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ENTERTAINERS

Souren Juggles A Circus Schedule Of One-Night Stands by Mariah Skinner

Nickolas Souren is one of the new generation of circus jugglers in shows all over the USA and Canada. Born to French circus performers in Baja, Mexico, 22 years ago, the tall, blonde, blue-eyed man spends 10 months a year traveling with his mother, stepfather, half-brother and half-sister. When not on tour, they reside in Sarasota, Fla. Souren is a sports fanatic, and loves to play basketball, tennis and football.

Souren's father was a swaypole performer, and his mother still does single trapeze and other aerial acts. Rather than follow in their footsteps, Souren taught himself to juggle when he was 13. He learned by observation and practice, picking up pointers from such professionals as Sampion, and Francis and Lottie Brunn. He especially admires Kris Kremo, Albert Lucas and Ignatov, learning much from their video tapes.

Souren has himself introduced simply as "Nickolas." He begins his act by running into the ring doing a fast five ball cascade. He then juggles three clubs, triples into flats, single back crosses, a fast flash. He does a series under the legs, finishing with a high flash. Next, a four club routine, triple/single with one back cross, shower, columns, more back crosses. All his club routines end with single or double pirouettes. He juggles six rings for five passes, pulling them down on his neck. Back to clubs, he juggles five, with single back crosses, under the legs, then flashes them with a pirouette finish. Then eight rings, again ending with neck pulldowns. He ends his act with torches, thrown very high, to a pirouette finish.

Souren also performs a comedy knockabout table act, with his step-father. Souren practices at least two hours a day, which is a feat in itself on a touring show, where much time is taken up getting to the next town and setting up for the show. Some circus work consists of multiple day stands, but the majority of shows are one-nighters.

It is not surprising to learn that Souren's ambition is to work the casinos in Las Vegas, with high-paying, long-running contracts in one place. To improve his chances, he is practicing nine rings, and three and five club back crosses with single and double pirouettes.

Chinese Antipodist Highlights Cirque du Soliel's "Nouvelle Experience" by Orrel Lanter

Montreal's Cirque du Soleil rises like a magic castle on the cold, windy plain of King Street in San Francisco. The "Nouvelle Experience" show inside can only be described with extraordinary superlatives brilliant and visionary.

The first act opens with four contorting sylphs, pretzeling their young bodies like ancient yoga masters in tortuous positions.

Consider the next vision: Form becoming substance as Ann Lepage floats up through a lifting fog. This Silver Medal winner at the Festival Mondial du Cirque in Paris pumps high on her trapeze. Her body rising, then falling through space. Her arms reach out, but it's her ankles that catch the bar in the last instant, holding her suspended above us. Giants with pin heads shuffle quietly in the background as a great round marble moves through the mist with a midget balanced on it. Tiny feet power the globe slowly uphill while his sad, arched back turns from the light, refusing to mix with the strange creatures of this new world.

Isabelle Brisset, a tightrope walker from France, appears floating in the center of a velvet brocade patchwork quilt. Wire watchers peer at her intently from either end of the rope as she mounts. Her slippers grip the wire, then mince their way across, pausing and pirouetting back and forth.

The fog descends, swirls and parts. Lifting before us like Samson in a G string is Vladimir Kechaje, a spectacular gymnast from Moscow's Soyuzgorscirk Experimental Studio. His stunning Michangelo body soars across the night-blue heaven like a winged bird of prey, hunting above us and then plunging, briefly touching earth before gliding back up to his eyrie.

AStan Laurel clown-clone, AKA David Shiner, runs down the ramp. Snatching people from the audience, he places them around the stage, bullying and directing them into Oliver-like performances in a hilarious love scene.