EuroWings no.5 Brussels - October 2006
CILILcA4fts•Lg..A.
Team Euro Wings: Ken and Charlie
In this Edition:
Contributor: David, the Toddler, Anastasia, Misha, Victoria, Matt Photos: Anson, Gaston, Tania, Marcos, Mariko, the Toddler, Natalia Ivanova, Matt, Suzie
Next stop Madrid Lost in Translation View from gate 1 Premiere Circle of life of Alegia 60 sec with Vitaly School Page Overheards on the music line Belgium - Country of beer
In Russia we have a saying!
page 3 page 4 page 5 Page 6, 7 page 8 page 9 page 10 page 11 page 12,13
If it's free, even vinegar tastes sweet. ,_..,
By Misha
The lesser you know, better you sleep. Don't decide with part of the bear you are getting before killing it.
41111111
Ask me no questions and you will hear no lies.
Our Contact:Cirque_alegria@hotmail.com
Deadline for MADRID: 1 st of December 2006
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Next Stop Madrid! By Victoria Hola amigos, the moment has arrived when I come to sit down and write about Madrid, the place I call home. But let me start by telling you a couple of historical facts.
The first data on the city comes from the 9th century when the Arab Emir Mohamed I ordered the construction of a small palace in the place where today sits the Palacio Real. It was in the 16 th century when Felipe II decided that Madrid, located on the banks of the river Manzanares in the center of the country, would make a good capital. Since then Madrid has become not only the largest city in Spain, with great cultural, social and political importance, but also a city that certainly won't leave any of its visitors indifferent or disappointed. Depending on what you would like to do or the mood you are in the city has a lot to offer. If you are in the mood for some artistic culture, what about visiting the Prado Museum for some of the finest collections in the world? There you can admire the classics of Goya, El Greco and Velazquez. Would you rather see some modern art? The Reina Sofia is the National Gallery of Modern Art; Pablo Picasso's Guernica is waiting for you there. Feeling like going shopping and spending some money? Depending on what it is you are looking for you will be able to find everything from tacky velvet bulls and flamenco doll souvenirs to great quality hand painted ceramics and specialty olive oils. If clothing is your thing, don't miss the
district of Salamanca for designer shops; the area of Chueca and the street of Fuencarral are best for the latest fashion of Spain, a style unique to itself. You must save one of your Sunday mornings to visit the traditional El Rastro, the charismatic flea market where second-hand clothes intermingle with antics, household goods, electronics and all kinds of other junk. An experience to remember. Feeling hungry? What about some tapas? You can taste them everywhere in the traditional bars, and you can choose from little plates of delicious tortilla, olivas, patatas bravas, calamares (fried squid), gambas al ajillo and enjoy it of course with a "calla" (small glass of beer) or our best glass of "tinto" (red wine). But if you would prefer a sit down dinner you will discover the gastronome's paradise of Madrid. Being a city of immigrants it offers a grand variety of national and international cuisines: from Andalutian, Basque, Catalan an Galician to French, Indian, Thai or Japanese. After all this eating you surely must have some energy left for the famous "Movida Madrileria" (Madrid's nightlife). You can chill out in one of the bohemian cafĂŠs of the district of Malasalia or find yourself hopping from bar to bar along the streets of Huertas, Latina or Chueca (this last one is great with the gay night). The dance and club scene is also big, if you make it!
