Meet: Kerren McKeeman – Varekai Trapezist

As a hybrid of circus and theatre — two worlds where superstitions are extremely common — it would be reasonable to presume that Cirque du Soleil performers are likely to harbour numerous rituals. Kerren McKeeman, a 30-year-old trapeze artist performing in Varekai at the Canadian Tire Centre this weekend, revealed some of hers to the Citizen’s Bruce Deachman.

Q. What are your rituals?

I have a lot, probably more than I know. I have a few things that help me get into the character. My character is based on Diana the Huntress. She protects the forest of Varekai. So in order to get into that, I always choose somebody to protect, somebody in my life. Maybe it’s somebody here in the show, or someone from my personal life — a family member or a friend that maybe needs a little extra love that day. So when I start my act in the catwalk, I have that person in mind.

Q. Are there universal superstitions that you hold, like stepping into a ring with your right foot only, or certain colours you won’t wear?

There’s the circus tradition of never sitting with your back to the ring. We’re a theatrical circus and don’t have a ring curb, but in general you would never sit on the stage looking out. You always, always, always face in. The ring is sacred, and you don’t want to put your back to it. You also don’t want to talk about what you don’t want to happen. Of course a lot of things can go wrong, so when you’re talking about the show, you’re envisioning what you want to happen. You don’t talk about tripping; you talk about what you want to happen.

Q. Are there things you always bring with you on the road?

As an aerialist, I can be up in the clouds sometimes, so I try to do things to keep me grounded. I have a rock collection that I travel with, and I collect stones from all over the world. Sometimes they’re really beautiful and other times they’re just something I found in a place that’s really meaningful. I choose one every day, and it kind of shapes the day and keeps me grounded. It may be impractical to keep in your suitcase, but we all have our things.

Q. Do many of the traditional habits continue, like a bird in the house being bad luck?

Well, a bird in the house always makes me feel like — even a lost bird that’s flying through the rafters — I always wish I could be half as graceful as that. That’s what birds say to me. As aerialists, we want to fly. In theatre they say “break a leg” before a show, but of course we don’t say that. We say “merde,” which means “shit.” It comes from having a lot of horseshit in front of the theatre. If there’s a lot of it, there’s been a lot of carriages and a lot of people to see your show.

Q. Are there things you do on performance days that you don’t do on other days?

I love raw sushi, but right before the show I might not test that out. We have to eat at least an hour-and-a-half before the show. You need to digest before you’re upside-down. And small meals; you can’t have a full stomach when you’re doing aerial stuff. When you live on the road and everything around you is constantly changing, you start to depend on certain things. It’s a good lesson about attachment. You don’t want to be addicted or attached to things, but at the same time that’s the only way that we can have a consistent lifestyle. There are mental preparations and physical preparations, and some of our superstitions are almost just as important as the physical preparations, because your mind has to be ready, too. And even if it doesn’t matter who goes up the (catwalk) stairs first, we still hold on to those things because your mind is feeling that everything is the same, and that takes out all the improbablilty.

{ SOURCE: Ottawa Citizen | http://goo.gl/sVbQGX }