#3 (Revised)

What does it mean for a performer to chase a dream in
search of meaning beyond applause?

When a performer steps onto the stage, the most obvious reward is the applause, but it also disappears immediately. When all of those flashlights, crowds, passionate voices are gone, one question is left: What’s the meaning of all of these things? For many performers, “chasing applause” doesn’t really mean chasing fame. It is more like an exploration between reality, identification, and their own purpose. Stage is a space that performers try to create a bridge between themselves and their audiences. In this sense, what does it mean for a performer to chase a dream in search of meaning beyond applause?

For many stage performers, chasing dreams means the pursuit towards creating with freedom and authenticity, which means express your minds, emotions, and the capability for self-identity without restraints. What these three performers practice is precisely such an idea: to transform the stage from a place for creating perfect spectacles into an area for exposing the truth and establishing fragile connections.

Eugene Robinson described this process of creating arts as “understand, unwrap, and express their ideas,”, he emphasized this process was more important than the final result. He “mired in this burning teenage desire for authenticity,”.This determination towards authenticity had become the whole foundation of his performance ideology. For Eugene, art was expression. No matter what was the content, the performance itself was the purest, or the most authentic, existence.

This emphasis on "process" and "state of being" is demonstrated in different forms in the other two performers. Phillippe Petit also blended this authenticity into his performance. When he admitted that he ‘lied’ about TED Talk’s 18-second time restriction, “Okay, I cheated, it was a mere 20 seconds. But hey, we’re on TED time.”, just to amuse people, this part of revealing became part of the performance, which emphasized the authentic vibe he created. He did not rely on perfection, instead, he relied on the connection between him and the audience.

Similarly, the clown, Reinhard Horstkotte, claimed that clowns needed “certain state of being, a certain state of innocence” to perform effectively. He considered that innocence was not about immature, but like a demonstration of his real emotions being opened towards the crowds. He reveals that clowning offered him “freedom to overcome the seriousness of my surroundings”.

Therefore, their core is not to present a flawless performance, but to ensure that some channel of "authenticity" is opened. This suggested that artistic identity was being built through authenticity. This kind of genuine communication is even willing to go to the extent of challenging the comfort zone of the audience. The connection between Filou and Phillipe is about that they make the relationship between the audience and the risks during the performance upside down: Filou, he made us to face the emotional risks, which make us to feel stupid, and Petit, he made us to face a deadly risk between live and death in order to reveal that the is about guts to live truly.They taught us that the most failure in your life is about living in scripts.Filou and Petit are 2 sides of the coin, they both use performance to exchange your true heart.

Chasing a dream also means embracing the rebellious spirit of art—the willingness to challenge norms, break boundaries, and resist the pressures that try to shape performers into predictable forms. However, their rebellion was not an act of rebellion for its own sake, but rather a natural consequence of defending the "truth" from the previous stage. The objects of their resistance, ranging from social norms to inner fears, form a complete system.

Eugene’s insistence towards honesty naturally leads him into a position of resistance, especially because the authenticity of arts was exactly the disobedience of the rules.When he takes off his clothes on stage, people think that his crazy and claim that it is just a performance, whereas Eugene reckons that it is like exposure of how he truly is.This is a refusal to participate in the prettified performance identity and a declaration that authenticity is worth the price of discomfort. His rebellion is based on the belief that when art follows too many rules, it loses its meaning.Eugene challenges norms through a rebellion of honesty. For him, true rebellion is not about shock, but about the ongoing work of “cleaning the mirror” to reveal his authentic self. His act of undressing on stage is the physical proof of this rebellion, removing society’s expectations to show who he truly is.

If Eugene's rebellion was internal, targeting social norms and false masks, then Philippe Petit's rebellion was external, targeting physical boundaries and institutional authority. Philippe Petit absolutely embraces the rebellious spirit of art, constantly challenging norms, breaking boundaries, and resisting predictable forms.He mentions being “thrown out of five different schools because instead of listening to the teachers, I am my own teacher, progressing in my new art”.This highlights his rejection of traditional learning structures in favor of his unique, self-directed path. What’s more, a key aspect of his rebellion is his history of putting up wires and performing “in secret and performing without permission”.This includes iconic locations like Notre Dame, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and most famously, the World Trade Center.This directly defies authority and conventional venues, making his art an act of liberation.

