EuroWings no.4 Amsterdam – August 2006

In this Edition Different types of bikes page 2 View into Brussels 3 60 sec…the Future Sound of Cirque 4 The view from GATE one 5 Premiere Amsterdam 6, 7 Does smoking affect an athlete’s performance 9 School page 8, 9, 10, 11 Fire drill 12 Family Maters 13 Congratulation to …14 Kakuro 15 Last Page 16

Euro Wings! Team: Ken, Charlie Contributors: Jonathan Givens, Charlie, the Toddler, Illona, Artur Matula, Oyuna, Jutine, Tom, Patricia, Photos: Anson, Matt, Marie-Eve, Jaime, Ken, Victor, Doug, Karen, Patricia, the Toddler, Suzie

What do I like the most about Amsterdam? Well it’s not the heat or the Red Light District. It’s not even the coffee shops or the fine Dutch Cuisine. It is the obvious absence of the reflective clothed Fire Brigade…can you believe it!!!???

(Continued on page 5)

Introduction

Traveling with Alegria, there are a lot of smokers, but what surprises the visitors is the number of athletes who smoke. Normally they would expect athletes to be in better health than an average person. A smoker would not be considered a healthy person. The visitors would wonder about how some athletes smoke and 1) still manage to do all their long athletic work without losing their breath AND 2) without falling to their knees as they run off the stage. Is there a difference between the smoking and non-smoking artists in a circus performing world? How long does it take for them to recover to their normal breathing rate and pulse after their performance? Here, in our lab report, we wanted to find out what really happens, so we tried to answer these previous questions using a table to prove our point. In the experiment, we tried to recognize the difference between the pulse and the breathing rate of our smoking artists comparing to the non-smoking, before-and-after exercise. Take a look! Hypothesis

We think that smoking affects the athlete’s performance because smoking gives more strain to the heart and makes the performer more tired than a non-smoker, during performance and longer to recover, after the performance. (Continued on page 9) View into Brussels

Hello  guys,    

I  am  Tom and  I  am  from  Brussels.  I  was  asked  to  put  a  little  text  in  this  edition  of  the  “Euro  Wings”. Brussels  is  the  capitol  of  Europe  as  well  as  the  capitol  of  Belgium.  That  is  why  there  are  a  lot  of  administrations  like  the   European   Commission,   NATO,   and  much  more  NGOs. Brussels   is   the  place   to   eat   and  drink  without   limits   because   everything   is   cheap   and   of  good  quality.  (Continued  on  page  3)  

THE VIEW FROM GATE 1 By  The  TODDLER  

Page 2

Bicycle’s for every type of person

We  asked  Misha  if  he  has  any  advice  to  solve  problems!  

Ask your wife and do the contrary.

Don’t put the Chariot in front the Horse’s.

Measure it seven times before making a cut.

In Russia we have a

saying! By Misha

If you can postpone it… postpone it!!

Page 3

 

View  into  Brussels  (Continued  from  page  1)    

One   of   the   best   known   things   in   Belgium   is,   of  course,   the   beer!   There   are   almost   200   hundred   brands   of  them.   And   at   each   bar,   you   will   easily   find   at   least   20  different   brands. Belgium   people   also   do   not   like   to   have  their  beer  served  in  a  glass  of  another  brand.  So  each  brand  has  its  own  beer  glass.    

Of  course,   there   is  also  chocolate.  The  most  known  brands   are   Godiva,   Jacque,   Marcolini,   etc.   There   is   a   big  misunderstanding   about   chocolate.   Some   people   say that  chocolate  is  not  healthy.  But  we  in  Belgium  eat  chocolate  as  much   as  we  want and  whenever  we  want   and  we   are   still  ALIVE!    

In  Brussels,  there  are  a  lot  of  bars  and  clubs  that  are  open   until   4:00   am!   The   Grand-­Place   is   one   of   the   most  beautiful   baroque   squares   in   the   world.   Very   close   to   this  area,  there  is  Manneken-­Pis.  Many  tourists  like  to  come  and  see.   One   of   the  most   common   known   architecture   types   in  Brussels  is  the  art  deco  style.  Also  next  to  the  Grand  –  place,  you  can  find  the  street  called  “rue  des  boucher”,  where  you  can   find   hundreds   of   restaurants.   It   is   a   very   nice   place   to  walk  for  tourists.    

