How DOES Dynamo do it? Illusionist Steven Frayne has a novel way of catching a bus | Daily Mail Online Latest feat: Dynamo performed another 'it has to be seen to be believed' moment this week on Westminster Bridge This may be one way to avoid rush-hour crowds. But what would the man on the Clapham omnibus think? With a smile on his face, and a stiff breeze running through his heavily waxed barnet, the celebrity illusionist Dynamo floats serenely across Westminster Bridge while ‘levitating’ from the side of a double-decker bus. Pictures of the audacious stunt were splashed across the news pages yesterday, in a fresh PR coup for the ‘street conjurer’ from a Bradford council estate who has used his fast hands and gift for mesmerising displays of old-fashioned trickery to gain international celebrity. The 30-year-old has levitated Lindsay Lohan, James Corden and Matt Lucas, performed card tricks for the likes of Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z, Gwyneth Paltrow and Will Smith, and forced Prince Charles to cover his face in a mixture of terror and disgust during a skit in which he appeared to dislocate his little finger.

He’s also ‘walked’ across the Thames, turned Austrian snow into diamonds, made cardboard butterflies come alive, turned Fanta into Coke, and somehow managed to convert lottery tickets into banknotes on live television. All of which means that the recent bus ride through Central London is only the latest remarkable journey that Dynamo — whose real name is the rather less exciting Steven Frayne — has completed in recent years. Born in 1982 to a jailbird father whom he once described as ‘a gangster who did some dodgy stuff’, Steven was raised largely by his great-grandfather, Ken Walsh, a keen amateur magician. Thanks to severe Crohn’s disease, a dietary illness which affects the digestive system, Steven — who to this day measures a mere 5ft 6 in, and weighs just 8st — was small, thin and an easy target for bullies. RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share His great-grandad duly advised him to learn magic tricks as a way to protect himself. ‘He showed me a technique to make myself too heavy to lift,’ Steven once recalled. ‘The next time the bullies tried to pick me up, they couldn’t. They gave up and ran away. ‘I never had any trouble again.

Word got round the school that I had super-powers, so I got a lot of respect.’ Don't look down: Steven Frayne gave the crowds a thumbs-up as he larked around 15ft above the ground with nothing but the palm of his hand on the double-decker Thrilling: Smiling fans on the upper deck (left) have a prime view of how Dynamo pulled off the stunt. Onlookers on the bridge stared in disbelief (right). The entertainer is best known for his levitation tricks Steven’s interest in magic developed, and he began to earn pocket money performing card and coin tricks in local bars and clubs. Word of his talent spread, and at 17, he was invited to perform at a conference in the U.S. to mark the anniversary of the escapologist Harry Houdini’s death. It was a member of the audience at that gig who provided young Steven with his nickname, shouting ‘the kid’s a dynamo!’ After dropping out of college, he received a £60,000 grant from the Prince’s Trust to make a demo DVD of his ‘street’ magic.

The video impressed TV executives from the satellite channel Watch, who commissioned the first series of the Magician Impossible series which has turned him into a global sensation. Magic man: Steven Frayne has been praised for the modernity of his acts. He doesn't use the props or stagecraft of traditional magic shows Critics have praised the authenticity of Dynamo’s act, which has none of the rickety stagecraft, endless assistants, or general kitsch of traditional magic shows. ‘I respect people such as [David] Blaine, [David] Copperfield and [Derren] Brown, but unlike them I don’t need big stage sets and teams of helpers’ he has said. Meanwhile, fans who have watched him run down the side of tall buildings, walk on water, pull jewellery from his stomach and make mobile phones appear in beer bottles, tend to respond with a single question: How, exactly, does Dynamo do it? Here, to that end, we uncover the ingenious secrets that may lie behind some of his most famous tricks.

LEVITATING FROM A DOUBLE-DECKER BUS THE TRICK: Hovering 15ft above the Tarmac, with the palm of his right hand gently resting on the roof of a double-decker bus, Dynamo waved to gobsmacked crowds as he floated serenely through Central London at the weekend, in a PR stunt designed to publicise the latest series of Magician Impossible. HOW HE DOES IT: Levitation tricks tend to work one of two ways: either the subject is suspended from hidden wires, or a concealed platform or brace holds them secretly in place. The fact that this trick took place out of doors, in broad daylight, using a moving stage, makes the latter explanation the most likely. The position of Dynamo’s body would allow a support beam to run along his outstretched right arm (the bottom of which is concealed by shadow), to a brace in between his magician’s shoulder blades. WALKING ACROSS THE RIVER THAMES THE TRICK: Following in the well-worn footsteps of Jesus, Dynamo casually hopped over a gate beside Westminster Bridge one summer’s evening in 2011, and began stepping gingerly across the Thames.

After roughly a hundred yards, he was bundled into a passing police boat and whisked away. Biblical: Dynamo caused a stir in 2011 with a mind-blowing stunt that launched his TV series. He was picked up by a 'police boat' halfway across the river HOW HE DOES IT: Close-up screen-grabs suggest that Dynamo wasn’t so much walking ‘on’ the murky Thames as across an invisible platform just below its surface. Indeed, two flat-bottomed canoes, which passed between the magician and the shore mid-way through the trick, appeared to accidentally strike just such a hidden object. The police dinghy is, meanwhile, believed to have been a fake, filled with actors. STROLLING DOWN A SKYSCRAPER Defying gravity: The magician creates illusions that beggar belief but are often to do with perspective and masking reality THE TRICK: It was well after dark when Dynamo appeared on top of the art deco LA Times headquarters in Downtown Los Angeles. To gasps from passers-by, he appeared to dive from its roof, only for his fall to suddenly stop when his body had reached a horizontal position.

After that, he walked calmly down the side of the landmark building, at a 90-degree angle to vertical, before hopping to the pavement and wandering off into the night. HOW HE DOES IT: This trick’s all about illumination. Specifically, it revolved around a collection of dazzling, mega-watt floodlights at ground level. These bathed the front of the magician in light, but created dark shadows behind him where a climbing rope and support harness are believed to have been secreted. Slowed-down footage of the stunt, posted on YouTube, appeared to reveal the harness tugging at the back of Dynamo’s shirt as he landed on terra firma. MAKING MATT LUCAS FLOAT THE TRICK: Old-school stage magicians levitate featherweight assistants who wear skimpy bikinis. The streetwise Dynamo upped the ante by performing a similar feat on the 14st comedian Matt Lucas in 2009. The stunt, at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium, was staged to publicise a charity fundraiser. It’s a long- standing favourite of the Bradford magician who has performed similar levitation tricks in several episodes of his TV show — most famously on Lindsay Lohan.

Up, up and away: Levitating stunts are Dynamo's calling card. He has performed the stunt on actress Lindsay Lohan and comedian Matt Lucas HOW HE DOES IT: This is a straightforward version of the ‘bus trick’. Like most outdoor levitations, it is likely to have been achieved using a hidden horizontal platform, rather than concealed ropes or wires. No video footage of the stunt exists, however, since it was only ever performed for a newspaper photo opportunity. That raises a third possible explanation — that the photograph was achieved using computer trickery. PULLING A NECKLACE FROM HIS STOMACH Sleight of hand: A necklace appears to come out of Dynamo's stomach after he swallows it THE TRICK: One of Dynamo’s most striking pieces of street magic was showcased in 2011 during an episode of his TV show filmed in Las Vegas. First, he ‘borrowed’ a necklace from a woman sitting beside a swimming pool. Then, he proceeded to swallow the piece of jewellery. Finally, he pulled it from what appeared to be a hole that had been torn in his well-toned stomach.

