If you are looking for Jake West, go here http://jakewest.ca/

Little Promo Clip from Buskers

The very talented organizer of the Victoria Busker Festival, John Vickers, kindly sent this along to us.  We are in it for about 5 seconds.  It is a fabulous little promo, check it out:

"The Audition"

I think that this was the most effortless show I have ever done.  I am not sure if that is coming from experience or the stars just aligned for us, but it was an absolute pleasure to perform at the 7th annual Cowichan Wine Festival.  The Canadian Pacific Ballet, Merridale Cidery and I partnered to premier, "The Audition" for a full house under the tents.

Check it out:



And here are a couple of clown snippets from the show:

The House of Faerie Bad Things

Well well, fall is here again and that means it's haunted house time! This year we feature over 20 high level artists from circus, theatre, music, dace, puppetry, film making, storytelling, singing and more!

Think you know fairietales? Think again! The true beginnings of faerie mythology are old and dark - fearsome creatures met in the wild places of the world... Join your magical host on a tour through the unfriendly inhabitants of Faerieland.

Tickets and info at inthehousefestival.com

Rehearsals Underway for Merridale Sept.18

The Canadian Pacific Ballet and I had a great rehearsal today for our new show, "The Audition".  We are finding some really cool stuff in our collaborative dance and contact juggling piece.  It is going to look so good.  Can't wait to show you.  Much of the show is very improv based and we certainly had a very interesting improv session today.  We are going to make you laugh!

Catering Our First Client Appreciation Party

Bill Brooks, a highly energetic and engaging real estate agent that I would recommend to anyone, hired us for his first ever client appreciation party.  It was an absolute blast!  Yoko taught them to make sushi and after they ate, I provided the entertainment.

This is what he had to say:

Hi Yoko and Jake;

The thanks are all mine. The two of you definitely over delivered. I’ve had calls from most of the people and they all raved about the event. Please use me as a reference any time you have any one considering having you cater their event. I have attached all of my photos. Please feel free to use any of them. They aren’t as good as yours but maybe you can dress them up.

Thanks again;

Bill

Chris and Luciterra on tour in BC!

  Just came back from the third of four weeks of shows that have taken us from Vancouver Island to the BC interior. We had major time slots at Basscoast Project, Shambhala Music Festival and Big Time Out.

We've been performing a bangin half hour set, and were given the honour of a full hour time slot at Shambhala! This weekend we will condense that down to fifteen minutes of heavy hitting fusion bellydance and circus arts.

Clown piece snippet

Just a quick snippet of a new clown piece/show/character that I am developing.  It definitely needs cleaning, but so far it has been getting the laughs.  Enjoy...

Diabolo Action Photo

It is so hard to get good stills of my diabolo routine, there is just too much movement for the camera.  That said, I always love a good action shot.  I really like how the bottom half of me is in crystal clear focus with the top half in this great motion.

Photo by Vadym Graifer

"The Audition" Premiers Sept. 18

The Canadian Pacific Ballet and Jake West present to you their newest collaboration -
“The Audition”.  Weaving together graceful, romantic ballet with circus arts, The Audition is a hilarious show where we cast a new member in an upcoming role.  Melded to the story are gorgeous dance pieces, new school juggling and tons of physical comedy from a diverse array of talented artists.  Join us to laugh and be mezmerised  as we spin and twirl into your lives.  

Nice shot from Market Square in Victoria

This shot was taken by Vadym Graifer.  I love how it pops.  Check out his work here:
http://photography.realitytrader.com/

It has been great performing with the Canadian Pacific Ballet.  The last two nights have been really fun - the audiences have really enjoyed our ballet/circus collaboration.  I have been thoroughly enjoying doing my Tony Saltana "comedy choreographer" with the dancers - it just fits so perfectly.  We have a fabulous show in the works which we will premier at the Cowichan Wine Festival at Merridale Farm Sept. 18.  The show is premised on an audition with the audience woven together with graceful ballet, circus arts and hilarity.

