Two Armenians are giving the historic art of the Quick-Change costume act
an update...
“It sounds like a model's dream come true: being able to slip effortlessly into one glamorous outfit after another in seconds. Quick Change Artists Sos & Victoria Petrosyan have updated
the traditional performance art of Transformation by combining fashion, stage-craft and sleight of hands in a display that has dazzled audiences the world over.”
Styled as “The New Generation of Quick-Change”, the Petrosyans revitalised the form by pumping it up with fashion, modern dance moves and upbeat music. Their shows feature
an assortment of couture gowns fitted with quick-change devices. Although some artists
are keen to show as many characters as possible, quantity does not interest the Petrosyans.
“We don't want to just show how quickly we can do the changes of costumes. We want
to tell a story with a combination of movement, dance and magic tricks. It's important
to make it interesting for the public,” says Sos Petrosyan, a former ballet dancer.
Although the art of Quick Change has hundreds of years of history, he says there's plenty of room for innovation.
“There's been big interest in the genre over the past five years… It has many possibilities
we should explore,” he says.
But the 34-years-olds is saddened by widespread plagiarism among quick change entertainers.“I can't believe it. They don't just imitate our style but also website, photos and video clips.
We challenge them to not copy each other… Innovation and creativity is uppermost”.
The Petrosyans' mastery of the craft is as much in their wardrobe techniques as their agility
and timing. The pair spends hundreds of hours adjusting their costumes to ensure the
switches are super smooth. “I have to make sure it looks good,” Sos Petrosyan says.
“We pay attention to the details. A thousand small things have to be changes so they
all work well in sequence.”
Each costume is discarded after six to seven month to keep their presentation fresh.
With the high turnover of costumes, the Petrosyans have become proficient designers
and tailors. “We're always shopping for good fabrics… we travel all over the world with
sewing machine,” Victoria Petrosyan says.
“(Quick-Change Transformation) is about doing everything in sequence and it's the
interesting part of magic,” Sos Petrosyan says. “They inspired me to do always something
new with the genre.”
He was determined to create a total quick-change experience complete with choreography, lighting and special effects. It's not just an act.
Sos made his debut as a quick-change artist in 1991. Five years later, his act became a double act when he met Victoria and the couple fell in love. “I got interested because of him,” says Victoria Petrosyan, who was pursuing a law degree at the time and knew little about magic acts.
Now based in Germany , the duo Petrosyans have performed in more than 38 countries.
When they're not performing, they attend prestigious magic festivals and competitions.
The pair has won top prizes at events such as Paris Magic Festival, International Festival in Budapest , Stage Competition in Moscow and more. They appeared at the
number 1 Gala Show in the World Championship of Magic (FISM).
From next summer, Sos will be spending time in the US in collaboration with rap artist 50 Cent. “I want to show this to the young generation,” Sos says.
For all their experience and practice, he admits things occasionally go wrong.
Such crises demand quick wits and improvisation. But it takes more than that to stay in the business, he says. “You have to love it. If you don't and only treat it as a job, it won't get
you anywhere. I know couples who are in this for money and I look at them 10 years later.
It's all the same – the only difference is they're getting older.
This was sure a spectacular event! Sos and Victoria have appeared in acclaimed international shows and their performance was nothing short of breathtaking. Their modern interpretation of the traditional art has won them many prizes
at international magic competitions.
We want to tell a story with a combination of movement, dance and magic tricks.
Sos Petrosyan, Quick Change performer.
Ehepaar aus Altrip will in einer Fernsehsendung am Samstag einen Weltrekord aufstellen
„Guinness World Records – Die größten Weltrekorde“ strahlt RTL am 1. September um 20.15 hraus. Mehr Informationen über das Künstler-Paar im Internet unter
www.sos-etertainment.de
Von unserem Redaktionsmitglied Simon Scherrenbacher
In nur zwei Minuten 15 Mal die Kleidung wechseln? Wovon Models auf dem Laufsteg räumen, wollen Victoria und Sos Petrosyan wahr machen. Das Ehepaar aus Altrip tritt am amstagin der „Guinness Show“ RTL auf und versucht dort, einen Weltrekord im Wechseln von Kostümen aufzustellen. Die bisherige Marke liegt bei elf Mal, erzählt Sos Petrosyan. Dennoch aben sich der Armenier, der seit 2000 in Deutschland lebt („Ich weiß nicht warum, aber ich liebeMannheim“) und seine 29-jährige Frau, die aus Moskau kommt, die Zahl von 16 getauschtenKostümen zum Ziel gesetzt. Dabei werden nur die Kleidungsstücke an Victorias rpergezählt – so hat es das Guinness-Komitee mit Sitz in London entschieden, sagt Sos. „Wir ben, üben, üben“, berichtet der 35-Jährige, jeden Tag sind es rund dreieinhalb Stunden. Die esondere Schwierigkeit dabei: Weil die Reihenfolge der Kleider nicht durcheinanderkommen darf,können sich die beiden nicht einen Fehler leisten. Die einzigen Hilfsmittel sind ein Schlauch, in paar Tücher und ein Hut. Und als ob das noch nicht genug wäre, will Sos auch noch ein paar how-Elemente in den Weltrekordversuch einbauen. Für die Live-Sendung am Samstag hat er icheine Überraschung ausgedacht. Außer im Kostümwechseln sollen noch andere Leistungen bertrumpft werden: Ein Salzburger Steinmetz will etwa mit purer Muskelkraft versuchen, einen tartenden Rennwagen 20 Sekunden lang zurückzuhalten. Eine Zehnjährige will ihren eigenen eltrekord im Fußball-Balancieren brechen, und ein Hamburger Kampfsportler sowie ein itnesstrainer aus den USA machen unter sich aus, wer die meisten Holz-Klodeckel mit dem Kopf ertrümmern kann. Im Gegensatz zu vielen anderen Teilnehmern sind Victoria und Sos keine mateure: Mit ihrer „Kleider-Illusion“ haben sie unter anderem beim Magic-Festival in Paris die oldmedaille gewonnen. Zur Zeit treten sie bei Roncalli‘s Apollo Varieté in Düsseldorf auf. Wer dieFernsehsendung verpasst oder am Samstagabend schon etwas anderes vorhat, kann sich dieKünstler ab November auch „in echt“ ansehen: Dann läuft ihre Show drei Monate lang im Palazzo“-Spiegelzelt in Mannheim.