Brussels   has   a   very   complicated   political   situation.  In   the   city,   two   thirds   of   the   citizens   are   French,   and   the  other   one   third   is   Flemish.   Everything   is   written   in   two  languages,  French  and  Dutch.  One  of  the  good  Belgium  dishes  is  mussels  with  French  fries.  It   is   typical   that  even   in  our  main  dish   there  hides  another  

strange  country’s  name.  To  keep  all  this  culture  together,  we  have   a   King   of   Belgium.   The   king   lives   in   the   royal   palace  with  his  lovely  Italian  Queen.  

There  is  also  a  nice  square  to  visit  called  Place  Ste-­Catherine.  There  are  lots  of  open  air  terraces  where  you  can  drink  beer.  You   can   also   find   secondhand   markets.   This   is   called   the  Place   de   Jeu-­de-­Balle.   If   you   want   to   buy   some   antiques,  you  can  go  to  the  Zavel.    

Delvoux   is   a   famous  painter   from  Brussels.  He   is   a  surrealist.   You   can   find   works   of   him   in   the   National  museum.  For  Asian  people  in  Brussels  there  are  Chinese  and  Japanese  towers.  Also  we  have  the  Atomium  and  those  three  monuments  are  from  World  Expo  from  1958.  In  Brussels  we  have  Kinepolis  which  is  a  very  big  cinema  complex  with  30  different  theaters  with  very  huge  screens.    

A   few   daytrips   are   Antwerp   where   Tom   Boone  comes  from  so  if  you  want  to  visit  Antwerp,  I  am  sure  he  will  give   you   some   good   advice,   especially   about   the   night   life!  Another  beautiful  place  is  Gent.  It  is  a  very  old  and  romantic  city.  Brugge  is  also  much  known  among  the  tourists.  I  hope  my  little  description  of  Brussels  helps  you  understand  more  about  the  city.  Have  a  nice  time!      Tom  

Disco Fever

Page 4

60 Seconds… The Future Sound of Cirque by Charlie

It’s the year 2021 and Cirque du Soleil has just deployed its first manned mission to the stars. On

board is the dynamic duo of Andre Corbeil and Francois Lanteigne who are in charge of creating the sonic landscape for this intergalactic cyber space extravaganza… Lucky for us, we were able to point our virtual headphones in their general direction and get a signal from these two extra-ordinary sound engineers just as they blasted-off… Here’s what they had to say: - Captain Corbeil, what music is playing on your aural implants at the moment?

©Ground Control to Major Tom・Remember Bowie ?? - And Lieutenant Lanteigne, how many terabytes of that old school 20th Century heavy progressive metal did you download before departing? (L) Hard to tell, it’s still downloading at the moment. Let’s say there’s plenty of music for the ride. I can’t really say the amount in public. It makes the music royalty defendants go mad. - According to this mission, you will be the first to do something quite disturbing in space. Can you please explain?

Captain Corbeil©: It's thy most top privilege, yea,,,you can play it as loud as you want!!! There's no body around to complain

Lieutenant Lanteigne(L): Sure! I will join an old Cirque show, where the terms “new” and “different” are big bad words that people are almost afraid of, take all the old routine and comfort of the musicians/singers...and then trash it to replace everything for a newer and better technology that they’re very suspicious about. It will be for the best and they will love and hate

me for this! Mmm….that reminds me of something! - What destination back on planet Earth will you miss the most?

© Canadian Tire (L) Europe, for its diversity, and the Acadian Peninsula in New-Brunswick also Canada, for its simplicity. - What would you say are the 3 most important items in your space suitcase?

© A Bottle of Ricard, my Sun Glasses and a Play Boy Magazine. (L) 1: My In-Ears Monitors 2: My Ear-Plugs 3: My Q-Tips (cotton swabs) for ears

- Captain Corbeil, what is your favorite elixir in space?

© It’s call the moon shaker, a couple of these drinks, men your in space.

