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Street
life is part of the Spanish culture.
Through the old city in Barcelona runs a pedestrian way, the Ramblas,
with traffic flowing on both sides. Here, most especially on
weekends, can be found musicians, mimes, jugglers, and those
ephemeral artists; the chalk-artistes.
It
was in this city that Picasso spent his childhood, and probably
here that he became fascinated by the poor traveling players he
later portrayed in his work.
I
went to Spain because I noticed that there were no Spanish IJA
members listed in the Roster, and I wanted to explore. Within
two hours of arriving in Barcelona, on a sunny January day, I
had met Marcelline (of the Deep Sea Sisters), last seen
at the Copenhagen Convention last summer and now working on a
solo show. I also met the Amazing Mendezies climbing out
of their van, and I followed them through the maze of narrow
streets to the Plaza del Pino. In this small square, deep in the
old town, I watched their show.
In
black costumes, with bowler hats, the Mendezies present a
half-hour of whimsical comedy and juggling - a pleasant blend of
silliness and skill. They passed six clubs and knives; Dave does
a fast three ball routine, while Chris cheats his way through
the same moves to the audience's delight. They mix in some
magic, unicycling and fire eating. Chris does cigar boxes with
Dave on percussion, then Dave does an original version of W.C.
Fields' cigar box stack, ending with a chin balance. They finish
by passing seven torches (a particularly impressive sight at
night). Every time I saw them perform, the crowds seemed very
appreciative.
In
complete contrast to that quiet humour, I also saw the Frenchman
Gerard Estrem doing a manic, aggressive, multilingual
street performance full of weird costume changes, incorporating
excellent devil stick work and three clubs with good gags.
In
Spain and France there are still many four- and five-person
circuses. At a convention of such groups last year, I met some
people from Circ Perillos. I visited them on my recent
trip in the Spanish mountains, where they were rehearsing for
their summer tour. A medieval house, with dogs and a bright red,
yellow and blue circus tent made a pretty sight. I stayed for a
few days, practicing hard and watching Oriol work on his bottle
routine, which includes catching them on the end of an umbrella.
In
last year's show, I had seen their charming double act in which
Oriol and Manuel juggle hoops, balls and clubs. Also, Jordi and
Adelaia do a wonderful deadpan comedy trapeze routine.
Juggling
leads to an appreciation of all kinds of dexterity - whether the
skillful making of an ice cream soda (see Keaton's College
Days), or in the complicated and difficult art of the
marionette, which is another strong Spanish tradition.
Visiting
a marionette workshop and watching performers rehearse, I
realized that (as in mime) it is necessary to isolate and
control all the parts of the puppet's body, and to observe
natural ways of moving in order to be able to simulate or mimic
them with marionettes. Seeing juggling seals, a unicyclist, a
trapeze act and a clown who balances a pole on his hand and
nose, reminded me of my own attempts to do a foot juggler for The
Dark Crystal.
In
the street I saw a miniature circus which included a clown who
juggles two balls, then balances one on his nose and one on his
foot.
Another character juggles first a ball, then his head, from hand
to hand!
I
did a few hit-and-run street shows while in Barcelona, but also
spent quite a lot of my time with small, casual workshops in
parks or on the beach. February was cold and wet, so we didn't
work outside too much. The Mendezies headed south, to the sun. I
met Chad MacArthur, who has a flat, and was happy to let
us practice there.
In
March I went to Madrid, in the center of the country, where Moonbeam
is the seed of a new juggling cell. As Don Demasiado, or
Malo, EI Malisirno, he has been living and working here in bars,
at fiestas, and in the Parque del Retiro on weekends. He has an
enthusiastic group of students, and there might well be shows
worth catching in the summer. The Mendezies showed up again,
after a good time in Granada and Seville, so we had a session
together out in the country, with the sun shining again.
You
won't make any fortunes juggling in Spain, but living is cheap,
the people appreciate performers, and there are places where the
police won't bother you too much. There are many bars which
might allow space for a small show, and the money is probably
better in the summer when tourists from across Europe arrive. I
certainly plan to return for part of the summer, and maybe I'll
see you there. "Hasta luego!"
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