Kyle Sipkens and his giant elves remind Holiday Fair in the Square that real magic exists

4 Dec 2023 -
Kyle Sipkens photos by Jake Rice
Holiday Fair in the Square photos courtesy of Epilepsy Toronto

"We're bringing a whole range of holiday roaming stilt characters like our Tall Toy Soldier, Top Shelf Elf, Tall Jack Frost and our new Ice King," says Kyle Sipkens of his company INCIRQUE's contribution to Holiday Fair in the Square. When I question the concept of giant elves, Sipkens refers me to Top Shelf Elf who goes by the name of 'Tiny.' "“There’s no such thing as an elf that’s too tall, but there are two tall elves," explains Tiny. "Who else do you think reaches the top shelf in the warehouse at the North Pole? Santa needed Top Shelf Elves. He and his elves are the original Amazon." Suddenly towering elves on stilts make perfect sense. "Our stilt characters are based in the world of clown and are intentionally designed to create fun interactions that leave a positive impact," says Sipkens. "Spending two years apart during the pandemic showed us all how much we need to interact with others."

However not all interactions are ideal. "When you’re on stilts, you always get a number of inappropriate comments," says Sipkens. "Even at family friendly events. I’ll leave them to your imagination. Stilts have an amazing way of bringing out people’s inner child and, in some cases, an interesting side to some people’s imaginations. The most unusual gig request I ever got was for a tattoo shop’s staff party. The shop owner was terrified of people on stilts so they thought it would be funny. I told them I’d do the gig, but I wouldn’t do it to scare the owner. For kids and adults, seeing someone really tall can be intimidating or even a little scary. My partner Jake and I can see it in body language right away. Instead of pushing people into a situation they’re not ready for, we interact with other people and let them approach on their own time. Eventually, we ask if we can have a high five. That moment of contact usually helps them relax and know that there’s no immediate danger there. The same thing happens with clowns. I’ve heard a few times 'I still don’t like clowns, but you’re OK.'"

There are other hazards involved in performing outdoors in December in Canada. "Stilts and ice don’t mix well," says Sipkens who fortunately has a lot of other skills to sub in in sub zero weather. His talents include "juggling knives, standing on nails, cigar box juggling/stacking... Honestly, there are too many to list without people getting bored half-way through. I’ve learned to do a lot of things in the cold," he notes,  "Including standing on nails with bare feet in sub zero temperatures. Luckily with stilt costumes I can add some thermal layers. If the ground gets icy or too snow covered, we plan on characters that juggle at regular height that day. You can usually find some hot cocoa or some tasty hot poutine at one of the Holiday Fair in the Square vendors to help warm up your hands when it gets chilly." Sipkens won't, however, be bringing out one of his talents that would seem to be perfect for when the temperatures plummet. "I am trained to fire breathe," he says, "but I don’t really do it often anymore since it’s really not healthy."

As well as INCIRQUE, there are many attractions at Holiday Fair in the Square, including vendors for Christmas shopping, a Santa for Christmas wishes, food and drink, photo ops and many holiday themed performances. Crucially, for Sipkens, Holiday Fair in the Square is also a fundraiser for Epilepsy Toronto. "I’ve been performing at Epilepsy Toronto events for many years now," says Sipkens. "I first got to perform with them at Buskerfest Toronto while it was in St. Lawrence Market. Buskerfest Toronto  is unique since it’s the only Busker festival that’s completely run by a charity. I even performed at the Epilepsy Toronto holiday party one year at their office. I got to witness firsthand how much of a difference Epilepsy Toronto makes in the lives of people living with epilepsy. If you think epilepsy impacts one in 100 people, and then think of Toronto’s population . . . There’s a real community when you visit Epilepsy Toronto and it speaks volumes to the impact they have in the lives of our friends and neighbours." 

INCIRQUE performs at many events and can be hired to add to any occasion. Becoming a business mogul on stilts was not Sipkens original plan. "When I was training to be an actor, I always imagined I’d be performing Shakespeare or on stage at Buddies in Bad Times after I graduated," says Sipkens. "Learning to walk on stilts set me on a path I never expected. It challenges me every day and has me performing for thousands of people around the province and even internationally, every year. My theatre background has enabled me to build a huge roster of characters, we probably have over 100 different characters. The focus is always the same: to build a connection with every audience member we meet and help spark that same sense of play and joy we feel performing. For a time I thought busking was taking me away from the theatre world I started in. Instead, it turns everyday spaces into our stage. Funny enough: busking is what helped me finally get into the actors union since my first principle union role was doing a character in a horror film that needed to be on stilts. Life has a funny way of showing you that it’s working in a way better than you could have planned."

The holiday season may be about spreading joy, but Sipkens' artistic practice extends that throughout the year. "Joy and connection are absolutely the point," he says. "No matter how I’m feeling when I start the day, performing for people reminds me that I have to connect with my joy so I can help others to connect with their joy. I can’t really fake it. I have to authentically find what brings me joy so I can help people to play and find what brings them joy. I keep a set of juggling balls on my desk and, when I start to feel anxious, I juggle. It helps my mind become present instead of being stuck in the future or the past. It also helps to increase my breathing, increase my heart rate, which helps oxygenate my blood to my brain. I’m doing something that incidentally helps my brain with the things it needs to stop or decrease my rising anxiety and improve my mood. What I do for a living wasn’t planned to improve my mental health. I discovered along the way how it was helping. The things that help won’t be the same for everyone. With #JugglingMentalHealth, I encourage people to find the things that work for them."

