Alex's First Time WATCHING the Show!!

Alex and Aaron here, both of us are going to write this one!

Today was the first day, after asking for the past few days that Alex got to go to the show as a spectator and simply watch and enjoy the show.  For me, it was a very cool experience as she is the first person that I know that came to see me living my dream and I could see her at a few different points during the show!  What a great sight for me to see, when I'm bowing, and there's Alex smiling back and waving.

Alex here now,
Hello everyone!

I can finally write to all of you now that I am caught up with the new time change and back to feeling somewhat normal. Today I decided to go into work with Aaron just to get out of the apartment and do something fun. I went and observed his training session first. It was pretty cool to watch until he had a crazy landing on one of his skills which almost had me jump out of my seat. Other than that, I would say he is doing pretty well and fits in with the other planche guys. As we were about to leave for lunch the artistic director, James, asked if I was going to stay for the first show. He then pulled out a ticket for what I would say was the best seat in the house! I was pretty excited.

I attended the 4 o'clock show which was almost full and full of excited people. As the show began, rather than sitting back and relaxing....I got nervous and sat on the edge of my seat. Aaron walked out and performed his first scene in the opening act. I got the instant feeling of "hey I know him!" I wanted to tell everyone around me but besides the fact that they probably wouldn't care, they didn't speak English! The show was very different to see live with everyone right in front of my face compared to the small television that I watched the show from on my first day backstage. I also felt myself more nervous watching the show because I had met the people behind each act. I compared it to when we saw a show in Vegas and I could care less if they fell or messed up, I didn't know them!  At the intermission, I felt important when I got to go outside and get through the gate that fellow spectators weren't allowed to go past in order to get to the backstage tent to hang out with Aaron for the 20min break.  When I returned to my seat for the second half I once again wanted to tell the guy next to me where I got to go during intermission. Instead, I held it in and began to watch the second act. It also looked much better and different in person than when I was half asleep watching it backstage a few days ago. The BEST part (other than watching Aaron in all of his acts) was at the very end when the cast members and audience were all clapping. Aaron got to see me in the crowd waving and I guess my ring hit the light and gave him quite the wave as well. The show was overall quite the experience! I would go every day if they would let me. I'm very proud of him!

There you have it!!   I was so glad Alex got to come see the show and the next time she see's it I hope I'm jumping Planche in the show!  Hopefully, since you all can't be here, you at least share a little excitement that we both had today!  Maybe someday I'll get to see you in the audience too!  All in all a great day!!

We'll write more soon! Only one week left in Brussels, then it's off to Vienna, Austria!

I figured I'd add a few more photos from backstage today. 

 - This is me in my robe, which we wear when we leave the artistic tent to go outside or to the kitchen.  They keep the costumes clean mainly, or to Alex, they make us all look like boxers...  or monks.


Til next time!!

Aaron and Alex!!

Bruge... Brugges... Bruges... Yeah, That place.

Depending on the language you are speaking, one of these is the proper way to spell this city's name.  Today was the first of two consecutive days off for us at Corteo, the "double-dark" as it is referred to.  Alex and I decided we would take a day trip to Brugge, pronounced "Brooge", which is directly west of Brussels by about an hour.

Our day started with a train ride at about noon.  We got our tickets, headed to the platform and within two minutes were comfortably seated in a beautiful train car enjoying our lunch. I felt pretty good as I wasn't too sure what this train would look like and it was Alex's first time on a train (lame but true...)  I was in the process of impressing her with our wonderfully comfortable seats when, approximately two minutes later we were escorted to the second class cabin... Apparently we missed the #1 on the door when we got on and had seated ourselves in the first class cabin.  After a brisk walk backward on the train, through the cars, we found the "not-as-comfortable-but-still-ok" seats designated for the "not-so-fortunate" travelers.

Our train ride was rather uneventful outside of a few really huge pigeons (aka. Beefy Pigeon), and very tiny horses, which we dubbed mini-horse.  It was about an hour long and traveled west through some very small towns and one major city, Ghent.  A few interesting things we noticed were the size of fields.  Coming from both Chatham-Kent and Mt. Pleasant, we are both used to farms and farmland but here, even in the city people have chickens, sheep, and small 1/2 acre fields.  It was very odd to see big business buildings and small houses with sheep on the same lot.  Different world over here.

