Interview with Circus Artiste Johathan Nosan, 24th May 2003
Jonathan Nosan is a Contortionist and Aerialist living in New York City. He has been working as a professional performer for 10 years in the fields of corporate galas, film, commercial and fashion.
His work has taken him all over the world.
THE INTERVIEW:
Have you always been very supple, and when did you decide to become a contortionist?
I started training contortion and aerial work at the age of 23. Prior to acrobatics I was an academic in the field of Japanese religious architecture/sacred space. I was on a grant in Japan for two years after my undergraduate work and my funding was about to stop. I saw Cirque du Soleil in Tokyo and knew at that moment the new path to take. I met Renee Bazinet after the show and he told me of Philippe Gaulier who I started training with a few months later and spent a year with him and at the Circus Space. I then spent three years with Lu Yi training contortion at the Circus Center in San Francisco.
How old were you when you first got involved with circus and aerial skills?
23
Is there anything you particularly remember as being impossibly difficult when you first started training, and that you have since achieved?
Simply a straight handstand took me three years of training. Without a straight handstand, the appreciation of the contorted is diminished and this I found most difficult.
At what point & why did you decide this is what you wanted to do for a career?
I had been challenging my mind for 12 years and seeing Soleil, I knew it was time for me to challenge my body; and to see what extreme I could push my physicality the way I had pushed myself with Japanese studies. Somehow contortion seemed like the natural challenge. I was mesmerized by the ability of the performer to express so much with such little space, little or no apparatus, and minimal but extreme movement.
Who or what inspired you most?
I was performing magic and juggling shows at an exposition in Nagasaki during my time in college and met Bruce the One Man Band from Australia. I was about 20 at the time and he was my first glimpse into an individual living a life of one's passion in art and he also practiced yoga which I hadn't been exposed to prior to that time & my first exposure to great physical control. Also my trainer, Lu Yi.
Who are your clients, and What countries have you worked in?
Clients include: Louis Vuitton, Mercedes Benz, Virgin Atlantic, Coca Cola, Vogue Magazine, W magazine, Men's Health, Esquire, etc.
Countries include: USA, Spain, India, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Germany, Israel.
Tell us a bit more about your work and what motivates you ... .... ....
I enjoy being in a field that inspires and allows others the opportunity to see that perceived impossibilities are actually possible.
While studying in Japan I trained Butoh for two years with Katsura Kan and that has influenced my performance style greatly in terms of breath and conservation of movement, discovering a dynamism through minimalism.
How to people outside the context of your work react when you tell them you are Contortionist and Aerialist?
They're always shocked and surprised with slight disbelief that the field of "freelance circus"; exists.
I understand that between performing jobs you also teach Stretching and 'Circus Sports', tell us a bit about this.
I've developed a fitness program based in the deep stretch of contortion and hand balancing. Most of my clients are similar to me in wanting to discover the extremes they can get to in discovering their physical abilities; some intend to perform but most enjoy the training as an alternative to yoga or weight training.
Where have you enjoyed performing the most in your career so far?
I love working in film and television commercials. It feels good to put my work into a medium that will be in a sense frozen, archived and seen by countless people. I just did some work on Spiderman 2. I always love working the fashion parties.
What country have you most enjoyed traveling to, and why?
The Miss India pageant was unbelievable. It was shot outdoors with a live audience of about 5,000 people and televised of millions. I was on a box about 2 meters high and 2x2. It was at night and there was a small crescent moon and the stars were so bright and different constellations than in the U.S. The energy was unbelievable and during the performance I just kind of zoned out...luckily regained coherence by the finale.
What was your "most coolest ever!" gig?
Miss India and a wedding in Israel.
What is the most unusual thing that you have be asked to do professionally?
Everything is pretty much equally bizarre.
I understand that you are often asked to adapt your work to suit different job requirements, but do you have plans to put together any new acts, explore new directions to satisfy your own creative desire in the near future?
I begun working with the musician Sxip Shirey. We've created a more art/dance oriented piece. He accompanies me on guitar which is "tweaked out" and his music follows and reflects my every move. One of the beauties of the piece is based on the appearance versus reality: the sounds that come from his guitar are unlike any sound or effect imaginable from that instrument and the movement from my body are unexpected from a man of my size or build.
How do you see the circus world developing over the next 10 years?
I hope that it will go to a much more human, honest level. Less make up and masks and more of the performer and artist.
What would you like to achieve / where would you like to be in the next 5 or 10 years?
If you hadn't made the decision to be a Circus Performer, what do you think you would be doing now instead?
Professor in Religious Geography.
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?
Know that it takes time. A LOT of time. Takes time to develop the skills. Then it takes time to learn to perform the skills. Then it takes time to focus your market niche in how to sell and market the skills you learned to perform. By the time you get to that point, you're usually too old to perform those skills any more. Just kidding!
I believe without over training or over performing one can perform as long as one wants to. Basically, find something that most people are not doing and find the art that speaks to you inside.
Back to 'Interviews'