A Conversation With Jess Love

Interview with a Stage Performer

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Hula Hoop Act by Jess Love | Image Taken by Myself

As announced in my earlier article, La Soirée has kicked off another season in Brisbane at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC). This event shortly follows the show receiving a 2015 Olivier Award for Best Entertainment & Family Performance – even if it isn’t a show you should necessarily bring younger family members to. Set to celebrate the show’s 10th Anniversary, this three week run at QPAC is sets out to feature both new and crowd-favourite acts, delivering a cocktail of cabaret, burlesque, circus sideshow and contemporary variety to all whom attend.

La Soirée is set to feature a range of acts during its limited season, some of which are new and others which have proven to be successful crowd favourites. One of the talents behind some of these acts is Jess Love, who is pictured at the top of this post performing her complex and immensely impressive hula hoop act. Prior to the show’s first session at QPAC on Thursday evening, I managed to get a few minutes to speak with Jess love about the show. My Q&A with her can be found below:


First of all, can you tell me about your history in the performing arts?

I graduated from the National Institute of Circus Arts in Melbourne when I was 19 years old… just turned 20 actually. Before that, I had worked in a lot of amateur theatre companies, speech and drama classes and did a lot of gymnastics. From 2003 on-wards I was performing professionally with companies from Circus Oz, the Brisbane based company Circa, Circus Monoxide, and of course La Soirée in the last four to five years. So, I’ve performed over all over the world – at the Sydney Opera House, had my own company called the ‘Candy Butchers’ – there was four of us which created work and toured all over the world. So yeah, I’ve been very lucky. I’ve also done lots of street shows and festivals like the Edinburgh Festival. So I’ve had a really amazing career so far.

So what was the appeal of going into shows like La Soirée / General Circus Performing Arts?

It was just a childhood dream really. It was a childhood dream to be a performer, but I didn’t know in what capacity as a kid – when you’re a child and you don’t really know who you are yet in the world. But its just something that I began to really have a massive obsession with, and over the years, I just realized as a teenager that I wanted to have a physical job – whether that be going down a dance route or a physical theatre route. And then, I went to circus school and it was a really natural transition to move into this type of performance, because I was also very into the dramatic arts and performance as a whole other genre. So this kind of a show, and the sort of venues and gigs that I work at and in are very much a collaboration of the performing arts and circus. So, kind of more interesting performance art as opposed to traditional circus where you are just watching someone do amazing skills. Its a combination of the two, like comedy and skills. It is more interesting that way I find. 

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Hula Hoop Act by Jess Love | Image Taken by Myself

(In relation to the Hula Hoop Act pictured above) Is this a newer act or have you been doing it for a while now?

This is not a new act. The Hula Hoop act I have been doing since I started with this company, and made the act for this company. The skipping routine is a little bit newer, and I made that about two years ago. (Both acts are part of the Brisbane leg of La Soirée)

And how have these acts evolved over the years?

That’s an interesting question. Obviously you become more confident with a number from when you first performed it to say… three years down the track. It becomes sort of almost second nature, so you are able to play more with the audience as time goes by, because you don’t have to think so much about what’s coming next… you have a certain sort of muscle memory or a certain routine memory that happens. As we all have say for example, in the morning, if we get up and always make a cup of tea, it is always the same on stage. You know what’s coming next without having to even think about it.

So, I think they just evolve so organically and naturally that its hard to even notice when things change a little bit. But occasionally I will take an old trick out and put in a new trick that I have been working on or shift the order just slightly. But that’s also difficult because the routines are so tightly choreographed to music, that the final product you have from the beginning is often quite a good example of the act. So you don’t want to change it too much, because you might actually start diluting it. But, that said, if you do make changes over the years, it does get richer and has more potential to be amazing.

For those who are interested in going into the performing arts, what advice to you have for those looking at following in your footsteps?

I’d say just do it. With something like this it takes time to build a career and name for yourself, and the sooner you start doing it the sooner you’ll achieve what you want to achieve.


I would just like to pass on my thanks to Jess Love for taking some time out of her busy schedule to speak with me regarding La Soirée, as well as the QPAC Publicity team for helping organize this opportunity.

La Soirée is being held at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) from now until May 24th, with sessions being held Tuesday-Sunday each week. Tickets can be purchased via the QPAC website or through their box office.


Other Articles on La Soirée

Sam
Sam
Founder of The Otaku's Study. I have been exploring this labyrinth of fandom these last fifteen years, and still nowhere close to the exit yet. Probably searching for a long time to come.

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