Home > Interviews > 13 Questions: Jean-Marie Akkerman
13 Questions: Jean-Marie Akkerman
27th August 2008
Jean-Marie Akkerman comes from four generations of a circus family, and was brought up surrounded by all sorts of animals: “lions, elephants, giraffes, horses and performing dogs”. When he was diagnosed as HIV positive at 22 years old, relations with his very traditional family became difficult, so he left to join a contemporary circus school in Paris. Jean-Marie founded Cirque Nova in 1994 to promote HIV/AIDS awareness. After a successful experience working with someone with CP, and seeing the positive effects such tuition can have, in 2007 he set up Cirque Nova Ltd, which trains disabled volunteers in circus skills. Let’s hope that Jean-Marie doesn’t feel like he is walking a tightrope as he answers our 13 Questions.
Uppermost in my mind today is ...
Nervousness about performing at Liberty Festival. Because of injury and funding problems, I’d taken some time out for myself. So after three and a half years of not performing, I’ve had to train hard just to get the word out that Cirque Nova is back in business, training disabled people in circus skills.
People think I’m ...
Nuts. They think it’s very complicated, as there are all kinds of disabilities to consider and it’s hard to get funding because people don’t think what I’m doing is possible. But I’m passionate about it, so I will fight all the way!
Not a lot of people know that I ...
Have vertigo, in spite of being an aerial performer. When training I’m concentrating on what I’m doing and someone is holding the ropes, so I don’t think of the space. Fighting the vertigo in this way gives me a buzz.
The best piece of advice I would pass on is ...
Dreams can come true, but you have to fight for them! Getting this project going is my dream. Survival is another – you have to have the right frame of mind. If you dream of dying, you will; if you dream of living, you can. I may well die of AIDS one day, but I think my positive frame of mind and positive thinking are what have kept me here so far.
I excel at ...
Managing last minute situations, and working well under stress. In what I do, you have to be able to organise things, organise people. If someone doesn’t turn up, you have to replace them. There are a lot of things to take on board, but I thrive on that.
I couldn't live without ...
Cheese and wine – especially a good ripe Camembert and a nice Burgundy. I am half French.
If I didn't live in the UK, I'd live in….
New Zealand, because it’s beautiful and the people are very open-minded. They seem to have a more modern philosophy of life, whereas the British are more conservative. They also have disability and gay rights very much in focus. I'd also consider Thailand, because I love the Buddhist culture, the weather, beaches, food and people. And France, because I’d find it easy to settle there.
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My first job was….
As a Ring boy, taking equipment in and out of the ring during a performance, at my brother's traditional circus. I was 14 at the time, and enjoyed it because I had no responsibility. It was different two years later when I was taken away from my education and made to do it. I didn’t like that.
My favourite drink is ...
Champagne. Sorry, a bit snobbish, but it's true! Veuve Clicquot if you are buying.
My favourite food is ...
Large Thai tiger prawns. I would have them daily, but the cholesterol would kill me!
Being a performer is ...
Glamorous. I like that part of it! But now that I am in my 40s, I am winding down to just direct and leave it to the younger generations to do the performing. I love teaching and creating shows, seeing my work provide people with lust for life, and giving people challenges and experiences they never dreamt they could have.
Many think it’s impossible for disabled people to learn circus skills, but ...
That's just not true. Some people obviously can't if their disability is too physically extreme, as it is a very physical art. But there are many different skills - juggling, aerial stuff, acrobatics on the floor, hand balancing or tight wire walking - which present opportunities for people to learn a variety of skills and all of them help develop the body or mind in some way. There is also clowning, where circus gets combined with dance and drama. So there's a whole gamut of things for people to try.
At the Liberty Festival I will be ...
Performing a solo aerial act, and a duo act with a 19-year old girl called Penny Clapcott, who has brittle bone disease. In four days she has learnt more than many able-bodied people would, to the point where she can do a small solo. I am also directing the shows and providing circus skills workshops.
• Catch Cirque Nova at the Liberty Festival of disability arts, which takes place in London's Trafalgar Square on Saturday 30 August.
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