We got off our train at the very edge of Brugge and we were told by some fellow Cirquians that it was easier to just walk into the town rather than take the bus.  This was very good advice as we got to see a ton of the city.  We walked from about 1-7pm.  There was a whole lot to see and we took loads of photos.  Some notable areas we saw were:  The Belfry Tower at the centre of the Central Market, The Canals running through the city and in most places under the city, The huge Churches and Cathedrals (about 10 in the small town), the Horse Drawn Carriages, the Brick Roads, and of course the Statues.

Here are a few photos that we took today, just a quick look at Brugge.

On the Canal

Alex on a Bridge

Old Bridge Over the Canal 

Aa and Alex in Brugge

  

He's wearing my UWO Ring

14th Century Sandstone

Alex and her Lion

Belfry at Night

The Belfry (Tower)

View from the top

  Most of our day consisted of walking around the city.  We mostly followed the canals into and around small subsections.  We walked though the campus of the old Sint Jans Hospital and also went to the Center Market, very similar to Brussels.  We even took a very steep walk up the steps of the Belfry (Tower) at the center of the city. This was built in and around the 13th-15th Centuries and it it was very noticeable. The placard on the wall says that the tower leans over 1m southwest... Cool.

Leg Cramps: 15th Century Stairs

After our climb (366 steps) we had a beautiful panoramic view of the entire city and we had a lovely song played for us by the bells hanging above our heads!!  It was very loud but pretty nonetheless.  On our way down, both Alex and I had leg cramps and literally had to stop halfway and stretch.  These stairs were about 5 inches wide each and very very steep.  I actually fell down a few of them while making a video of our expedition.  After the tower, we went to a few local pubs and restaurants, tried a couple beers (10% alcohol) and some wine.  After our long day of walking and exploring we jumped back on the train home, which is much shorter when you fall asleep!
We woke up at our stop and went to a grill nearby for some dinner. 

We're now back home relaxing and eventually going to sleep!
We had a great day today and tomorrow we plan on exploring Brussels again!  We'll most likely have lots more pictures tomorrow and a new story for everyone tomorrow night.  We miss you all.

Til next time!
Aa and Alex

ALEX IS HERE!!

Hello everyone!  She made it.  No problems on the plane, her own row and everything!!  We're back in the apartment and ready for some food and sleep.  I work at 12:30 today, so she'll have plenty of time to just relax and sleep!!!

We'll write more soon.
Til next time...
Aa and Alex

Work? More like Play!

Hello everyone!!  It has been almost a week since my last update so I figured I'd let everyone know how I'm doing, and more importantly WHAT it is exactly that I'm doing...

When I last wrote it had been my first day on stage and I was working on getting the timing on everything.   Now it is quite different.  After only a week of performances (9 shows this week!) I have become pretty comfortable with the stage and the people on it.  I understand how things are to be done and where I'm supposed to be.  Some of the fun things I get to do are:

1. Opening Audience Interactions-  I am looking for the funeral that our show is based on.  Our friend Mauro has died and we are trying to get there without being late.  I am a rich, classy man who is appalled by the young kids running around me and I get to not only order them around and where to go but together we search for the funeral; most of the time in the wrong direction.  It is a fun little thing we do just to be in the audience and get them accustomed to the type of show.

2. In the funeral procession, 6 guys, myself included, attempt to stop a good friend of Mauro's from going to the bedside.  We need 6 because he is an actual giant.  I do not know his exact dimensions but definitely over 7' 6'' tall and outweighs me by quite a lot.  It is called Giant stopper and he throws us around the stage like rag-dolls.   After this I go to the bedside and 4 of us spin Mauro and his bed, as he stands on it yelling at us.  It really is a funny act.

3.  Later on, while wearing Angel wings, I have a fun cue where I make my way through the audience and start to dance and party at this funeral in the front row.  This leads to me attaching some cables and ultimately tightening the tightwire.

