Podcast #6 - Tom Davis

Wait Long By The River

Tom Davis - Circus genius on relying on others as the foundation of his art, finding inspiration in tragedy, and the history of Australian circus

"Circus people will not be famous. People will know the name Leotard, not for the fact that he did the first triple on a trapeze, but because he was principle in inventing the leotard."

One sign of a true artist is that their character truly shines through in their work. Tom Davis performs circus with real talent and charm, in all sorts of ways*; most notably during a recent international tour with one of Australia's most prestigious circus troupes, Circus Oz. He's also an impresario, running his own troupe as Long Answers to Simple Questions. Their show Left, winner of the 2013 Gasworks Circus Showdown, opened our eyes to the thematic depth that can be brought to what Davis calls "a populist, low art medium like circus".

In this show we discuss working through grief, choosing an independent career over the mainstream, and why one of Australia's greatest celebrities didn't even get an obituary on her home soil. You can download the podcast at the bottom of this post, or on iTunes, just search for Wait Long By The River Podcast.

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*His bio reads: "Deft in pass juggling, tumbling, and many manipulation and equilibristics skills, Tom can also base for banquine, pitching, push for teeterboard and knows basic adagio up to basing hand to hand." Deft is a real understatement when it comes to his juggling - he's a world quality performer in that specialty, having performed with some of the world's most respected jugglers from Europe and America.