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Very Cool Thing on Sunday 2/1
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January 30, 2004 |
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Sorry for last-minute notice, but this looks cool. It's an all-day open
house to play on circus equipment this Sunday (day after tomorrow). I'll be
there and may be more involved with the space down the line. Hope some of
you can come play too.
Following are two different e-mails. The first explains what it is.
The second has details on logistics.
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INVITATION:
Dear Colleagues & Friends:
We are pleased to invite you to save the date of February 1st, 2004 for a
daylong gathering of professional New York City artists and performers
working in circus and related arts.
Why?
NYC’s new circus community has ebbed and flowed since the Big Apple Circus
set up shop in Battery Park in 1977. Numbers are now growing, but we still
tend to operate largely within our sub-communities: commercial/corporate,
punk/protest, dance/theater, variety/burlesque, performance art, the list
goes on. Yet we have so much in common: need for safety education, need for
insurance, need for training, need for equipment, need for space.
We all have our secret ways that we meet those needs: people, businesses,
tricks, shortcuts and other important tools that we’ve built up through hard
work over the years. By holding this meeting, we’re not asking anyone to
open their books.
On the contrary, what we would like to do is bring everyone in the same
place, talk, play, get to know each other and finally open the floor to ask:
what do we as circus and circus-related artists need to improve our work and
our working conditions? And how might combining forces help?
When and where?
The gathering will take place on February 1st from 10am-6pm at Circus Town,
a new training facility in the Bronx. Circus Town is the brainchild of
Philippe Vercruyssen, a veteran swinging trapeze artist who also runs a
summer circus camp for kids at Purchase College in Westchester. Circus Town
offers classes and training in the full range of circus skills, including
swinging trapeze, trampoline and rolla bolla. Philippe is graciously hosting
this event and is a collaborator in its design. Circus Town’s exact address
and directions will be sent in a forthcoming email.
What?
The day will be structured to maximize play time, conversation time, and
productive time, in that order. Circus Town has a fantastic array of
toys—for flying, bouncing, balancing and swinging—and you’ll have ample time
to try everything out. We also recognize that most of us know each other
anyway, so we’re building in two meals for informal conversations: we will
provide the breakfast and you need to bring your own lunch. A chunk of the
afternoon will be reserved for group discussion as described above.
Who?
This gathering is open to all professional New York City artists and
performers working in circus and related arts. What does that mean?
Professional: refers to your level of commitment to the work, not to the
amount of cash you bring in.
New York City: means you need to operate within New York City’s social,
economic and cultural climate—and therefore share some common concerns with
others of the same geographic scope.
Artists & performers: means that, whatever your role, you are engaged and
instrumental in the creation and presentation of circus and
circus-influenced work on an ongoing basis.
Circus and related arts: if you think what you do puts you in the same field
as others who think of themselves as working in circus or related arts, you
would probably get a lot out of this gathering.
Please feel free to forward this invite to anyone else you think fits the
above criteria.
How?
The organizers of this event are Teresa Kochis (freelance aerialist), Olivia
Lehrman (acrobat, juggler & aerialist with Cirque Boom), Philippe
Vercruyssen (Director, Circus Town) and Ruth Juliet Wikler (Artistic
Director, Cirque Boom). We will be facilitating the event, taking notes, and
doing follow-up.
There are a few expenses, which we’d like to ask your help with: a
registration fee of $10/person will cover breakfast, space costs, and
Xeroxing the contact sheets we’ll crank out by the end of the day.
We’ll send out a more detailed agenda in January, and a reminder closer to
the date. In the meantime, please mark your calendars, forward this to
anyone you think might be interested, and send us feedback about what you’d
like to see happen on the 1st!
All the best, Teresa, Olivia, Philippe & Ruth
=====================================================
CONFIRMATION:
Dear Colleagues,
We have been delighted by the excellent response to our save-the-date for
the Circus Community Meeting on February 1st. We are pleased to announce
that artists from as far as Vermont and Connecticut are planning on
attending. We look forward to seeing you all there!
Here’s what you need to know:
WHERE: Circus Town, at the Omni Fitness Center - 872 Pelham Pkwy in Pelham,
NY.
Directions:
By car from Union Square:
Start out going SE on 14th St. toward Bdwy.
Turn left onto First Ave.
Turn right onto E. 23rd St.
Merge onto FDR Dr. N via the ramp on the left
Take the Triborough Bridge Exit - exit #17 - on the left toward
I-287/Brukner Expwy./Grand Central Pkwy
Merge onto the Triborough Bridge (portions toll)
Merge on to I-287 E toward I-87 N/ Bronx/ Upstate NY/ New England
Take the I-287 E exit on the left toward New Haven
Merge onto Brukner Expwy
Brukner becomes New England Trlwy/I-95 N
Take Hutchinson Pkwy N exit - exit #9
Merge onto Hutchinson River Pkwy. N via the exit - on the left
Take US-1 S exit - exit #7
Turn left onto Boston Post Rd./ US-1
Turn right onto Pelham Pkwy.
End at Omni Fitness Center - 872 Pelham Pkwy in Pelham, NY
By Subway from Union Square:
Take #5 train north (there are two #5 trains - take the one marked by a
circle and not a diamond) to the very last stop/ Eastchester Dyre Avenue
From subway walk E on 233rd St.
Turn left on Boston Post Rd.
Go over bridge
Turn left onto Pelham Pkwy at Shell gas station
Omni Fitness Center is at 872 Pelham Pkwy in Pelham, NY
Or...
*You can catch a shuttle van we will be providing from the subway station at
11:45 and 12:15
*You should estimate about 90 minutes travel time on subway from Union
Square
By Metro-North Railroad:
Take train from Grand Central to Pelham
Take cab from train station to Omni Fitness Center at 872 Pelham Pkwy in
Pelham, NY
Or...
*There is a train leaving Grand Central at 11:37am that will arrive in
Pelham at 12:06. If you catch this train a shuttle van will be waiting at
the station to transport you to Omni Fitness Center.
*The train ride is 29 minutes long and costs $11.
You should estimate about 90 minutes travel time on the subway from Union
Square.
WHEN: Sunday, February 1st, from 12-6pm. (Note the change)
COST: We are asking people to donate $10 each to support xeroxing, food,
etc. Please pay in cash when you arrive.
FOOD: We will be providing basic snack/lunch food and beverages.
JUGGLING: A limited amount of juggling equipment will be provided.
Jugglers may wish to bring their own.
INSURANCE: All attendees will be asked to sign a safety waiver upon arrival
at the space.
AGENDA: The basic agenda for the day is as follows:
12-12:30 meet & greet
12:30-2:30 welcome, group intro/warm-up, free use of equipment
2:30-4:30 group discussion
4:30-6 free use of equipment, clean-up, evaluation forms
CONTACT: Feel free to call us on any of our cell phones:
Philippe: 914 282 5341
Olivia: 917 554 3182
Teresa: 917 805 1407
Ruth: 917 863 5180
KIDS: Those who need to bring their children are welcome to do so, however
childcare will not be provided.
We will be compiling a contact list of attendees for distribution at the end
of the afternoon. If you will not be able to attend but would like to be on
the contact list, please send us the following information via email before
February 1st: name, address, email, phone(s), web site, discipline (juggler,
clown, aerialist, etc), genre or company affiliation (aerial dance,
Ringling, etc).
Please feel free to forward this email, and direct all questions and RSVPs
to circusmeet@hotmail.com. Thank you again for your enthusiasm and we very
much look forward to seeing/meeting you!
All the best,
Olivia, Teresa, Ruth & Philippe
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