Who was the first???

[le pire]

NICE!!!

[Scot Free]

Then there was Andrew Taff from OZ. who worked English Bay in Vancouver for quite a few summers around 96-97 with a pole. He didnt stand on top but rather climbed up and sat on a seat at the summet. I gave him a hard time about it being it being atotally lame lame trick. he called it the worlds tallest barstool.

in 1995 Lee Evans rocked the sway pole in Funnybones

how about a pola-bola?

I'll echo Étienne Lee. Nice.

[otagoplains]

It's a nice nice finally Lee....

But, I believe Rumple did it in 2001 only with springs on the bottom of the ladder.

He said that it indervidually the ladder and the springs were pretty good, but that "...it's the combination..."

[gav]

this is getting iteresting

Looks like you have been working hard Lee. Bugger if I could be bothered doing something so highly skilled !!
Scot, tell us more about this Andrew fella. Was he really Australian, because I've never heard the name before. Any other ozzies out there know of this guy?
From my bad memory, late 96 early 97 is when I first performed the pole, originally just standing on a round platform about 30cm diam. and juggling 3 torches. I went on to do a cane knife, rabbit trap, and torch, then to 4 torches, and for the last 2 years I've had a small chair on top and done a handstand and then 5 torches. I've gone back down to 4 torches because it lasts longer and nobody but me knows the difference. Oh yeah, I'm gettin old to. A few times I would hang from the chair by my ankles and juggle 3 balls upside down .I've got this 1 idea on the back burner where I would have an inflatable elephant that appears to be doing a handstand on the pole and then I would do a handstand on top of it. It would be a great image. Maybe next year.

[Mr.Taxi Trix]

Lee, jump on a train and come see me and Terri if you two have time on your NY jaunt. We're about 2 hours north.

[le pire]

I'll be in Montreal on Thursday & I'm performing at the Comedy Nest (Rue de Ste Catherine) on Friday. It would be cool to hook up.

Also, if you're in Boston, let me know.


Etienne

[UCO]

Etienne: My address is 386 rue le moyne in the old port just off of mcgill, My roomies wil be here to welcome you, Sorry I can't be here, but we will hook up in the summer.

[Lee Nelson]

cheers for the niceness

thanks for the nice words people, I never meant to put that photo up to big up myself but it sure is nice to find that other performers are impressed. I have been mainly performing in dodgy countries lately so havent seen many of the regular crew. Sorry to hijack a good pole discussion thread!!!!
Gav, Ive never heard of this Andrew fella before either, maybe he was one of those acts that you just never bumped into. I have always respected your pole act more than others from a purely circus point of view because you free stand up their on a little platform, infinately more scary than being locked in I think. I wont even go into the five torches, two diablos and comic timing.....
I would however love to see a photo of Rumple doing my trick with springs on the bottom. That sounds so wacky. I would just dismiss it out of hand but we are talking about rumple.
Taxi, see ya soon, email me some directional details, Im going out to see Hilby as well.
Etienne, we are actually working in Ottawa that weekend, sorry. Maybe later.
I also used to hear stories of some guy from Sth Africa that was seen at Edinburgh doing a pole act, this was about 5 years ago...ring any bells???
ciao

[newyorkstreetdean]

Gavs pole

The scariest part of Gavs pole is when it is breaking. We watched him in front of the shopping mall in Sing. and the thing was litterally coming apart. I though it was part of the act and I was scared. Really scared after I found that it was really breaking and not infact part of the act!

[le pire]

Re: cheers for the niceness

Originally posted by daisy and derek
...a good pole discussion

we don't get many of those around here.

[gav]

Re: Gavs pole

Originally posted by newyorkstreetdean
The scariest part of Gavs pole is when it is breaking. We watched him in front of the shopping mall in Sing. and the thing was litterally coming apart. I though it was part of the act and I was scared. Really scared after I found that it was really breaking and not infact part of the act!

Hey man I don't know what you're talking about ! You can ask my wife, my pole is never broken or breaking or even brinking for that matter !! Maybe a little bending, but not enough to stop it from staying up.
Hang on, shit, what are we talking about here?
Do you mean when the rope came undone? or when the leg comes off the chair? or that bit when the aluminum tube cracks in the middle, and fragments shoot of into the crowd and then explode into flames !

