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Ross Travis

@anticinadrain

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Salvador in @houseofdancingwater / Artistic Director of @anticinadrain / Chinese pole, satire, travel & film

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After a super intense summer schedule at @houseofdancingwater (10 shows a week, plus new artists and understudies integrating into the show, plus other artists and friends leaving the show, plus injuries and surgeries, plus a visit from our director to top it off) we are on a much deserved and earned two week shore leave.

I’m having a blast hanging with my fam, eating my mom’s delicious food, napping in the garden, playing with my niece and nephew, drinking tequila stormy’s and doing a lot of thinking and planning for the future. Really blissful to have some time to look into the horizon, take stock of where I am and plot course for the next destination. 🏴‍☠️⚓️

Thanks for this gorgeous shot 葱葱宝贝, who you can find on 🔴📝

#houseofdancingwater #circusartistcirque #watershow #characteractor #pirateslife taken in House of Dancing Water 「水舞間」 by @anticinadrain

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a month ago

Some things I’ve been working on.🔊🎼

#circuslife🎪 #fife #bagpipes #diving #houseofdancingwater taken in House of Dancing Water 「水舞間」 by @anticinadrain

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a month ago

It’s been a long time coming to get this here. Feels so good to be back to consistent practice🥹🤩 Looking forward to getting all my skills back into flow. Thank you everyone at ‘House’ who made this transpire. It has been a monumental group effort. It fuels and sustains me in ways beyond words. My captains mug of gratitude runneth over⛽️🍺🤟⚓️🏴‍☠️

#circuslife🎪 #chinesepole #circusartistcirque #houseofdancingwater #matchinois taken in House of Dancing Water 「水舞間」 by @anticinadrain

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a month ago

Today we did our 500th show here at @houseofdancingwater and it has been a dream come true through all the ups / downs including:
- Break throughs on training Russian Swing / Swords to the head landing me in the hospital for stitches.
- The gift of repetition to develop audience participation bits / A sprained ankle from jumping too deep in the water off the golden boat and hitting my foot.
- Making discoveries of new moments and character relationships with my cast mates onstage / An elbow to the eye landing me in the hospital for stitches.
- A steady, lucrative and fulfilling job in theatre while everything in my country is going to 💩 / Getting a couple ear infections and having to have a “dry version” of the show.
- Audiences going so absolutely chaos during preshow that it’s like a rock concert / Audiences so lame it’s like pulling teeth to get them to consider having fun.
- Constantly adding Portugese, Russian, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, Polish, French and Hungarian phrases to my lexicon so I can interact with my castmates onstage in their language / Seeing good friends move on from the show.
- Being able to refine and deepen every day a character I created with @giulianopeparini / Going through periods of monotony, doubt and frustration.
- Getting to travel around Asia and experience so much history and culture with my girlfriend / Being so far away from my family and missing out on so many family events and holidays.
- Learning new disciplines like diving / The immense frustration of not being able to train enough Chinese pole.
- The ability to leave work at work and have time to do other things outside of it, such as write a book of poems / Missing having the complete control and autonomy of my own theatre work, however all consuming it is.
- A very full experience and this just scratches the surface, 1000 shows here we come! 🏴‍☠️⚓️

Thank you @tomokinishiyama.photo for this photo that encapsulates so perfectly a huge part of this journey for me, no matter where we hail from, we end up as bones on the ocean floor; Levantem-se do armário de Davy Jones e me digam: vocês gostam dos despojos da conquista? taken in House of Dancing Water 「水舞間」 by @anticinadrain

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3 months ago

If you blink, you’ll miss it.😉

#houseofdancingwater
#TheaterPhotography#PerformancePhotography #LivePerformance#CinematicPhotography taken in City of Dreams 新濠天地 by @anticinadrain

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3 months ago

Beijing, China Trip: Part Two (of Two)

Branquelo and Branquina continued our trip in Beijing by taking in a Peking Opera show at the Tianleyuan Theatre, which was such a fun, interactive and visually stimulating show. They performed a scene from ‘The Romance of the Yang Family Generals’ which I saw online many years ago and has always been an inspiration for me. In the scene, an inn keeper is trying kaput a traveller with his sword but the lights are out and they keep missing each other. Really dynamic and highly acrobatic hijinx commence. Branca also got pulled up onstage to learn some dances and the clown had a blast making the kids do really silly things. It was promising seeing these artists make a traditional art form irreverent, stimulating and contemporary.

The following day we ate at the eclectic Alley Cafe which had all kinds of kitch decor and ‘Friends’ playing on the tv which made me feel all kinds of nostalgia. Then we went to the Forbidden City where we spent three and a half hours navigating the courtyards, crowds in front of throne rooms, crowds in general, and the palace riches dating from the 14th to 17th centuries, a vast array of meticulously designed ornamental bling that was enjoyable to marvel at. This part of the complex also had an extra fee which meant less tourists and the private gardens were more relaxed and serene.

