Quest's Story:

 

I first met Sandy Brown at the 1982 Santa Barbara IJA convention. The women

were easy to spot. There were about 10 of us! Our friendship developed through subsequent conventions, letters, long-distance calls and an especially memorable drive from Amherst to New York City .

 

It was a cold winter day in November of 1986 when Sandy called to invite me to be her partner for a tour in the spring. Would I do it? Should the US stop funding the Contras?! I jumped at the chance to fulfill a dream that many women jugglers have dreamt - working with another woman. The great gods (and goddesses) of timing had smiled upon me at last.

 

I had always envied partnerships - to be in the right place at the right time, with common goals, compatible skills and work already lined up. I went for it! Of course, it was beyond all reasonableness; neither ever had seen the other perform, we knew each other only peripherally and we were separated by the Atlantic Ocean . No problem. Amelia, Orville and Wilbur were our spiritual guides and we were ready to fly.

 

Space is at a premium here in New York . We needed room for club practice, so I wrangled a temporary pass at the YMCA for me and my partner. On many a day in March one could observe two female cyclists making their way to the gym, both loaded down like pack mules with props and sound equipment. One of them, a calloused veteran, madly weaved in and out of New York City traffic. The nervous newcomer on a borrowed bike ( Sandy ) cautiously obeyed all signals.

 

Creativity and deadlines are not necessarily natural enemies. You just don't get much sleep. What you do get is a human experiment in trust, sharing, give­and-take, patience and perseverance.

 

It was important to us that each segment in the show have a distinct personality. We employed a wealth of styles in the music that we chose - which ranged from classical to country to cha-cha - and the characters we portrayed: wayward Vegas showgirls in sequins and sneakers, faeries in tutus and tiaras, cowgirls, a clown, the Statue of Liberty, and a mad scientist with her Peter Lorresque assistant.

 

 The show included a club routine, walk arounds with three balls, hat and cane manipulation, cigar boxes, scarves, live  music, fire eating, torch swinging and the old standby - passing around a volunteer. Our big production number even had special effects - bubbles and glitter. Maybe Spielberg wouldn't have been impressed, but our audiences loved it.

 

Technically we weren't Lotte Brunn, Anthony Gatto or Albert Lucas (who is?). Personally, my triple back crosses on flaming ice skates needs a little more work. We truly exemplified the saying, "It's not how many you can do, but how well you do it. "

 

Sandy and I were many things to each other: writer, director, choreographer, sister, confidante and friend. Naturally, traveling with a member of the same sex has its advantages - it's tricky to ask a male partner for lipstick, mascara or any number of personal hygiene items we women are known to need at the last minute.

 

Our audiences got the full value of their entertainment dollar, even though there never was a charge for the show. Although we drew bits and pieces from previous performance experiences, the original material we created for our show was good, clean (most of the time) and funny (almost all the time). And no, we never did get it on video. You'll just have to take our word for it!