Dazzling troupe on unicycles comes to ShoWare Center
By MARK KLAAS
Kent Reporter Regional Editor
from: kentreporter.com
August 30, 2012
Kent, WA--Growing up in the Bronx, Kim Anthony "Kip" Jones was exposed to many influential artists and athletes.
A New York Knicks fan, Jones enjoyed basketball but preferred a different sport.
Gifted athletically as an emerging gymnast, the adventurous teen soon would discover the opportunity to combine the sports and perform on a brightly lit stage.
On a whim, Jones accompanied a friend to a unique tryout off the New York streets.
"They were playing basketball on unicycles," Jones recalled, "so one afternoon I tried out. ... I fell in love with it ever since."
Jones proved to be a quick study on one wheel and made the team, joining the King Charles Troupe – an acrobatic act with deep roots in traveling show circles – at the age of 15.
Thirty years later, Jones remains a primary player in the touring troupe.
"It is one of the most rigorous schedules out there for a performer," Jones said while preparing for a show in Everett last week. "But at the same time, you get to see some parts of the country some people never get to see in their lifetime."
The troupe's high-energy and comedic routine of basketball on unicycles comes to Kent's ShoWare Center this Labor Day weekend – part of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus presents Barnum Bash showcase.
read more:
http://www.kentreporter.com/entertainment/168061966.html
By MARK KLAAS
Kent Reporter Regional Editor
from: kentreporter.com
August 30, 2012
Kent, WA--Growing up in the Bronx, Kim Anthony "Kip" Jones was exposed to many influential artists and athletes.
A New York Knicks fan, Jones enjoyed basketball but preferred a different sport.
Gifted athletically as an emerging gymnast, the adventurous teen soon would discover the opportunity to combine the sports and perform on a brightly lit stage.
On a whim, Jones accompanied a friend to a unique tryout off the New York streets.
"They were playing basketball on unicycles," Jones recalled, "so one afternoon I tried out. ... I fell in love with it ever since."
Jones proved to be a quick study on one wheel and made the team, joining the King Charles Troupe – an acrobatic act with deep roots in traveling show circles – at the age of 15.
Thirty years later, Jones remains a primary player in the touring troupe.
"It is one of the most rigorous schedules out there for a performer," Jones said while preparing for a show in Everett last week. "But at the same time, you get to see some parts of the country some people never get to see in their lifetime."
The troupe's high-energy and comedic routine of basketball on unicycles comes to Kent's ShoWare Center this Labor Day weekend – part of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus presents Barnum Bash showcase.
read more:
http://www.kentreporter.com/entertainment/168061966.html
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