VAUDE_VISUALS

After nearly 30 years in Europe and having established the “Festival of Fools” in Amsterdam in the late 60′s Jango Edwards returned to NY to spread the word of the Nouveau Clown Institute (NCI) which was recently formed in Barcelona, Spain. While in NY Edwards taught a class in conjunction with Jef Johnson’s Clown Lab at The Brick Theater in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It was a delightful excursion into the soul of clown and also technique. Jango invited Nikolai Terentiev to teach pantomime on the last day of the workshop. I was there for 2 of the 3 days and was able to document the workshop with a video and some stills. Here is one of the class after an exercise in minimal costume.

CLOWN: Formulas and Theory Workshop ©2009 Jim Moore

While photographing Philippe Petit’s wire walk inside the Louisana’s Superdome in 1975 I had a chance to capture the other star of the show Mishu. I was documenting the preparation rigging for Petit’s walk in the Superdome and the circus was rehearsing. Mishu was walking thru his entrance for the evening performance and I got the two of them to pose for me. The walk took 26 minutes and was two hundred feet above the three rings of Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus. The electronic bulletin board read Philippe Petit – The highest, longest indoor high-wire walk ever.” (High-wire photograph to come.)

Mishu and Philippe Petit 1975 / ©2009 Jim Moore

This year’s BIG APPLE CIRCUS show at Lincoln Center is one of the best I seen in a long time. Bella and Grandma have a great time together and the talent is stunning. With a new ring design and great music it was a wonderfully entertaining show.

The acts consisted of Horses with Christine Zerbini and Sultan Kumisbayev, Aerial Silks with Regina Dobrovitskaya, Hand Balancing Duet with Curtola Brothers and Wheel of Wonder with David Martens. The second act  had a great trampoline act with The Aniskin Troupe and a dog act with talented Regina Dobrovitskaya and Audrey Mantchev, an asian contortion team called The Long Twins, amazing juggling act with Picaso Jr. and the flying trapeze with the Aniskin Troupe.

Bella and Grandma pose for me after the show ©2009 Jim Moore

Bella on the Wheel of Wonder ©2009 Jim Moore