Boul Rolls With Cirque Du Soleil

by Orrel Lanter

 

The brillance of Montreal's Cirque Du Soleil bursts forth like a morning sunrise, awakening in its San Francisco audience the same rebirth of wonder. 

 

As a multi-colored fog rolls eerily over and around the single ring of the blue and yellow big-top, its tendrils tickle a group of "not so ordinary" townspeople questing for their seats. A Shaharazade magician crouching high above the ring, flings bolts of lightening from his finger­tips, transforming these mundane folk into performers for the night. The blustery old man becomes ringmaster, his companions become clowns, acrobats and high-wire walkers. And, in this age of heightened animal-rights awareness, there are no animal acts. Instead, young homo sapiens fill the ring with feats of juggling, balance, and bicycling that dazzle, delight and transport us into a pageantry reminiscent of the Middle Ages.

 

The elaborate lighting (by Luc Lafortune) and original music (by Rene Dupere) harmonize perfectly with the sophisticated costumes (by Michel Crete and Dominique Lemieux) and dramatic choreography (of Debra Brown) to create theatre at its most spellbinding.

 

The Cirque Du Soleil was first unfurled in 1984, the brainchild of Guy LaLiberte, a fire-breathing, stilt-walking musician with a vision. He organized the street performers of Canada, convinced the Quebec and Canadian governments to wisely lend initial support and held a festival which has now grown into a $15-million a year operation touring throughout the U.S. and Canada. It has captured corporate funds as it captivates hearts wherever it goes and has elevated its performers to the status of "artiste." When the glitterati and movie stars of L.A. discovered them in 1987, they became_Very Fashionable Indeed._and success was assured.

 

Among the outstanding international cast is Frederich "Boul" Zipperlen from France, a creative juggler and contortionist.

 

He emerges in the ring from a gigantic cellophane ball and begins a beguine of dancing, juggling and balancing that dazzles the audience. He contorts his body into graceful knots while crystal balls fly from his fingers into the air. One lands on his head and moves smoothly from forehead to ear, then ear to neck, glides down his arm to the elbow's bend, then up again to a bicep bump.

 

Boul (his nickname in French means... you guessed it, "ball") specializes in balls. Now he juggles five, and, catching one on his neck he juggles the rest until they come to a soft landing on his back and, like neat little soldiers, march down the length of his spine. He smiles and suddenly three balls move under his leg, merging with two others into a five ball cascade. Next he does a knee catch and a forehead balance, his body drops into the splits and twists artfully into a neck stand with a ball spinning on a finger of each hand.

 

It has taken hours of struggle to perfect each move, and there is a quiet elegance in each stretch of his limbs. He hikes a ball with his foot. It comes to rest on his forehead, and he bends slowly back­ward juggling three balls in front of him as he edges down.

 

Contortions now begin in earnest. With one ball held tightly between his feet he vaults into a handstand, his feet dip in a gradual arch to his head. The ball drops to his neck while his body lowers to a resting place, chest on the ground. The crowd is suitably impressed, imagining the hours of work involved in mastering these seemingly effortless maneuvers.

 

He springs to his feet and, grabbing a handful of ping -pong balls, pops them into his mouth and blows them out and up into one waiting hand. The two left in his mouth are blown alternately, from side to side, into the air to be caught in his mouth again.

A court jester moves behind him holding a hat. Boul bends backward from the waist and shoots five ping-pong balls, rapid fire, in an arc. They plop safely one after the other into the waiting bowler. It's his favorite trick.

 

Classically, Zipperlin began his career by running away from home to join the circus and become a clown. He taught himself to juggle and in the beginning it was a mighty struggle. He worked on a three ball cascade, rings and ping-pong balls, practicing eight hours a day. He trained at the Fratellini Circus School for five years and, while working for a diploma in tent construction, he taught himself contortion, acrobatics and trapeze.

 

Finding that he preferred New Wave to the traditional circus atmosphere, he teamed up with Amelie Demay, who was doing a single balancing act, and they went to the Montreal Jazz Festival and lived by street performing. He auditioned and was accepted by the Cirque in 1986 and toured Canada with them.  

 

After that year, he went briefly to Boston's Faneuil Hall to street perform. He enjoyed the intimate contact with the public and tile chance to improvise. Last year at the French national circus school in Chalons-sur-Marne, he took a workshop with Peter Davison of Airjazz. He performed in Italy with Michiel Hesseling in Circo Mi Amore, and at this year's Festival of the Circus of Tomorrow he was awarded a bronze medal.

 

He has been inspired by many acts. At a workshop in Montreal, Lotte Brunn advised him to go see Francis Brunn. He arranged a one-day workshop with Brunn. and to this day Brunn remains his favorite juggler. At this time in his life, instead of putting energy into technique he is looking to add more theatrics and comedy to his act.

 

The rest of the performers in this tiny titan of a little top are equally as polished and are from among the most talented of their respective countries.

 

Amelie Demay and Eric Varelas perform a difficult hand to hand balancing routine of astonishing strength and grace. She even carries him, balanced high on her hands, around the ring.