Contemporary Contortion - Zhuo Yue in The Pickle Family Circus [1991]

The Pickle Family Circus was one of the earliest American examples of a successful contemporary circus (No animals, higher intimacy, greater focus on narrative style etc). Since its inception in the mid 70s in San Francisco up to its official shut down and re-branding to the modern "Circus Bella", the circus had a reputation for being an integral part of the local community of small businesses, clubs and organizations, and its shows for being rather raw, candid and "not afraid to let the seams show" (Star Tribune, Feb 14, 1992). This contrasts slightly with the show's re structuring for their 1991 show titled; "Pickles on Parade" The show featured guest performers from mainland China under the leadership of Lu Yi, artistic director of the internationally-recognized Nanjing Acrobatic Troupe. One of the performers brought over to join the Pickle Family Circus was then-21 year old Zhuo Yue, a contortionist trained in the highly standardized Chinese 'National Circus' style of contortion. However, several key artistic differences blur the line between Yue's classical training and move-set, and the contemporary circus values taking the world by storm in the early 90s. 1) Costuming. Yue's makeup and hair styling is modest and evokes neutrality rather than prettiness. Her costume differs from the Chinese style which since the state standardization of the art, had focused almost exclusively on lily-flower and lotus inspired arrangements. A tight-fitted bodysuit with bold, saturated patterns designed to evoke the image of a snake while showing off an abstract Eric Carle or Henri Matisse look instantly breaks the mold of the traditional style. 2) Acting. Yue's facial and body language performance are the precise opposite of the state circus ideal (demure, sweet, almost subservient). Angela Laurier's Queen of the Night (see earlier videos) comes to mind as Yue glares, slithers and imposes her will on the characters around her. 3) Music. The late 80s-early 90s contemporary circus boom saw much of the fanfares and classic band setups replaced with somewhat psychedelic saxophone, synth drum and bass ensembles. These work greatly to enhance the intimacy lost in a grandiose brass crescendo. This clip was cut from a compilation of highlights from the Pickles on Parade show at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, 1991. The original compilation on Youtube comes from mykatlewis1, and visual restoration of the original was done by The Blink Age using a machine learning software. Work is currently underway to research remaining footage of this incredible regional circus, including interviewing and primary source gathering. (As usual, The Blink Age owns NONE of the material presented. Said material is posted ONLY for educational and historical purposes) Contact: [email protected]