And I think should be enough incentive for you to discover the amazing city of Madrid for your self. But if you still have any doubts and need some "convincing" don't hesitate to come to me
AIL Lost in Translation by David Jackson-Clark The traditions of circus have been established through the influences of the different nationalities that form these unique traveling communities. In the UK a distinct language (`palari') evolved through the generations of families based principally on Romany but mutating as foreign influences were absorbed and the style of operations changed. This unique language is now dying as fewer of these same families remain involved in the business. When I joined the circus this language was still used to prevent any outsiders (`homies') comprehending even the most innocent of conversations. As a person not born into the circus (`josser') I had a lot to learn. At the same time other words continue in use describing technical issues as on any circus although varying from continent to continent. I found myself having to learn a whole new language since joining Cirque. I was fairly surprised to find during the first set up (`build up') in Milan that the masts had condoms fitted (that to me meant the `kingpoles' had `chimneys' fitted ). So you will appreciate how the situation seemed a little confusing. In old UK shows any piece of equipment could be called a `chatsby' (thing / object) and a discussion might proceed as follows 'put that 'chat' on the other chatsby'. That is not confusing in the slightest is it? The bleachers to me are just 'stringers' (and previously 'Vs and brackets'). Before the advent of plastic tip up seats there were and still are on smaller shows simple wooden benches. Therefore when business was bad it was said 'the Wood Family is in again' . Bad business was usually related to bad weather and on tear down (`pull down') the grass site (`tober') would turn to mud (`Jonah's bad luck'). I have experienced every type of mud possible and never called it Jonah as there were many four lettered alternative descriptions available. Money (`denari') was taken at the Box Office (or `front door' referring to the show fronts used when
circuses were still part of the fairground) and wages (`the ghost') paid out from the same place. 'Ghost' was an accurate term during times when bad business meant you didn't see any money. Money or not everyone was expected to continue to work and in bad weather the work (`graft') could be very hard. A performance would only be cancelled if there was not enough money taken to pay for generator diesel. When generators (`sets' as in `lighting sets' ) were first introduced they only powered the show lights as the name suggests. Old circus people also called them `engines' from the time electric was supplied from a dynamo mounted on a coal fired traction engine. With the circus life being so precarious there were superstitions. The color was green with associated the fairies (who are untrustworthy) and therefore bad luck. Other superstitions were based on a more practical level. A wild bird fling around in the tent might cause an unfortunate mid air collision with an aerialist. Others would say the bird might take the spirit of any artiste. You never mentioned the name of the town you were traveling to next or even the sites where you had been in case a competing circus discovered your route and `jumped in'. We always said 'the next place' or 'the last place' to protect future possible earnings. However the focus of the circus is the performance and the old families were primarily animal trainers. They took the greatest pride in their horses which always included 'liberties' (literally working freely) and `rosinbacks' (a corruption of resin used to assist riders standing on horse back). I have no idea why performing dogs would be called `slanging buffers' but they were. At least elephant were called elephants! (Continued on next page;
eu_kcr-Ww_g_A_ Lost in Translation
(continued from page 4)
Since the earliest days of circus the standard size of performance ring had been 42 feet diameter. This allowed a rider to maintain balance standing on a galloping horse exploiting centrifugal forces. On special occasions the ring would be 'dressed' meaning a colored pattern would be fashioned into the sawdust. For acrobatic and other human numbers a mat would be laid over the sawdust. In contemporary times this is usually a plastic cover but still known more exotically as the 'ring carpet'.
Alegria retains a connection with the old shows in having the 'Red Man' character. The modern circus ringmaster introduces the acts and represents the authority figure against the clowns. However the term is a corruption of `riding master' when his main responsibility was towards the circus horses. The red coat was adopted from, the hunting fraternity. This is unsurprising as hunting was the leisure pursuit of the military men whose riding displays were the forerunner of the circus we recognize today. The circus has evolved chameleon-like both defining and reflecting public tasted. There will always be circus as the circus community continues to look to the future and respects the traditions of the past.
Well our departure from Amsterdam was a sad
one for Toddler...and not because it was Amsterdam but because things have just slowed down at Gate 1. No crazy firemen...no weird homeless people dancing, singing and waving goodbye to the bus, no naked guy on a bike driving around the public area...nothing, nothing at all. Well face it, it has been very calm in Brussels. We have had diplomats, queens, princesses and ambassadors with full escorts of security and not a single issue...I can not believe it. We have had undercover police in the Big Top looking for people who stole tickets...without making a fuss or demanding we let them empty the tent.
We had a lady sneak her Chihuahua in her purse
(not Paris Hilton...not even close...I might of let her) almost into the show and guess what...she put the dog in the car without a fuss. We have even had people trying to break in the site at night...and again, nothing...well ok they broke a cabinet crushed a waffle and dumped some MEIM's on the floor but that was it. So I guess as our stay comes to an end all I can hope for is total chaos and mayhem in Madrid so I can have some good tales to share. Until then...Peace Out
eu_fLo--14/Csi.g_4L Premiere Brussels - Gypsy Party!
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eILI7_cr-1/VeLow_A_ Gypsy Party!
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eu_ko--141.$441_.4. Circle of life at Alegria (New members and people leaving)
Kiselev Denis /Flyer - Russian bars. He Is
Julian Simard /Box Office manager/
from Minsk city in Belarus. Before Cirque he was training in gymnastics and worked in a Russian circus for 5 years - 2 years as a jumper in bunking and 3 years on Russian bar. When we asked what he liked so far about Alegria, his response was... "It's my favorite show!!"
from Montreal Quebec born in a little town called Levis. He worked on Quidam since April 2004 and before that was an Astronaut?!? When asked how he likes Alegria so far? "I love Alegria! People are extra cool here and the cities we are visiting are amazing. (Coming from Quidam, since the start of the year, it wasn't hard to beat!) The change is good!" His other comment was "I'd like to race against Josito for the next Go Karting!!"
