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Solo circuS

meSSeS:

pc Roy Knight

meSSeS is an evening-length family-friendly solo circus-theatre-dance performance, winner of "Spirit of the Fringe" at the 2022 Elgin Fringe Festival. The show is affordable and adaptable to nearly any length and performance space.

Janoah the Jester juggles several tasks simultaneously: performing & teaching! During this (optionally interactive) experience YOU learn to juggle while you watch. In moments between acts, Janoah engagingly guides the audience through the essentials: throwing, catching and (of course) messy-ing up!

Part performance, part workshop, entirely entertaining, Janoah immerses audiences of all ages in a whimsical exploration of metaphor. Precarious unicycling, shimmering puppetry, jaw-dropping juggling, mesmerizing motions, meticulously prepared hot beverages … Janoah tosses together art forms to tell a tale of learning & labor, emerging ecstatically from a haphazard pile of props.

 

And (of course!) what circus would be complete without popcorn & banana peels?

artiSt bio

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Janoah Bailin (ze/zir), aka janoah…anygoodjokes? creates and performs energetic, stimulating and educational shows for family audiences with zir unique blend of circus, puppetry, story and dance. Ze originally learned to unicycle in the empty corridors of zir middle school, practicing after-hours. Janoah grew up juggling with the Suspenders Juggling Troupe in Falmouth (MA) then traveled New England with the Circus Smirkus Big Top Tour. Ze graduated in 2014 from College of the Atlantic, focusing in performance and movement. Janoah now coaches the Gym Dandies Children’s Circus of Scarborough (ME), as well as the Children's Circus of Middletown (CT). In 2016 ze helped form the Living Room Dance Collective in Portland (ME), a space devoted to contemporary movement and performance. In the summer of 2019 ze toured SpinS, a full-length solo circus-puppetry performance, across the Canadian Fringe Festival circuit, including Montreal, Winnipeg, Edmonton and Vancouver, winning "Best Variety" in London. SpinS has since enjoyed a 12-show run at Maddy's Theatre in the Children's Museum and Theatre of Maine. In May of 2019 Janoah premiered meSSeS, a second full-length circus-dance performance in which the audience learns to juggle during the show. Ze has brought the show to The Dance Complex (Boston), Redfern (Keene NH), Oddfellows Playhouse (Middletown CT), APA's Contact East (Halifax NS), SPACE (Portland ME), as well as the Cincinnati, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Hartford and Elgin Fringe Festivals (where ze won "Spirit of the Fringe" 2022). Janoah has been a resident artist at the Barn Arts Collective in Bass Harbor and Subcircle in Biddeford (ME). Ze has been awarded the 2020 MAC Fellowship in the Performing Arts, NEFA's 2021 Public Art Learning Fund, as well as numerous MAC Project and NEFA Dance Fund grants. Janoah currently performs internationally for festivals, stages and parades, leaving behind a wake of tumbled juggling props.

pull quoteS

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technical

"meSSeS Solo circuS is a sold-out sensation for a reason. Bailin’s infectious energy, skillful performance, and ability to connect with the audience leave you smiling from ear-to-ear. The show’s unique blend of laughter, interactive moments, and awe-inspiring feats create an experience that is truly unforgettable."

- Kevin Frenech, Apartment613

"Captivating as Janoah's performance was, I also loved watching the audience during the three interactive components. Each time the house lights came up for another scarf juggling lesson, the audience progressively engaged more with each other, strayed and intermingled further from their seats, and reveled in the collective chaos of hundreds of floating scarves."

- Ian Bannon, Executive Director, Mayo Street Arts

"A clowning master class. . . . [Janoah] performs some very original gags and spectacular feats of balancing, but it is in the allowing for some of [zir] stunts to go wrong that [zir] humor shines…. a family friendly delight.""

- Wendy Carson, Plays With John and Wendy

performanceS

Halifax Fringe Festival (Halifax NS, Sept 2023)

Schoodic Arts For All (Schoodic ME, Aug 2023)

Ottawa Fringe Festival (Ottawa Ontario, June 2023)

Orlando Fringe Festival (Orlando FL, May 2023)

Steamer No. 10 Theatre (Albany NY, Feb 2023)

Stockbridge Theatre (Derry NH, Jan 2023)

Hartford Fringe Festival (Hartford CT, Oct 2022)
APA's Contact East (Halifax NS, Oct 2022)

Elgin Fringe Festival (Elgin IL, Sept 2022)

Indianapolis Fringe Festival (Indianapolis IN, Sept 2022)

St. Louis Fringe Festival (St. Louis MI, Aug 2022)

Oddfellows Playhouse (Middletown CT, July 2022)

Cincinnati Fringe Festival (Cincinnati OH, June 2022)

College of the Atlantic (Bar Harbor ME, Apr 2022)

Redfern @ Keene State (Keene NH, Feb 2022)

Freeport Arts Alliance (Freeport ME, Feb 2022)

Mayo Street Arts (Portland ME, Nov 2021 / March 2019)

The Dance Complex (Cambridge MA, July 2021 / June 2019)

Edmonton International Fringe Festival (Virtual, July 2021)

Fringe Live Stream (Virtual, Sept 2020)

Franco-American-Bates Festival (Lewiston ME, Feb 2020)

Space Gallery (Portland ME, Jan 2020)

SCDT (Northampton MA, Oct 2019)

BarnFest at Cloud City (Brooklyn NY, Feb 2019)

Spoke the Hub (Brooklyn NY, Oct 2019)

Portland Dance Month (Portland ME, Nov 2018)

Barn Arts Collective (Bass Harbor ME, Oct 2018)

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meSSeS is best performed on a stage with minimum dimensions of: 

Width 25' x Depth 15' x Height 15' (more space preferred) on a Marley or wood floor. 

However, the performance can be adapted to most performance spaces.

 

The show requires:

- access to electricity

- ability to mount a small popcorn-maker somewhere above the stage

- basic lighting plot and speaker system

 

Lighting can be as intricate or basic as the venue allows.

outreach

pc Roy Knight
pc Roy Knight
pc Kelsey Trusty
pc Roy Knight
pc Haley Deluca-Lowell

Janoah's teaching goes beyond circus, movement and performance. Ze's classes are humanistic, connecting profoundly with students and making the skills relevant. As a professional circus arts educator, Janoah offers workshops for all ages and levels in:

- juggling

- variety arts (balance, diabolo, etc.)

- equilibrium arts (unicycle, globe, rola bola, wire, etc.)

- creation / performance

Janoah excels in bridging the gap between circus as metaphor and physical experience. Ze makes circus arts accessible, educational and joyful in classrooms from kindergarten through college, as well as for adults. Zir dance training brings the full body to play in zir teaching. Janoah also speaks confidently and eloquently on zir experiences as a self-employed performing artist in talk-back and panel settings.

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