HOW HE DOES IT: Filmed with a wobbly handheld camera in Las Vegas, this stunt was almost impossible to work out. But a few months later, Dynamo repeated the trick under the bright lights of the One Show’s BBC TV studio in London. Close up footage of this second stunt, performed for host Chris Evans, suggests that the ‘stomach’ the necklace emerged from was in fact a prosthetic fake. The necklace appears to have passed from the magician’s mouth to his false torso using sleight-of-hand. PASSING THROUGH A GLASS WINDOW THE TRICK: The venue was a glitzy celebrity party on the ground floor of a shop in Central London. Watched by footballer Rio Ferdinand and a selection of well-groomed soap stars, Dynamo handed his jacket to a pair of bouncers, who held it in front of him to create a shoulder-high screen. To the bemusement of his audience, the magician then disappeared behind the screen before quickly re-emerging on the pavement on the far side of the shop window, as if through the glass, and scampering away. No need to open the door: The experienced magician has been practicing magic since his childhood.

In this trick he appears to walk through a glass panel Bypassed: Dynamo completes another successful trick. He has achieved popular and critical acclaim for his trickery HOW HE DOES IT: This appears to be a clever re-working of an age-old favourite trick of stage magicians. Unsurprisingly, what we can’t see behind Dynamo’s makeshift screen is crucial. Traditionally, the solid window slides discreetly upwards (once the screen is in place) to expose a secret hatch through which the conjurer can escape. By the time the sight-screen has been removed, the window has been returned to its original closed position. Nothing is Impossible The Real-life Adventure - Dynamo Nothing is Impossible The Real-life Adventure - Dynamo View More Dynamo was born Steven Frayne in December 1982 in Bradford. He grew up on the notorious Delph Hill housing estate, where he was raised by his mother while his father spent long periods in prison. At the same time, he was forced to battle a debilitating form of Crohn’s disease as well as playground bullies. After being introduced to magic by his beloved granddad and receiving a loan from the Prince’s Trust, he carved out a career as one of the most respected magicians and illusionists in the world.

His TV series Dynamo: Magician Impossible broke all viewing records for UK TV channel Watch and won three Broadcast Awards. Dynamo now lives in London where he continues to dream up even bigger and better illusions to prove to the world that really nothing is impossible. Copyright: Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC) Dynamo whisks his girlfriend away on a romantic trip to Portofino | Daily Mail Online comments When you're a magician trying to impress your girlfriend, there are times when pulling a white rabbit out of a hat just won't do. And magic man Dynamo appeared to pull out all the stops when he whisked his lady love off on a romantic trip to Italy recently. The couple were spotted spending time on a boat off the shores of Portofino as they enjoyed their romantic trip on Wednesday. Scroll down for video Magical: Dynamo was seen enjoying the sights and sounds of Portofino and Santa Margherita Ligure with his girlfriend on Wednesday Dynamo, real name Steven Frayne, and his belle had big smiles on their faces as they floated out to sea, where they playfully frolicked, while avoiding getting into the water.

RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share TV star Dynamo kept his look simple in a light-blue top with faded denim jeans and cream trainers. His girlfriend, who prefers to remain anonymous, turned up the heat in a flattering white mini-dress, which was buttoned down to reveal her glittering pendant. Ahoy there: The couple soaked up the stunning scenery from on-board a boat Do you sea me? Dynamo took snapshots of his girlfriend as they sailed on the warm Mediterranean waters Frolics: The couple were playful as they relaxed on the boat Cheeky: Dynamo's girlfriend gave him a bit of a display I'm on a boat! Dynamo was seen playing photographer for his belle Toting a white leather quilted purse, the brunette beauty finished off her look with a pair of smart brown leather heels and trendy sunglasses. While at sea, the star's belle was seen playfully hiking up her dress, suggesting she was going to take a splash in the warm Mediterranean waters. The couple were later seen enjoying an al fresco lunch together while chatting intently. Happy: A loved-up Dynamo didn't stop smiling during his romantic trip Taking the plunge?

At one point, Dynamo's girlfriend hiked up her dress as though she was contemplating a dip in the water Dining out: The couple also took some time out to enjoy an al fresco lunch Retail therapy: Judging by their bulging bags, the couple appeared to have indulged in quite a bit of shopping They also soaked up the local sights and sounds of Portofino and nearby Santa Margherita Ligure, and were seen wandering around the picturesque streets lovingly holding hands. And some of those sights seemed to be people. Dynamo was seen posing with a man dressed in all white as his girlfriend took their snapshot. He also took a selfie with another man, who appeared to be a fan. Nice to meet you: Dynamo's girlfriend also played photographer when the magician posed with a local Big fans: The TV personality's girlfriend kept herself cool with a fan, as Dynamo posed for a selfie with a fan The Alternative Performer by The Alternative Perfomer - issuu issuu Issuu on Google+ SOMETHING FROM THE EDITOR... Welcome readers. Here it is- the first issue of “The Alternative Performer.” This is a milestone in our lives as we launch our first ever issue.

The team have been working really hard to bring you something amazing, as we are the first ever alternative performance magazine. Which we hope you love. This magazine goes beyond the boundaries of typical song and dance, and gives an interesting and unusual look into the world of performance. We hope to wow and inspire you. In this issue, we have explored a range of alternative performances from fire breathing to beatboxing. We have created a platform to showcase and inform our readers about these alternative arts, which are seemingly becoming more and more popular in this country. Being Yorkshire based, a lot of our acts have been found locally. I was amazed when I discovered how many classes there are taught around the Yorkshire area for unusual and alternative performing arts. Perhaps there is a growing interest amongst the public to become involved with these arts. In this issue we bring you interviews with some top performers in the industry. We have an insight into the word of pole dancing, breakdancing and circus performance. We bring you burlesque and beatboxing, trapeze and aerial, fire breathing, angle grinding, and so much more.

If you don’t want to wait another three months for issue two, you can always subscribe to our website and receive regular updates on events, classes and news of the alternative performance world. You can find us online at: So, readers- enjoy. OLIVIA NEWBY FRONT COVER & CONTENTS PHOTOGRAPHS © Katie McMillan CONTENTS JANURARY 2014 FEATURES 2 CAN’T STOP THE BODY POP IS BREAKDANCING A LOT MORE POPULAR IN THE UK THAN YOU THINK? 4 LIFE UNDER THE BIG TOP INSIGHT INTO CIRCUS LIFE... 8 SEVEN REASONS TO START POLE DANCING FIND OUT THE BENEFITS THAT POLE DANCING COULD BRING TO YOUR LIFE 13 LOOCI AND THE STEELCATS MEET ONE OF THE LEEDS STEELCATS 16 CIRQUE APPAREL TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT LOOCI DOES WHEN SHE ISN’T PERFORMING 20 BLOXED BEATS: THE NEXT BIG THING?