Lieutenant Lanteigne, what have you found to be the most nauseating frequencies on the spectrum thus far? (L) I’ve read somewhere that frequencies between 20 and 50 Hertz at over 140 decibels can break your radius (a bone in

your arm), depending on the resonance frequency of your bone. At this sound pressure level, you would have vomit a long time ago. I don’t know if the guys on MTV’s “Jackass” tried it yet! A nice pure tone of 15-16 Kilohertz at just 80-85 decibels is also a guaranteed good headache. I can make you try that one if you want!!!! - How did you train for this voyage into the unknown?

© Very exhausting nights and nights over in the Red Light Zone (L) Training??? - Is it true that Cirque du Soleil is planning to collaborate with Stephen Spielberg by producing an acrobatic version of E.T. (in zero gravity!) with a soundtrack by a one-man band version of the Backstreet Boys?

© Oh Yea!!! (L) Rumors, rumors, rumors!!!! There’s no such thing about the one-man band! Actually, Stephen insisted that we replace the guy with a PC computer with a Pentium 666 inside. Hehehe! - And finally, what is your destination and estimated time of arrival?

© You know what..... Don't know yet, me and Lieutenant haven't really decided! Will let you know

(L) You just said it…..the stars…..in 60 seconds!

Page 5

Well since we have been here the Fire Department have been on site once…only once. I know you all miss the Italian Fire Brigade cheering you on at every show, standing wherever they want, doing whatever they want and just being there for our safety. So I thought I would share some highlights of my experiences with Italy’s finest, so these are some actual conversations (either directly or translated). FIRE CHIEF: What do you do in case of a major fire in the tent? TODD: Call you guys. FIRE CHIEF: Why would you call us? FIRE CREW: You have to replace the foam extinguisher in the tent with water TODD: Actually they are water FIRE CREW: Well then replace with foam. FIRE CREW: I don’t know how to use the fire hose I better go home. FIRE CREW: There is no sign…how do we know it is a fire extinguisher? FIRE CHIEF: These (talking about the little pieces of wood the fire extinguishers sit on) HAVE to be painted red. TODD: Ok….why?

FIRE CHIEF: Well how do we know it is a fire extinguisher? TODD: By looking at it FIRE CREW: What do you mean I can not drink while I am working…it’s only 1 bottle of wine !!!

TODD: Who is the person in the back of the truck? FIRE CREW: Oh (looking around)…she is the engineer. TODD: Then why is she hiding under all the jackets? (He was trying to sneak his wife in…and this happened more than once)

And my favorite: FIRE CHIEF: 2 men have to stand ON STAGE during the show !!! TODD: NO….why exactly !!!! FIRE CHIEF: WELL...in case the singer catches on fire. TODD: WELL…but I am sure they will be fine…stay off the stage!

Well it is great to be back in the land or the normal, if you can call it that……stay tuned for more tales from Gate 1…

THE TODDLER

THE VIEW FROM GATE 1 By  The  TODDLER  

Page 6

Premire Amsterdam

Page 7

Premiere

Page 8

School Page

EcoKids Club ・Correction

In the last Euro wings, one of our EcoKid club members was forgotten. Please note that Natasha Plotnikova is also a member in our EcoKids club. She was also an important part of our water saving project.

Next school year we will be looking for some new eco-friendly projects so if you have any ideas, please let one of the members know.

Thanks

Tous les quatre ans Par Artur Matula

Tous les quatre ans

Tout le monde ce colle à l’écran De fois de cris d’allégresse

Mais de fois des cris de tristesse

Tous les quatre ans Les émotions sont fortes

Des centaines des fans sont blessés Et même certains hooligans sont morts Cet événement est fortement apprécié

Tous les quatre ans

Un joueur est plus capable Cette année le grand Zizou

A fait quelque chose d’incroyable

En plus de ses buts fabuleux En plus de son jeu incroyable

Il a frappé quelqu’un d’insupportable

Alors un autre quatre ans Avant que nous soyons encore collés à l’écran

Milka! Written by Oyuna and Justine

 The kind of chocolate that we like the best is Milka. We like

that chocolate because we get calcium from dairy. Also, it tastes very

yummy and it gives you energy so you can be active all day long. If you

compare Milka to dark chocolate, you can taste more chocolate in

Milka, dark chocolate is very bitter. Milka is the best chocolate in the

world.

