Happy Anniversary Career!Saturday, January 2, 2010
Happy Anniversary!
Two years ago today, I got a phone call that would forever change my life. Two years ago today I was hired by my circus.
Happy Anniversary Career!
Happy Anniversary Career!
Monday, December 28, 2009
Paris, Je T'Aime
Initially, I had no intention of posting pictures of Paris. I did so for La Rochelle and Montpellier, but I had never been to either city before so it was exciting for me to share these newly discovered cities.
Paris, on the other hand, was old hat. I'd been to Paris at least four times before performing there and nothing really inspired me to post pictures of a city that I guess I took for granted.
Well, after three months, my attitude towards Paris has changed. From what I understand, people either love Paris, or hate it. For me, Paris was a city that I passed through on my way to somewhere I really wanted to be. It was a city of limbo and I felt pretty neutral about it. I had seen the sights and that was that.
The three months I spent living in Paris gave me a greater appreciation for the city and just how much it has to offer. Yes, its kind of dirty and far too loud. But this bustling metropolitan definitely has a certain je ne sais quoi that extends far beyond its rich culture and heritage.
And so, without further ado, Paris!
Paris, on the other hand, was old hat. I'd been to Paris at least four times before performing there and nothing really inspired me to post pictures of a city that I guess I took for granted.
Well, after three months, my attitude towards Paris has changed. From what I understand, people either love Paris, or hate it. For me, Paris was a city that I passed through on my way to somewhere I really wanted to be. It was a city of limbo and I felt pretty neutral about it. I had seen the sights and that was that.
The three months I spent living in Paris gave me a greater appreciation for the city and just how much it has to offer. Yes, its kind of dirty and far too loud. But this bustling metropolitan definitely has a certain je ne sais quoi that extends far beyond its rich culture and heritage.
And so, without further ado, Paris!
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Opera Garnier
A few weeks ago I mentioned that I would be performing at the Opera Garnier. Well, the moment of performance has come and gone and all I can say is "wow!"
We arrived at the opera at an hour I would normally still be sleeping. This would be our only chance to run through our act on the real stage. This was of the utmost importance as the stage is at 5 degree angle. Not really the best thing for a German wheel. I was a little worried, and the wheel did have a tendency to head towards the abyss that was the orchestra pit, but that just meant stepping out of the wheel for a moment to readjust. No biggie.
We, Les Rouetabagas (don't ask), had our own dressing room, complete with piano. You never know. We were treated to lunch and even got special ID cards that, for some reason, were marked Prime Minister.
Our portion of the show went off brilliantly. Unfortunately, because of the lighting, we couldn't see the audience during the performance, but I swear photographers were clicking away non-stop! And if I may say so, H was absolutely amazing. There was a bit of a technical issue at the end and he was left alone on stage much longer than was planned for. He improvised like a champ and held the room in his hand. I was thoroughly impressed.
The whole thing happened so fast. And for some strange reason, I had the feeling that we weren't done. On the way back to the circus, and after the show that night, I was convinced we still had to do the show. Perhaps it was simply that I've known since September that we were going to perform there and I just couldn't take in that it had finally happened.
I have to admit, as far as gigs go, this is easily the least demanding one I have ever done. I did a couple of minutes of wheel and spent less than eight minutes on stage. I don't even think we rehearsed more than five hours total. The first time I ran through my portion of the act was at the opera the morning of the show.
And yet...
Being able to say that I performed at the Opera Garnier in Paris was truly an honour. For me, its the kind of event that is up there with my Olympic performance in 2006. The crazy and amazing places I end up with the circus never ceases to amaze me .
We arrived at the opera at an hour I would normally still be sleeping. This would be our only chance to run through our act on the real stage. This was of the utmost importance as the stage is at 5 degree angle. Not really the best thing for a German wheel. I was a little worried, and the wheel did have a tendency to head towards the abyss that was the orchestra pit, but that just meant stepping out of the wheel for a moment to readjust. No biggie.
We, Les Rouetabagas (don't ask), had our own dressing room, complete with piano. You never know. We were treated to lunch and even got special ID cards that, for some reason, were marked Prime Minister.
Our portion of the show went off brilliantly. Unfortunately, because of the lighting, we couldn't see the audience during the performance, but I swear photographers were clicking away non-stop! And if I may say so, H was absolutely amazing. There was a bit of a technical issue at the end and he was left alone on stage much longer than was planned for. He improvised like a champ and held the room in his hand. I was thoroughly impressed.
The whole thing happened so fast. And for some strange reason, I had the feeling that we weren't done. On the way back to the circus, and after the show that night, I was convinced we still had to do the show. Perhaps it was simply that I've known since September that we were going to perform there and I just couldn't take in that it had finally happened.
I have to admit, as far as gigs go, this is easily the least demanding one I have ever done. I did a couple of minutes of wheel and spent less than eight minutes on stage. I don't even think we rehearsed more than five hours total. The first time I ran through my portion of the act was at the opera the morning of the show.
And yet...
Being able to say that I performed at the Opera Garnier in Paris was truly an honour. For me, its the kind of event that is up there with my Olympic performance in 2006. The crazy and amazing places I end up with the circus never ceases to amaze me .
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Wardrobe Malfucktion III
Okay, this should have been posted sooner, but in the craziness of the last few days of shows, there was just no time.
