Here is the trailer for my solo show Boombox.
For more information click here
In Creation
I have been working on a solo project that had its first official residency at UP - Circus & Performing Arts This past February.
Although I am the only human on stage, I am not alone in the creation of this piece. I am working and collaborating with three other exquisite humans. Antonin Wicky, Marie De Broeck and Josse De Broeck. They each have their corner of expertise and knowledge that are integral to bringing this piece to life.
We will continue working through the rest of this year and into the beginning of next year, with the hope to premiere the show in the spring of 2023.
Click Here for more information about the piece.
Sous le Chapiteau, le cirque
Vice Belgique just published an article about me and the photos that I have taken over the last 4 months with Cirque Bouffon. Photography has become a love of mine over the last past two years and it is really exciting to get to see my photos out and about.
I hope you enjoy them!
Here is a link to the article - Click me!
The cast of Cirque Bouffon (with the exception of myself)
Back at it
Hello everyone,
Frankly, it has been ages since I have posted anything here. We all have lived through one heck of a crazy time and now we find ourselves here. Wherever that may be, take a moment and look down at your hands. Mine are resting on my computer's keyboard. My knuckles are a bit pinky-red after warming up from being outside; it is definitely not summered anymore.
I have been thinking about summer and how grateful I am to have hands. This reminds me of what I did this past summer. Due to the fact that without hands and or the summertime, said plans would have been impossible. I finally met up with my juggling partner and friend Aude to finish our duo hat juggling show, Hats2Heads. We had our premiere date which gave us the push to finish what we had started.
We were graciously hosted at Le 734 in Crest, France for a 10-day residency as well as an end-of-residency performance. Afterwards we drove up to Dortmund Germany in Aude & Owens bio Gas car. Yes to saving the planet!
Finally getting to perform our show after waking it back up after a year and a half long hibernation was an amazing experience. We did it!
For the moment we are both busy with other projects but Hats2Heads is definitely not going any were, have no fear.
A huge thank you to Sophia Kurmann at Perform Your Art for getting us the gig. We love you!
And thank you to the MICRO Festival Cube edition in Dortmund for having us.
It never hurts to ask
During the first Covid confinement I was asked to write an article about the trucks and tractors of Zirkus Fahraway. After spending some time on it, I realized I wanted it to have more in it than just trucks and tractors. The article never made it into the intended magazine, but I thought it a pity to not share it.
It was so nice to take a walk down memory lane of the past three summers spent with Zirkus Fahraway. So this is my little homage to Zirkus Fahraway, coming to you, pulled behind a Swiss tractor.
There are seldom any problems when you are with Zirkus Fahraway. One is foreign to feelings of defeat, and familiar with ones of successfully jumpstarting dead batteries. When I am working with them I have the feeling that no matter what the situation is we will always be able to figure it out. A feeling akin to the invincibility you have as a child.
Five years ago, I struck up a conversation with the Zirkus Fahraway gang around their fire pit (made from the sawed off end of a huge propane tank), and was pulled in by the love, creativity and attention to detail that was put into their project. I expressed my interest in who they were and how I would like to become a part of their crew. The Basel-based family called me up six months later to join them in their next creation, underlining the importance of “it never hurts to ask”.
Zirkus Fahraway was started by four friends who worked in a circus together. Their skill and unharnessed creativity founded a circus filled with play and found objects, stemming from honest hearts rooted in reality. Nina created her unexpected trapeze style in the many nooks and crannies of Toulouse. Hardcore recycler who loves sausages, she anchors herself with her hands in the dirt. Nina’s partner, Valentin, is a metal worker by trade turned circus artist. He was told by his French teacher that he would probably learn much more French repairing a Citroen than in her French class. He now speaks French fluently. Solvejg, up at the crack of dawn to hike any nearby mountain, spins her diablo with peaceful determination. Her brother, Donath, hums Delta blues that inspire the old gas can guitars he creates. Helpless romantic at heart, he brings fairytales to life with his woodwork creations, be it a sauna on wheels or toys for his children.
The Tractor at home in Basel
The Swiss tractor feels very much at home on the backroads of its countryside. Its tiny structure impressively pulls two five-tone caravans. On one of the transports, the back wheel started coming loose, almost falling off. As we were wondering what to do next, a washing machine repair man, who happened to live nearby, had the exact huge wrench that was needed. All ended well, although our clothes were still dirty as the caravans settled in for the night. These bohemian homes serve as part advertisement that the circus has come to town and part nesting cocoons as we travel around the country. Our transportable homes are an integral part of the setting, the circle of caravans outlining the performance space inviting you into the circus’ reality.
The caravans can sometimes be home to more than just us. On one site, we set up right next to a large pen of chickens. The chickens would sometimes escape their pen and come lay eggs on the front porches of our caravans or in our kitchen wagon. We thought we had found all the eggs but there were always a few that we missed. Weeks after leaving the chickens, we kept finding surprise eggs hidden here and there. They were not so useful for making crepe batter but always put a smile on our faces.
Swiss fun fact : there is a law that states that if you are a farmer, or a circus, or a farmer in a circus or any of these combinations, you are allowed to pull two caravans or trailers with a tractor as long as you drive under 30 mph. No driver’s license needed.
Fruit stop somewhere on our way back from Austria
There are, however, spaces made for the unexpected amidst all the hard-work. During our breaks on the drive from Dresden to Basel, Valentin would take a quick 10 minute nap, while I stretched my legs. As I’d get back to the truck, a freshly awoken Val would jump out and do a one minute handstand to get his blood flowing to the other end of his body. Then we would get back on the road. On the return to Basel, we found ourselves stopped by the authorities for having 30 pounds of one and two euro coins in a heavy briefcase. We had to explain this is usual cargo for street performers. Despite the hassle, the other truck drivers looked out for us checking in to see if everything was ok with the authorities. It all worked out in the end with our charming smiles and Val’s crazy handstands.