THE BEATBOXING TRIO SET TO GO FAR 22 THE REAL WORLD OF BURLESQUE BURLESQUE IN A DIFFERENT LIGHT 26 STREET MAGICIANS ROAD TO SUCCESS HOW TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD AS A MAGICIAN 28 POI: MET MATHEMATICS LOOKING AT POI FROM A MATHEMATICAL ANGLE T hink body popping, locking, footwork, spins, kicks, flips, hops, headstands and gymnastics. A combination of complicated footwork, spinning on your head and being able to contort your body into strange positions. Breakdancing, or ‘Bboying’ has come a long way since it originated among African American and Puerto Rican youths in NYC during the 1980’s. It wasn’t long before this style of dance spread “The more I watched them the more I was mind blown” Arran Shaw showing his unique style. Photo by Kerim Peerthy. 2 all over the world, and is more popular in the UK than you may think. With film releases such as ‘Step Up’ and TV shows such as ‘America’s Best Dance CAN’T STOP The art of breaking is an Breakdancer Calum hall, photo taken by himself.

Crew’ it’s easy to see how more people are becoming influenced and inspired to take up breakdancing as a sport. Hayo Friese, 20 year old student and member of Northumbria University’s dance society says: “My first experience of breakdancing was watching ‘America’s Best Dance Crew’ most notably ‘Quest Crew.’ The more I watched them the more I was mind blown. It got to the point where I wanted to learn breakdancing just to figure out what they’re doing, and how.” As break dancing has become such a popular sport in the UK, ‘Dance City’ came up with it’s very own break dancing convention; Just Jam. Based in Newcastle, ‘Just Jam’ is an annual celebration of break dance and hip hop culture, organised by Bad Taste Cru in association with Juice Festival and Dance City. The event takes place at the start of November every year since 2008. Competitors travel all across the UK and Europe to attend, and can take part in workshops and performances. ‘Just Jam’ is a great place for like minded performers to come together, “I’ve even met some famous people there,” says Hayo.

Some people Bboy (break) for fun, whilst others plan on making a career out of it. 22 year old Arran Shaw, final year Dance student at Leeds Beckett says: “I have achieved a lot out of the three years I’ve been breaking, I teach classes weekly and I receive highly paid jobs and auditions as I have built myself a solid reputation in the breaking society. I have been a promoter for ‘Wrigley’s’ chewing gum with the skills I have gained.” However, like most sports and activities that require THE BODY POP ever growing sport in the UK. By Olivia Newby Arran Shaw’s own breaking move. Photo by Kerim Peerthy. a lot of physical activity, it can be expected that the risk of injury is high with breakdancing. “Whilst breaking I have had numerous injuries in the three years. Bruises, bumps, scars, but no broken bones thankfully.

Breaking is very physical, some moves that I do I know aren’t the best for my body but I know they are impressive and give me style and individual qualities, that separate me from others,” says “Some of the moves that I do are not the best for my body but I know they are impresssive and give me style” Arran. There is room for all in the sport of break dancing. You don’t have to be dressed in a tracksuit and trainers, and you don’t have to listen to hip hop. The youngest break dancing champion is a 6 year old girl, Dachiya Atkinson who has become an internet sensation. Cirque de Soleil performer, Jean Sok is a break-dancer with only one leg, who has not let his disability come in between him and the sport. “I literally couldn’t believe it when I saw a video of him on Youtube, how amazing and inspiring it is to see a man with one leg breakdancing so well. It makes me want to get better at it,” says 22 year old aspiring dance choreographer, Rachel Clarke.

If a man with only one leg and a six year old girl can become champions of the sport, there’s no reason why any of us can’t pop it and lock it with a bit of practice. Arran Shaw doing ‘planche’ move. Photo by Kerim Peerthy 3 The Life Under the Big Top By Claudia Rivas The real life experiences of the few that participate in the dying artform of circus performing while in this modern era. 4 Circus: a peculiar place most of society associates with tigers, elephants, juggling clowns, and aerialists, among other abstract performers, traveling through towns similar to nomads in the desert. Depending on a person’s background, one’s perception of the circus may be or most certainly differs from another based on generation or media images presented to him or her. In one sense the circus may induce a joyful and warm connotation, however to others the mysteries under the big top have the ability to induce fear of the unknown. For circus performers that live or lived the life, their reality is what many outsiders may see as pure fantasy. Outsiders may judge and stereotype at all lengths but the truth is however that none are able to know the life of a circus performer unless having lived it.

“In Romania, the peculiar is seen as the normal. But that maybe just be because I grew up with my mother and grandmother already being a part of the abstract,” says Romanian trapeze artist, Elena Fabro, 24. Fabro’s mother and grandmother introduced her to the art of trapeze acrobatics at age 11 and ever since, she has been flying through the air, wanting to travel with those who also have a passion for the art. Fabro travels with Circus Carson and Barnes, which currently tours the United States. Though she had been inconsistent in schooling due to traveling around while her mother was at her prime of trapeze artistry, at no point did she want what some may call a “normal” life, which doesn’t involve the circus. This is because the circus was and is what she calls a “normal” life. When asked why she had never wanted a different style of living Fabro responded: “Maybe it’s because I love the creative lifestyle. Maybe it’s because I benefit from my family being around all the time. I always wanted to be like my mother. When she was performing I saw the strength of a powerful woman.

I wanted to feel or be powerful too.” The act, she performs may seem frivolous at first glance of an ignorant member of the audience because of her flawless grace, however the technique, timing and effort Fabro puts into her set is more than exhilarating and dangerous. “I may have confidence in what I am doing, but I always know that a slip or a fall can and may happen if I’m not aware of my environment or prepared for the show. Practice is important. Anything can happen under the big top.” “Though my loud makeup and explosive stunts prove for me to be some kind of extroverted ball of fire, I’m actually quite a modest and shy person when not in the ring,” Fabro says about her personality a part of her performance. “My performance is a part of me. It is part of my personality. Like an alter ego, however it’s not all of me. I love to read books and knit during my free time. I’m not always sailing on a trapeze my entire day.” This proves that though the masses may believe or have theories that circus performers are always “freaks,” the myth is certainly false.

Fabro describes never leaving the circus because of all the positive it has lead her to in life however not all those who have been under the spotlight of the big top feel the same as she has in the circus lifestyle. Circus performers are human, not monsters and are on the pursuit of happiness similar to any other, regardless where the performer ends up. For Nicola Spencer, 27, former clown and juggler at Circus Magnificent, a small traveling circus in the United Kingdom, she had found that not all circuses are as family-oriented such as the circus-life Fabro has grown a part of. “I found that although my interests in juggling and pursuing the medium as more of a profession were hopeful and optimistic, at certain circuses, like “offices,” a hierarchy is put in place,” says Spencer. She went on to say that depending on how close “Here I am able to express myself freely and enjoy strengthening my skills while also helping others learn their technique with smiles on their faces. It’s a much more rewarding and stress less environment” the members were to the “ringleader,” or agent that funded the show, the relationship determined how much time during the show each performer received or how much each was paid.