The last weeks in Paris were littered with an absurd amount of costume woes. But the third to last show would have to be tbe worst one of all. Unless, of course, you're in to Punk Rock.
I have only about a five minute gap between my first appearance on stage and my number. I go off stage, change my costume, put on my wheel shoes and do a very quick warm-up. Then, its go time. There's no time for dawdling and most of my actions are timed to the music being played on stage. It's that tight.
So you can imagine the panic when L went to zip up my costume and the head of the zipper popped off, landed on the floor and bounced away. As I have mentioned, I have five minutes to get ready for my act. What I may not have mentioned is that unlike certain other cast members, I don't have a double of my costume. No, for some strange reason the costumer designer made doubles for some people, mostly musicians, only the men, and left the acrobats (you know, the ones who roll around and suchlike) with only one costume.
So here I am, half dressed with my shirt wide open and no way/time to do anything about it. The woman in charge of costume care is backstage at this point, but isn't actually a seamstress so even if there was time to fix it, there's really nothing she could have done.
The only possible solution was... giant safety pins!
I had five inch-and-a-half safety pins holding my shirt mostly closed. I say mostly as there wasn't enough time to do a good job of it so the top was pinned unevenly and was partially open. I felt terribly self conscious my whole number, was worried the damn things would open an stab me, and on top of that, I had friends in the audience that night. Not a good way to end the run.
As you can imagine, I was pretty angry afterward. Moreover, the costume designer was in town to "do maintenance" (she was really there for the Christmas party). To further fuel the flames of rage, I ran into her before she left Paris and got to hear how the costume breaking was L and I's fault. We must have pulled it too hard. The zipper can't be pulled up quickly otherwise it gets caught, so I have a hard time believing that. Apparently it was also unsewn in a number of places. Clearly a result of the sharp spikes that grown out of my side...
She then went on to say how she had so much to do in Paris, but was too tired and didn't even get half of it done. She should be bringing some costumes back with her to work on, but, boff, she was just too tired...
When I mentioned all this to the technical director, he seemed utterly shocked. Shocked I say! I just hope it shocks him into giving the costume designer a swift kick in the ass. She's being paid, and having her transportation paid for, by the circus and and yet the artists remain in disintegrating costumes.
The costume was fixed for the next night's show. I don't imagine anything will have changed when we start again in January, but hopefully there will be doubles, the doubles would have should have had months and months ago, when we come back from the break before the spring portion of the tour.
Keep your fingers crossed!
The last weeks in Paris were littered with an absurd amount of costume woes. But the third to last show would have to be tbe worst one of all. Unless, of course, you're in to Punk Rock.
I have only about a five minute gap between my first appearance on stage and my number. I go off stage, change my costume, put on my wheel shoes and do a very quick warm-up. Then, its go time. There's no time for dawdling and most of my actions are timed to the music being played on stage. It's that tight.
So you can imagine the panic when L went to zip up my costume and the head of the zipper popped off, landed on the floor and bounced away. As I have mentioned, I have five minutes to get ready for my act. What I may not have mentioned is that unlike certain other cast members, I don't have a double of my costume. No, for some strange reason the costumer designer made doubles for some people, mostly musicians, only the men, and left the acrobats (you know, the ones who roll around and suchlike) with only one costume.
So here I am, half dressed with my shirt wide open and no way/time to do anything about it. The woman in charge of costume care is backstage at this point, but isn't actually a seamstress so even if there was time to fix it, there's really nothing she could have done.
The only possible solution was... giant safety pins!
I had five inch-and-a-half safety pins holding my shirt mostly closed. I say mostly as there wasn't enough time to do a good job of it so the top was pinned unevenly and was partially open. I felt terribly self conscious my whole number, was worried the damn things would open an stab me, and on top of that, I had friends in the audience that night. Not a good way to end the run.
As you can imagine, I was pretty angry afterward. Moreover, the costume designer was in town to "do maintenance" (she was really there for the Christmas party). To further fuel the flames of rage, I ran into her before she left Paris and got to hear how the costume breaking was L and I's fault. We must have pulled it too hard. The zipper can't be pulled up quickly otherwise it gets caught, so I have a hard time believing that. Apparently it was also unsewn in a number of places. Clearly a result of the sharp spikes that grown out of my side...
She then went on to say how she had so much to do in Paris, but was too tired and didn't even get half of it done. She should be bringing some costumes back with her to work on, but, boff, she was just too tired...
When I mentioned all this to the technical director, he seemed utterly shocked. Shocked I say! I just hope it shocks him into giving the costume designer a swift kick in the ass. She's being paid, and having her transportation paid for, by the circus and and yet the artists remain in disintegrating costumes.
The costume was fixed for the next night's show. I don't imagine anything will have changed when we start again in January, but hopefully there will be doubles, the doubles would have should have had months and months ago, when we come back from the break before the spring portion of the tour.
Keep your fingers crossed!
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Circus in the Snow!
About a week ago I wrote about how exciting it was to have the circus covered in snow in Paris. I'm currently stranded in a scuzzy hotel hoping against hope that I'll actually be able to fly home tomorrow and not spend the better part of a day in line at the airport trying to find a way to Montreal, or evacuating because of a suspicious brown bag.
But since I really do love snow, here are some pictures I took when Paris was still awesome and not the city that ruined Christmas.
But since I really do love snow, here are some pictures I took when Paris was still awesome and not the city that ruined Christmas.
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