ROLLER DANCE
Red Bull Trophy (USA 1999)
1st place Tom Shanon
Magazine: Macadam Surfers 1989
EVERYTHING IâVE LEARNED COMES FROM RISKS, TRIALS AND ERRORS.
l
Short version:
As a child, I didn’t dream of being an artist, I just wanted to ROLLER SKATEÂ and have fun. I became an artist and then an entrepreneur without realizing it!Â
Long version:
My artist name is Tom Shanon, I come from street roller-skating. I started in 1976 and created this act in 1992… Despite the passing years and until today, no one in the world has ever been able to replicate my act! Video below:Â
1973: I was 3 years old, my parents immigrated from Madagascar to France. We lived in a very small studio, without a lot of money, but I was happy.
1976 to 1991: I learn to skate in the street of Paris. Jumping, slalom, dance, aggressive roller-skating and speed skating, etc. I loved doing everything! Skating was more than a passion, it was the way to be connected with the universe. Most of the time I was learning alone! But I also liked to benefit from the emulation created by the meeting with other skaters I met in Paris. Over time I joined communities. I also created communities and I can say that all together, we were instrumental in the global transformation of freestyle skating and what it has become today. I must also admit that I was mainly influenced by the USA, despite the few videos that were on French television at the time.
1992 to 2022: After my studies and military service, I wanted to earn a living doing what I loved, but my sport was still too unusual at the time. Shifting from sports to shows seemed like a good solution. But how to go about it? There was no business model, so I had to imagine everything! When I started performing in 1992, I didnât know anything about show business. Not even the name of my future job, which, moreover, was yet to be invented. I had nowhere to learn, and I didn’t have the Internet. I just wanted to turn roller-skating into a money-making show! When youâre at this point, either you enjoy living dangerously, or youâre oblivious!
I climbed my way up, step-by-step. I had to innovate, create, make my props, choose an artist’s name, take risks, fail over and over, learn from my mistakes, practice, and perform the âshowâ as well as manage the âbusinessâ. It was a very long and difficult process, but I persevered. In my fight to achieve success, I managed to create a unique act, the only one of its kind in the world. I become an entrepreneur and a world-class artist. I performed on stages all over the world, then, I bought the house I’ve always wanted, to continue creating. At this point my sport is no longer a game, it allows me to pay my bills and eat! So, for fear of being copied, I decided to protect my creations and to leave the world of skating.
At the same time, I collaborate with producers and I help some artists : My Team and Partners
In 2023: I will return to the skating world but in another form đ
THE STREET !
I have very few images from that time.
Jumping, slalom, dance, speed skating,
aggressive roller skating ⊠I †all!
Some Pro References:
l
Le Plus Grand Cabaret Du Monde FRANCE
l
Moulin Rouge Paris, FRANCE
 l
Gagnant du trophée Red-Bull USA 1999
 l
Grand Lisboa Macau CHINA
 l
Fantissima Phantasialand GERMANY
 l
Wintergarten Berlin GERMANY
l
Cruise Lines MSC
l
TV Show Domenica in Rai Uno ITALY
l
GOP Varieté-Theater Essen GERMANY
l
TV Show Le Plus Grand Cabaret Du Monde FRANCE
l
Friedrichsbau Varieté-Theater Stuttgart GERMANY
l
Prix DâAmerique FRANCE
l
Circus Conelli, Zurich SWITZERLAND
l
Gardaland ITALY
l
GOP Varieté-Theater Bad Oeynhausen GERMANY
l
Gala 1er Ministre Matignon FRANCE
l
Pegasus Varieté-Theater GERMANY
l
TV Show TV5 MONDE
l
Gala Miss France
l
Champagne Veuve Clicquot FRANCE
l
Cabaret Bal Tabarin Rome ITALY
l
TV Show Extreme Gong USA
l
Istinye Park Istanbul TURKEY
l
Meridien Hotel Dubai UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
l
Champagne Laurent-Perrier FRANCE
l
l
i
+ des centaines de galas Ă travers le mondeâŠ
i
Another of my creations:
THE CRAZY PUPPETS ©: This couple of crazy puppets dance the acrobatic-rock on roller-skates. « They are here to bring the house down with laughter by their fast, furious music! »
Still other creations:Â
« THE PLANE © » I created this act for two performers. An electric plane twirls with graceful and amazing aerobatic flight around special effects and pyrotechnics the sky becomes magic⊠but the pilot starts to go crazy⊠Donât panic, the best pilots of the world are on stage!
.
« THE LASER © » I built this act in the early 2000s ⊠On stage the artist produces from his hands an amazing act, a sleight-of-hand tricks using a laser beam. The laser reminds technology, but can it make us dream? Let yourself be transported into an act of artistic wonder. Letâs follow the artist!
1992 Ă 1994 : I am a beginner artist.