Spencer found that rather than performing in a circus where the fate of its performers were unpredictable she would much rather teach her interests than feel pressured to perform her art in certain methods she did not agree with. “I was only part of the traveling circus for a summer, while on break from university, but I found that I’d much rather do my art form as a hobby with others who also enjoy the fun, rather than regret ever juggling for the rest of my days.” Now Nicola teaches juggling through workshops to children of all ages in the local community group, Leeds Childrens Circus. “Here I am able to express myself freely and enjoy strengthening my skills while also helping others learn their technique with smiles on their faces. It’s a much more rewarding and stress less environment.” At Leeds Childrens Circus, according to Spencer, the mission is to teach children how to express themselves and give those the tools and opportunities to pursue circus professions for the future through: juggling balls, rings, scarves, clubs, plate 5 6 spinning, object balancing, fun wheels and unicycle, strap-on stilts, handheld stilts, balancing ladder, hoops, walking globe, low tight wire and clowning.

Michael Taylor, 9, has been part of Leeds Childrens Circus’ workshops for almost a year now and is a prime example of the children the group tries to engage. Since being part of the childrens circus Taylor admits that, “At first I didn’t want to join, but my mum said that after the first couple of sessions, if I still didn’t like it I could stop going. But I ended up really liking it.” He went on to say, “My favorite skill to learn is standing on the stilts.” Regardless of where the person comes from, the circus life has the ability to impact multiple perceptions, similar to any other activity or sport. Despite what media images today present to the masses, circus skills are just as rewarding as teaching one how to paint or play football. It’s a way of self-expression, despite its lack in popularity and peculiar aspects. Based on certain horror movies and television programs, such as American Horror Story: Freak Show, society and the media tend to believe the circus is a runaway escape for those who are not fit for “normal” life and want to be abstract for the sake of being weird, a sort of mass group of freaks rather than an art form.

Though the lives of the circus performer are vastly different when comparing Fabro and Spencer’s recollections, both agree that being a part of the big top is hardly simple. “It takes hard work, dedication and like any other job, there are days where the tasks may be too much on the body,” says Fabro while discussing her multiple injuries and wounds her body has endured during numerous practices and shows. When asked about the circus in general Spencer replied: “Regardless if I stayed or not, the circus is a true art form and should be recognized as such.” Society has not come to terms with the justification that not everyone’s “normal” is alike. There is a tendency to become frightened by the mystery rather than intrigued due to simply not understanding the circus world or the people that live it. The circus life is a life that is not only dangerous and peculiar, but is an art form that’s full of many aspects that surround normal lifestyles. When an audience witnesses the allure of a circus– and focuses purely on the danger that is inevitable to happen in the case of an accident or the abstract traits in a negative sense of a performance, the patrons are blinded by negativity and peril rather than noticing the real magic.

7 Picture by MMG Photography REASONS TO START POLE DANCING How gymnastics, acrobatics and strength have come to- gether to create the coolest workout on the fitness market right now. BY Aimee Robinson 8 O nce confined to the walls of gentleman’s clubs pole dancing is now ridding itself of its risqué image and entering the world of health and fitness. Increased growth in the industry, plus its emphasis on artistic interpretation means pole dancing is currently being considered for inclusion in the Olympics, according to The International Pole Dancing Fitness Association (IPDFA). With advocates boasting benefits ranging from weight loss to improving mentality, pole fitness may be the key to a healthier lifestyle. While more advanced dancers may have personal access to a pole at home, pole classes are more widely available than ever now, with upwards of 30,000 currently set up worldwide according to IBISWorld Market Research Centre. However, if you’re still not sure if pole dancing is the fitness regime for you, here are some great reasons to start pole dancing.

It’s an amazing full body workout Spending hours slaving away in the gym might seem like the only answer to getting a leaner physique, and this is perhaps the mistake that most people make because constant repetition becomes boring. Pole dancing is a great alternative, as Abbey Swan, a Personal Trainer at Virgin Active and a pole fitness and aerial enthusiast points out: “Pole fitness is a great exercise method because it’s an all over body workout that targets many different components of fitness whilst being enjoyable and different from any other type of training.” Classed as an aerobic fitness workout, pole dancing can burn up to 350 calories per hour while also incorporating core muscle tone, upper body strength and flexibility. “Much like swimming, it works the whole body and you push yourself in ways you might not in a gym setting. I know for a fact that if I was on the treadmill, an extra minute is just not worth the effort to me, but while I’m on that pole I will push myself until I can’t push any more,” says Emma Richardson, a member of the Sunderland University Pole Fitness society.

Anyone can try it While the prospect of taking to the pole may seem daunting, advocates such as Emily Hawthorne, a Leeds Vertical Fitness member who first took to pole dancing only a year ago, prove that anyone can give it a go. “I haven’t got any background in dance. Never did dance, never did gymnastics or trampoline or anything,” she says. “A year ago, if I did a spin I’d just fall to the floor and now I can hold my body weight right up which I think is impressive.” It can help you loose weight With pole fitness classes on the rise, more and more people are coming forward to show off their impressive weight loss results as well as their new skills. “When I started, I was 13 stone, I had no strength or shape whatsoever. Now, I am three stone lighter, and I have a decent amount of muscle contributing to what weight is left,” says Emma. However, just like any other form of exercise, if you want to see results you have to make sure you’re getting the right nutrition. “Before you take to the pole you need to stock up on slow release carbs, that’s things like rice and sweet potato, to keep stamina and endurance up throughout the performance,” says Abbey.

“And afterward, you need protein to decrease muscle breakdown during and after the workout”. It’s great for building muscle strength And it’s not just a slimmer frame that participants can expect. Nikki Mather, a Sunderland University Pole Fitness society member underwent spinal fusion surgery a year before discovering the sport. “A year and a 9 Pictured: Leeds Vertical Fitness half later and I’ve got full splits and straddle and my core and upper body strength is better than it’s ever been,” she says. Dancers have to be strong enough to guide and support their own body weight, while remaining graceful. “Pole dancing is great for strength gains in your core and arms as it’s all body weight exercise,” says Abbey. It can be empowering 10 While the aesthetic benefits alone may be enough to sell it, many performers say its not just about becoming stronger physically. Sarah Holland, author of Pole Dancing: Empowerment and Embodiment, did not set out to discover the mental advantages of pole dancing when writing her book, but what she found left her astonished.

“The women I spoke to simply felt happier and more confident; they spoke of exhilaration, strength and skill, and how this had inspired or motivated them to make positive changes in other areas of their lives too. For them pole dancing was a conduit to empowerment in their daily lives,” she says. Whether overcoming fears and being able to wear clothes they never could before, or tackling a challenging move and overcoming it, the sense of achievement felt by dancers can leave them feeling on top of the world. “When you try for weeks to master a new move and once you get it, there’s this massive feeling of accomplishment. You just want to do it over and over again. You never feel like it’s tiring or the pain is too much,” says Leeds Vertical Fitness member, Sarah Atkinson. These transformations really can be life changing. “At risk of sounding cheesy, pole has absolutely transformed my life and I really do not think that I would be the person I am today without it,” says Emma. “I joined the society with a friend, as I couldn’t do it alone due to severe social anxiety. She turned out to be so unreliable that after three weeks I was alone.

