Two Russians are giving the historic art of the Quick-change costume act an update,
writes Katie Lau. South China Morning Post. April 6, 2007.
“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.”
In a series of performances over the Easter weekend, the Russian couple will showcase a collection of evening wear that they whisk on and off at lighting speed.
A hectic schedule has meant the Petrosyans have to start rehearsals at a crowded shopping
mall immediately after their long flight from Athens , where they attended a convention alongside top international magicians such as Ed Alonzo and Juliana Chen. Yet the pair show
no signs of fatigue. Within minutes they've cajoled a passer-by into assisting in their act.
As Victoria is tied up with ropes the helper is asked to stand in front of her. Sos raises a piece
of cloth to hide them from view. Within 5 seconds, it's whipped away to reveal Victoria
wearing the man's jacket – under the ropes.
Afterwards, the volunteer says: “It's incredible! They took my jacket off and I couldn't see
what she did… I've never seen anything quite like it.”
Quick-Change Transformation is to the west what bian lian (face change, which originated
in Sichuan Opera) is to China . The Art of Quick Change Show began in Italy in the 1600s
and has since been adopted by comedians, circus performers and magicians across Europe
and incorporated into theatre forms such as commedia dell'arte.
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 Petrosyns.
“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 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.
But the work also means they can't spend as much time with their two sons, aged 10 and seven, as they would like. “My elder son said, “I want to see my mum and dad not sewing
a costume”. You see sometimes it takes up too much time of our time,” Sos Petrosyan says.
But the youngsters seem to have inherited their parents' interest and talent. Both Sos Petrosyan Junior and Tigran Petrosyan aspire to be magicians and have already won a number
of competitions.
Sos Petrosyan, who was born in Armenia , learned juggling and quick-change transformation from his father, a circus and variety performer. It gave them something in common, he says.
But Sos only found his calling after seeing Russian artists Liubov and Anatoly Sudarchikivi
present a quick-change show in Moscow circus with a quality fashion.
“(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.
“Mistakes are common. One time Victoria 's costume was supposed to change from black
to red, but she was in blue instead. It was real magic for me.” Sos says with a laugh.
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.
“As in anything you do, you have to have passion. If I'm tired of it, I'll stop doing it,” he says.
“I won't do it just for money.”
World-famous quick-change artists Sos & Victoria Petrosyan were in Hong Kong at New Town Plaza this Easter performing their renowned 'International Quick Change Show' of lighting-fast changes and hip dance moves. 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.
- says South China Morning Post. Friday 06.04.2007
We want to tell a story with a combination of movement, dance and magic tricks.
Sos Petrosyan, Quick-change performer.
Sos & Victoria Petrosyans also rope members of their audiences into their Quick-Change performances.