[Peter Voice]

He meant that.

Really.

[J-P]

This is probably none of my business but I really have to post my two cents as I've seen most of the acts mentioned.
As far as I know, from posts here and my own experience – musician Sian Phillips from Freo that gav mentioned (still working?), gav, Francois(from earlier post), al, bikeboy, the South African is named Colin and got it off al in Edinburgh one year, Dan Nimmo (Duke Dreamer), Tim (Arizona Jones), dickhead(sorry, personal opinion) with the swords in Perth, Lleyton (who does a full Chinese pole show). Andrew left oz years ago and spends a lot of time in Scandinavia last I heard but I really don’t know if he’s done a pole. Last I saw him was 94 in Melbourne dive-rolling over crates onto concrete (ouch) but dirty fred mentioned him to al and I in 2003 in Gent so he’s probably floating around Europe still.

Is that nine,ten? Not counting the circuses, lamp posts, ‘damsel in distress’ show, sway pole guy (sorry, forgot his name) I saw in 2001 Dundas (yes, it’s possible gav but I wouldn’t carry that much crap around) and Strange Fruit (I first saw Sydney Festival, Jan 95). Oh, and the Chinese!
Good on you Gav for thinking of it but now that it's out there I have to ask the question "Can others be stopped from doing it?"
Does someone own the rola bola? ok, what about a platform? or a stack rola? put them together and does someone have something original? Does putting a costume on and a pretty hat mean someone is different? If I wear the same hat, am I stealing his show? What about unicycles? Who was the first?

Some of these are stupid questions but I belive a skill is a skill, if you can juggle seven whatevers on a ten foot bike then go for it. If someone else does it then good on them for learning. (It's different for characters/lines/routines)
My problem with the pole is that it's not a skill. People make the pole and stand on it. Five torches and handstands up there is great but without that than it's not hard to do. It's an easy way to get alot of height without the practice of a uni. What they do up there is what makes it their's.
Height=bigger crowd=better hat.

I don't like being the only performer without a giant pole on pitch (which happened to me for two months at the end of last year(and many other times)) but I'm not going to go out and get one for an instant crowd build and an extra 40% audience. I still compete hat wise to these shows with my two feet flat on the ground and smaller audiences because it's the performance that matters. Alot of people are now getting poles(go for it - we want 13 this summertime in Sydney!) but to think it will help create a better show is idiocy. And to think anything will stop people getting one is also stupid. I don't like it and I'm sure the current pole shows don't like it more but I can't justify hassling someone for getting one (and I know you have Gav). It's just a big prop and honestly, it makes unicycles look good.

J-P

P.S. This is alot more than two cents and now I know why I've been a registered member for years and never posted (this is my first) I'm not sure if people can put up with my 'quick' replies

PPS Al and I discussed getting a uni without a wheel (so people at the back didn't notice but he didn't have to learn to ride one) just before he went to Perth and saw you Gav. I don't know if this counts as having the idea but thought you should know

[Mr Qwirk]

I totally agree!

[gav]

here here

I also agree with what you're saying JP.
However I never mentioned trying to stop others from doing it.
Yes, I have taken offence in the past when I have found out that someone has copied me, most particulary with sword dickhead, and then recently with Tim Motely. My issue with Tim was that I know him and thought it might have been decent if he had at least mentioned that he was thinking of doing it.When sean asked me, I said sure go ahead as long as you do it different. As it happened I found out about Tims by surprise after coming across a pic on the net.
Sword dick is another story, where I had just created this chair on top, and then went overseas. 2 months later a freind sends me a pic of a crowd of people with a pole rising up with a chair on top. For a moment I even thought it was mine, but soon realised what had gone down. That guy then had the cheek to say he didn't get the idea from me! We had shared a pitch for over a year!
One thing, I disagree that there is no skill involved. Trust me, when you have a 3mtr pole that you stand on top of and trust 3 strangers to stop you from falling it definately feels like it is a skill.
I guess those other versions where the legs are locked in are easier though.
Anyway, these are my last words on the subject, one guy wanted to know, and now I think he has all the info he needs.
How's everything in Sydney JP? Perhaps you could give us your version of Seans attempted murder. Brant says it was just a few scratches.
Ciao