Despite all of my issues, my passion for pole and the buzz it gave me helped me overcome everything and I turned up every week not knowing a single person. Now I’m president of the society and I’m helping other girls. It is absolutely beautiful watching shy girls gradually come out of their shells and realise how beautiful they really are.” pole has absolutely transformed my life and I really do not think that I would be the person I am today without it, It’s a great way to make friends The struggle to nail difficult moves, as well as being in a more intimate setting than your average exercise class, has helped many men and women bond over their passion for pole. I ts an easy environment to bond in “I’ve made loads of new friends through th e sport, it’s an easy atmosphere to bond in too. Everyone has to be supportive of each other and willing to talk because you’re sharing a pole and need a spotter and someone to photograph your progress,” says Nikki. As pole dancing still carries a number of connotations not directly associated with fitness, often talking about the subject can leave people feeling uncomfortable, but by surrounding yourself with like-minded people, it’s a great way to learn more about the sport, and make some new friends along the way.

It’s fun It’s hard to believe that exercise, with so many health benefits, can be so addictive, yet participants are only too keen to highlight the main reason they take part: because it’s fun! Not everyone is built to spend hours running on a treadmill, and it’s a great way to boost your fitness without even realising it. If pole dancing sounds like the thing for you, get searching for a local class in your area, and Picture byManos Simonides 14 4 Looci and The Steelcats From angle grinding, trapeze, aerial and fire breathing, Leeds based entertainment troupe The Steelcats put on one hell of a show. By Olivia Newby 13 W atching two women move so gracefully around each other and intertwine on a hoop which is suspended from the ceiling is intriguing, and definitely something I could not imagine doing myself. Looci Sohma and fellow Steelcat dancer, Billie, are practising some aerial moves. Looci’s long black hair hangs past her shoulders, elegantly swaying on her back as she carefully wraps her legs around Billie, who is supporting herself on the hoop. The pair hang together, with pointed toes and elongated arms. They look swan- like.

All of a sudden, Looci drops herself backwards, and is hanging from the hoop upside down. She is still supported by Billie’s legs. The swift movement is executed gracefully, and Looci relaxes herself and falls from the hoop, landing perfectly. To the average spectator this looks incredibly challenging. Looci shouts words of praise at Billie and the pair look accomplished. The dark haired beauty looks up at me, and smiles, “Am I late?” she asks me. Slam Dunk club co-ordinator, head of Steelcats, harness designer and business woman Looci Sohma is a woman of many talents. 26 year old Looci has skin covered in striking tattoos, which contrast against her porcelain skin. The ‘MEOW’ tattoos across her knuckles gives her a fun side to her rock n roll image. Looci’s unsuaul look is interesting to me, made up of pale skin, dark hair, colourful tattoos and some silver jewellery in her nose and lip. When we sit down to talk, I offer my hand out. Looci looks at my hand, and instead of shaking it, gives me a hug. Her friendly presence puts me at ease, it’s like talking to a friend. She has a glow about her.

The Steelcats are an entertainment troupe based in Leeds. From fire breathing, aerial, trapeze and angle grinding, the Steelcats’ rock ‘n’ roll edge is resident at Leeds Beckett’s weekly event, ‘Fuel’ every Friday night. The female performers who make up the group are; Looci Sohma, El Enya, Billie Babydoll and Stephanie Nyx. The group also take bookings for events and have performed in a number of other venues across the North of England. It is normal to imagine that these types of performances come with risks. Working with fire and suspending yourself from the ceiling is bound to cause injury at times. Looci tells me: “I’ve never had anything major, only had a few firey accidents. I’ve had my mouth and tongue burned, which was the worst I’ve had; but never any serious burns. Just singed hair. When I was angle grinding one time I managed to grind a bit of my arm, you can kinda see where it’s gone on a bit El Enya trapeze skills. Photo by Katie McMillan. 14 Looci, Stephanie and Billie fire breathing o of my tattoo.

But it was alright, it didn’t soar right through my arm or anything. I’ve ground my stomach a couple times and only gave it a little cut really. I’ve never injured myself on aerial, if I do fall off, I always land on my feet.” Looci has been lucky. Performers of this kind accept the risk involved and many do end up with injuries. “I was never trained as a dancer or in any sort of performance. I used to work behind the bar at The Cockpit, and one of the guys that put on nights there was re launching the Friday night here (Leeds Beckett SU) as a night called ‘Fuel’ and he asked me if I would like to audition as a dancer and give it a go on the stage.” Looci says this is how she started performing. “When me and my friend auditioned, we ran out on the stage to ‘Rollin’ by Limp Bitzkit and just had fun with it.” It was then “I wanted our show to be about our skill; not our skin” on stage at Fuel. Photo by Katie McMillan. practiced often, decided they needed a name.

Looci says: “We didn’t wanna just be those dancers at Fuel, and we often got confused with ‘The Fuel Girls’ and I wanted to separate us from other groups as I wanted our show to be about our skill; not our skin.” The group wanted a rock n roll and unusual name that made them stand out. “I love cats, and I just kinda came up with the Steelcats and just thought, yeah it works, I like it, we’ll have it.” So, aside from a full time job, performing job, a small part time job, Looci also teaches aerial and trapeze. “The classes are on at the same venue as ‘Fuel’, The Met, and they’re on most Mondays depending if the equipment is available. The sessions are mostly for beginner and a bit for intermediate level, and more advanced people can just come to use the equipment if they like. I can also teach some rope and silks, but to beginner level, as I haven’t been doing it for as many years as trapeze, which I have been doing for 6 years now.” The classes are a great way to develop yourself further in the performance industry, or just a great way to keep fit and have fun.

The Steelcats’ performances have even inspired some people to get involved and perform. 22 year old Christy Wright from Newcastle saw the group perform at ‘Fuel’ a couple of years ago. Christy says: “I have always been interested in circus stuff but I’ve never been in a club and seen alternative looking girls breathing fire and hanging from trapeze and stuff; that was my first taster. When I saw them perform, I knew that was what I wanted to do- it was a couple years later that I found someone in Newcastle willing to teach me.” Christy has been training with Tanya Oxbury in Newcastle for a year now, and was invited to take to the stage at ‘Fuel’ with the Steelcat’s in November. “The girls really looked after me and made me feel right at home, and performing with them was just so much fun and felt totally surreal knowing I was standing in the audience watching them in awe just a few years ago.” As you may expect, the performance industry is difficult to get into. It’s hard work and determination that has got Looci in the position she is in now.

For those who want to become involved in performance, Looci says: “I would advise them to not give up; if they really want something they should go for it. If you want to do this, with the intention of performing, you need to do it at least once a week and pursue it. It’s about commitment. I believe if it’s humanly possible for one person to do one thing then it’s possible for everyone to do so.” that Looci began performing, every few weeks and then it became more regular. “Ultimately, a year down the line, I was the one who had been there since the start and I wanted it to be more of a troupe that really put on a show, and organise proper choreographed routines which is how I started choreographing. I thought it would be more spectacular if we could do that.” Not only was Looci not trained as a dancer, she was never trained as a fire breather either, which came as a surprise to me. “My boss used to hire girls to come and do the fire breathing and angle grinding. He just said if I get you some fire breathing stuff do you want to learn? I said yes.

