FocusOn 1.58: Ron Campbell aka @Soarfeat on Instagram

Instagram is a great creative field for talented people.

Instagramers.com helps you to discover, sometimes unkown, surprising users. People sharing their life trough Instagram, revealing their passions… meet the persons behind their Nickname!

Today we feature an international theatre artist, painter, writer, martial artist, sailor and Cirque du Soleil clown! All in one… Please meet @Soarfeat on Instagram.

His name is Ron Campbell…

In a career that has spanned three decades, twelve countries on four continents, Ron Campbell continues to perform, train, teach and make art in distinguished venues across the globe. An expert equestrian, sailboat owner, published playwright and 3rd degree black belt in Iaido. Actually Ron is also performing as King of the Clowns in Cirque su Soleil‘s amazing show Kooza. KOOZA is a return to the origins of Cirque du Soleil: it combines two circus traditions – acrobatic performance and the art of clowning.

Thank you very much Ron, for your contribution to this website!

You can follow Ron and his artistic life on his website, his blogs Soarfeat & In search of the Mask of Satori or follow him on Instagram and Twitter!

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You are: I’m afraid I’m a bit of a dabbler. Either I’m an actor who loves writing or a writer who loves acting. Or a photographer without the patience to be a real photographer. Mainly, I’m a goofball.

You would like to be: A Samurai.

3 items to take to a desert island: Same things that I take everywhere: A good hat, my sword and my iPhone.

What has been your most bizarre life experience: In my life I have been kissed by a killer whale, eaten still moving sushi and hit many celebrities on the head with a rubber steak.

A super power you would like to have: I’d like to be able to close my ears.

If you ruled the world: I would make complaining punishable by death.

In ‘real’ life

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Happy alone (with Instagram), in love, married or it’s complicated: In love.

You love: Run with the Bulls in Pamplona.

You can’t stand: Getting run over by bulls.

A song that best describes you: Rambling Man by Laura Marling.

Your hobbies: I paint and draw constantly. I write plays and poems. (The Detourist) I study a martial art. (Iaido) I own a 24 foot sailboat. (Valhalla)

A trip you dream of: Since I travel so much the trip I dream of is to go back home to San Francisco, where I can sleep in my own bed and get up and have my own coffee and go to my dojo and sail my boat on the Bay if I want to.

A quote: “Pay attention, Be astonished. Tell about it.” – Mary Oliver

A wish: I wish the most important meal of the day was candy.

Some-one you admire: I admire my fellow clown Sean Kempton for his resilience. He has to do the same thing I have to do everyday PLUS he has to deal with me while doing it.

What more must we know about you in one phrase: My delusions of grandeur are better than yours.

Your life on Instagram

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Your Instagram birthday: 2011

iPhone, Android, DSLR: iPhone

Did Instagram change your life in some way: It did. I began to be able to both chronicle my adventures and keep in touch with my loved ones at the same time. I pointed the camera at my interests and let that tell the story. Instagram became a kind of shared visual diary.

Instagram for professional or personal use: A kind of both.

Define your style in one word: Documental. (is that a word?)

-Yes it is –> Consisting of official pieces of written, printed, or other matter. A movie or a television or radio program that provides a factual record or report. ; )

Daily time spent on Instagram: No idea. Too much I’m sure.

Favorite hashtag: #iaido

A filter: I’m a Mayfair man lately.

An App: Snapseed

A gadget: iPad

Pictures that make you laugh on Instagram: @breadcats

Pictures that must be forbidden on Instagram: Gratuitous nudity, violence and pictures of people having fun when I’m not there.

An improvement for Instagram: Create a password protected, easily uploadable way to get all your Instagram pictures on your computer. Also a character counter when posting on twitter.

Life without Instagram would be: Life without Instagram would be the same only you’d have to take time to kidnap your friends and force them to look at your pictures.

An Instagram user we can’t miss: I really like @kelco and @yannarnaud

Your life with Cirque su Soleil

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I’ve played the role of the King of the Clowns in Kooza for almost 5 years now. There have been so many permutations of the 2 clown acts in our show. Because we use real audience members every show is different. So the shows themselves require complete engagement. When not onstage it’s a great way to see the world. I’ve performed in major cities in the US, Canada, Europe and Japan.

Your Cirque du Soleil birthday: March, 2009.

Did Cirque du Soleil change your life in some way: Performing with Cirque has undoubtedly changed me. It’s built me up with all the travel and extraordinary experiences on stage and off. It has also helped me get over myself. I was a Shakespearean actor. I also specialized in one man shows. I was all about words. The circus audience doesn’t want that. They want actions. Honest, clearly definable actions. Hopefully I can take some of the lessons I’ve learned at Cirque and apply them to my other life in the theatre.

Define your style in one word: Disarming.

Daily time spent with Cirque du Soleil: Depends. On a two show day about 12 hours.

Favorite act: They are all amazing. Highwire, Hand to hand, Wheel of Death, amazing. Chinese Chairs also amazing. But the Russians would kill me if I didn’t say the Teeterboard Act, so I’ll say Teeterboard.

Favorite Costume: I love my “House Manager” costume but I have to say the Trickster’s first act costume is the most stylish.

Favorite Joke: “What did the bra say to the hat? You go on a head, I’ll give these two a lift.” : P

Life without Cirque du Soleil would be: There are many paths up the mountain. Cirque has been a great ride. There are others.

An Cirque du Soleil artist we can’t miss: Dennis Polianski is an acrobat. But you might also see him in the show as The Delivery Man. Or a Skeleton. Or a Soldier. But what he really does is strap a single stilt to his legs and hops onto one end of a see-saw. Two guys jump off a platform onto the other end and he does three complete circles in the air before landing, stick down, on a pad. If you’ve seen it, it was him. Because he’s the only man on Earth who does it..

Thank you very much Ron, I really enjoyed this interview and getting to know more about the artistic man behind that great clown from the amazing Kooza show!

@kimberlysunster