We had one final meal at Root 85 Fulou New Concept, an amazing Mediterranean restaurant, before heading to the hotel to get our bags and high tail it back to the airport for a flight back to Macau for another week of @houseofdancingwater

#forbiddencity #chinatravels #pekingopera #chineseopera #circuslife🎪 taken in Forbidden City, Beijing by @anticinadrain

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3 months ago

Beijing, China Trip: Part One (of Two)

Branquelo and Branquina took a flight to Beijing, China where we stayed at the Happy Dragon Saga Hotel which had a delightful and helpful staff. Hungry from our early morning flight we spent two hours at the Vege Tiger vegetarian restaurant (we were too late for the extensive buffet but had hot pot til we just about popped). The manager here was extremely kind and generous, even giving us gifts and effusive spiritual words as we left. Next we visited the Miaoying Temple (White Pagoda) (too late to enter but enjoyed from the outside). Some Chinese tourists enjoyed taking pictures of us Lăowài’s. Then we walked up the line of pagodas in Jingshan Park (I bought a God of Longevity Tea Friend from a street vendor, an intricate carving).

Next we went to the Li Qun Roast Duck Restaurant which had really sweet service (they taught us how to eat the roast duck properly after seeing me make a wrap subpar). Really delicious food, the peanuts I wont forget ever! They also had an impressive roster of celebrity guests who have visited, was cool to see all of their pictures.

Next day we caught an early car to Jinshanling Great Wall, about two and a half hours outside of Beijing, a profoundly epic, peaceful, quiet, free of many tourists and transformational experience to finally stand and walk on such a monumental human undertaking that I learned about as a kid and have always wanted to see. A huge bucket list item and was hard to leave but at the end of the day we had to get back to see some Peking Opera. More on that in Part Two! Stayed tuned!

#greatwallofchina #pekingduck #chinatravels #chinavlog #circuslife🎪 taken in Great Wall Of China, Beijing, China by @anticinadrain

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3 months ago

Lijiang, China Trip Part Two (of Two)

Continuing in Lijiang, Branquelo next visited the Land of Wilderness, a strange and surreal art park built by artist and folk musician Qiao Xiaodao. There were so many inspiring, playful and disturbing atmospheres here I had a blast wandering through it all and letting my imagination run wild.

For dinner I had a mushroom and chicken hot pot at Yang’ama Lapaigu Hot Pot, really delicious and mushrooms are a specialty of the region, so was really fresh. I also had warm rice wine which was a huge mistake as it scalded my already pained throat (I was struggling from a throat infection the entire trip) but also I was ready to burn the pain away so I took the wine back to the hotel and choked it down.

Next day I visited Baisha Ancient Town which was less touristy then Lijiang and had an extensive coffee library with many nooks and crannies and balconies full of books to gander at. I sat and watched the bustling street below sipping a rose and orange infused coffee (acidic and painful on the throat once again😭🤣). Then I went and bought some Wamao cat statues for some friends. These statues are traditional protectors of households usually put on the center of the roof ridge of houses in this region.

Next was Shuhe Ancient Town where I finally found what I’d been looking for all along, a little shop with an artist making authentic and unique burn engraved images on wood. So much of the art and goods in these ancient towns are mass produced and all look the same, but this guy’s work had its own special flair. So I bought some pieces and then had to hightail back to the hotel to get my stuff (grabbing a bite to eat at Xiao Zhanguanguan Rice Noodle, really yummy soups, mine had mùguā / 木瓜 in it which yet again burned my throat but I could tell it was a really unique soup through the pain).

Then I was off to the airport and back to Macau. Thank you Lijiang for the fantastic experience!

#lijiang #chinatravels #chinavlog #landofwilderness #yunnanfood by @anticinadrain

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4 months ago

Lijiang, China Trip Part One (of Two)

This past weekend Branquelo flew solo with a severely bad sore throat and will to have an adventure regardless. I went to the mountains of Yunnan, China and saw the ancient village of Lijiang. So much history, beautiful nature and delicious food (the soup was particularly soothing for my throat). I stayed at YIYUN hotel, with a welcoming and personable staff, fantastic views, a tea set in the room (also to sooth the throat) and one night I watched Sisu: Road to Revenge on the tv which was epic.

I had one of the best soups of my life at Yunweiji Yak Meat Shanhuo Hot Pot, rich, hearty base and a plethora of vegetables and sauces to add, the fermented bean curd was bomb.

I strolled through Lijiang Ancient Town admiring the old architecture and cobble stone streets and waterways that blend in seamlessly with bridges. The towns were built here with a vision of water as a source of life at the forefront design.

I went to the upmost part of the city, where I climbed to the top floor of Shizishan Wangu Tower and had a nap while listening to Naxi music chants in the distance and feeling the cool mountain air on my face. Then I walked down through the Mufu Mansion, a delicately refurbished and serene Ming style palace and ceremonial hall assembly.