So I taught myself and kept practising, I read books and watched videos on the internet about it, but I wasn’t allowed to perform her e without insurance- and that was the tricky part.” Insurance for these kinds of performances, particularly with fire, is difficult to find. Looci found out about ‘Equity’ performers union from people she met at trapeze classes in Sheffield. As time went on, Looci and a group of girls had been performing at Fuel for quite some time. The solid group who were dedicated and Billie Babydoll and fire fans on stage at Leeds Beckett SU. Photo by Katie McMillan. 15 M Cirque Apparel ultitalented Looci has another passion; sewing. She has owned a sewing machine since the age of 16, when she received it as a Christmas gift. Since then, Looci always has her sewing machine and started making and selling tote bags when she was in College. Looci says: “I like to make clothes and customise things all the time. When harnesses came into fashion, my friend bought one which cost her around £40. I remember looking at it and thinking- I could make that.

So I went home, strapped elastic to myself, figured out a design and a pattern and made a harness for my friend.” This lead to more friends wanting a custom harness, and then it dauned on Looci that she could make this into a business. Looci and the Steelcats often wear the harnesses during performances, to give their outfits a rock n roll edge. Often embellished with studs, black material “It’s always been my dream to run away with the circus” 16 Photos taken from Cirque Apparel online store. and pentagram shapes, the accessories suit the edgy, unusual, style of the Steelcats. “I developed my own range, bought some mannequins in different sizes, as a lot of companies only do them in small sizes. I believe that you don’t have to be a tiny girl to wear awesome accessories, so I do all ranges of sizes. Girls can send me their measurements and I will make the harness to fit them.” The harnesses have become very popular on online store, Etsy, and Looci says her size large is the most popular. This is still only a side project for Looci due to her busy schedule, but something she really enjoys doing.

“I called my shop Cirque Apparel as I like things to do with circus. It’s always been my dream to run away with the circus.” Prices range from £15-£45, Looci’s harnesses are avaliable to buy at: ww.etsy.com/uk/shop/ CirqueApparel YOUR ADVERT HERE email: 19 BLOXED BEATS: THE NEXT BIG THING? Leeds-based beatboxing trio, Bloxed Beats, are currently going through a transition period that could potentially see their lives changed forever... WRITER Joe Turton PHOTOGRAPHER Tom Biggins 20 I n just three months, they have seen themselves go from working in bars and restaurants to becominYouTube sensations, gaining admiration from the likes of Dizzee Rascal, Radio 1 DJ Trevor Nelson and Jamie Cullum to name a few. There is also the chance of a prestigious appearance on the world famous Ellen Show, in the USA. It was at the age of 18 when Tom ‘Sholto’ Briggs heard something that would send his intrigue spiralling, something that would forge the foundations of Bloxed Beats, years before the trio even met.

As part of the skateboarding culture he was involved in, meeting up and listening to mixtapes was the norm. One normal Saturday, a friend of Sholto’s produced a mixtape by an artist named Rahzel. “I thought it was just a normal mixtape,” says Sholto. “I thought I was listening to guitars, synths, drums and vocals; a range of different instruments and sounds, but no. It was all coming from this one man’s mouth. It was amazing. From then on, I was transfixed. My friends and I would imitate different beats we had heard and keep going over them until they sounded something alike”. Later that month, Rahzel played a gig in Leeds and the rest is history in terms of Sholto and his new found fascination. Practising every night, Sholto soon began to see improvement. His timing improved along with his ability to create multiple sounds at once with his mouth. But what about the rest of the trio? How did one become three? It was at the Village Hotel in Headingley where the second member of Bloxed Beats was recruited.

“I was working as a waiter and I used to just beatbox little numbers whilst doing whatever I was doing,” claims Sholto. “It was nothing special but people loved it. One person in particular that liked it was fellow waiter Steven. He showed a massive interest and asked me to teach him the basics. So I did. He picked it up instantly and then in turn, he taught his best friend Phil and together we formed the group”. For those who don’t know, beatboxing is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of producing drum beats, rhythm, and musical sounds using one’s mouth, lips, tongue, and voice. It may also involve singing, vocal imitation of turntablism, and the simulation of horns, strings, and other musical instruments. It wasn’t until three months ago that things started to get serious for Bloxed Beats. What was once a hobby has turned into something very serious. The big change came when they decided to add vocals to their beatboxing. “When we used to go round to Phil’s house and have a jam, we usually just covered the instrumentals as opposed to the whole song”, says Steven. “We would each take a bit of percussion and mix our sounds together, but it was still quite basic stuff.

That’s where Sholto and his hidden vocal talent came in…” in Leeds, the group soon realised they were onto something. Five out of five wins meant the group began taking a more serious approach to their ‘hobby’. “We knew what we wanted after the talent shows and that was to go far. We knew we could do it. We weren’t picked as winners for no reason, people liked us and people were into our beatboxing”, said Sholto. The next step for the group was to take to the street and begin busking. As one of the world’s oldest forms of WWentertainment, it was bound to be a positive move. Though the word ‘busking’ is most commonly associated with musical performances, the word applies to any kind of performance taking place on the street for tips. And tips are what they got. Enough in fact, combined with winning from the competitions, to record some proper material and set up their own website. This, in turn, would help create publicity and gain some proper recognition. After gaining thousands of views on YouTube, Bloxed Beats became inundated with requests. Phil said: “We were really taken aback by the amount of enquiries we were receiving.

We were getting all sorts, from gigs, to festivals and even weddings. We were on the up big time.” With the money coming in, the trio decided to give up their jobs and focus on beatboxing full time. “Keeping up a job as well as a hobby is a tough balance to get right considering the hobby is consuming more time than the job,” says Sholto. “Our bodies were not allowing us to spend the days practising, mixed with inconvenient hours at work and to add the actually performances on top, it was far too physically demanding”. Since they parted ways with their employers, the trio have put more extensive work into the videos, medleys and mixes that they create. This has led to recognition from some of the world’s biggest musical artists including Keisza and Example. Having watched their videos, the pair both got in contact on Twitter to give their seal of approval. The trio have also gained a response from Too Close singer, Alex Clare, who also shared his liking for one of their covers. “It has been great getting these big names noticing us. Not only for our personal satisfaction but it’s also provided us with some coverage on social media. The amount of views we received after these people tweeted about us was unreal,” said Steven.

“The best though, has to be the interest we gained from the Ellen Show.” The hugely popular American TV show, hosted by comedienne/TV personality Ellen Degeneres, has won 36 Daytime Emmy Awards. It brings together comedy, celebrity and musical guests, and human interest stories. It is one of the highest-viewed daytime shows averaging around 3 million viewers per episode. “The first time we added vocals, we were just doing our normal thing, jamming and I just came in with some vocals”, says Sholto. We all went with it and it worked. I didn’t think I was very good at first to be honest, singing wise, but I wasn’t awful. I worked on my vocals and they ended up improving rather quickly. We felt more complete now, like a proper rounded performance.” Bloxed Beats were approached by the show after a video of theirs impressed one of the producers. They were asked to create a personalised video for the producer herself, Ellen, as part of a running theme of videos in which internet sensations personalise the performance they are famous for by saying hello to Ellen In their own way. The threesome is currently working on creating the video.