4. Planche- Eventually I will be jumping on teeterboard/planche but for now I am a spotter.  In case one of the guys flies off, I step on for a second so he can regain his balance and he comes back on.  It is a very important job and usually there is at least one time we need a spot.

5. Wedding Ring-  There is a married couple on tour who in total stand approximately 6 feet tall (yes, combined).  Gregory and Valentina are "little people" and they are also Acrobats and very good.  They do a hand balancing/contortion act that to my knowledge is the only one of it's kind in the world.  They do it in a 1.5m diameter wedding ring.  MY JOB- Push this wedding ring onto the stage (with both performers sitting in it) and when they finish, push it back off stage, being very careful when they jump off!  I am amazed at many things about this couple.  Yes their size is impressive but it's their talent that amazes me.  That and the fact that they have never missed a show!

6. In the Finale, I am on stage as the guys do their High bar act.  I am responsible for the set up of one of the bars as there are 6 high bars (4 of which are fixed in a square).  The entire cast is on stage and we set the whole apparatus up in about 30 seconds.  Then we have more character acting as we wave goodbye to Mauro who is suspended 40 ft above us on his bicycle, riding "towards the light".

7. My favourite part!!  The Bow!! It is so much fun to see the people clapping and enjoying themselves.  It is one thing to simply enjoy applause but this applause seals the show.  It is always a standing ovation and I love seeing the people we were performing for.  I love looking straight at people and thanking them.  It is such an awesome moment!

That is a general and basic recap of my part in the show, I am on stage for about 20 minutes or so per show and any more new acts I get will only increase this stage time.  Can you believe this is a job!?  Neither can I! 

 Training is going very well.  I am beginning to get back to where I was with training in Montreal, and my timing is getting much better.  My coach is happy and apparently I'm doing ok.

I had the Head Artistic Director of Corteo speak with me today and she extended my contract.  I will now officially be with Corteo until (at least) the end of Madrid, Spain! (May 2011).  I am here on a temporary contract and hoping to learn enough and integrate enough that I become a permanent artist.  So far so good.  I have really just been trying to focus on my role as an artist and as a student, learning everything and trying to soak up as much as I possibly can.  If I focus on the contract it may never change, but I feel if I just focus on learning more, and training hard and getting better, it should just fall into place.  That's where I stand as of now.


Hmmm...  Change of thought... FAMILY.  I have been fortunate enough to have skype and the internet, keeping me connected to home.  I've spoken with Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, Jess, Nick, and Alex and hopefully more people as I find the time not to mention all the people via email and Facebook.  So nice to from hear everyone and hear how they are doing.  I also watch TV online so I get my daily fix of Leaf Games (at 2am) and of course COPS.  I miss everyone, but the little messages and notes people send me are great!  Oh and in case anyone forgot, Alex  gets here in 6 days!!! Not that I'm counting.   I'll continue to update everyone through this blog.  So far it has been really fun to write, and it's a great way to for me to not only remember what I'm doing but also get it off my mind for the night.  ie. I was so excited that my contract was extended that I had to tell people!  After the obvious phone calls home, I wanted to write on here.


Tomorrow is another long day, starting at 11am and finishing at 11pm but it also a great day!  I get to go to work, at a circus, play on stage, have people watching me perform, and best of all I get to do it twice!  It is funny that of all the things I've wanted to do this was by far the pinnacle of my goals, and now, after being here for only 16 days, I have set much higher goals than I could ever have imagined!! They just keep evolving and becoming more and more challenging!  Above all though I really am having fun!  Just a great time overall! 

Til Next Time,
Aa

 

My 1st Day off: A Day Full of Architechture, Statues and Tits!

Today was my first day off since I've been here, and a much needed break indeed.  I wanted to do something fun so I went on an exploratory walk of the city, trying to end up somewhere cool.

