If you live in Nicosia you may have seen a strange, tall bike being ridden around the strets. It belongs to a member of a street circus currently passing through the island and practicing an alternative way of life
RUMOUR around Nicosia’s old town has it that a bike circus that has, for last couple of months, been adding an internationally arty flavour to the usual boring monotony of Ledra Street has finally lost its battle with the local ‘Coca Cola Train Man’ and been banned from giving juggling performances in the area by the municipality.
“The Coca Cola man complained that he could not pass because we were blocking his route during our performances,” said Marie-Lys, 21-year-old violinist of the group. “He was getting angrier and angrier with us and on one occasion didn’t even stop but ran into Piero when he was performing on his bicycle. And then he called the police. We went to the municipality but they didn’t want to give us permission to perform in writing. So we can’t perform there any more.”
On a superficial level, it could be said the conflict between the two most colourful attractions of the old town should have never happened as they both cater to needs of the same visitors, children and tourists. But if you dig deeper, the battle between the 12-strong troupe and the train acquires a new meaning. While the little train, sponsored by owners of small, local shops in addition to Cyprus’ representative of the giant concern, is all about attracting new buyers, the wandering acrobats represent a totally different kind of philosophy.
“We travel everywhere on bicycles because, apart from the fact that we really enjoy riding bikes and being a circus, we also want to prove that it is possible to have an alternative lifestyle,” explained Canadian Andrea, 24. “You can do it, you know. You can travel from city to city and survive. And the biggest thing is that we don’t support the oil industry and the chaos that cars bring to the world. They ruin cities. Oil stinks and causes wars. It is disgusting in every possible way.”
“I think it is a lot about anti-consumerism,” added Marie-Lys. “Who has the money now? It is all with big companies. Democracy is not very strong. By living this way, travelling by bike, living in a squat, recycling everything, getting everything from the garbage, we do what we can to show how to live differently.”
At present the core of the group that squats in one of the abandoned buildings close to the old municipal market consists of five Americans, two Canadians, two Italians, two Germans and an Argentinean. Occasionally they are joined for shorter periods of time by friends who come to visit and exchange stories. At the time of this interview there were visitors from Israel, who specialise in Medieval music and a Polish guitarist.
Most of the members of the group are excellent musicians, usually able to play more than one instrument. They also juggle, do acrobatics and of course ride bicycles. But having these abilities is not a prerequisite for joining the circus.
“Everybody can join us,” says Andrea. “If you can ride a bike and carry your own crap and do some sort of an act you can join. The most important thing is that you somehow contribute to the show. If you are not a musician or you are not a circus performer at least figure out something: make puppets or cut vegetables. Not everybody plays instruments. Jeremy for example is an excellent baker and does a very funny midget. OK, I play clarinet. What else do I do? You should ask what I don’t do. I do juggling and western circus performance. This is a beauty of the project – being able to adapt.”
“I started cycling a year and half ago,” joined in Marie-Lys. “At first I used a normal bike and now I go everywhere on a big bike because when I met these people they told me: ‘you are not cool, you need this big bike’. So I learnt how to use a tall bike. It is like getting on a horse. Now I practice circus arts and slowly slowly I am learning. It took me a year to learn how to juggle.”
“People just stay however long they want to stay,” said Johnnie from New Orleans, who at 40 is the oldest member of the circus. “In Crete we were a big group of 30 people. And then there were just three of us when we got to Turkey, and then 10, and four and now 12. It is always changing. People learn some stuff and how to perform in the streets and then they go to perform on their own.”
Learning and sharing while travelling and performing together is, according to all the members of the troupe, the essence of what this circus project is all about. In the house that they occupy at present they designated the most spacious room as their gym. They covered its floors with old carpets found in garbage, drew funny cartoons on the walls and even brought in an old mirror. This is where they practice.
The group was also thinking of expanding this idea of sharing and starting a circus workshop that could be attended by Cypriots wishing to learn more about their alternative lifestyle.
“The ultimate goal of the project is that people should come and see how we function and if they really enjoy that lifestyle and can take something from it they should start their own,” explained Andrea. “This is what we really need: people who can take from it. And you don’t only learn artistic aspects of music and circus performance when you are with us but also how to live in a community and share and travel on a bicycle and re-use and recycle everything you find.”
But it seems that although the local authorities do not mind their presence in the old town the idea that the circus people could become more involved in the life of local people was received with mixed feelings.
“There was this Cypriot who was coming to see us and learn from us and one day when he was leaving the house the police were waiting for him outside,” said Marie-Lys. “They told him: ‘You are a Cypriot. What are you doing? They are foreigners. They will leave. You should find a good job. We can help you’. It had a big impact on him. He went to his place and shaved and he doesn’t come any more. Now we think people are really wealthy here. They all have expensive cars. They don’t need a place like this.”
But in spite of this experience the young travellers haven’t completely given up. Next door to their squat one of them, Piero, a 27-year-old Italian, has opened a bicycle workshop where he teaches people how to build tall bikes and repair the old ones.
“Here in Nicosia we found many old bikes,” he says. “We asked around for old parts and garbage and now we have about thirty frames and many wheels and other parts. People come and we teach them how to build bikes. Many squatters in Europe have this kind of project. I did it previously in Rome. I built about a thousand bikes for people there.”
And in their spare time the group still performs around the old town in small caf?s and clubs. They don’t, however, appear anywhere near Ledra Street. Pity, as this is the place where, according to many, performers like them should be seen regularly. So maybe the municipality should reconsider and find an alternative solution to the “Coca Cola man” crisis?
On March 10, at 6pm, the group is planning to do a Critical Mass, a manifestation in the city, to get people to cycle together. They will start from Eleftheria Square. This summer the group is planning to cycle through Russia and Mongolia to China where they will spend next winter. They are just waiting for their visas.