After entering several different local talent competitions “No one can predict what lies ahead for Bloxed Beats but if recent months are anything to go by, it’ll definitely be good, but like I said who knows” claims Sholto. “One thing is for sure though and that’s that 2015 is our year so make sure you watch this space…” 21 The Real World of Burlesque A look into the modern reality of the striptease thats more about what you can’t see than what you can F By Aimee Robinson rom feather boas and sequins to giant martini glasses and tiny outfits, burlesque paints a picture of glamour and seduction that has gained itself a worldwide following. In recent years a vast increase in classes, performances and events have boosted popularity and hoped to rid burlesque of any misconceptions that still remain. November this year saw the UK’s biggest alternative and burlesque fair go on tour for its third year, stopping off at venue’s around the country and offering everything burlesque; from dazzling shows, to stalls selling retro clothes and corsets, and an entire section dedicated to fetish.

“It seems crazy at first, but its really kind of cool and quite exciting when you let yourself go and understand the different type of people that go,” says Rebecca O’Neil, a 21 year old student, who was lucky enough to work as a bunny, the stage assistant of the burlesque world, at this years fair in Leeds. Opening her mind and stepping outside of her comfort zone is what landed Rebecca this job, “it has gave me a lot of contacts and a lot of opportunities that will better my future.” As more women and men discover their passion for burlesque, more people are turning that passion into their dream career, which is exactly what Cecilia Rouge, owner of Leeds Burlesque did. “I was really keen to learn, and through my inquiries built up a list of other girls also wanting to learn, but couldn’t find any local teachers,” she says of how Leeds burlesque was born. Alongside co-owner Penny 22 Sweets, Cecilia now runs a fully functioning business that delivers workshops held by internationally recognised dancers, has provided performers for bands like Terrorvision and even worked with businesses such as Hoopers Department Store. “And we are still growing today,” says Cecilia.

“Through the event management side of things I have got to be part of some incredible events and had the opportunity to create amazing shows with stunning and talented performers,” she says. “And I got to perform in New York and Paris, met some of my performing idols who are now some of my closest friends.” “I want other women to know they can do whatever they want-despite their size or shape” For those looking to enter into the performance side of burlesque, a career isn’t the only positive that can come of it. Size 16 and 14 stone, Charlene Taylor might not instantly what springs to mind when you picture a burlesque dancer. Yet the 26-year-old mother of one is the current holder of the Miss Burlesque UK title, and thanks her figure for helping her stand out. Like many, Charlene, who goes by the stage name of Chazabelle Royale, once shied away from dancing, Picture by Mark Turner 23 Pictures byElena Gatti assuming that it was only for “skinny girls”.

However, after winning the title for South Yorkshire in October 2013 she told the Daily Mail: “For most of my adult life I believed being sexy meant being a size 10, but now I know that’s not the case and I want other women to know they can do whatever they want- despite their size or shape”. After a recommendation from a friend, Rebecca O’Neil began classes with Lady Wildflower at Leeds Burlesque, and claims that the boost in her confidence is all down to embracing her inner Dita-von-Teese. “I was really shy before I started burlesque. Not shy as a person, but in my body. I never used to feel comfortable with it,” says Rebecca, “as soon as I started burlesque it changed me quite a lot as a person. I’m very open to a lot of things now and I don’t mind showing off my body a little bit more.” However, as someone who has created a career from burlesque Cecilia Rouge points out: “Although burlesque can really provide a lot of women with confidence, I would never advise performing as a way to get confidence.

As a performer 24 you are there to entertain a paying audience first and foremost so it’s important to be strong and commanding on stage.” “The beauty of it is that you can be any type of person” Like anything though, burlesque still has its critics, who often like to draw a correlation between performers and those of lap dancing clubs which can leave people a little uneasy about the idea of giving it a go. “When I did start doing the classes I had a few questions about how naked you actually get and ‘so basically you’re just a stripper?’ is what a lot of guys would ask me,” says Rebecca, thinking back to when she had to introduce the idea of burlesque to her family and friends. “People assume that you’re taking your clothes off predominantly for men. That isn’t the case. If you perform, a lot of the time it’s by women for women and you find that a lot of the audience members are females, or females with their partners.” Deriving from the Italian burla, a theatrical joke, burlesque remains more of a tonguein-cheek performance, with many dancers claiming to find inspiration in the Carry On films.

In fact, burlesque is the striptease that is more about what you don’t see, than what you do. “It was comedy and theatre shows, a mockery of characters and culture. Stripping came later on in burlesque history,” says Cecilia. “A burlesque club is very different to a strip club. You have a far higher ratio of women to men who attend, its very female friendly and I usually find women to be the rowdiest.” Inspired by the likes of Morcambe and Wise and French and Saunders, Ryvita-vonCheese a Leeds based burlesque performer who has been dancing since 2005 decided to set up Leeds’ first monthly burlesque night. Having recently moved to Belgrave Music Hall, The Wet Spot describes itself as being for “anyone 18 or over who appreciates high quality burlesque and cabaret, nice manners, delicious cocktails, great company and a good Yorkshire knees up”. With inspiration taken from classic comedians, the night highlights the talent of performers, rather than objectifying their naked bodies.

“You can go with your girlfriends, friends, boyfriends, anything and it’s an absolutely brilliant laugh”, comments Rebecca, who tries to attend shows when she can. thing for everyone, whether it’s a fun night out with friends, finding your inner star and possibly gaining a career or just to get a little more confidence. As Rebecca says:” The beauty of it is that you can be any type of person. I don’t want people thinking that you have to be really beautiful or have the perfect body because you don’t. It’s just the appreciation of women and boys. It’s a beautiful thing.” And Burlesque isn’t just for women either. “There are some fantastic male performers out there! British Heart, Kiki Lovechild, Dave The Bear, Tigger, Tom Harlow, to name but a few,” says Cecilia, proving that burlesque really does offer something for anyone who is interested in performing. The world of burlesque incorporates some25 A Street Magician’ E veryone has been asked the same question as a child: What do you want to be when you grow up? Some may respond with typical answers such as teacher, police officer, or astronaut.

Others may respond with fantasy inspired replies such as princess, superhero, or cowboy. The likelihood of becoming one of these is low given that children tend to change their minds consrantly. However picture a child responding to the same question with the answer: magician. To believe magic has the ability to provide a fully functional daily career does not frequently happen. Also magicians may be seen as a gimmick rather than cutting edge or exciting. However being a street magician holds much excitement towards success. For street magicians who stand on the corner and perform illusions for passing strangers, the possibility of confrontation is frequent and actually full of danger. Many people may be skeptical of a career involving the unknown and a far-fetched rise to fame, however for Michael Thompson, 19, this has not stopped his pursuit of becoming a famous street magician such as Chris Angel or David Blaine since the age of 7. Michael Thompson currently studies politics at Leeds Beckett University, however his not-so-secret dream is to become a famous magician. Although a rookie, Thompson has been performing magic tricks with cards, ropes, and strings for family and friends for years.