And don't forget  - Ballet Under the Stars continues Aug. 9 through to the 24th.  Next up - I will be doing some comedia del arte with the ballet.  Should be a fun and interesting challenge.
Rocking,
JAKE

Big Crowds at Victoria Busker Festival

both sides of the coin was honored to be part of the big gala show on the Empress Lawn at the Victoria Busker Festival.  We do have video, but we are both so busy at the moment that it is on the backburner.  Thanks again Victoria for supporting your local artists.  Your rock!

Jake West in the Globe and Mail

It was a pleasure talking to columnist, Tom Hawthorn, of the Globe and Mail about performing, busking and circus.  He wrote a great article, check it out:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/tom-hawthorn/shareTweet/article2101458/?utm_campaign=Shared+Web+Article+Links&utm_medium=Referrer:+Social+Network+/+Media&utm_source=twitter.com

both sides on the menu

Thank you very much to Anthony Sanna at Ambrosia Centre for putting us on the menu and giving us a whole bunch of free exposure.  YOU ROCK!

Working the Victoria Busker Festival

We thoroughly enjoyed working the Empress Hotel lawn this afternoon in the Inner Harbor of Victoria.  We have already been in two newspapers and will be in The Globe and Mail tomorrow.

Come check us out this week.

Cirque audition - not this round

Well, I didn't make it this time around.  It was a great experience and I learned a lot.  The talent scout said that I was holding too much tension, and ya, he was right, I could feel myself doing it but just could not correct it.  

The competition was crazy.  Everyone was super funny and and had absolutely amazing characters!  There were 30 people there and about 10 of us got cut in the first round.  There were a few people that did not even get to do their 2 min solo.  This poor girl, it was her second time and she didn't even get to do her act.  That is rough. 

You know, now that I think of it, that was my first audition ever!  Most of the people there were definitely seasoned audition pros - I did not stand a chance this round.  But I am a fast learner and will do much better in round 2.  

The scout was a super nice guy and told me to keep working and sending him stuff.  

And as I said before, I am not that fussed.  Back to Vancouver Island  - no problem.  Keep working.  

Rocking, 

JAKE

Circus+Ballet = Fabulous Art

I can't remember the last time I saw contact juggling and ballet combined.  I have been working hard with the Canadian Pacific Ballet and last night we performed this piece for the first time in Market Square in Victoria.  It turned out gorgeous.

This is just a little trailer.  We will perform it until the end of August, so there will be many more opportunities to make it tighter and tighter.  At the end of the summer, I will provide you with the full version.

And I have also been working on a new clown act that I performed for the first time last night.  I definitely got the laughs, but now watching the video, there are so many comedy gaps to fill.  Luckily, I get to perform it again so I can make it more solid.

Clown audition for Cirque - you have 2 min

That's right.  You have 2 minutes of solo time to wow them or you may possibly be cut before lunch.

So, for you clowns and physical actors out there who want to perform for Cirque du Soleil, condense your best material into 2 minutes and let loose.

I will let you know how it goes...

JAKE

Jake West with the CP Ballet

I am absolutely delighted to be working with the Canadian Pacific Ballet every Tues and Wed night in Market Square in Victoria for the rest of the summer.  We are just in the midst of developing a fabulous collaboration between contact juggling and ballet.  We are making art!  I will also perform a multi-ball act in their show.  I am also really excited about playing with a new clown piece that I am working on.  I am not sure how this one is going to end, so it is a perfect opportunity to explore the possibilities through a summer of animating the crowd.

Please come down and enjoy the show.  Check them out here:
http://www.canadianpacificballet.org/

Rocking, 

JAKE

Chris Murdoch at Guilt and Co.

Here's a little improv. from Decadent Eccentric - my monthly Emcee gig with the fabulous Luciterra.

Housed in Vancouver's historic Gastown, this is the perfect place for us to work with new material - always expanding, always creating.

Chris