Page 22 Winter 1991 - 92
In
a compelling shift from Chaposhnikov's speedy numbers juggling, the
next act featured a single staff dramatically manipulated in the
manner of the Peking Opera by a striking English woman
named Rachel, ably accompanied by a trio of friends playing folk
flutes and percussion.
Then came the dynamic duo of Dirk and Daniel. These two European men shared three American clubs with every conceivable takeaway and some truly unbelievable gymnastic teamwork and partner acrobatics. Not to be outdone, Mr. Jones and his faithful stuffed pig, Mr. Freddy, returned for some daredevil stunts of their own, providing some farfetched foolishness and timely comic relief.
Bereft
of both stuffed pig and any desire to be funny, Michael Menes
reappeared in black garb and, to minimalist music, performed his
stark style of sharply delineated club swinging. Combining
inventive, almost idiosyncratic movements with standard
progressions, he produced a piece which was at once fluid, intensely
personal and clinically correct.
Kapa Troyakova, the only woman in the troika of solo Soviet numbers jugglers, brought a lithe touch to the traditional props, infusing her routine with warmth, pixie charm and deft accuracy. In comic contrast, another solo woman performer named Tash presented a truly hilarious caricature of Mildred from Milwaukee (or somewhere in Wisconsin). After engaging the crowd in some spirited call and response (frequently rebuking them for their manners and schooling them on proper Midwest etiquette), Mildred stunned us by performing ball spinning on what appeared to be her bare breast!
Not
quite as shocking, but equally mind-boggling, was the way Henry Camus
closed the show by ball juggling and playing the piano simultaneously.
Elegantly attired as the consumate concert soloist, Camus strode to
the piano and slid unceremoniously off the bench and onto his butt!
Camus, who hails from Brooklyn but now resides in Zurich, was aided,
abetted and comically indebted to his slapstick sidekick, Bruno. Bruno
is a deft Italian juggler who, along with Camus and occasionally Gabbi
Schmutz, comprise the highly-regarded troupe Fratelli Zucchini. With
Bruno putting him through his paces, Camus played a classical number
evenly alternating left-right tosses with one white stage ball. Soon
he progressed to two balls, circling them in his right hand while his
left laid down an infectious boogie-woogie bass line. Then he adroitly
juggled the balls from right to left just in time to free his right
hand and hammer the keys with ringing blues riffs.
For
a finale, Camus and Bruno cleverly combined six clubs with at least as
many languages. The result was a brilliant display of synchronized
solo three club tricks and verbal gymnastics, providing a punch line
for every nationality assembled.
European
Juggling Association president Sue Hunt and vice president/emcee Lee
Hayes kicked off a spirited encore by passing six clubs around His
Honor, the Mayor of Verona. As the mayor flinched and the crowd
roared, one by one the evening's performers formed a half-circle
behind the passers. Each artist held a helium balloon in one hand and
a luminous sparkler tied to the balloon's string in the other. When
the cast was fully assembled, the passers finished smartly, his honor
heaved a heavy sigh of relief and the entire cast released their
helium balloons.
Picture
a plethora of miniature Halley's comets soaring skyward in slow
motion, buoyantly drifting over the Romanesque statues and medieval
towers, transforming Piazza Dante into Disney West. The sound of the
ovation, coupled with the sight of the sparklers' incandescent ascent,
was truly euphoric, and a fitting climax to a spectacular public show.
Robert
and Linda Peck comprise the husband and wife team, Foolsproof,
currently living, laughing and learning in Northfeld, Mass. |
![]() Unicycle dancing at the Verona Games (Karin Hertzer photo) |