www.cirquefascination.com: Ahead of the British debut of Cirque du Soleil’s OVO, performer and choreographer Alanna Baker is telling BBC News that discipline is the key to surviving the show’s intensive touring schedule.
“To me your body is a work of art,” she says. “You should love your body, treat it how you want to be treated. It’s what you have to live in. You wouldn’t fuel a car with the wrong gas. So if you give your body the right fuel, food, the right exercise, you can do whatever you want.”
8 comments:
Before reading this article, I will admit I did not know who Alana Baker was. But, this was a very interesting piece because it really touches on the importance of taking care of yourself as a performer. Baker states outright that she doesn't believe you need a degree to make it, which is kind of ironic because I am writing these comments as a segment of a class that I have to take to get a degree, but anyways, she clearly did not need one. She seems like a very passionate performer that is willing to go the extra mile for Cirque, and she seems to be very happy doing what she's doing. I really liked the joke she made about literally running off with the circus, and overall, I think this piece had a lot of cool anecdotes and Baker seems to be an interesting gal.
I was able to see OVO when it came through town at the end of last school year. It was a really beautiful and having seen a few different types of Cirque shows, this feels like an attempt to go back to their roots. The show is very much about the acts and has a loose thematic story that ties it together. The show proved emotions and feelings, rather than trying to tell the story, however it had a very heavy theme. I think this article has a lot of takeaways that apply to both touring and to many of us as entertainment professionals. While this article is very applicable to dancers and acrobats, it is a friendly reminder for us as technicians and managers to take care of ourselves. This is extremely true of those workers that are on tour and how much those bodies go through. Technicians and managers may not be seen on stage every night, but that doesn’t mean that our bodies need to be in good shape to do what they need to do.
I always really enjoy hearing the perspective of touring artists, since it's actually a fairly different challenge from resident artists. While resident artists are extremely challenged by the physical feats they are performing in 1.5 hour shows 10 times per week, they have the luxury of returning home to their own beds and families at the end of the night. The touring Cirque artists seem to have an even greater physical challenge, which is 6-8 2.5 hour shows per week, on top of the fact that they are traveling the world and sleeping in a bed that is not their own each night. As a stage manager, I would love to be on tour with Cirque, but I can't imagine the physical toll touring must take for the artists in the show.
As for the safety section of this article, I appreciate what Baker said about it being everyone's number one priority. I think people tend to associate Cirque with dangerous, life-threatening performance, but I have never seen a company take safety so seriously. She makes a good point that 2013's accident has had a large impact on the procedures and attitudes of the company, but that certainly isn't when they started paying attention. Like she says, they understand what they are doing and just how risky it can be, but the artists and the technicians trust each other very deeply to be able to communicate when there is a problem.
Despite the several cliches that dapple this interview, there are several points worth noting here. Perhaps first and foremost is this particular performer's sense of safety within Cirque. She seems to give Cirque a lot of credit in ensuring that their performers both feel and are safe. I wonder, however, if she thinks it is impossible to make performing in shows like the ones Cirque produces accident-free. It is interesting to hear from a performer about internal perceptions of the risks - and subsequent safety concerns and measures - as this is a perspective I don't recall being oft-featured in the wake of the 2013 accident.
I also enjoyed reading about her path to Cirque; it's always nice when these things come full circle. I too advocate for the more unorthodox path through life, and to some extent agree that a degree should not be the end all, be all for a person. However, I do wonder where life will take her post-Cirque.
What I’m most impressed with about Alana Baker is not her commitment to her nutrition and exercise, but that way in which she talks about the safety concerns in Cirque du Soleil’s shows. Understanding the risks that she must endure is part of the job that she has accepted. Of course, accidents like falling 94 feet shouldn’t happen. But sometimes they do and Ms. Baker seems very aware and grounded in that. She also lauds Cirque’s commitment to safety saying that if a performer doesn’t feel safe changes are made so the performer does. That change might be that they don’t do that particular act or the act is changed. Either way, that performer’s concerns are being addressed. All of that being said, I think this article is also an excellent example of artist as athlete. Those who are performing with Cirque may come from backgrounds of gymnastics, acrobatics and dance but in the show they are all performers and artists. Their training, exercise, diet and nutrition, and even injuries are all similar to their non-performing (I should say non-entertainment-performing) athlete counterparts.
It is really nice to hear the perspective of a performer on the safety concerns with Cirque. I do know that they focus a lot on safety and making sure all the protocols are met. Freak accidents will occur and it is sad, but there is only so much they can do to try and prevent them. She seems like she is very trusting of the company, which I feel is essential if you are a performer because you are putting your life in their hands. It is good to hear that they know they are risking their lives everyday and that is part of the act that they are doing stunts that no one else can do and they are dangerous. People want to see dangerous and impressive stunts. Cirque is known for their dangerous stunts so they need to live up to those expectations, while making sure they are as safe as possible and they try to prevent as many injuries as they can.
The circus is definitely meant to be a place where the audience is truly amazed by how the performers aren't getting hurt at any given moment. Obviously though the performers shouldn't feel that way and it is encouraging to hear from a person who is actually doing these stunt about the way that safety is handled by this particularly famous circus. All of the safety measures she mentioned reassured me and I think that ultimately, similar to stunt people, being a circus worker is just dangerous.
Alana does make a good point about taking care of your body though. Having a healthy lifestyle and body ultimately can help prevent some accidents and can help the body recuperate after injury.
It's really strange to me that humans have this tendency to want to see other people risk their lives for art. But as long as both groups of enjoy participating in this spectacle, it might as well be safe for both groups.
I am very intrigued by how Alana got to Cirque because it’s one of those things that you don’t really think about. As a gymnast that she chose to join Cirque rather than continue competing because that’s where we normally hear about gymnasts. Switching to Cirque makes a lot of sense in terms of career moves. However, reading the article I wanted to know more about the exact decision process of joining Cirque. Yes, I see that it was a childhood dream of hers but at the same time it is a huge life commitment. I am curious what the balancing factors were in that calculation. Due to the fact that a lot of entertainment careers have a constantly moving around element to them, I am always curious about how that aspect plays into their lives.
Post a Comment