Sabine Van Rensburg and Brin Schoellkopf: Artists Behind 7 Fingers Passagers
Sabine van Rensburg (@circusbean on Instagram) and Brin Schoellkopf (@brin_schoellkopf on Instagram) are two circus artists currently working in the show Passagers from 7 Fingers.
We met these two talented young artists through the artistic director of Passagers from 7 Fingers, Shana Caroll, who appeared in an earlier episode of Feisworld. Passagers (or Passengers in English) is opening in Boston on September 25th, 2019 and leaving the city on October 13th, 2019. Make sure to check out the show with your friends and family!
Darren DeLuca, a public relationship consultant at Arts Emerson, helped connect us with Sabine and Brin. I interviewed them both inside the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre.
Sabine, originally from South Africa, is an aerial silk artist. Her parents founded a circus school where she learned to perform as a circus artist, the rest is history. Sabine embraced the opportunity before enrolling in the Montreal Circus School. Soon after graduation, she found herself busy working for 7 Fingers.
Brin was born and raised in Vermont, a jack-of-all-trades type of Circus artist, he’s got a few impressive skills under his belt. He also works as a visual artist and videographer to promote other artists like himself.
What Is 7 Fingers Passengers About?
Departure vs. transit vs. arrival. Chance vs. choice vs. destiny. Stillness vs. acceleration. Reflection vs. transparency. Familiar vs. foreign. Private vs. public. Confinement vs. border-crossing. Bright headlights vs. tunnel-darkness. Past vs. future…
Our fascination with trains is both a nostalgic one — dreams of another era, another land — and a symbolic one: life happens along this track of sorts, twisting and turning through valleys and plains. We speed through lands all the while staring out the window, at the reflection of our very own eyes superimposed upon the shifting landscape. Tearful goodbyes, anticipatory reunions. Fateful encounters inside the cabin. A community of strangers with one thing in common: we all have somewhere to go. Our reasons for leaving may differ but we are joined in a moment of suspended limbo between two lives, as we say goodbye to one and prepare for another.
The National Circus School in Montreal has prepared generations of artists for a very high level of achievement. Sabine and Brin share their schooling experience studying as college students inside this unique institution that is unlike any other college experience you’ve heard.
In this episode, we give you the insider’s view into the life of young circus artists, the relationships they built, how they navigate work, life, travel and beyond.
Special thanks to ArtsEmerson, Boston’s leading presenter of contemporary world theatre dedicated to engaging all communities through stories that reveal and deepen our connection to each other.
