Post nr 2: Who are we?

April 16, 2017

Post nr 2: Who are we?

(Photo: Gemma Purcell)

First of all you need to know that we are good people.
We love our families, friends and all the good people around us.

Besides being good, we also perform, travel and create.

Now lets get more into details.

Who is Chris Blaze?

Chris Blaze (Christopher John McCarthy on birth certificate) is a man, who plays with fire. To all the children reading this - it is a highly not recommended activity!

Mr.Somebody: "Hmm, I've seen a fireperfomer before, they're not that interesting..."

T H I N K A G A I N , M I S T E R !

(Photo: BuskerBus 2016)

(Photo: Jerzy Malicki)


(Photo: Karolin Köster)

(Photo: BuskerBus)

Chris Blaze is not a regular firespinner. He is a fireperformer.

To be honest, when Anna Kristin saw him on the stage for the first time, she was blown away. She had seen 1 000 008 fireshows before but never something like this:

So what makes him different?

(Photo: Karolin Köster)

Well.. When usually there's a performer and a fire, then with Blaze they become one.

Chris is fearless - he touches fire as if it was a kitten, eats it as if it's a marshmallow and spins it around in the air as if he is playing with a harmless toy.
As if he has superpowers.

And he does...

The superpowers of courage, dedication, passion
and love.

Courage on stage and courage in life -

From having a steady job with steady income in his steady homecountry to now travelling internationally, living in a van and earning living with streetperforming.
Nothing steady about that, ey..
I think we all have something to learn from him...

Don't get me wrong, he's never been very normal -

He used to ride bulls, for heaven's sake...

Which is why we're surprised that he found himself such a normal girlfriend as Anna Kristin...

Just joking, she's also a weirdo.

(Photo: Camilla Mandarino)

Who is Anna Kristin?

Anna Kristin Peterson was born and raised 15 207 km/1.5207e+13 micrometers away from Chris.

Since been born, she has climbed various trees -

First she learned to climb on circus atributes

(Photo: Camilla Mandarino)

(Photo: still Camilla Mandarino)

Then with the help of various great people she reached the theatre, music and literature world.

(Both Photos: Kulla Laas)

And suddenly.. Although life was beautiful in Estonia, after living in one city for 19 years, she decided to take everything she's been tought and go see what neighbours are doing.
And their neighbours.
And neighbours of their neighbours.
And suddenly she discovered that she is travelling:

Meeting different cultures:

Collaborating with wonderful people:

(Photo: Camilla Mandarino)

Performing:

(Photo: Jaak Johanson)

And learning about herself:

(Photo: Jonathan Peterson)

So how did it happen that a lady from Estonia and a gentleman from Australia got to team up?

Well definitely not like this... ↑

More like something like that ↓

Once upon a time ...

in June 2016 a wonderful man Dan Renwick invited several artists around the world to an amazing streetperformance festival called TaDaa. Among them were Anna Kristin and Chris.

(Photo: Maarja Roolaht)

(Photo: Karolin Köster)

It wasn't love from first sight, however -

fate called them back together in a cafe in Vienna.

They shared their life-experiences, dreams, joys and fears with eachother
and a flame was lit in their hearts.

After adventuring together in Linz, Villach, Rome and Venice,
they were tied.

So tightly that even a knot-expert could not have unknotted them.

They did their best to meet as often as possible.
But because we live in the world of money and visas, for months they had to rely on Skype.

Fortunately though...

Even 5 months of 16 000 km distance, 9hour timedifference, internet disconnections, sound delays and seeing eachother only on screens didn't break the strings.

Meeting for a bit and then departing again wasn't easy.