#JugglindMentalHealth is a new initiative for Sipkens. "While I was in therapy learning about my own mental health, living with depression, anxiety and panic disorder, I started to see there was a connection with the skills I was learning to decrease my anxiety and improve my mood and how juggling positively impacts your brain and body. Juggling wasn’t only helping me pay the rent, it was also helping my brain with the things it needed to improve my mental health. Then the pandemic hit.. Usually mental health affects one in five people in their lifetime. During the pandemic, that went up to 75 percent of people. So, one of the ideas I came up with to help was to do a series of  YouTube videos that paired a juggling tutorial with a lesson about mental health. The great thing about juggling is that you don’t have to be good at it to get the benefit. Even trying to juggle has a positive benefit. With my partner’s help, we were able to put out a number of juggling videos and they are still available online for free. During lockdowns, I was also able to turn #JugglingMentalHealth into a virtual show/talk that I performed for a number of organizations." #JugglingMentalHealth became an example of it's own central thesis. "It can feel daunting to start something; even everyday things," explains Sipkens. "But if you can find something that you can do in that moment, maybe you can use that momentum to start another thing. And then another. And maybe, eventually, the thing that felt big before won’t feel so daunting once you’ve got some momentum."

Sipkens' art practices are also his therapy, an example of the value of running away with the circus. "I grew up in a small, rural farm town in southern Ontario," says Sipkens. "I was raised in a very conservative, very religious family where being gay wasn’t an option. I grew up having to repress who I was and needing to live as a version of myself to survive in that world.  I didn't plan on 'running away with the circus' but after high school, I decided to go to theatre school to study acting which incidentally has also been a historically safe haven for 2SLGBTQIA+ folks. While I was away at school, I finally began to accept who I was and began the process to unravel the shame I was taught in my early life. I also began to find people who would become my chosen family. After theatre school, my career has primarily been in street theatre, busking, which is an type of circus but also has its own unique identity and history. Companies like Cirque do Soleil got their start as street performers and perform the same disciplines, however they now have their own unique space. I became, to my knowledge, the first out 2SLGBTQIA+ street performer on North America’s busker festival circuit. I probably wasn’t the first ever busker to be 2SLGBTQIA+, but, I was the first, that I'm aware of, to be out of the closet since it definitely wasn’t safe to be out everywhere we perform. I was nervous at the time I came out that I might not even be safe in every space among fellow buskers. What I discovered was the opposite. Our community of performers embrace what makes each of us different and unique and champions it. Buskers are always there to help one another and band together when someone needs help. As both a busker and a performing artist who is gay, I continue in the tradition of people who live on the margins and perform with an outsider lens to my work. I’ve experienced what it’s like to be on the outside and that’s why my work focuses on creating connections and generating joy through play. We move throughout spaces like the Holiday Fair in the Square to create spontaneous fun and build memories together." 

There is another festival that has a special place in Sipkens' heart. "In almost 20 years of performing, I’ve been a part of all kinds of festivals: music festivals, busker festivals, Canada days . . . I’ve performed from North Bay to Las Vegas to London, England. As a performing artist who is gay, the opportunity to perform at Prides is a truly unique experience. I didn’t realize how important it was to me until I performed at my first Pride. Most of the characters I performed were generally straight or, with characters like my 10 foot Tall Clown, they didn’t necessarily identify with a sexuality. As someone who is six foot-one, I was also generally apologetic for my size and had a difficult time taking up space unless I was performing. So the first time I—as a gay man—wasn't playing a character but was myself standing 10 feet tall at a Pride parade, I felt both incredibly vulnerable and like my chest had blown open. The ability to be seen for who you are and honouring both our identities and our history as 2SLGBTQIA+ people is something very special to me. I bring this awareness with me every time I perform at Pride whether it’s in Toronto or one of the many other communities we perform at. I was thrilled to be on stilts again this year with Pride Toronto and at one of their events they hosted in St. Lawrence Market during Pride Month. I was also delighted to curate a lineup of one hundred percent 2SLGBTQIA+ buskers at the Church Street Fair during Pride. Each of them wore a costume that celebrated their identity and how they wanted to be seen as a radical expression of self through the lens of circus art and a reclamation of space. The opportunity to see ourselves reflected in others at Pride reminds as that we all have a safe place here."   

"Performing with Holiday Fair in the Square is a different theme, but no less spectacular," notes Sipkens. "It’s an opportunity to come together as a community and immerse yourself in the magic of the holiday season. There are so many wonderful vendors, tasty treats, fires to sit around, and, of course, ol’ saint Nick himself. Whether we’re a 10 foot tall elf, a giant toy soldier, or Jack Frost, I get to be part of the experience to remind folks that real magic does exist in our world. You get to leave the everyday behind and revel in the warmth of the holiday spirit that connects us. For me, it’s a wonderful gift to be a part of that every year. So we hope you’ll come join us at Mel Lastman Square to step up into the magic of the holidays. Specifically, you can catch INCIRQUE at Holiday Fair in the Square on  December 9th and 10th from 2pm to 5pm, December 16th and 17th from 2pmto 5pm and December 23 from 3pm to 6pm. On the 23rd my partner Jake and I will both be performing for the last day. Don’t forget that this year it’s in Mel Lastman Square."