That new French magic from CIE 14:20

Shadow puppeteer Philippe Beau and his avian friend
(photo courtesy of CIE 14:20) 

What quiets a theater packed with boisterous kids and parents? Phillippe Beau's shadow puppetry, for one thing. I speak with confidence, having heard that with my own ears at French Institute Alliance Française's Florence Gould Hall, one of several city hosts for the new Tilt Kids Festival. Launched by FIAF and the Cultural Services of the French Embassy, the festival offers a wealth of family-oriented arts, ideas and fun at venues like BAM Fisher, The Invisible Dog Art Center and, of course, Time Square's New Victory Theater. It runs through April 3.

Accompanied by the wonderful pianist Madeleine Cazenave, Beau performed a segment in the magie nouvelle (new magic) production, Cabaret de Magie Nouvelle, presented by CIE 14:20. The Parisian troupe also featured renowned sleight-of-hand magician, Yann Frisch. If you missed these two masterful performers, I'm sad for you. Don't let that happen again.

My attempt to recreate Beau's tricks in order to describe them better for you has proven futile (and might require hand splints). Let me just say that this digital magician does not only pull a rabbit out of the "hat" of his imagination but produces a complete menagerie of animals--a stag with magnificent antlers; a snarling wolf; a galloping, rearing horse; a cat with swishing tail, licking its fur and scratching its ear. A bird feeds its young, later teaching the fledgling how to fly. A lover plants a kiss on a shyer, somewhat startled partner. Even the Devil himself makes an appearance. I'm not sure why but, hey, if you can form a Devil shape with your shadow puppetry, why the hell not?

If your notion of shadow puppetry has always been something amateurish and cheesy, please, get over yourself. This is new shadow puppetry. (I might as well follow the French trend of "new circus," "new magic," "new whatever.") As practiced by Beau, it is a razor-sharp storytelling skill and damned awesome.

Cabaret de Magie Nouvelle has closed, but there's much more Tilt up ahead through April 3, from the visual to the gastronomic arts, co-curated by Lili Chopra (FIAF) and Violaine Huisman (BAM). For information on the festival's lineup, click here.

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Gustavo Ollitta: He's got flow

Brazil-born Buugeng juggler Gustavo Ollitta

To learn more about buugeng and S-staffs, click here.

An ordinary acrobat's extraordinary tale

I've just finished Duncan Wall's The Ordinary Acrobat (Random House, 2013), which interweaves two engrossing narratives: the often elusive history of circus and this young American's sojourn to France to explore contemporary circus as an increasingly enamored student, scholar and advocate. (Wall currently serves as National Director of Circus Now, the American advocacy organization, and teaches circus history and criticism at the National Circus School of Montreal.) While some of Wall's swings between past and present, personal and historical, might dizzy a few readers, I hung on for the whole vicarious, mental ride, coming away with a thirst for seeing more contemporary/interdisciplinary--and even traditional--circus and turning my skills as an arts writer to this stimulating challenge. If you think you know everything that circus is and can be--Ringling Bros. over here; Cirque du Soleil over there--this book will give you a peek at unexpected possibilities and may inspire you to search out more. Good stories, good ideas, good company.

And on Thursday, October 24 (6pm), meet Duncan Wall at Brooklyn Academy of Music's Fisher Hillman Studio for a talk on the rise of contemporary circus and the state of the art today. This event is presented as part of BAM's Next Wave Festival in conjunction with the American premiere of Hans was Heiri by Swiss circus innovators, Zimmerman & de Perrot.

For complete information and tickets for Wall's talk, click here.

BAM Fisher Hillman Studio
321 Ashland Place, Brooklyn
(map/directions)

Philippe Petit: Wireless!

The amazing, the incomparable Philippe Petit!

Ever wonder how he does it? What drives the man?

Abrons Arts Center will offer a chance for you to find out when it hosts Philippe Petit: Wireless!, (June 16-18, 8pm).

Described as a "90-minute, one man tour de force that is touching, funny, clever, and extemporaneous," this work-in-progress "reveals and demonstrates how [Petit] taught himself magic, juggling and the high wire. Mixing tales with drawings, audience participation, and even magic tricks, he shares his experience as a street juggler, pickpocket, writer, barn builder, bullfighter, and engineer."

For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.

Abrons Arts Center
Henry Street Settlement
466 Grand Street (corner of Pitt Street), Manhattan
(directions)

Juggling for a cause

Jacob Weiss, Ted Joblin, Michael Karas and Ben Detrick--the four juggling gents of Playing By Air--open their Fringe Festival show with colorful lightworks in the darkened performance space at Dixon Place. It's a low-grade version of the kind of razzledazzle Alwin Nikolais dancers might have whipped across a stage on a much larger scale back in the day, and not the most sophisticated or promising of openings. But then, Playing By Air--both the Nashville-based troupe and its show--is clearly a throwback to an era of direct, good-natured simplicity in entertainment. What ends up being winning about this show is how sincerely, intimately human it is.

And fun. These guys are talented jugglers. Moreover, they actually do have some jaw-droppingly slick tricks up their sleeves--like Karas's ability to balance a music stand, sheet music and all, on his upper lip. And those sleeves can be very nice indeed because, as it turns out, these guys place high value on dressing to impress. Juggling may be something circus clowns do but Weiss and his crew, though amusing physical comedians, say they prefer the kind of respect stage magicians get.

Karas--based in New York, originally relocated here for an acting career--seems the most polished of the four. Even before he launched into some brief dance moves, his juggling tricks showed dancerly, choreographic chops with subtle, precise timing and a taste for the unexpected. He's the most delightful reason for dance fans to catch Playing By Air.

Besides juggling, Detrick serves as the troupe's violinist/fiddler. His playing paralleled the dexterity of the other jugglers' moves, and I began to look at his colleagues and "hear" the intricate music of their juggling.

Founded and directed by Weiss--who tells me he earned his PhD, at Vanderbilt University, in something called Biomedical Informatics--the Playing By Air organization devotes its talents to cancer awareness and the support of survivors, families and caregivers. You can learn more about this creative mission at Playing By Air Cares. Check out the show, which has a typically eccentric Fringe schedule with remaining shows running on Sunday, August 22 (8:45pm), Monday, August 23 (9:30pm), Wednesday, August 25 (2:15pm) and Saturday, August 28 (7pm).

Playing By Air

The New York International Fringe Festival

Dixon Place

161A Chrystie Street (between Rivington and Delancey Streets)

Tickets