Starlight Express UK Tour

I did it!

I finally saw the legendary skating musical

Starlight Express

 By mere chance, I happened to be at the same place at the same time as the UK company. Our respective tours met in Bristol and I jumped on the occasion to go. With the friend I went to visit, we took the last two cheap seats that seemed to have an acceptable location (my bet) and I am glad we did, the view from the upper circle was perfect!

Originally created in 1984, the show has evolved a lot since then and has known multiple versions.

I saw the simple version on a common stage, with the rollerskate races projected in 3D on a big white screen. There is a far more demanding, challenging and physical version in Germany with a dedicated venue, specially designed for the show with a track encircling the public for the  race parts.

The show has been rearranged over the years, and as a result, its soundtrack is quite varied, going from cheesy pop-ish love songs, to funky disco songs, including rock'n roll, blues and even hip-hop pieces.

Skatexpress at Charity Ball

Me and two of my rollerdance partners, Jim and Marjo, had committed to perform an act at the Charity Ball of MAGliss'XS, the profit of which is going to go to the "Toiles Enchantées" association, fighting for cinema to be available to hospitalized children.

"When children cannot go to the movies,

the movies should come to them"

REHEARSALS

The ball was a skating night with an ice disco preceeded by a show, and took place in the ice rink of Asnières, in the close Parisian suburbs.

Cirque Eloize: "iD" Show

In a few days, the most unexpected coincidences followed one another so that in the end, I found myself in the VIP area at the Grand Rex theater watching the show "iD" of Cirque Eloize, with Seba team mate and superstar freestyle slalomer Korean Kim Sung Jin performing in it!

It all started with a forgotten SD card story.
Londonner Keanoush who was staying at my place for the Fashion Week had footages belonging to Sung Jin on his hard drive. We made the most of Sung Jin's touring in Paris to have dinner together at my place, which was the occasion to meet together ("long time no see...") eat home-made sushis and take-away pizzas, and transfer the crucial footages for an upcoming video, which Keanoush was holding hostage for months, into Sung Jin's SD card... Which he unfortunately forgot when he left... The African beers from the shop down the street must be to blame...

Who's Next: Snow (Hey Ho!)

The winter 2013 Who's Next fashion and ready-to-wear show was held on the occasion of the Parisian Fashion Week, at Porte de Versailles, just like this summer.
For a thorougher description...

The Winter version of Who's Next was indoors only, contrary to the Summer version where we were treated with bales of straw... which was +1 for the summer atmosphere but -10 for the slipperiness!
This time, snow was covering the whole city outside, while a strong tropical climat hung heavy inside thanks to the heating and the spotlights. Those same carpeted grounds with conceiled sewer drains underneath would make us trip at random, but hey ho! We knew what to expect!

Derby Presentation for Gumbies

I am back in the CERS for my third and last stay. Like last time, I was asked to do a presentation of my sport in order to make the patients discover new disciplines. But this time, I had taken the time to structure it and make a powerpoint.

The presentation dealt with roller derby and slalom skating and how/where they are situated in the French skating scene. I am sharing it here... Note: most of the facts are simplified to be clearer, I know that some details given below are not exact but the main point is to make laypeople get acquainted.

Who's Next: Violent & Funky

Who's Next is a semi-annual show presenting trend forecast collections and up and coming designers. Lasting 4 days, the event is huge and covers 6 halls with women's and men's wear, urban wear, leather, shoes and accessories.

All the stands of clothing brands are displayed in the halls. In order to liven up the atmosphere, some Dj stands are scattered here and there and you can have a drink, a snack or even a full meal if you are ready to pay the price.

The halls are all carpeted in white, in order to "hide the hideous damaged floor". Indeed we quickly realized that underneath, there were various traps to avoid: cracks, holes and sewer drains for the most common ones... And like any white public floor, it didn't survive the first day and turned into a black-spotted carpet.