Jump Rope for Heart ~ Sautons en Coeur

On a rainy August 3rd, the artistic tent was taken over by the school kids for the Jump Rope for Heart. Armed with jump ropes and some techno music, the kids jumped for an entire hour either solo, in pairs or in a large group. Some staff came by to show off their skipping talents and to learn some fancy moves from the kids. Nick challenged our young contortionists to jump 400 times in order to receive a donation. Both succeeded with flying colors (and had enough left in their legs to do the show in the evening!)

Though tired a the end of the hour, all involved were wearing smiles and were pleased to have raised over 500 Euro. This money goes to the Heart and Stroke foundation of Canada for research and education into heart disease.

A big thank you to everyone who participated or who donated money!

School Page

(Continued from page 1)

Methods 1. Artists were tested in pairs. 2. Using a timer, we checked the pulse on the wrist and breathing rate for 15 seconds before exercise. 3. Wrote down the results on the table. 4. Made artists do exercise for 2 minutes on the on cardiovascular equipment: bicycle and Stairmaster.

5. We checked the pulse and breathing rate again right after exercise. 6. Wrote down the results. 7. Checked the pulse and breathing rate after 2 and 4 minutes once more, and wrote down the results. 8. Compared what we got in the table from our hypothesis.

What smoking does to you: It has long been known that smoking is a factor that greatly contributes to cardiovascular disorders. Smoking is

harmful to the heart in many ways. ♦ It increase the heart rate and strains the heart ♦ It reduces the elasticity of the arteries and can result in higher blood pressure ♦ It reduces the amount of oxygen carried in the blood by 10% ♦ It increases the risk of heart disease

Being in contact with cigarette smoke, you increase your risk of: ♦ Lung cancer ♦ Respiratory tract infections ♦ Chest ache ♦ Eye and nose irritation ♦ Constant coughing and panting ♦ Premature death

Page 10

School Page

Results 40-60 beats per minute is a pulse rate of a well-conditioned athlete, meaning that the heart works less and doesn’t get tired. 60-100 beats per minute is the average resting heart beat for an average non-smoking person. Analysis

As we look at the table, here’s the information that we are getting from it. We can see a difference in the heart rates (pulse) of the smoker and non-smoker artists. It seems that the smokers’ pulse is much higher than that of the non-smokers’. The average heart rate of a non-smoking athlete is 16.56 beats/15 seconds (66.2 beats/minute), and the average heart rate of a smoking athlete is 19.43 beats/15seconds (77.71 beats/minute). The average breathing rate for the non-smoking athletes is 3.78 breaths/15 seconds (15.1 breaths/minute), and average breathing rate for the smoking athletes is 4.29 breaths/15 seconds (17.14 breaths/minute). So there is quite a big difference in the breathing rates and the

pulses of smoking and non-smoking artists. We also notice some irregular results of 2 artists (E and G) who are non-smokers, but who admitted that they smoked some time ago and that they quit. We can tell by the table because their starting pulse is higher than that of the other non-smokers. Also, their recovery rate was faster and after 4 minutes their pulse was below their starting value. If we were to take the average pulse of the non-smoking artists, excluding those 2 artists, the average would be 16.29 beats/ 15 seconds (65.14 beats/minute). That would make a difference of 63.6 beats per hour. Here is a little something extra that would be fun to look at. Number of Years Left to Live

Conclusions As shown on the table, the results give us a pretty good idea about the

effects of smoking on the human body. For example: a smoker’s heart beats 16 574.4 more beats per day than a non-smoker’s heart.

Difference in average beats per minute: 77.71 – 66.2 = 11.51 Number of extra beats per hour: 11.51 x 60 = 690.6 Number of extra beats per day: 690.6 x 24 = 16 574.4 This adds up to 6 049 656 extra beats per year!!!!!!!!

Name Pulse (15 sec.) Breathing Rate (15 sec.)

Non-smokers

Before After Before After

0 min.

2 min.

4 min.

0 min.

2 min.

4 min.