Reinhard Horstkotte's rebellion, on the other hand, offers a more philosophical dimension. What he opposes is success studies, perfectionism, and even the "seriousness" of life itself. Based on the video, Reinhard Horstkotte’s approach to clowning certainly aligns with embracing a spirit that challenges norms and resists pressures for performers to conform.Reinhard was fascinated by the “spontaneity and the freedom of the clown” , seeing the clown as a “whole human being” embodying humility, freedom, dignity, and playfulness.For him, the clown offered “freedom to overcome the seriousness of my surroundings” , suggesting a rejection of rigid societal expectations.The biggest challenge for him is “to hold the confidence not to be disturbed by what the clown ought to be” . This directly speaks to resisting external pressures and predetermined forms. He stresses that a costume isn’t enough; it requires “a certain state of being, a certain state of innocence”.Master of Failure: The clown is the “master of failure” and “loves the fiasco”, which subverts the typical artistic pursuit of perfection and success, instead embracing imperfection and the unexpected.Balancing Importance and Seriousness: Reinhard concludes by stating, “Everything is important, but nothing is really very serious” . This philosophy inherently challenges conventional seriousness and rigidity, advocating for a more fluid and less constrained approach to life and art.

From this, it can be seen that their rebellions collectively decomposed the concept of "living within a script". Eugene fought against the behavioral and image scripts imposed by society, Philippe against the geographical and legal constraints scripts, and Reinhard against the internal psychological scripts of pursuing perfection and seriousness. Their art jointly declared: True freedom begins with deviating from any given "script".

Performers chase dreams beyond applause because the artistic journey becomes a path for them to discover their own identity. Through the pursuit of authenticity and continuous rebellion, this artistic practice ultimately leads to a more fundamental pursuit: the construction and confirmation of one's own identity.

For Eugene, creating art is not only about freedom or rebellion, but about understanding who he truly is. In the interview, he explains that making a work is like “cleaning this mirror,” and the reflection becomes more real as the process continues. Each performance is like wiping the mirror again, removing layers of fear, doubt, and disguise. This metaphor shows that art cannot be separated from the self; while creating, the artist naturally reveals part of who they are.

Philippe Petit also connects his dream with self-identification. When he was young, he simply declared, “I’m becoming a juggler,” and later, “I’m becoming a wire walker.” His identity appears through actions instead of predefined roles. He describes passion as “the motto of all my actions,” showing that his performances are extensions of his inner beliefs. For him, the size of the performance does not matter; he sees street juggling and the World Trade Center walk as being “on the same artistic level” because both allow him to express his core values—tenacity, intuition, and faith. His art becomes a biography written with actions rather than words.

For Reinhard Horstkotte, the journey of being a clown also becomes a way of exploring the self. He values what he calls the “poetic side” of the clown and a “poetic space that’s not dependent on others,” which shows his focus on internal truth rather than external approval. He describes the clown as a figure containing sadness, longing, and freedom, and this allows him to express emotional corners of life that are normally hidden. For him, the clown is not a mask but a mirror. By performing, he discovers forms of sincerity, innocence, and resistance that shape his worldview. His biggest challenge is “keeping the confidence not to be disturbed by what the clown ought to be,” which means staying true to his own understanding instead of following expectations. This private poetic space becomes a safe field where he can explore who he is without judgment.

Ultimately, for all three performers, chasing a dream beyond applause is about pursuing authenticity and discovering identity. Whether wiping the mirror through artistic creation, writing a biography through action, or protecting an inner poetic space, their dreams come from a desire to understand themselves. Their journeys show that dreaming is not about public approval. It is about resisting conformity, revealing truth, and finding the parts of their identity that remain even after the applause fades.

Eugene’s, Philippe’s, and Reinhard Horstkotte’s artistic journeys reveal that “chasing a dream beyond applause” is something that hasn’t been mentioned on the stage. Their attitudes towards creation, their identities, and thoughts behind are shared between their art and the self. For performers, chasing a dream isn’t just about pursuing applause, but finding the meaning of self through all of these performances.