Architecture-  The buildings here are so old and majestic.  Some of these buildings were created in the 13th Century.  I must have looked crazy as I was walking around looking literally at old cracks in walls.  They are all so cool, and the style of architecture is amazing.  In one place, the most common tourist spot, called Grand Place, there is even gold on the exteriors of the old stone.  Pretty amazing.  I went into another church today, the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula, which was awesome, in the true meaning of the word.  
From what I have read, this place was built originally in 1047 and then renovated into the Gothic style in 1226.  It's amazing to think that this church is over 700 years old! 

This is the carving at the very front of the Cathedral... It is right above the door. Pretty cool welcome sign.  When I went up even closer, there were just so many little intricacies.

   



Apparently all of these churches have decorative pulpits.  I really didn't know why they had to be so extravagant but the entire church is so it might as well be.  The other really weird thing is that all the pulpits I've seen in Brussels are black.  They are extremely detailed and this one has  the devil chasing Adam and Eve from paradise.   It's amazing to think that all this is needed just for someone to stand and preach from. Created in 1699.  Sometimes I wish the guys that used to design these places were still around.  They are remarkable, and they seem to stay standing forever...  compared to common day buildings and houses.

 This is a view from the back of the church.  Looking straight ahead to the front altar from the entrance.  Behind the Altar there was a full room housing the Tabernacle.  The Altar was a 360 stage, and you can walk all the way around it, which I did, and at the back there's a huge Lion "guarding" the altar.  Kinda interesting.  That is the organ up on the side of the wall too. It was very hard to get a photo of it but it was a huge pipe organ, and it was playing amazing grace when I went in.

Another really cool thing I liked were the statues all the way down the columns in the church.  They were huge and each one looked down at you... 

 I don't really know what all these buildings are but they were very cool.  Some of them were in Grand Place, some were on Royal Street.  The first one is the Royal Palace.  












No idea but pretty cool------------------------------->

 This is the Palais de Congress.  It sits right beside the Head of the EU.  That building is the next picture.  Brussels is a pretty important place I guess.

This painting is right on the Palais tower.  It is interesting to see how closely tied religion and politics are in this country.

I liked this clock.---->



These next pictures are all taken at Grand Place.  The golden statue of the horse is on top of the "House of Brewers"...   Beer is gold in this city...

Statues!!
 I walked by so many cool statues today so I picked a few of my favourite ones to show you. The crazy part is that for the most part everyone in the city just walks by and doesn't even notice these.  I had to stop and look...

TITS

And now, time for Tits!! and by that I mean Birds.  (Sorry Feetham)

I got to see some brand new birds that I had never seen before and some I had but still very cool.  

Starting with new birds...

Great Tit (Back), Blue Tit (front)

Great Tit

 I was walking in a park and heard what sounded like Black Capped Chickadees and Tufted Titmice, both North American Birds.  Then these little guys came down right beside me on the ground.  These birds belong to the Tit family.  

Blue Tit

Blue Tit

 After seeing these guys, I heard a really weird sounding bird, calling from the ground.  It sounded like a songbird calling so I was a little surprised when it was just a blackbird. Even more strange however was the next call.  It sounded more like a jungle scream than anything I'd ever heard before.  This made more sense when I saw the bird.  There in the tree above me was a Ring-Necked Parakeet.  It was introduced accidentally over the past few decades and now they are like crows across Europe.  Very pretty, equally as noisy.

Ring-Necked Parakeet

Eurasian Blackbird

Only other notable birds were the 2 Peregrine Falcons who make the top of St. Michael's Cathedral their home.  I watched them chase pigeons and eventually the bigger one grabbed a pigeon and they retired to their home.    

Peregrine Falcon (flight)

Peregrine Falcon (sitting on Cathedral)

Needless to say, I had a great relaxing day of walking around and just exploring!  It really is amazing that all of these things can be found within about a 15 minute walk from my apartment here.  The other nice thing is that when I finally got to the park (where the birds  and the white statues were) I could barely hear the sirens!  It was so nice just to get away and do nothing.  Although I am very excited about being at Cirque this is what will keep my job fresh.  The sport psychologist at Cirque (J.F. ) explained to us that on the dark day, our day off, we should just forget about Cirque and do something totally different.  This was a great retreat away!! 

Miss you all,
'Til next time.
Aa