As a way to get this open forum off to a spectacular start, I’ve chosen what could quite possibly be a very controversial subject. The subject is one of archetypes: common characteristics that performers of a certain kind share. I will go as far as to say that in the analysis of each of the individual Circus Arts, it is apparent that each is a way in which people express their own specific psychological components.
The art or arts they choose are a way of satisfying, gratifying and expressing their psyche. This is why someone of a certain temperament will be completely drawn to Stilt-Walking while another individual will find it completely unappealing & yet spend hours a day working on back bends so they can tuck their rear-end tightly behind their ears & perform as a Contortionist. As a performer myself, I feel the lure & flow of expression from each of the individual Circus Arts that resonate with me to varying degrees. I do promise to be as objective as I possibly can in my analysis and I will tap into the “wealth of experience” (ha ha) I’ve accumulated based on my six years of circus... and will do my best to limit & be aware of my biases towards Aerialists or Fire-Dancers! ; 0)
THE AERIALIST
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Me on Trapeze at the Bohemian Carnival in SF. |
The Aerialist usually performs at a distance, high above the world, hanging perilously & executing body tricks on a bolt of fabric, steel hoop, steel bar, nylon rope or a net hung in the same fashion as fabric. They are seen by everyone & all in a given performance & the spotlight is almost exclusively just for them during a piece. Many are soloists in training, in being & in performance. Some have partners, & such endeavors are filled with intensity & passion (and plenty of drama). The aerialist is flexible, graceful, sensual & strong. If they are a master of their craft, they will have all these four components in perfect balance. Usually they keep their bodies in perfect shape... or the craft just does it for them... but the observation being that many aerialists have beautiful, sinewy, graceful, “musclely” bodies. The aerialist will connect with their audience in the form of a furtive glance or a discreet smile, but all too often they will perform in their own little self-enclosed world. It’s uncanny & quite impressive that most aerialists of the 21st Century perform with no harnesses, no nets & no mats below. Under these harsh circumstances, any mistake is usually a damaging one... sometimes even fatal. Therefore, a “miss-take” when performing is not permitted in this art; it is simply, not an option. It is something of a constant reality that this soloist must always contend with. With this in mind, PROPS to you Sarah Romanowsky & your incredible return! We love you & I admire you greatly!
The Archetype of the aerialist would lend itself to that of the narcissist who loves to be at the very center of attention. Usually, they tend to be some of the most beautiful performers & seem to be deserving the limelight. They like to be thought of & consequently often are, as leaders, the one’s with all the answers & the one who is in charge. There is definitely a lone wolf tendency & many times, aerialists are absolute perfectionists who tend to be super tough on themselves... & because they are tough on themselves, they can be tough on others as well. They like to put themselves on the quest for difficult (notice, I didn’t write “tall”) orders & usually don’t quit things simply because of the pain... pain is sometimes even a motivator for them to work harder. They do a pretty good job with balancing their lives & tend to look like they have it all together. Many times, this type of performer bites off more than they can chew. This can lead to these personalities being a bit scattered below their “perfect” exteriors” & ADD can definitely set in with any one of their passions. It is adorned with a badge of distinction, but it is an intricate level of difficulty & a very driven temperament that finds expression within this magnificent art form.
THE STILT-WALKER
The Stilt-Walker is always the one who stands out in a crowd. Nobody ever stands eye to eye with these performers & they can be seen from way across a party. Most of the time this performer plays the role of a clown as well & has the wonderful ability to make everyone laugh & bring all kinds of excitement to a party. Elaborately dressed & full of silly gags, the Stilt-Walker or nowadays, the Stilt-Acrobat has the floor when it comes to a venue. Nobody can ignore the Stilter... & why would you want to? They are usually great with kids & in my experience, many tend to do a pretty good job on the microphone as an emcee. They are gregarious & have super colorful personalities.
What this Archetype says to me is that they are fun-loving & wonderful with people who’s main ambition in life is to make people laugh & enjoy life more. Many times their costumes are made by the performer themselves, so it stands to reason why so many of these people are such amazing & creative designers. Although, being so high up, it is usually hard to have a real connection or conversation with a Stilt-Walker when they are on. Most peculiar, is once you get to know these performers outside of their clown white make-up, they are a very intense group of people who tend to worry a great deal about what they are doing with their lives. My friends who are Stilt-Walkers are the group of people who constantly worry whether they are in the right town, right relationship or right career. The cheerful, goofy posteriors are sometimes a way to hide all the intensity of life they feel. In fact, connecting with young people tends to keep people “grounded” & allows us all to see the innocent view on life & that is why the Stilt-Walker loves being around youth.
THE FIRE-DANCER
This is a performer that attracts all all party-goers like a moth to the flame. Many Fire-Dancers perform on the ground & wear clothing that is very tribal in nature (leather, feathers, strips of gauze, canvas & neutral colors). They tend to hang with friends in tight “conclaves” who practice this type of art form as well. Many have backgrounds in martial arts or dance & move as one with their sword, poi, fans, hoop, fingers, staff or double staff. The fire they spin never seems to unnerve them... as if the flames are streamers & the idea of singed flesh never crosses their minds. They are also the type of performer that doesn’t need a crowd, stage, or spotlight to perform... they just start & the crowd forms around them. & if it doesn’t, they will keep dancing since it seems that their love for performance is a love for fire & not the attention it brings them. Many times, Fire-dance is not legal in a particular area, therefore the Fire performer does it anyway, but quickly & incognito.
