Slips, Trips and Falls Masterclass

As part of Circus City, the Invisible Circus is delighted to offer a masterclass in slapstick technique with the Vanilla Brothers. The class will look at the technical choreography of slipping, tripping and falling, making these actions safe, fun and repeatable. The workshop is aimed at professional circus artists as well as other body aware practitioners wanting to enter clown technique from a choreography perspective rather than the character. You will learn how to integrate physical comedy into your work and find the power of communicating humour physically rather than verbally.

The Vanilla Brothers are Rick Piper and Charles Brockbank, two graduates of the Contemporary Circus and Physical Theatre BA at Circomedia. They specialise in contemporary clowning and slapstick techniques rooted in the century since silent movies. They have developed techniques of performing actions that appear chaotic and accidental but are in fact very precise and repeatable.

The workshop will be a rare opportunity for participants to learn circus slapstick techniques, disciplines that are not widely taught outside of physical theatre and circus schools. By learning these techniques and skills, the participants will have a deeper engagement with the art form, an understanding of the historical context and have the opportunity to integrate it into their lives or artistic practice.

Participants should wear shoes that allow mobility and protect the feet, and clothes that allow movement. Layers can be useful.

The workshop will run from 9.30am-1pm on Monday 28th October.