Residents cross country to share Olympic spirit.
Bram Goldstein, the founder of BiG Entertainment and creative force behind the RBC Olympic Torch Relay show and Fritz Branschat perform in Orangeville on December 28 during one of the shows. Goldstein will be running with the Olympic torch on Feb. 6.
Photo/BIG ENTERTAINMENT
After they finish their 106-day cross-country tour performing as a preamble to the RBC Olympic Flame relay on Feb. 11, North York residents Bram Goldstein and Fritz Branschat are confidant they can call themselves true Canadians.
"I feel like being from Toronto you really are a Torontonian and not so much a Canadian, you know? Not that we are self-centred, but you can't help but feel it's such a hub that we don't really need to look that far out from Toronto," said Branschat. "To see the whole country and drive through it...getting down and dirty with the whole country, I really feel Canadian now and I understand the concept now where as before I only really understood Toronto."
The two are travelling along with 250 others, performing a mobile, 15-minute show before the Olympic Flame arrives in a new city. Twice a day Goldstein acts as an MC who hypes up the crowds while Branschat dances and splashes paint on a constantly rotating canvas. At first the work looks like a meaningless smear of colour and eventually becomes a beautiful image of an Olympic Torch runner.
It's a technique he says keeps the audience guessing. "The human brain just doesn't really wrap itself around this."
It's unusual performance art, but the crowds love it and each painting is donated to the city in which it was painted so the Olympic Flame can leave a permanent legacy.
Even after 200 performances, Goldstein still feels like he's doing it for the first time.
"We get into these towns and we see the excitement on the kids' and adults' faces and they energize us each day," said Goldstein. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience for them, so when we do get on stage, it's a brand new show each day."
The tour has been so successful, Goldstein says approaching RBC with his idea has been the greatest thing that could have happened to him and his events and entertainment company, BiG Entertainment.
"BiG Entertainment has been my love and my passion in terms of producing and managing events and this has been the pinnacle of my career and something I'm very proud of," he said.
For Branschat, who usually works as a tattoo and body paint artist, the whole experience is a complete pleasure. He and Goldstein even got a chance to fill in as torch bearers.
"From a performance point of view it's super enjoyable for us because it's so well received. We are treated like rock stars, man," said Branschat. "When you have 20,000 people screaming and they are screaming in your direction, it's just got to feel good."
The duo finish the torch relay on Feb. 11 in Vancouver and plan to check out a few Olympic events before heading back to Toronto.