Jane Osborn, Aerialist
Jane Osborn is an aerial performer living in London. She has been working as a professional performer for 18 years, and as an Aerialist for 6 years. She is one of the 3 girls featured in the air on the red silks in the BBC1 Ident.
Her work has taken her all over the world.
THE INTERVIEW:
How old were you when you first decided to become a performer, and what did you want to do?
I always wanted to perform since starting dance lessons at the age of 3, but decided i wanted to do it seriously when i was about 10! My only dilemma was trying to decide what kind of performing as i loved to dance, sing and act and play music.
Ideally i'd do it all.
How did you prepare for this?
I started ballet; tap at age 3, jazz dance and acting lessons at age 7, and i played music at school including guitar and piano. And performed in lots of school, Ballet School, and acting class shows. I did extra classes almost every evening and on saturdays. I successfully auditioned for Guildford school of Acting and dance at age 18, but could not get a grant for the fees, so couldn't go which at the time i was very upset about. But i concentrated on my dance and acting and continued to do lots of local shows.
What was your first job?
Shortly after i did my A levels, i auditioned for my first professional job, which was a dance cabaret show starting in Hong Kong and touring Asia. When i flew out i was met at the airport and driven straight to rehearsal and i was in one number that evening! I learnt most things about show business on this job, i stayed with them a year and for the last 4 months i was dance
captain and singing in the shows, and i had a great time.
You worked for a number of years as a performer doing a wide variety of jobs before you became an Aerialist. What sort of things did you do during this time?
For the next few years i was working in shows as a dancer, in Japan, London, and in KNIE circus in Switzerland, where i got my first taste of the Big Top. I got to meet many great Circus Performers there including the KNIE family, and Dimitri Family.
Infact Clown Dimitri (who has a circus theatre school in Verscio, Switzerland), asked me to join his touring company, La compagnia teatro Dimitri. I stayed with them for 4 years and 7 shows. Performing comedy physical theatre, with lots of skills, dance, singing, and live music. Here i learnt saxophone, juggling and some tightwire.
After leaving the compagnia i went back to dancing for a while - on cruise ships, Circus Roncalli in Germany and Circus Fantasia in Tokyo, which was a very modern cirque du soleil style show.
What was it that motivated you to decide to start training as an Aerialist?
From my circus tours I had seen lots of top class aerial acts and i really wanted to have a go, as it was "dancing in the air".
How old were you when you started this training?
I enrolled on Circus Maniacs course for full time training when i was 29.
How did you train initially?
My very first goal was to just get my arm strength up - so i'd stand on a chair with my hands on a pull-up bar and then take my weight and let my arms straighten as slowly as possible. It took me about 2 months to do a proper full pull-up, and boy did it ache! i was also doing sit-ups while hanging from ankles and getting a good grip by just hanging on a bar. It was one of the most painful things i'd ever been through. But you get past the pain, your body adapts and it becomes normal, honest!
Is there anything you particularly remember as being impossibly difficult when you first started training, and that you have since achieved?
I remember doing 'Catches' on a corde lisse, and thought it was so painful i really didn't want to do rope, but hey - i do it for a living now.
How did you get to meet up with your working partner Michele Laine and have the idea for VIVA?
Michele and I were being mistaken for each other even before we'd met, so we were intrigued to meet, and when we did it was good timing for us both to do a new project. As we look so similar the idea to do a "mirrored" silks act was the way to go. I had just finished touring with Zippos circus doing a group Silks act, and Michele had been already working in Circus shows as an acrobat/aerialist for many years. So we then spent a few months working on our duo silks act VIVA. We have been performing VIVA and various other acts now for 5 years. including being the 2 girls in splits on red silks, on the BBC1 ident.
Tell us a bit more about your current work and what motivates you ... .... ....
Currently i am freelance, based in London and we get booked to do acts all over the UK, and Internationally. I perform Silks, Rope, harness flying/abseiling. And also stilt-walking. I am also in a band "The Ice Cream Men" singing and playing saxophone and the band is also an integral part of Swamp Circus Theatre of which i perform with.
My work is so varied with every job being different and lots of travelling, so this always keeps things fresh and theres always a new challenge.
Who are your clients? What countries have you worked in?
The list of clients i've worked for is very long! But for example theres big companys like BMW, Vodafone, Virgin - launching their new train and their new airbus. And then theres fashion shows like "The Clothes Show Live" where VIVA opened the show, also Movie Premier partys and themed parties, The Royal Opera and an appearence in a Hollywood movie "Ella Enchanted", i've also performed in front of royalty.
Countries include, most of Europe, India, Bahrain, Russia, Romania, Lapland, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea.
What country have you most enjoyed travelling to and why?
I really like Japan, i had alot of nice times there. Tokyo is so exciting, the countryside is beautiful and i love Sushi.
What was your 'most coolest ever!' gig?
Possibly the time we were "body guards" for Arnold Shwarzenegger at the premier party for "End of Days". We were dressed in combat gear and escorted him in, and people thought we really were bodyguards. Then we climbed on burnt out cars which were hung from the cieling, and swung between them on harnesses dancing and looking tough.
Another COOL gig in every sense of the word was at the Arena Arctica in Lapland, in the Arctic Circle - yes it was cold... And after the show they took us to visit the Ice Hotel.
What is the most unusual thing that you have be asked to do professionally?
Its all pretty unusual!
How do you see the circus world developing over the next 10 years?
Probably more integration of Circus with musical theatre and multi media, and various circus skills becoming more understandable, accessable and recognised by the general public.
What would you like to achieve / where would you like to be in the next 5 or 10 years?
I'd like to do aerial performing for a few more years, and later work more in acting/music fields.
If you hadn't made the decision to be a Circus Performer, what do you think you would be doing now instead?
Probably some other kind of performing - dancing, singing, acting like i always have done!
Do you think you made the right decision?
Yes!
Finally do you have any tips and advice for any young circus skills fanatics who are interested in becoming professional performers?
Go to see as many top acts as possible even if only on video, so you know what standards there are to aspire to. Then just practise alot, and surprise yourself by your successes. Also, have a good time.
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