Why I'm running away to join the circus (really)

2023年03月04日

今日は楽しい”ミュージカル鞭”を見てみましょう。(English) Let's take a look at the fun "Musical Whips" today.

Why I'm running away to join the circus (really)

//Summary - Level-C2//

The author's father was a variety performer in the circus, and the author grew up in that environment. However, leaving the chaos and attending school full-time was a challenging transition for the author. Eventually, the author found interest in broadcasting and utilised the skills learned in the circus to excel in this field. Nevertheless, the author realised that performing in the circus is their true passion and an essential part of their identity. The author now tours the US, performing and entertaining audiences, and hopes to make people laugh on stage and social media.

I was six when my father told me we were leaving the Big Apple Circus.

For the past 15 years, my father had been what's known as a variety performer — a combination of comedy and circus skills that run the gamut from whip-cracking to clowning. The years before I was born, he was part of a troupe called "Rogue, Oaf and Fool" that performed at renaissance festivals around the country.

From 1987 to 1994, he was the Big Apple Circus' clown, announcer and backup ringmaster, performing acts like "The Horse Wash" and "The Knife Thrower."

Until then, my life had been spent mainly on the circus lot, playing with the other circus kids, with only temporary stops at our permanent residence in New Jersey.

My mother, Linda Van Blerkom, told The New York Times, "[Jack] doesn't know other people don't live this way."

So, suffice it to say. I was not pleased about leaving the circus to join the real world on a more full-time basis. I'm told that I told my father, "I'm gonna get a new dad!"

The early years after leaving the circus were tough. The chaos, by its nature, has a looser structure. There are complex rules, especially for safety, but sitting in a classroom all day felt like a prison.

But along the way, I found areas that piqued my interest. So I applied the skills I had learned from being onstage to broadcasting. Suddenly, the flexibility and adaptability I'd learned in the circus as a child became assets I could use as an adult. And so when WBUR in Boston offered me a part-time job out of college, I jumped at the chance.

And along the way, I found I enjoyed the work. I became WBUR's go-to breaking news reporter. The same improvisational skills that had served me onstage helped me stay calm in stressful situations — whether it was the aftermath of a tornado just outside Boston or the Boston Marathon bombings of 2013.

And when that ease on air led to me becoming WBUR's midday anchor — reading national newscasts on Here & Now every day — I started cutting down my performance schedule to make radio my full-time job.

Performing was what I truly wanted

But then COVID happened. Suddenly, for the first time in my adult life, I went a year without doing any shows. And it became clear to me that performing was what I truly wanted.

The circus has always been an intrinsic part of my identity. Simply put, it's who I am. And onstage has always been where I've felt the freest. Of course, some people get nervous before they go onstage, but by assuming the character of Jacques ze Whipper and drawing on a stupid moustache, all my social anxiety disappears. To paraphrase, one of my closest former coworkers, who knew me for years before seeing me onstage, puts me in my element.

It's a funny thing about circus performances. It transcends age, socioeconomic status, and even language. It's the type of performance where you can go anywhere and entertain anyone — help anyone forget their troubles for 5, 10, or even 30 minutes.

And most importantly, for me, it means coming home — to my home away from home. And away from home is the key word. I'll do more touring this year than I have since our final year with the Big Apple Circus. I'll perform hundreds of shows across multiple states and every time zone in the US (check out the full show schedule.)

And along the way, I'll try to make people laugh — whether onstage, for 30 minutes, or on TikTok for 30 seconds.

//New words list//

gamut

whip-cracking

clowning

Rogue, Oaf, and Fool

renaissance

suffice

piqued

improvisational

transcend

socioeconomic

gamut: the complete range or scope of something.

The whole gamut of human emotion

whip-cracking: Whipcracking produces a cracking sound through a whip. flogger, a person wielding power

Why does he not just crack the whip and order change?

clowning: behave comically; act playfully.

Harvey clowned around pretending to be a dog

renaissance: the revival of art and literature under the influence of classical models in the 14th–16th centuries.

Renaissance architecture

suffices: be enough or adequate.

A quick look should suffice

piqued:

1. irritation or resentment resulting from a slight, especially to one's pride.

He left in a fit of anger

2. (in piquet) scoring 30 points on declarations and playing before one's opponent scores anything.

3. Verv: stimulate (interest or curiosity).

You have piqued my curiosity about the man

improvisational: relating to or characterised by spontaneous performance, especially in music or drama.

The improvisational style of jazz

transcends: be or go beyond the range or limits of (something abstract, typically a conceptual field or division).

He doubts that he will ever transcend Shakespeare's

socioeconomic: relating to or concerned with the interaction of social and economic factors.

socioeconomic change

// Answers and questions about the article //

1. What was the author's father's profession?

Answer: The author's father was a variety of performers in the circus.

2. How did the author feel about leaving the circus to attend school full-time?

Answer: The author found it challenging to leave the circus and attend school full-time.

3. What skills did the author learn from being on stage in the circus?

Answer: The author learned improvisational skills that became assets when working in broadcasting.

4. What did the author realise during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Answer: The author realised that performing in the circus is their true passion.

5. What does the author hope to achieve while touring the US?

Answer: The author hopes to make people laugh on stage and social media while touring the US.

//Disccusion//

1. Have you ever seen a circus? What was it like?

I went to see Cirque du Soleil's Alegria for the first time last month.

I saw trapeze, clown and hula hoop performances.

It felt like watching a story in a musical or an opera.

It was like being in a dream world away from everyday life.

2. Have you ever left your country or culture and come back? What kind of realisations and discoveries did you make at that time?

Yes, I have travelled abroad or lived in other prefectures of Japan.

And when I came back to my hometown again, I realised that the food, the way of thinking, and the language were different.

They taught me that there are different kinds of people and that each is alive and well.

3. Have you done anything new during COVID-19? Or how has your life changed?

Until then, I attended an English conversation school once a week.

The teacher was a face-to-face lesson for 40 minutes a week alone.

However, due to COVID-19, the school was closed for a while.

That's why I started online English conversations every day.

It was very informative and fun to talk with teachers from different countries.

4. What do you think about humour? Do you think that's what you need?

I believe that humour is essential in life.

It brings a bright light to minor events and ordinary days.

But when I was young, I never understood the humour.

My life was severe, rigorous, and aimed at something better.

I thought the humour was unserious, loose, childish and cynical.

However, as an adult, I have realised that life is boring and meaningless without humour.

5. How do you feel about family ties? How have your feelings changed as a child and as an adult?

I always thought I would disagree with my parents.

I think it was because they looked at each other with stern eyes. After all, they were very similar and had severe and inflexible personalities.

It's because I've lived through tough times, and it was a necessary element at that time.

Now I also need humour, forgiveness and love, and I realise that life combines both.

Why I'm running away to join the circus (really)

https://www.npr.org/2023/02/24/1158480752/jack-lepiarz-circus

Rogue, Oaf, and Fool at the Texas Renaissance Festival

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJsKHX2HOf0

For seven years, Rogue, Oaf, and Fool were one of the premiers of shows on the Renaissance Faire circuit, appearing at shows around the country. It was a show that featured whip-cracking, sword-fighting, knife-throwing, juggling, and sketch comedy. It was also my father's show (he's the one with the moustache), and to my knowledge, there are no videos of it floating around on the internet. So when I went home for the holidays, I asked my dad if he'd be okay with me posting it for posterity's sake. Long-time fans of my show may notice a few points of inspiration that have also made it into my presentation.