Canadian bubble blower delights Jakarta crowds
JAKARTA (JP): World-class bubble blower Fan Yang from Canada will be entertaining visitors to the Fantasy Land amusement park, at Ancol Dreamland in North Jakarta, until Oct. 12.
Yang's nine-day performance, which began Saturday at the park's Balada Kera theater, is the artist's second show. He was featured at the park last July.
With as much razzmatazz as a magician, Yang -- who was born to a Vietnamese mother and a Hungarian father -- mesmerized the audience during his 30-minute show on Saturday.
Yang delighted the crowd by blowing bubbles of all sizes and shapes, making them joint together and remain suspended in the air. His props included dozens of glass tubes to perfect the masterpieces, bubble liquid and other useful gadgets.
During one trick, he began smoking a cigarette and then blew the smoke through a tube into the bubbles. Then he made holes in the bubbles for the smoke to escape and his creation puffed out smoke like an old-style locomotive.
To ensure the success of his tricks, Yang needed to spray repellent around the stage to keep at bay the mosquitoes -- which are attracted to the bubbles' sheen -- and prevent them from bursting any bubbles.
"It's normal and no problem for me," Yang told The Jakarta Post after the show.
In a grand finale, Yang sends gigantic bubbles, full of thousands of tiny bubbles, floating out toward the audience.
A Singaporean tourist, who watched the bubble-blowing extravaganza, said: "It's fantastic. He's a real expert in the business and he must have spent years formulating the bubble mixture."
According to Yang, he has indeed dedicated more than 12 years to creating the perfect mix.
"But the main portion is dish-washing soap which I bought in America," he said.
Yang's performance here is sponsored by PT Sonega Bintang Sejati Impresario in cooperation with Fantasy Land.
The cost of entrance is Rp 15,000 (US$4.30) per person, which covers the park's fee and Yang's performance.
Visitors can catch Yang's twice-daily shows at 5 p.m. or 6 p.m.
According to Asep Imanuddin, the operational manager of Fantasy Land, the show is popular with students who this week began their first semester holidays.
After Yang's bubble show, Fantasy Land and Sonega Bintang will showcase the skills of U..S archers Ross and Elisa Hartzell or, as they are better known, Mr. & Mrs. William Tell.
For the same entrance price, people can enjoy the crossbow show from Oct. 13 until Oct. 19 at 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. daily.
Asep said Fantasy Land plans to bring world-class entertainers to the amusement park, particularly during school holidays.
"We hope that we can present Mr. Bean (Rowan Atkinson) here in the near future," Asep said. "But it's still unclear because everything is still under negotiation." (bsr)