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Hawaii Tribune-Herald Island Beat Thursday, January 26, 2017 9 because I’m improvising and the audience is different each time so I react differently every time.” There isn’t much dialogue throughout the performance, but dialogue isn’t important in this particular communication, says Adkins. “I am communicating the entire time, just not with words,” he says. “I’m using my body, I’m using my actions, I’m using circus skills to communicate emotion. I do something and the audience reacts, and then I react to their reaction. So in that way as well, we are communicating for the whole hour.” Adkins, who was once part of the Pickle Family Circus in San Francisco and Montreal’s Cirque Éloize, has been a circus performer for 20 years. While he enjoys larger circus acts, he really thrives on more intimate performances such as “Circus Incognitus” because he is free to improvise. “When I was younger, I worked as a juggler,” Adkins explains. “When you’re on stage as a juggler and you drop a ball and it goes into the audience, that’s a tragedy. The act stops. But as a clown, if I’m doing my routine and I drop a ball and it goes into the audience … now it’s an opportunity. A door is open. I look to the audience. Now, what do you want to do? For a clown, every mistake is an opportunity.” In a big circus production, the artist plays his or her part, he says. “But my show is the complete opposite, so it’s like seeing a band in a cafe that you really like. It’s so intimate and up close and you can see every little movement.” Adkins’ props in “Circus Incognitus” might not look extraordinary but don’t underestimate the performer’s power to use them in ways that amaze — a chair, suitcase, hat, bag of fruit, even the box they come in. “I don’t use a trapeze or a particular circus apparatus, but to me, anything can be a circus number,” Adkins says, noting that his shows are a mix of silent movie, cartoon and circus tricks. “A lot of people say they don’t like clowns or are afraid of clowns,” he says. “They have an image of a kind of clown in their head and I’m not that kind of clown. I don’t wear makeup and the circus tricks are high skill-level tricks. Clowning can be so many things.” Adkins refers to himself as a physical comedian to help clarify any misconceptions. And while there are some slapstick elements to his show, he says, clowning is not just about “pies in the face.” Some of those who have inspired him aren’t household names, but he did draw some similar physicality from the likes of Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. “I grew up watching all the Warner Bros. cartoons after school, like Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam,” Adkins recalls. “All those cartoons took scenarios and jokes from Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. So, I say I was influenced by Charlie Chaplin through Bugs Bunny.” It was at the tender age of 13 that Adkins first decided he wanted to become a performer. He was watching a street artist juggle in Balboa Park in San Diego. “He was doing comedy juggling, and I just loved what he was doing,” Adkins says. “When you do a street show, everyone is walking around doing their own thing. Then you gather a crowd, do a show, say 30 minutes, then everyone applauds and goes about their business like nothing ever happened. That show just exists in their collective memory. I loved the poetry of that, the magic … that it’s just so spontaneous. I wanted to be a part of that world.” So he immediately started to learn to juggle, ride a unicycle and practice his comedy. At 16, he did his first show but after a few years of juggling on the street, he realized he wanted something more. Now, his performance art has taken him around the world. The greatest challenge in what he does, he says, is also one of the best parts of his job. “Comedy is cultural,” he says. “Every country laughs different and has a different sense of humor, a different rhythm and a difference in what they find funny. The challenge is to do the same show but to adjust it to that audience. It’s a real please to see, ‘What do French people find funny?’” Kahilu Theatre executive director Deb Goodwin says Adkins’ reputation precedes him. “Jamie is recognized worldwide for his solo talent in the circus arts,” she says. “We chose this performance as a Family Event as well as one of our Season Performances for Youth. Both are opportunities to educate and inspire people in the performing arts. “There is a growing community of young aerialists, trapeze artists and more on our island and we want to continue to support access to this athletic, enlightening and creative expression.” UH-Hilo PAC manager Lee Dombroski agrees: “Jamie’s sense of humor really comes through in this performance. His subtle wit and charm speaks to everyone, and his numerous amazing skills are on display.” Dombroski adds that they have made an effort to bring more family friendly events to the theater this year. “Presenting events that the entire family can enjoy together benefits us all,” she says. “The kids have a great time and get the opportunity to experience the joys and exhilaration of live performance. You don’t experience the same feeling of suspense or excitement watching something like this on TV.” ANTICS From page 6 Photo: AMANDA RUSSELL


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