A 15 25 17 16 4 4 4 3.5 B 17 23 17 16 3.5 4 3 2.5 C 16 26 17 16 5 6 6 5 D 17 32 20 18 3 5 3 3 E 18 31 19 16 3.5 4.5 4 4 F 17 32 22 17 3.5 5 4 4 G 17 26 17 16 2 5 3.5 3.5 H 16 23 18 17 6 5 5 4 I 16 23 18 16 3.5 3.5 3 2.5

Smokers

J 23 38 26 25 3 4 3 3 K 18 33 21 20 5 11 7 7 L 21 30 23 23 6 7.5 6 5 M 18 29 19 18 4.5 5 4.5 5 N 19 28 23 21 4 4 4 4 O 19 28 23 20 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 P 18 25 20 18 4 5 4 4

Daily Cigarette Consumption

- taken from: A Breath of Life, 1991

Age

None 1 to 9 10 to 19

20 to 39

40+>

25 48.6 years

44 years

43.1 years

42.4 years

40.3 years

35 39.2 34.7 33.8 33.2 31.3 45 30 25.9 25 24.4 23 55 21.4 17.9 17.4 17 16 65 14.1 11.3 11.2 11 10.7

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School Page

We can still see that after an artist or any other person quits smoking, the negative effects of cigarettes stay in the

body permanently and can not be erased. Our experiment could be improved regarding several factors. Those factors include: - the speed level used on the equipment should always be the same - the cardiovascular equipment used should be the same - whether the non-smokers smoked before and how long they smoked - the amount of cigarettes smoked per day - since when a person started smoking and how long they already smoke - the experimenter taking the pulse - the time delay between the last cigarette smoked and the experiment

If you have any questions or concerns based on our findings, please contact Ilona by her email address: ilonak10@hotmail.com We want to thank all of the artists who were willing to participate in our experiment. Thank You!

Bowling

Page 12

Fire Drill!! Can we let them save our lives??

An unfortunate incident took place

On our fine Amsterdam site, A team of men to the rescue But one falls while in flight…

The mess that surrounded was smelly and wet “A bucket, a hose and towels” to come yet…

Yelled the men that watched near As one of their own went down

To look on in great fear As he “slid into town”.

The muck nearly sent one man away A change of clothes nearby

So that he could finish the day. A man, his miss-step and what else’s there to say...

The glamour of being apart of site crew, Has sent one man right straight into the goo. This poem and photo keeps the story alive,

The smile remains and the smell’s taken a dive. We owe to them all our freshy-clean site

But one little slip, and it could be good-night… Be thankful for this skid because one day we could be stuck,

And be happy that they know how to deal with the muck!

Page 13

Family Matters By Jonathan Givens

Waiting backstage for my

next cue, I am always taken by the magic of what I do; this business I am in. After 21 years in the entertainment industry, I am still in awe at how there is so much joy, so much energy, and it is repeated night after night. Even the grumpiest person, after going on stage, comes off feeling better,

stronger, and more alive. I reflect upon this, waiting in the wings, watching my favorite number. Isn’t it so incredible…?

He fell. Oh my God, he fell. I saw it; right in front of me. The sound his body made as he crashed onto the deck and then fell into the house was awful. Right off the end of the power track, and into the audience. It’s that dreadful moment when everything wonderful is suddenly shaken, and something is horribly wrong. My pulse quickens, mind races, all business. Casey runs across the stage to care for her fallen comrade. What must be done, who is the best to respond, what can I actually do? As physio and the first responders rush out, just moments after Christian is on the ground, I stay where I am. I have not gone thru the Cirque training. My assistants, who have been well trained, appear with gear in hand, calm and efficient. The house is cleared, and everyone does just what they should do.

Being new to Alegria, I have seen moments here that really make me feel lucky to be involved with such a strong group. This is one of these moments. Everyone is concerned. Everyone stays calm, looking for ways to help, and staying clear so others can do what they need to. I walk up to Martin and Evguenya. She crosses herself, and whispers a silent prayer. You can feel the tension in the air. Martin asks if Christian is okay. “So far, so good,” I respond. There has not been much chatter

on headset about his condition. In these situations, no news is usually good news. When it’s really bad, there is much to be done.

