On The Stage, Not Behind It - Unique Performer Fine

Phanganist first spotted Fine at Jungle Experience Koh Phangan where her unique style of performance really stood out.

She has been here several times between 2008 and 2009 as she lived for three years in Singapore. Fine then moved to Berlin to study and her friends bought land on Koh Phangan where they then built a house.

‘They were getting on my back saying ‘you have to come!’ so I finally agreed and said yeah sure, hook me up with some gigs and I will come’.

The next thing Fine knew, she was breaking up with the big love of her life and her Singapore crew had invited her to Thailand and ‘et voilá!’.

‘I had had a burnout the year before and needed a break’.

What has been your training? It looks like you’re part of a circus group…?
I’m having a circus gang yes, I was in a youth theatre learning how to juggle, have stage presence and doing fire shows from the age of fourteen to sixteen and that was my only education.

What made you want to be a performer?
I met my best friend and soul mate, we instantly clicked. His lucky number was 128 and mine is 127 and he was already a juggler.

I always wanted to be on stage, when I was a small kid I would be looking at the TV screening of Love Parade, gymnastics or ice skating etc and wanted to do that so now what I do is something in between.

Tell us about the group you are part of, ‘Entourage Berlin’?
It can be pronounced in three different languages; we were looking for the proper word for gang. It is a group of friends which is also changing, the first generation was formed in 2011 and now we have the third or fourth since 2015.

Now we’re a very professional motivated cast who are dedicated and responsible. We come from different backgrounds, one is a musician with a masters degree in music therapy, we have two professional dancers, a highly professional actor and we have another girl who is quite a name in the tribal fusion scene and they all come from a fire spinning background.

We do a variety of spinning, storytelling and making all kinds of shows from tiny kindergarten to club events, festival performances, weddings, birthdays, private corporate events and public events for cities. We also do customised shows where the client will tell us they want, this or that.

This summer on demand we created a fire theatre for fifty minutes where we tell a story with props about puppets and a puppet master. We have also been on tour doing gigs around Germany and England.

What are you solely focusing on yourself at the moment?
I do have one speciality which is the levitation stick, it is something more unique. It’s a prop from magicians which the jugglers have picked up and I have done it since Chinese New Year 2008.

I’ve developed some ground breaking techniques, like long string, manipulation moves and horizontal things. Lots of people spin it around and I let it be in the air and use strings to manipulate it. In the scene I am worldwide renowned even if I am not active in the community.

You have performed at Jungle Experience and L’Alcove, how was it?
At Jungle I did a variety of fire and LED, I can pick up staff and clubs with my feet. It’s a very colourful party which is a pleasant and a fun mix of art and of course mainstream.

L'Alcove is nice people and a cosy setting, I really liked it and I had my levitation stick where I programmed something for them. I did a sword fight with Sky and a mix of LED and fire which was nice to make for the opening of the show.

What projects are working on whilst you’re on Koh Phangan?
My schedule is already full! I am still working for my troupe doing back office work and I got projects as a carpenter that I really enjoy.

I am looking for as many performance jobs as possible, in January or February there are a few of my performers coming to stay with me for training camp as well.

I am helping to build up my friends space where they and I live called ‘Cosmic Corner’, we have a training platform and will hold workshops. There’s a lot going on, the house is still blank so I have been building furniture.

What have been some stand up out shows that you’ve done?
I did help to build up a troupe in Singapore called ‘Starlight Alchemy’ and that was a really nice experience. I was organising the ‘fire-space-project’ which is like an own floor at a festival but a playground with free oil for spinning fire where we would look after safety and give tips and tricks. It’s like a platform for fire arts and we were touring many juggling conventions and since a few years also Ozora with it. Fusion festival is the origin of the project and for fifteen years it’s the biggest event for the 'fire-space-project'.

There was around one hundred people working to make it happen, to provide such a big platform but I had to give up this project last year.

Do you think you would start something like this again?
It was a voluntary thing so it doesn't generate money. I want to be on stage not behind it although it was very precious to have this knowledge.

We had an old fire fighting truck we went around in so it was an awesome experience but not paid above the minimum costs, there were times when we had troubles with our private pocket money or couldn’t pay our rent.

What are you doing in your free time here?
I love being on my own building things and doing things. Having time to photoshop my private pictures, I love editing videos, making costumes; I love working with wood and I love dogs.

I have found a lot of friends here already but I’m not really in the social thing.

And do you have a life philosophy?
I like symbolism, so I follow my lucky number or symbols from my own history. The number 127 came from my locker in school and became my lucky number. Many Years later when my Granddad died the land I grew up on had to have its document changed and we found out the land number was 127 so it is a thing I am following and feel like it's some sort of destiny for me.

Also, I always think that you have to jump or you will be pushed so you’ve got to get your ass up and be responsible for things.