THE COMPANY
"NOT A REAL HORSE" An Equestrian Circus and Clown Show
The early modern circus of the first half of the nineteenth century brought dare-devil horse-riding and stunning acrobatics on horseback to a popular audience. Combined with the ludicrous attempts of clowns to mimic the equestrian stars, this set the modern circus off on its journey which would conquer the hearts and minds of all ages for the next couple of centuries.
For our modern version of this hugely popular form of entertainment, we bring together two highly-skilled acrobats with two clowns of years of experience, as well as the horse: not a real horse, but a pantomime one. “Not A Real Horse” is a show for all ages, combining clowning, circus, comic dance and live music. With a performance style drawing on folk customs and circus, audience interaction and participation is a constant. It is ideally suited to being presented outdoors in the round, but is adaptable to other spaces, both outdoor and indoor. With no lighting requirements and live acoustic music with no amplification necessary, and a 20-minute set-up, the show can be comfortably incorporated into a wide range of events and settings.
STUPIDIDITY
Stupididity came together thanks to Fifi, the panto horse, which all four members inhabit. Going in and out of the four legged silly beast isn’t just a costume change, but the promise of laughs, sensations and loads of messing around.
Fifi walks, runs, jumps, does a polka, a waltz and a clog dance, handstands, sits in a chair in the most unlikely way and forms an acrobatic duet with a vaulting human. Funnily enough, all the things that the members of Stupididity do best!
Who is Fifi?
FIFI THE HORSE
Our initial inspiration is a short film from the inter-war years of the Belgian dance and variety act, the Wiere Brothers. Part of their act involves a two-person pantomime horse and a human trainer. This kind of act used to be a standard of the variety circuit and other examples can be found, although generally of lesser complexity or quality. Panto horses’ effect on audiences tends to be magnetic and compelling, and for this reason, the horse is at the centre of the company’s work.
The reproduction of this horse act serves as a springboard to expand the panto-horse repertoire, drawing on: skill sets traditionally employed by comic stage animals from pantomime and folk customs (eccentric dance, clog dance, mock acrobatics and horse-jumping); as well as incorporating related skills (Chinese lion dance); adapting acrobatic balance skills (enabling an acrobatic panto horse); and devising new fusions of skills to imitate vaulting with real horses (which, as far as we know, is a first).
PERFORMERS
Jon Davison has 30 years experience as a clown performer, director, teacher, researcher, musician and clog dancer. After studying at Fool Time Circus School (Bristol) and the École Philippe Gaulier, he formed Companyia d’Idiotes withClara Cenoz in Barcelona, where they were at the forefront of a revival in the city’s clown scene for more than 15 years. Co-Director of Studies at theBarcelona Clown School. His first book, “Clown: Readings in Theatre Practice”was published by Palgrave Macmillan in April 2013
Bienam Perez is a graduate of the Barcelona Clown School, training with a wide range of international teachers such as Franki Anderson, Sue Morrison, Rebel Clown Army and Jon Davison. She also studied with Philippe Gaulier. She has trained in Commedia dell’arte and Eccentric Dance with Barry Grantham. She worked for two years as a hospital clown in Barcelona before joining the company.
Jesse Saunders has had affiliations with the UK’s circus schools since the age of 5. However, his road to acrobatics took the scenic route through the healing modalities of Yoga & Massage after breaking a leg in 1999. As one of the first AcroYoga teachers in the UK he has introduced many to the world of acrobatics, and as the predominantly bottom half of the acrobatic duo,Poceczka, he has performed in street festivals, acrobatic conventions, music festivals and variety shows across Europe.
Marijke Vermeir did Ballet from the age of 5 before competing in gymnastics in Belgium. Her creative side moved her towards circus and physical theatre and for the last four years she has been performing acrobatics together with Jesse as Poceczka. She is happy standing on almost anything, especially her hands and being upside down so much gives her quite an unusual perspective of the world.
PRODUCTION TEAM
Project and Artistic Director: Jon Davison.
Choreography (Eccentric Dance): Barry Grantham is one of the world’s leading experts on eccentric dance and commedia dell’arte. His performing career as a variety artist and dancer spans six decades included work with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. He is the author of Playing Commedia and Commedia Plays.
Acrobatics Coach: Adrian Porter is a former Head coach at Cirque du Soleil and Higher Education Program year manager at Circus Space.
Movement Training: Natalia Fedorova is a stage movement teacher at theMoscow Arts Theatre School, now based in Brighton. She was a student of Andrey Drozin and worked for several years as his chief assistant teaching his system of movement.
Chinese Lion Training: Naoki Ishii
Costumes: Sabina Piccini and Rachel Young
Choreography (Clog Dance): Kathryn Tattersall leads Camden Clog, inheritors of an unbroken line of tradition originating in south Lancashire and the family steps of Pat Tracey. Ru Roseis a three times world champion clog dancer and a leading member of Camden Clog.
Project Partners
Royal Central School of Speech and Drama provide costume and design for the project, by the highly experienced team at RCSSD together with a selection of student makers. RCSSD are one of the UK's most prestigious centres for training and research in the performing arts. Their facilities are of world-class standard, and my own ongoing association with them dates from 2007 with the commencement of the International Clown Research Project.
JW3 is a well-resourced community and arts centre with an inclusive policy, whose aims are to help to create a vibrant, diverse and proud community, inspired by and engaged in Jewish arts, culture and community. By curating performances, exhibitions, events and workshops, they play a major role in community arts in the area.
Technical Requirements
Not A Real horse is ideally suited to being performed outdoors in the round, but is adaptable to other spaces, both outdoor and indoor
Performing space: a flat, level circular area between 14m and 7m diameter; for indoor shows a minimum height of 5m is required
Lighting: for outdoor show – daylight; for indoor show – general cover
Sound: acoustic music performed live, no amplification required
Show length: 30 - 40 minutes
Get-in/get-out: 20 minute get-in, 15 minute get-out
We have full Public Liability Insurance. We reserve the right not to perform if conditions may cause unnecessary risk of injury.
Background to the Project
“Not A Real Horse” builds on the experience of “The Spaghetti Horse”. The original 5-performer 60-minute show developed out of the International Clown Project based at Central School of Speech and Drama and the Escola de Clown de Barcelona, involving participants from Britain, Spain, Italy, USA, Canada, Portugal, Colombia, Germany, Tajikistan and Brazil. Funded by ACE and RCSSD, it was co-produced by Stratford Circus in London, where it had its premiere in October 2010. A 30-minute outdoor version was then developed, and premiered at Whitstable Oyster Festival in July 2011.
The performers for the initial project included:
Marta Maestro, Amy Howard, Valeria Escnadón, Simon Rice, Danny Schlesinger, Elisa Gallo and Martin Kaspar
The production team for the initial project included:
Clara Cenoz (direction), founder and director of the Escola de Clown de Barcelona
Caroline Townsend, formerly a costume maker with English National Opera, the Royal Opera House, the Royal Shakespeare Company, and the National Theatre, currently course leaderr in Costume at RCSSD.
Keith Orton, an award-winning designer specialising in pantomime, author of two books, on model making for the stage and pantomime.
Mike Bell (props)