Fire-dancers are those that love to play with fire... literally. They know the rules of the game, many do get burned at one point or the other, but this is not a deterrent. Interesting enough, I have known many Fire people to get in trouble with the law or have some pretty severe consequences in their life for not sticking to “the rules”. They live life playing with boundaries. Since they work from the ground & many seem to even make full-body contact with the Earth when performing, one would guess that they are quite Earthy, Tribal or connected to their planet... but I don’t know if this is all together true. What I do know to be true about the Fire-Performer, is that they all sincerely have a love for fire & don’t do it to gain love or attention as many have confident personalities when you speak to them one-on-one. This art form is unique in the way that it attracts all body-types & although the dance itself can be quite cardiovascular, it doesn’t necessarily limit itself to a “body conscious” crowd.
THE CONTORTIONIST
Observing a Contortionist/Hand-Balancing act, one automatically notices how fluid & deliberate each movement this performer makes. With each movement, each twist, each shift, each hand gesture, the body creates a different & many times, completely un-natural or “freakish” posture. Many of which a chiropractor would”arrguh” at. This performer is almost always a soloist & always demands a small stage & spotlight apart from the rest of the show. The act is done on sticks (hand posts) or completely done on the stage from the floor. Tight fitting costumes but of very little frill allows these performers complete freedom of movement that most of us find impossible to ever achieve. The really good ones are all skill & not a lot of spectacle. Their act is interesting enough that it can stand alone.
The Contortionist is usually a soloist, therefore requires many hours of devotion to their practice that they must carve out of their days on their own. This in turn makes the performer very self-reliant & independent. I have found that the contortionist is always in search of another coach who can teach them something they don’t already know since this art is very limited to a very few VERY flexible front (usually those that have extremely flexible legs & arm joints) or back benders (those that have extremely flexible backs & can bend themselves in half). This search for someone to teach them something makes them a bit know-it-all. But, they are flexible like their personalities... usually trying new things all the time & finding new passions. They seem to be loners in spirit & many have such intricate minds that they don’t really open up to many people & those that they do, are very dear to their hearts. Loyal maybe to a fault as they stay with people that have treated them poorly. From what I’ve experienced, many of these people don’t feel understood & strive to fit in.
THE ADAGIO TEAM
One of my favorite acts & probably the most skilled by far. This act is done on the ground... two performers... sometimes both male, sometimes a male & female, while each balances on each other using strength, isometric resistance & counter-balance. The Adagio Team will usually be very sexy as it involves two very muscle-bound bodies, moving artistically, smoothly & creatively as one. Their bodies, do positions that look virtually impossible & many times, super dangerous as many times the smaller of the two gets tossed high in the air. It too, is an act that demands the whole stage & usually doesn’t have anything else going that might distract their concentrations or the audience to their outrageous feats.
From the couples I have known, many are very driven... many come from strict dance or gymnastics backgrounds. In fact, I don’t know if this act can be taught to those that don’t have a background in acrobatics. Therefore, those that are good at this skill, are heavily dedicated to their craft & partners. One must be able to commit to a consistent training regiment & to their partners as the act relies heavily on each partner really knowing their body’s ability. Much like the Aerialist, this type of performer is akin to pain & can be thought of as masochist by many outsiders who don’t understand the pain of bruises, rug-burns, knocks, drops, & skin tears that it takes for these beautiful arts to be mastered. Many are super connected to their partners on a spiritual level, & if they aren’t lovers, they are still very intrinsically involved with each others personal lives. They are perfectionists without a doubt & tend to be kind people on the surface but they too, like the contortionist, don’t let many in to see the real them & can come off distant.
THE JUGGLER
This performer never got into this field for the love of attention, danger, or addiction to discipline but rather for the “feeling” & the thrill of getting things to seemingly stay up in the air. The art of Juggling is a very tactual one. I think this is why there are so many things that one can juggle. The Juggler is usually a comedian of sorts as his act is usually done in a very light-hearted way as he spins, tosses, & lobs things in the air. Some Jugglers can come off being very acrobatic while others can have more of a “Showman” type of feel & engage the audience frequently. Juggling is a ground act & can be done as interstitial or as a complete act depending on the venue & of course, the performer.
The Juggler is usually a very content sort. They tend to come from science, mathematics or other precise types of backgrounds thus, they have right-side brains to contemplate the exact height, distance & speed they must toss objects in so as not to collide or fly off course. Their minds work so detailed, that many times they will loose you in conversation. They have quick minds for comedy that keeps an audience laughing while doing some thing that, for most of us, we would have to concentrate on completely. They are usually not burdened with worry or fear of the future. From the Jugglers I have known over the years, they usually accept that life just is & that they make the best of it. This is why I think many have other passions that they are involved with. This type of performing allows the Juggler to express himself where otherwise he might not be the type to stand out or demand attention in a crowd. They could have been the nerd or geek in high school but later in life really come into their own by carving out their own niche of societal role play.
I know that this is not all of the performers that one would find under a circus tent, but it is a good start. Who knows, maybe I even stirred up a few good points, maybe a few were WAY off base too. For this, I apologize ahead of time! Please feel free to argue, add your own observations, add a few Archetypes or start a sub-blog off this topic. Regardless, I sincerely feel that the circus performer is a unique individual to even start with & I truly love my brothers & sisters! I hope that I can help inspire more & more performers to hone their crafts or discover new ones & be appreciated to the fullest!
Namaste, Aloha, Honk,
Chantel Durellil
www.Chantel@eccentrictalent.com