After a hospital visit to plead for some antibiotics over google translate (which sometimes worked others not in mainland) I only walked away with some Chinese medicine that had minimal effect on my symptoms, so I found my way to Shama’ayi Pub to watch a Chinese boy band and drown my woes in overpriced Corona. They bantered with me a bit and then I went home to sleep, buying some gifts for friends and some white tea and tangerine peel tea for my throat on the way.

The next day I took a taxi to Yulong Snow Mountain and went to Blue Moon Valley. Beautiful crystal clear water but underwhelming in how commodified and touristy it’s become. I look forward to coming here again and going beyond the norm.

I finished my time on the mountain taking in the Impression Lijiang Show, a joyful and expressive cultural heritage show. Stay tuned for part two!

#lijiang #chinatravel #chinavlog by @anticinadrain

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4 months ago

Salvadore in full on 150% Bilge Rat Rage Mode. Been hoping someone would capture this moment and 葱葱宝贝 on 🔴📝 captured it savagely. Thank you for sharing this wicked shot with me! “Devolve a minha espada, asqueroso!”

#houseofdancingwater #characteractor #circusartistcirque #bilgerat #physicaltheatre taken in House of Dancing Water 「水舞間」 by @anticinadrain

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4 months ago

Chongqing, China Trip: Part Two (of Two)

Continuing our adventures in Chongqing, China, @jenna_y923, @qionglinzhu_ , Branquelo and Branquina got an early morning taxi to see the Pandas when they were fresh and full of energy. It was fun to watch them (including a baby) moving about and playing. They are such loping, dopey creatures full of physical comedy.

Next we went to Liziba Station where a train goes through an apartment building and we spent entirely too much time trying to make it look like we were eating the train. Joey definitely perfected the shot the best.

Next we were off to Dong Ting Xian Hotpot, where we had hot pot inside an old WWII air raid bunker! This was such a novel experience eating in a place with so much history. The hot pot was delicious and left my lips stinging. Luckily Joey and Jenna taught us how to do it right by having a little dessert soup nearby to dull the spice if necessary. I also ate a chicken foot for the first time in my life. It was fleshy and earthy.

Next we went over to the show 1949 Chongqing. This has been a huge bucket list item for me since I first saw clips of it on Instagram. The show is in a huge theatre with multiple revolving stages (at one point the seats we were in even revolved around the stage that was revolving). The show was about the 1949 CCP Revolution and the battles that were fought and lives lost in Chongqing (which was the capital of China at that time). I only wish we could have gotten a backstage tour because the stagecraft was epic!

We finished the evening visiting multiple vantages of Hongya Cave, a complex of buildings lit up magically with led lights, that inspired one of the main settings in one of my favorite animated movies ‘Spirited Away’. We had some really fun photo shoots here, then finished the night with some famous and cheap lemonade from Mixue.

The next morning Joey and Jenna took us to a traditional tea ceremony with a storyteller. This was a highlight of the trip, sipping jasmine tea and listening to songs, stories and context from a very likeable and playful story man. Then it was off to the airport and back to Macau! #chongqinghotpot #china #circuslife #chinatravel taken in Chongqing by @anticinadrain

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4 months ago

Chongqing, China Trip: Part One (of Two)

This past weekend Branquelo and Branquina joined forces with our sweet friends @jenna_y923 and @qionglinzhu_ to explore the cyber city of Chongqing, China.

After a lot of antics in the airport and sleeping on the plane, we settled in at Yunxi River View hotel before setting out for some Liangxia (凉虾) (a delicious sweet drink with rice “shrimp”) on the way to Luohan Temple, which was elaborately intricate and divine and had lots of opportunity for rituals and photos. A stand out was the 524 Arahat Hall, where you count the Arahats (statues with much character) based on your age to end on one and then read the fortune associated with it for guidance. A spiritual treasure hunt!

Throughout the day we ate a LOT of local noodles (with varying degrees of spice) and snacked our way through the mountain alleyways of Shibati where the “Eighteen Steps” are. A place with a lot of history revitalized with art, shops, dessert and dragons spitting smoke. We visited the WWII bunkers here also that protected the citizens from the Japanese attacks.

We went to Kuixing Tower where the ground level of one complex of buildings is the 22nd floor of another. A big part of the city is like this, an MC Escher-esque array of optical illusions and surprises.

We ended the evening doing the Raffles City Skywalk and swing, which was thrilling and had exquisite views, before having a wide array of local food at a restaurant that specialized in intestines and rabbit. So we definitely tried some of that. The local kids came over and practiced their english with us. Then we headed home for a bunch of new adventures the next day. Stay Tuned!

#travel #chongqingcity #rafflescity #chinatravel #circuslife🎪 taken in Chongqing by @anticinadrain

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4 months ago