Sean is perfect. “Iceman,” I called him, relating the story to a friend after the fact. Calmly giving orders, sharing information, and restarting the show with all the precision of a Swiss timepiece. You can hear the tension in his voice, but only barely. He is focused, determined to do his job, and let those around him do theirs. That is part of the family energy that I am talking about. Trusting that everyone here can and will do exactly what needs to be done, and it will all turn out all right. You only find that in a real family.

I have no family of my own. No parents, siblings, spouses or children. I have been hard-pressed to find a true loving family. However, I see one here. I know you all realize it, and regularly reap the benefits of it. The fact that people can go from fighting like cats and dogs one day to laughing and playing board games the next really shows the true nature of the relationship. Families are much more than blood; more than genealogy. It is a dedication that comes when people truly love, care, and respect each other. I know it is alive and well here, and I am proud to be a part of it. I look forward to the weeks, months and years ahead when I become more welcome into the fold. It is a rare thing, I have found, to have a group like this really care so much about each other. After 20 touring productions, I had become rather jaded to the fake, insincere relationships that seem to permeate the arts. I am pleasantly surprised to find that Alegria is a living, breathing entity that cares for its own. Cheers to you, Christian – may your recovery be swift and your performance be even more lovely than it was before. And to you, Alegria, for letting me come along for the ride. May it be a long, happy relationship.

Page 14

Congratulation to:

As you can see, yoga can be done anywhere and it’s good for you! A real Team building moment!

Alegria Cabaret (Early October in Brussels)

You know how to: Play hunting horn, riding a bike on your head or use a bullwhip? You play music, you do magic, and you have an act that nobody knew of?

It is time to step out! In front the most exquisite audience

When we will get to Brussels, you will be invited to submit your application for an act (3 min. MAX) to be presented. An impartial and well informed jury will decide if…your chance has finally come! All Alegria members are invited to participate, Including Families and official partners

To Doug and Satoko Freestone

Traditional Japanese wedding On July 25th 2006 near Nagasaki

To the newlyweds Victor Moiseev and Lenore Davis,

Married on July 2nd, 2006 in Alberta Calgary

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KAKURO

You want to step in the number world. If you like SODOKU you will surely enjoy KAKURO. The objective is to insert numbers in the white square respecting 3 laws.

1- use numbers from 1 to 9 2- The sum of one block has to correspond to the number indicated to the left or top of the gray box. (left number

corresponding to the horizontal block and top number corresponding vertical block) 3- The numbers could not be found more than once in one block. (But it is possible to have more than once in the

same column or in the same row in the condition that it is a different block.) Like Sodoku there is only one possible solution. Good luck! (^o^) v (If you need more explanation, come and see me)

Kakuro~ Easy problem # 1 Sodoku~ super Hard # 87

16

14

23

23 32

29 16

3

17 3

16 16

4 14

19

23

8 2 3 4 1 6 2 8 3 7 1

9 5 8 6 4 9

3 1 7 5 6 2

Charlie’s blog

There is no place like Amsterdam. These vast lowlands that were always subject to flooding were almost completely overlooked by the ancient Romans and therefore

gave this region the privilege of developing freely without restrictions by open-minded and wealthy traders as well as connoisseurs of the exotic. The beautiful weather this time of year brings out the tourist in all of us but the laissez-faire

attitude that this region was built upon keeps everyone in good spirits. As the fresh aroma of herbs float through the canals, window shoppers casually peek into the districts sprinkled with red lights in hopes of purchasing a few minutes of love.

Nothing really seems to matter here and literally anything goes・but in a unique way that’s what keeps the society under control and rather peaceful. I only wish that

more people and places in the world could embrace such a concept.

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Last Page

Our Contact:Cirque_alegria@hotmail.com

Dead line for Brussels: 1st of October 2006

In Out - The City - No AC - English spoken - Stinky smell in Subway - Food Variety - No DVD connection to TV - Bike ride - Being hit by bikers - Rolling Stone - Taxes - 4 comp tickets - Weather? (Heat & rain) - Wok to Walk - too many coffee shops - The People and no good coffee

- Hotel Location