Serdyvkov Denis/Power tracker is from Krasnodar / Russia. -
He trained in gymnastics for 7 years before getting into tumbling and he did 2 formations at the Montreal Cirque Headquarters. What does he like so far about Alegria? Apartment, site kitchen, physio and of course the people of Alegria. His other comment was - he is happy to see lots of Russian speakers because his English is not so good. But he promised that he will work on it (with a big smile)
Was Basranov / High Bar Catcher. He is from Astrakhan in Russia. Before joining Alegria, he did 2 formations in Montreal and before that he was training and coaching in Gymnastics. He is happy to join Alegria meeting different people with different cultures and like he says "The best of the best!"
Franck Salcines / Power-Tracker. He is from France with lots of Mediterranean blood. He was on the French tumbling team from 1989 - 1997 and joined Alegria on October 1997 to September 2004. When asked how he likes being back? "I feel at home, it's an amazing show and all the cast are really nice and dedicated to the show. Huge Energy!!" His other comment was. "I left for 2 years, staying with my family in Quebec, France and following "Corteo"-.
Pursuing a new adventure Christian Zabala / Power tracker -
Yasmine Rezanour / Assistant head rigger is from Teheran in Iran. She is half German + lived in France and Immigrated in Canada. She was working on Saltimbanco for 5 years and a half as assistant head rigger. What she like about Alegira? The show is beautiful, the artists are super cool and the techs are funny, for the rest give her time!! Her other comment was, "Thanks for making me welcomed and I hope this adventure will take us together to a wonderful place called BRAZIL!!"
and back up black singer. He started in Alegria on January 2003 in Dallas Texas. His favorite city was Vancouver where he started practicing Yoga and he met lots of different people in the community. But he did not mind Texas, because thats where he meet Shawn. He will miss the physio the most, especially Martha for being there for him during the most terrible times and of course the physio team for their humor... now he will leave the tour to make his dream come true. Last comment? "We will see each other around! Hasta la vista a todos!
Shannon Vaughn / Merchandising Manager 27 years old, born
Estelle Esse / Singer joined Alegria on
in Sacramento, California. Raised (age 8 to 13) in Tokyo, Japan. 2 years in Toronto, on post-college before joining tour for North America Et Asia-Pacific. "I don't have a "home base" " Before joining Alegria she was working on Quidam and before that working with Varekai. Before joining Cirque she graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a major in Fine Art Et a minor in Journalism. When asked how she likes Alegria so far. "I love it! the white tents are massive and gorgeous - everybody has been very friendly and welcoming. Thank you!" And she added... "Any climbers in the bunch? Scuba divers? General out doorsy types?"
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January 2006. She is heading home 2 weeks after Madrid. The city she liked the most? "All of them! It's Europe! The gelatos in Milan, the ruins and Vatican in Rome, the atmosphere in Amsterdam, the cool vibe of Brussels and London, Well, It's London!" what she will miss most about Alegria? "Your smiles, your looks, singing for you in the show, playing your beautiful and amazing acts Et body's, friends..." last words from her. "You're all amazing, and doing a great job!"
eacko--14114.g_A_ 60 Seconds with Vitaly by Matt
@ You Club Gay night Promo!
When did you start with Alegria? In 1997 (Amsterdam)
What was your favorite city, country, or tour and why? My favorite city was Miami, because I had the opportunity to meet my wife! Also I enjoyed living there on the penthouse floor. I had a beautiful view of the ocean.
What will you miss most about Alegria? My friends Where are you going? I am going to Las Vegas, to work in KA.
What act will you be doing in KA? Many acts, I will be doing the arrow wall, the forest and the boat, also animation.
What kind of car would you like to get in Las Vegas? I would like to get a BMW, but I don't know yet what I will buy. I have to see what kind of deal I can get.
Again working off duty! Do you have a house in Las Vegas? No, I have an apartment in Miami, but in Vegas for now we will rent.
Any advice to the new people joining Alegria? Be patient...
Anything else you would like to say? I would like to say to everybody in Alegria, thanks for all the support, patience and care that I received in all my years of working here. I will never forget this.
Thanks Vitaly for all your work and we will all miss you and your family here in Alegria. Best of luck and I'm sure you will have a few visitors in Las Vegas.
