface. There were torched cars in the lot. And doors and loose roof tiles kept banging in the wind.
The first place we wanted to rig the trapeze ended up being way too low. The trapeze was maybe 20cm from the ground! That was my first lesson in rigging. Location, location, location...
The place we actually ended up shooting was still quite low (in foot hang my hair touched the floor) but that turned out to be blessing in disguise. F was able to take photos from pretty much eye level and at close range. The result is outstanding.
Here are some pictures to give you an idea of where we spent the afternoon...
Like I said, I've only seen the raw photos so far, but considering how amazing they look, I know the final product is going to be simply outstanding!
Well the photo shoot has come and gone and if I may say so, hot damn!
The pictures came out better than I ever could have imagined! Especially the ones we took in the abandoned slaughterhouse. I'm a little disappointed with the photos in the tree but mostly because I feel that I didn't do the tree justice. I mean, this tree was simply magnificent. I think it has to do with the lighting and so I'm hoping that once the colours have been corrected they'll pop a little more. Also, I was so high up in the tree that the pictures aren't quite as intimate
More than anything, I feel like I've taken a huge step forward on my journey into becoming an aerialist. I've never rigged anything before and I've never worked anywhere that wasn't an actual circus space of some kind. It was exhilarating.
And of course by 'exhilarating' I mean 'terrifying'.
Holy crap, I might have looked all cool in collected but I was trembling the entire time! I was fine once I was on my trapeze, but climbing over the beams in the slaughterhouse? And way the hell up that tree? Yeah. Shaking in my chevillรจres.
The slaughterhouse was quite unsettling. Completely trashed and abandoned, you always felt that someone was in the shadows. The place was beyond filthy. Broken glass, pieces of machinery, and twisted metal littered every surface. There were torched cars in the lot. And doors and loose roof tiles kept banging in the wind.
The first place we wanted to rig the trapeze ended up being way too low. The trapeze was maybe 20cm from the ground! That was my first lesson in rigging. Location, location, location...
The place we actually ended up shooting was still quite low (in foot hang my hair touched the floor) but that turned out to be blessing in disguise. F was able to take photos from pretty much eye level and at close range. The result is outstanding.
Here are some pictures to give you an idea of where we spent the afternoon...
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Photo Shoot!
Hello all!
Remember how I said I'd be able to start posting again soon? Well, about that...
I'm on a break for the next little while, but as is my custom, breaks are synonymous with adventure! And as of this evening, I'm off! I'll be going to Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Finland. Then back home to Montreal, but only for two weeks as I have a month long adventure in South America (with a wee bit of work) to keep me occupied.
But before any of that happens, I'm going to Nantes for a photo shoot! Its been almost a year since I started doing trapeze and it's high time I get some promotional material together. Especially since I've started applying for work with trapeze but with very little professional material (*coughcoughnonecoughcough*) to show.
The shoot will last two days and the photographer and I have planned on two locations: an old abandoned slaughterhouse, and a big ol' oak tree. Having done a shoot with this photographer before, I'm sure there will some other on a whim locations thrown in as well.
I admit, I'm a little nervous about doing photos outdoors on an apparatus that still feels new to me, but if Rhianna can do it, then so can I!
Remember how I said I'd be able to start posting again soon? Well, about that...
I'm on a break for the next little while, but as is my custom, breaks are synonymous with adventure! And as of this evening, I'm off! I'll be going to Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Finland. Then back home to Montreal, but only for two weeks as I have a month long adventure in South America (with a wee bit of work) to keep me occupied.
But before any of that happens, I'm going to Nantes for a photo shoot! Its been almost a year since I started doing trapeze and it's high time I get some promotional material together. Especially since I've started applying for work with trapeze but with very little professional material (*coughcoughnonecoughcough*) to show.
The shoot will last two days and the photographer and I have planned on two locations: an old abandoned slaughterhouse, and a big ol' oak tree. Having done a shoot with this photographer before, I'm sure there will some other on a whim locations thrown in as well.
I admit, I'm a little nervous about doing photos outdoors on an apparatus that still feels new to me, but if Rhianna can do it, then so can I!
The key is to wear as little clothing as possible.
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