Last but not least in our truck family is the beloved Unimog, sadly only with us for one summer. It failed to pass the rigorous (rustless) Swiss technical check, since Europe doesn’t have the “you only need headlights, indicators and a license plate to be street legal” rules. The sweet feature of the Unimog was a crane on the back, that we hoped to use to load and unload the Saurer. In the end, this elaborate operation proved to be less time efficient and much more dangerous than using the lift of the truck. We still took our trusty Unimog to use as a tractor, with Donath driving it insanely fast while pulling two caravans. You just cross your fingers that he doesn’t have to stop in a hurry.
On the topic of stopping quickly, if Valentin spots a nice fruit tree in a field or next to the road, he will not hesitate to slam on the breaks and pull the Saurer over at the next possible moment. We then would jump the fence and grab some cherries to munch on or apples to make apple sauce for the crepes we will be selling after our circus show.
Performing in Feutersoey (near Gstaad
Rehearsals in Biederthal (France)
Valentine filling up the Landi
And of course, unique characters require unique modes of transportation. Over the years with numerous shows and building their circus family, they have acquired an entourage of truly extraordinary vehicles. ‘’The Landi’’, short for Land Rover, is my favorite to drive. It is always breaking down, no lights in the dials, only the high beams work, and sometimes the knob of the gear shifter comes off in your hand to remind you that you have no control in this world and that chaos is the constant ingredient of life. Two summers ago, the emergency brake stopped working and in the process of repairing it, the Landi rolled down a hill, almost into someone’s living room in the hopes of joining them for tea. The Landi similarly likes rolling down hills as we push it to get it going, when the starter breaks, and tapping it with a wrench no longer gets it running. Good ol’ British engineering.
Solvejg and Nina always ready for a tractor transport.
Next up is the Saurer truck, a collaboration of Swiss and French engineering. The feeling of riding in this beautiful creation is an all sensory experience. There are no seat belts, so you can sit however or wherever you like. The clutch is powered by an air system and you have to double clutch all 14 gears, which can be beautiful to bear witness to. I recently was riding in the Saurer and it dawned on me that still, at age 27, riding in big old trucks makes me really happy. Looks like things haven’t changed much since I was 5 years old.
The Saurer Truck is the one we load most of our material into. Our hard-working group turns the loading of the truck into a language of its own, anticipating your partner’s next thought. Being in the right spot when someone needs an extra hand or ratchet strap instills a camaraderie and trust with few words spoken.
The Saurer
Nap times
Donath in the Unimog
Each night after our performance has finished, we pass through the audience connecting with people through nods of approval, congratulations and tips put in the hat. As the warm summer night sets in, crepes, beers, and soda are sold at the bar wagon. People break off into groups to talk, eat, and drink. The sound of old time jazz fills the evening air and our stage turns into a small social dance floor.
With Zirkus Fahraway, it’s not about making the most money or doing as many shows as possible. It’s about the whole experience, the transports on the beautiful back roads of Switzerland, performing in small towns way up the mountains, making and eating crepes after the show. As you take your bow, there is an understanding that the performance is just a small part of a much larger happening.
Some people come to look at the tractors and trucks, some people come to see the show, others come to experience something that has been made by people who truly love what they do and want to share it with others. There is something for everyone when Zirkus Fahraway comes to town.
Written by : Ezra Weill
Edited by : Sofia Tula coucouzeli Moreira, Betsy Weill
New Act - Who gets to wear the hat
Hello everyone, just a little update.
In April I was in Madrid performing at the EUCIMA juggling festival, as well as in Israel performing in the Israeli Juggling convention. I had an amazing time at both festivals and got the chance to perform my new act Who gets to wear the hat.
Here is the video of the full act performed in the Teatro Circo Price Madrid.
Live music at the start of the act by Ombligo. Muchas gracias!
filmed by MacShalbert Productions
Thumbnail photo - Ori Roth
Enjoy!
Vorstadt Variete - in Switzerland
This winter I am performing on possibly the smallest stage in all of Switzerland. The stage is in a small restaurant that is located Schaffhausen. I am performing aerial rope as well as hat juggling even though the ceiling of the stage is maybe a foot and a half above my raised arm. Giving yourself constraints like this always creates interesting things in the end.
We are performing the show until January 24th. If you would like to come and see it, you can find the dates that we are playing here.
Photot Credit - Romano Padeste
Swing Circus - In Color
This past October I had the amazing opportunity to work with Swing Circus on their new creation “In Color”. I was very excited about the chance to perform Lindy Hop on stage for the first time. We only had 12 days to put together a show from the ground up, (without a director), which was a harrowing experience at times. But in the end we were able to create something that we were all happy with.
We are planning to perform it again this year in the UK at the end of May 2019, and then continue working on it next fall. Hope to see you at a Circus Show sometime soon.
Check out their facebook page to stay up to date with whats happening https://www.facebook.com/theswingcircus/
Here are some photos.
photo Credit - Andre Pattenden
Circus Fahraway - Drüll
Circus Fahraway has just finished up its 2018 summer tour with its show, “Drüll”. The tour took us all through the German-speaking area and some of the French-speaking area of Switzerland. We performed for young and old, in big cities and on little farms. It was truly a pleasure working and living with the Circus Fahraway crew.
If you missed it this summer, don’t be too sad. There is some super secret talk that we will be back with the same, but even a bit better, show next summer. And we might even be touring it to places outside of Switzerland!!!
Stay tuned to hear more about next year.
Photo Credit - Tilman Pfäfflin
