Emceeing the Victoria Juggling Festival

We will be emceeing the Victoria Juggling Festival Gala Show on Sat. Feb.19.  There will be a phenomenal line-up of professional jugglers assembled at the Metro theatre.  Instead of the normal cabaret style show, Chris and I will be weaving a story to tie together all of the fabulous performers. 

Contact us immediately to get tickets.  The Metro is almost sold out already!  Whew, it is going to be a full house.

The entire festival runs from Feb.18-20.  We would love to see you there. 

Thanks Diane!

You may have noticed that there were many beautiful pictures from the Haunted House and my show with Shpongle, taken by Diane Smithers.

Here's yet another one she recently posted.

Jammin' With Giovanni Hidalgo!

I had an incredible stroke of luck this afternoon to have the great conga player Giovanni Hidalgo, one of the best drummers in the history of the universe, put on a workshop 5 blocks from my house.  I got to play with him on stage, man, having Giovanni watching me play was very thrilling.  I have been studying his techiniques for years and to be sitting there in front of this legend listening to me play was so exciting!  He told me that I am a doing really good and can see all of the practice I have been doing.  I can't tell you how good that made me feel.  From the legend's own mouth!  Extraordinary!

If you do not know who Giovanni Hidalgo is, please take 4 minutes and watch this master at work.  Every hand drummer must pay homage to this man as he revolutionized its playing.

A Very Peculiar Machine

Along with Ari Lazer and Martin Reisle, I've been working on a kids show called "a Very Peculiar Machine." The show is being prepared for Artstarts, an organization that books educational entertainment into schools around British Colombia.

Our show features Dr. Terwilliger, a scientist who has created a machine that can gather stories right out of the air! The doctor and his engineer plan to create a magnificent museum of stories for people to come and see, but only for a healthy sum. Unfortunately, the machine is having trouble pumping out stories, so they go to the kids for advice (or, maybe just to steal their creativity...)

The show touches on the importance of stories, the power of imagination and the value of collaboration and sharing.

Chris

Winter Training with Peter and Ninon

It is always a pleasure to train with Peter and Ninon.  They have decades of circus wisdom to impart.  I have great respect for them.  You will be hard pressed to find more professional training on the West Coast of Canada.  If you are thinking about joining the circus big leagues, these are the people you need to talk to.

Check them out:
http://www.undergroundcircus.ca/

JAKE

Flown to Calgary for a Big Party

We had a fabulous time in Calgary performing at the spacious convention center.  These photos turned out absolutely spectacular.  Thank you to Fuze Entertainment for hiring us for this one.  It was really fun!

Jake West in "Break the Cycle"

This was an amazing show and process to be a part of.  It all came together so well - the stars definitely aligned for this run.  This is perhaps the most artistic video I have ever made.

To Hell and Back video highlights.

Hooray!

Michaelangelo Wu of Hybrid Movement was so kind as to edit a video of highlights from "to Hell and Back: the phantasmagoric adventures of Ms. Helen Beck".

Here it is, in all it's creepiness...


To Hell and Back - In The House Festival Halloween 2010 from Hybrid Movement on Vimeo.

Chris

Photos and Response from the Haunted House!

This year's Haunted House was a smash hit...

"Best Halloween ever!"

"Completely blown away!"

"Top notch Halloween entertainment!"

Chris, in collaboration with Luciterra, photodreamz.net

In the Spirit of last year's event, this was not your average scare-fest. A full hour of tales from different cultures, multimedia entertainment and over 27 performers, this was a sumptuous celebration of Halloween tradition - exploring the darker side of beauty through exceptional performances and the lens of international culture.

Jonel, The Devil in a Red Dress

Alex Danard as Helen Beck

I really love the idea and tradition of Halloween - an evening for us to acknowledge the reality and mystery of death and the unknown. Over the course of history, this has been reinterpreted in many different forms, but now it is mostly a night of sugar, cheap costumes and debauchery. Myriam Steinberg (artistic director of the In the House Festival) and I have committed to providing an evening of entertainment in the spirit of Halloween, with a few contemporary twists.

Over the last two weeks, glowing responses from various bloggers, performers and audience members have poured in. Click below for more pictures and a few reviews.

Chris

A Cosmic Performing Experience

Please click the read more to see a few fabulous photos of our amazing 3 day run of "Break the Cycle".  It was cosmic.  The Dean of Fine Arts at UVic said it was the best student produced show he has seen in his 3 decades of experience.  Keep your eye on these emerging west coast circus artists: Cameron Fraser, Lucky DeSouza, and Alia Kube.  We are the future of west coast circus artistry.