“The beginning was rough, it’s still possibly a hardcore hobby for me but the more I practice, especially on the streets, gives me a greater opportunity and knowledge on how to become a better showman and trickster,” he says while folding scarves rehearsing a trick for an upcoming street performance in Leeds near Trinity. When asked about his act, Thompson describes: “My act isn’t flashy. Instead I focus on tricking the eye right in front of them.” He went on to explain that he does such because most passers respond with wholehearted surprise. 26 ’s Road to Success By Claudia Rivas After learning his first coin trick at age 7, he gradually became better at his art form. After coins, he moved on to cards and scarves, and after he then tuned to hat tricks. As a teenager, he realized magic was not just another simple interest. While fiddling with cards, he explained, “Being a lonely kid led me to learn magic. It was a way for me to express myself, so I wouldn’t have feel so alone anymore.” Although this did not make him the most interesting or popular guy in school, magic has given him more confidence and drive to follow his dream for no one else but himself.

Out of all famous magicians, from Chris Angel to David Copperfield, Thompson aspires to reach the height of none other magician than local legend Dynamo. The Bradford born magician who came to most popular fame through YouTube videos and his television program Dynamo: Magician Impossible, now “I don’t intend on becoming a star, I just want to perform in front of large crowds because the feeling is electrifying and I feel at home when I’m performing magic and getting a positive response” Dynamo because of this,” he says. As his skills continue to grow, Thompson continues to perform a few times a month around Leeds when he’s not in courses for university. He plans on getting an agent once he is able to perfect magic tricks of larger scale to assist in becoming well known. “I don’t intend on becoming a star, I just want to perform in front of large crowds because the feeling is electrifying and I feel at home when I’m performing magic and getting a positive response,” he says. After he finishes his university degree, Thompson plans on moving to America, preferably Las Vegas or New York, where the magician culture is large. For now, however, Thompson is content advancing his skills in and around trinity until his dreams take flight.

performs all over the world and back again. Much similar to Thompson, Dynamo, Steven Frayne, grew up with obstacles and hardships. As an adolescent he suffered from Chrons disease and had much insecurities and troubles fitting in at school much like Thompson. Through magic, some may view as a hobby it has been for both Thompson and Dynamo an escape from insecurities and negativities in life. Thompson wants to become as famous as Dynamo simply because Dynamo has been through much of the same obstacles of self-esteem and insecurities much similar to Thompson. “I’ve hardly ever related to anyone, and I have so much respect for 27 WRITER Joe Turton PHOTOGRAPHER Ben Drexler POI: MEET MATHEMATICS Picture in your mind a type of performance. Take dancing or acting for instance. Now imagine trying to master the skill of that performance. Visualize yourself learning to perfect a specific dance move or learning to portray a particular emotion via facial expression. Did you at any point consider using mathematics? The answer: probably not. That’s because most performances don’t incorporate maths at all, not when it comes to learning techniques anyway. There is one that does however and it’s called poi.

L inking this traditional Maori art form with numbers, graphs and formulas, at first, seems a foolish idea, almost nonsense; it’s nothing more than a dance. Wrong. The way in which poi attaches itself to mathematic formulae is a lot more prevalent than you think. different from skateboarding, where there is a young, competitive population of practitioners that trade tricks and videos, seeking to outdo each other. There aren’t many of these tech poiers however that have gone as far as studying the math behind it. Poi is a form of object manipulation. This is the art of taking an object and finding an interesting way to interact with it. A performer relies on a tethered weight to create a variety of aesthetically pleasing rhythmical patterns by swinging, rotating and spinning said weight. It can be performed in a mixture of styles with an emphasis on flow between tricks. But what does maths have to do with it? Ben Drexler has done so but it’s not just him. Other notable figures that have popularized the link between mathematics and poi include Alien Jon, Noel Yee, Arashi, Damien Boisbouvier and Pierre Baudin.

All have inputted their own findings, although it is not known who originally spotted the link. Using mathematical material to portray in written form how to perform a ‘move’ and how to create new ones is what several enthusiasts have succeeded in doing. One man behind the maths is US-born, experienced poi artist, Ben Drexler. “Looking at poi from a mathematical angle is enormously helpful in isolating the variables that create the distinct elements of a given trick or pattern,” he says. “It also allows for the creation of other related tricks or patterns by applying different variables or adjusting individual ones. Many, if not most new poi tricks come about as a result of this type of approach to isolating variables”. Although there are several identifiable types of poi performance, mathematics is predominantly featured in only one. This particular type is known as tech poi. Tech poi focuses on virtuosity or complexity of poi tricks over their potential for entertainment or performance. Artists of tech poi tend to focus on the patterns that they create to the exclusion of all else, frequently keeping their feet planted and their bodies relatively stable as they perform their tricks.

The culture of tech poi isn’t terribly 28 “A poi spinner by the name of Nick Woolsey first noticed the connections between a type of poi trick called a flower and the patterns generated by spirographs,” says Drexler. “He popularized the use of flowers as a tool for dance and performance, but the links between the two led to other poi artists, including myself, looking at the mathematics underpinning spirograph patterns (known in the math world as roulettes) and applying this to analyzing poi patterns and the ways they can be created.” Of course, one cannot simply pick up the recommended poi apparatus, read a book on the link between mathematics and poi and suddenly become an expert with an arsenal of new moves bigger than the Mexican cartels gun haul. “Mathematics furthers your understanding of what you already know and opens up different possibilities,” says YouTube tech poi sensation, Timmitechk. “When you understand exactly how your poi equipment is capable of moving, you’re more aware of what could be possible with it.” As Timmitechk states, math doesn’t have to feature in the learning of poi. Poi spinner Tori Grace agrees.

“Math has always been a part of poi, whether people realize it or not,” she claims. “It’s all to do timing and certain angles. I think if I were a more serious poi spinner, I’d look at it this way. However, a lot of the time I’m more productive when I don’t think too seriously about what I’m doing with poi and just spin.” There is a less serious side to poi. There are in fact two more types of poi separate from the hardcore depths of tech poi. “Firstly, there is the lighthearted side: a non-competitive exercise or social activity. It is often seen in parks,” says John Godbolt, an experienced poi veteran. “You’ll see groups of friends on sunny days practicing, almost like you’d see people throwing a frisbee or jamming with an acoustic guitar. You can see more serious stuff at club events or parades, where they include the use of LED’s and even fire to create a more exciting spectacle. They train hard and their main focus is on what looks good or what can wow an audience, more visual related than anything. Tech poi stands alone as the more hardcore stuff ”.

Whichever way you choose to enjoy poi, whether it’s performing a certain type or simply just watching and enjoying. No matter what your skill level or how much you know about it, the whole concept of a math-poi partnership is definitely something to admire and appreciate. MATHEMICAL POI MATERIAL

Question: What name is shared by the magician Steven Frayne and several different football teams?
Answer: Dynamo