A Field Guide to Circus Performers
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Nov. 10th, 2007 | 03:03 am
Contortionists: Bone thin, bad skin, biceps and triceps like ropes. Ugly feet. Always work alone.
Aerialists: Funky tights with funky shorts, funky tops and funky hair. Comfortable with their bodies. Older. Louder.
Coaches: Mostly Chinese. All Communist trained. They don't laugh or smile much unless you really screw up. Know enough English to say "Tight!" "Hold!' "Stronger arm!" and "No no do again!"
Chinese Pole/Acrobats: All the boys in your field of vision. Sleeveless shirts. Messy hair. Mostly straight, but look gay due to abundance of well-formed muscles, lots of bare skin, and general prettiness.
The People From Cirque: Speaking Russian. Not making eye contact with anyone outside their group. Leave promptly at 1.
San Francisco is great. The Circus Center is cold, but great. Our Coach Lu Yi is great. Trading new tricks with other aerialists is great. And having the Cirque people nudge, whisper, and point at mostly Kim but also Zay and I? Well, that's the best of all :)
Nothing says hard work like a stroke to the ego...
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from:
littlehoudini
date: Nov. 10th, 2007 03:33 pm (UTC)
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Being a magician means mostly be a solo performer, and magicians are by nature fairly secretive (which can be sometimes read as 'cut-throat') - one of the things I often miss and hence love about doing festivals is hanging out with other performers. I don't get enough of that.
I thought contortionists worked in pairs and trios as well.
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from:
whipchick
date: Nov. 12th, 2007 07:18 am (UTC)
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The contortionists perform in groups, but here in the gym they are mostly sullen and alone. We think they're probably cranky from anorexia...sounds catty but also sadly true.
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from:
littlehoudini
date: Nov. 12th, 2007 02:14 pm (UTC)
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But contortionists, yah... it always looks like something you have to give your life to. But it looks so damn creepy and cool.
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