Suspected; we have proven that The Toddler is ndeed a giant Muppet, controlled by Little People:
School page (Compiled by Ilona Krasnova)
TROT t-
S OI
My Room By Anastasia Novozhilova Grade 6
I walk inside, I see a bed by my side. My blanket is blue, And it has a hole too. There are 2 tables beside. I use only 1, and that one is mine! There is a wooden closet To put my clothes in or just for fun. I'm sad I do not have a carpet, I just have an ordinary floor. So I can't be tying on the floor, Anyways I might hit the door. When I come in, There is a mirror. On the bottom there are some shelves. I use it all by myself. I have a window, I have a door, I have a bed, I have a floor. What else do I need? Because it feels alright; To sleep, to read, or to stay up all night.
The teachers on Alegria would like to welcome a new first grader to our school. Welcome Timofey ivanov! Good tuck and happy studying. PS: Don't forget to do your homework!!!
The End
Alegria School 2006!!
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Overheards on the music line by Charlie So, what are those funny looking ear plugs that the musicians, singers and sound technicians cram into their ears every day and night during the show? Some are yellow, squishy and disposable while others seem to be hard and plastic and require lubrication. Can they cause discomfort and/or infections? Yes. Can you plug them into your iPod? Yes. What about protection from crashing cymbals and squealing saxophones? Not enough unfortunately. Exactly what is being broadcast along the airwaves of these so called "in-ear monitors" Well, in addition to the usual "Un, deux, trios, quatre" monotony of cues that follow the often ambiguous acrobatic faux-pas every show, there are times when the musicians are hearing sounds in their headsets that may or may not be suitable for all
audiences and therefore can be down right distracting. For example, even though the singers are muted in the house speakers - sometimes we can still hear them gabbing away backstage talking about all kinds of nonsense while going to the toilet and we are expected to continue playing without missing a beat (or note)...Then there are instances when a piercing high frequency squelch creeps into the mix and we all start screaming (in the middle of a song) at Tin-tin to make it stop. Of course, we all have microphones and can talk to each other as well as the sound techs and stage management - however, this can lead to mayhem if more than one person is talking at a time (which always happens - in the middle of a song!) and so - maybe you can see where I'm going with this...
To give you some sort of idea of what I'm talking about, here's a list of the top 5 things that one might hear on the musician's headsets lately: 5) During the clown acts (when it' s quiet) we sometimes listen to Tin-tins bluegrass versions of hard rock songs (Don't tell stage management!) 4) "Qwank-qwank"- code for "Man, you really screwed that one up again! 3) "What' s that smell?" as everyone looks in Bruno' s direction... 2) "Oops, sorry" as one or more of us play the wrong note or beat (again).
And without a doubt, the #1 thing heard on the musician headset is: 1) "TABARNAK!" So, stay tuned and don't be surprised if the musicians can't hear you or have no idea what's going on around them, they are either losing their hearing or losing their minds or maybe they just might be listening to something else in their headphones.
Go Kart Go!
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CELFLo —W.Locu_A_
Belgium — the country of beer! ter
By Ken
As I write this article, I'm sitting in front of my computer drinking a Vintage Chimay Pere Trapist 1996, which was aged in the basement of the bar/store called Beer Mania in Brussels. I was afraid at first to taste it (10 years is long for a beer) but to my surprise this is one of the best beers that I have had so far with a well balanced and complete taste with a touch of raisin. My first real introduction to the Belgium beers was during the Expo 2005 in Nagoya at the Belgium Pavilion. I think they had around 20 different kinds of beer and had a big map of Belgium that indicated the origin of the beers. It's at this moment that I discovered that beer had many types with varieties of taste and also that each brewery had their own specific glasses that went with the beer. (I could find two reasons behind it: 1st certain beers create a large amount of foam. Especially the one's that go through a second and third fermentation in the bottle which is one of the uniqueness of Belgium beers. 2 nd of course to distinguish from others beers.) The first day in Brussel, walking around the Grand Place, I found this small but nicely lit Beer shop. I went in and bought my self 20 different kinds of beer with a book titled "The Great Beer of Belgium by Michael Jackson" (nope not the pop star). This is the same place where they introduced to me to Delerium CafĂŠ which has the largest selection of beer in the World with 2600 different labels (1200 from Belgium, 800 German and the rest from all around the world), they even had Corona's. Here's a crash course 101 on beer! In this small country counts around 120 breweries producing around 500 beers with 10 to a dozen principal types and at least 50 to 60 sub categories. Did you know that they have beer engineers that study for 3 years? History of beer goes back when the first nomadic tribe became sedentary. With the excavation in Egypt, Syria, Israel, Iraq and Turkey researchers came to the conclusion that cereal was cultivated not for bread but to make beer. They could make beer with 4 different kinds of cereal. Wheat (Froment), Barley (Orge), Rye (Seigle) and oat (Avoine). Barley is the easiest one to be transformed into beer and less to make bread, So Barley is the principal cereal used to make beer even though wheat is widely used in Belgium. Rye is the rarest one. Barley brings a firm and pure smoothness, wheat brings a pungent, acrid and bitter dimension with a refreshing taste to the beer. Rye is spicier and almost menthol-like where as Oat on the other hand, brings smoothness and silkiness to the beer. By the way, white beers consist of 30 to 60% wheat and the rest malted barley (malted means the cereals were dipped in water to make them germinate a little then dried), seasoned by coriander seeds and dried orange peel.
