Cirque Eloize performer in pole position
MONTECASINO - Once a parkour athlete, performer Conor Neall now travels the world with contemporary circus company Cirque Eloize.
“I immediately knew it was what I wanted to do,” said Neall speaking at Montecasino’s Teatro.
He described his first encounter with the Chinese Pole – now his speciality – in which acrobats climb, slide down and strike perilous poses on a vertical pole.
“I was really attracted to the dynamic acrobatic elements of it and the fact that you have access to the floor so you can easily integrate dance and floor acrobatics.”
Neall trained in circus arts after learning juggling and parkour, which involves rapid, gymnastic movement through the urban environment and its obstacles. He has added trampoline to his impressive repertoire and said a multidisciplinary environment is what made Cirque Eloize most interesting.
“You get to work with artists you might not necessarily be exposed to on other circus shows. It’s really fun working with breakdancers, skaters and trial bikers, seeing and trying different skills, and different ways of training,” explained Neall.
The appeal of the circus for Neall lies not only in its artistic and acrobatic possibilities, but its travel opportunities.
“There’s something amazing about arriving almost anywhere in the world and finding out you know someone there…Everyone is very friendly and welcoming, eager to share and to train, and to go on crazy adventures,” he enthused.
But a performer’s life involves great discipline. Neall’s daily tour schedule includes trampoline and Chinese Pole training, two hours’ warm-up before a show, and post-show conditioning, floor acrobatics and stretching. At home, his days are filled with contemporary dance classes, acrobatics, pole and trampoline training.
Despite the exertion, Neall’s enthusiasm for his profession is transparent, and he struggles to name a career highlight.
“There have been a lot of good times on tour…Going to Japan with iD was a truly amazing experience, which I don’t think I will ever forget. It was incredible to experience such a different culture and some of the artists and technicians on that tour have become some of my best friends,” he concluded.
