Jim Rose is the consummate showman, you can be sure of that. His banter is relaxed when necessary and urgent when necessary. It’s gripping. I can now say I saw his razor blade talent – and his razor blade trick – in person. Something else I like about Jim Rose is that he shares the stage with other performers, a lot of artists just don’t want to do that, and it’s done in a way that’s not self-serving. I don’t want to go into too much detail because you just need to see this stuff and describing it would either ruin it or not do justice to it. The Jim Rose Circus includes Bebe the Circus Queen, two wrestlers – SiNn BoDhi and Jake the Snake Roberts, and a Burmese Python for this tour – as well as a few other performers. Every minute was entertaining and I really got into the wrestling match. This is great material for photography and I am thrilled I got to document it.








All photos by Dagmar
The Jim Rose Circus at the Showbox Gallery

France’s Emilie Simon is a beautiful, sexy artist who conveys her emotions even if you don’t understand a word of French. Not all her songs are in French so English speakers can delight in her English lyrics as well. She wouldn’t need even to talk to the audience and her presence would remain magnificent. But like her opener, Butterfly Boucher, she engaged the audience with just enough conversation. I am in love with her voice, a voice that’s difficult to describe as it’s got a rare and unafraid range. I don’t think I have heard a voice this unique since Klaus Nomi, and that’s a compliment of the highest order. I’m not saying she sounds like Klaus Nomi, just that she’s got a singular voice. Standout pieces for me were Ballad, Opium, Dreamland, Closer and The Way I See You. Opium in particular was a space age dream the way she presented it in her gold dress and with what appeared to be a robotic attachment on her arm.





Emilie Simon @ the Crocodile Gallery