FiTIVUL.0
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to efort
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The drying process during malting affects the taste and color of the beer. When malt is lightly dried, it gives a pale color with a delicate taste and results in a golden beer. Malt being "cooked" will have a reddish color with a taste that is smoother, cookie flavored or caramelized. Malt which is roasted will be dark brown or black, and the taste will remind you of dark chocolate or an espresso cafĂŠ. Colors range goes from 1 to 12. Certain beers are made with one type of cereal but often 2 or 3.
US
Back in the day, aromatize ingredients were added to all drinks to mask the imperfection and to give taste and balance the natural flavor and in certain cases to preserve it. The adding of herbs, spices and fruits in beer lasted a long time in Belgium, never disappeared and is strongly associated to this country. Tropical ingredients like Coriander, paradise seeds and ginger are widely used. Some add fruits like in the Iambic beer and also spices like cardamom, and Houblon (which acts as an anti-septic also for the Iambic beer). They noticed that the water characteristic/mineral composition (iron, calcium, magnesium, etc) affects the taste of the beer so some industrial breweries add natural salt to attain the desired quality of water producing the characteristic of the beer. The type of Yeast used is very important. Some use champagne yeast, others cultivate for bottle fermentation and the oldest way is the yeast in the air. Yeast was observed into the microscope for the first time in 1680 by a Dutch scientist and in 1883, a scientist at the Carlsberg brewery in Copenhagen isolated unicellular yeast in order to have a more stable product. A very unique beer of Belgium is called Lambic beer and is more acidic and winy tasting. This is the oldest form of making beer because they use yeast that exists in the air of Brussels (also means that taste will differ year to year). This type of beer is also called "wild beers" and they are usually made at the beginning November (the perfect time for the number of yeast in the air with the temperature between 12 to 14 C (the temperature which brings the yeast to the bottom of the beer)). Fruit beer types made with Lambic/Gueuz beer takes around 2 to 3 years to make it. They first put the fruits (Raspberries, cherries (kriek etc.) in a wooden barrel then they pour in the Lambic/Gueuz beer and let it sit for another 6 month to 1 year). Well that's it folks! As you can see, there are lots of elements that affect the taste thus making the different variety of beers. Here are my top 10 beers: 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
Abbaye des Roc's blonde (la Nounette made with 7 malts, 3 houblon, and around 10 spices) Augustijn Grand Cru ( very good. Creamy and fermented in a wooden barrel) Maredsous 8 Westmalle Trapist (made by monks) Kasteel bier 10 (matured in a cave of a 15 century Castle) Grottenbiere brown (creator of Hoegaarden's new adventure. Mature the beer with Champaign technique in a cave 40m down)
7)
Karmeliete tripel (uses 3 different cereal with 17 th century recipe)
8)
La Cre Tonnerre (beer with rhum) Orval 10)Leffe Brown
9)
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CILILETINtn_sF..4_ The Big Top Viewed from space!
Minneapolis
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Vancouver
euiLcrWw_ff.A.
Martin Jones stand-up comedy in Brussels?!?
Say hello to our new receptionist in Physio Depatment, Christianna!
IN
OUT
- Apartments - Bike Ride to from metro - Beer, Chocolate Et Waffles - Day trip to Gent, Brugge, Paris - Audience - The city
Nothing in Particular.
Announcement!
Thank you Fat Boy's
Once again welcome to all of our new faces on Alegria and best of tuck to all our departing friends pursuing new adventures. Our apologies for not getting information in time for this issue about our new Physio therapist Paul Jonas as well a special good bye to Suzie Gagnon. More to come next issue in Madrid stay tuned!
Things that you could do with Mia's Scarf!
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cm_g_A_ Cidur141.
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