What happens when a circus and clown performer marries the owner of an organic dairy farm? Well, in this case you combine the best of two worlds to create a unique and quite wonderful hybrid enterprise, the Circus ‘n’ Cheese farm (Biohof Luftensteiner) in upper Austria.
During my working trip to Europe this past spring, I got to visit the farm for the first time, in between workshops . And I must say I was blown away. The farm is the brainchild of Sophia and her husband Michi. Sophia is the cultural manager, circus director, clown performer, and farmer, while Michi is a farmer, mechanic, caretaker, stable master, electrician, landscape planner, forester, and…. the list goes on. Rounding out the triumvirate is Andi Geyer, resident clown, acrobat, and cheesemaker, which is how I got there. Andi was in a workshop I taught in Vienna in 2016 (as was Sophia), and since then has become what I guess you could call my wingman, helping set up workshops and assisting me with the teaching. We were driving from Leipzig to Prague to Zagreb, so of course we had to spend a couple of days at the farm!
A 2-hour drive north from Vienna, the farm is in a beautiful region of verdant rolling hills, with the Alps framing the backdrop. Thanks to Michi’s multiple skills, the sizable farmhouse and grounds are nothing less than gorgeous. Sophie’s parents were circus people back in Germany and, better yet, they collected vintage circus wagons. These have all been brought to the farm and refurbished and now serve as not-too-shabby guest accommodations when the farm is hosting events. There is also a small circus tent and two other rehearsal studios. All of this was far more than I imagined!
Events include circus performances, circus camps, farm education programs for school groups, and artist residencies. Our mutual friend, the clown Iman Lizarazu, has spent many a month there. The farm also hosts outside groups for their own private conferences and retreats.
And the cheese? Andi follows the old methods of natural cheesemaking: nothing more than warm raw milk, salt, cheese cultures, and enzymes . The results are very tasty indeed. I am a big fan of cheese, and the stronger the better! If I were president (or better yet, dictator) of the United States (or better yet, the world) , I would ban such abominations as “American cheese” and Velveeta. And, while I’m at it, all processed cheeses. Which I guess is the only reason I’m not in charge. But these are the real McCoy. Andi brought a generous sample of his cheeses to the Zagreb Clown Festival the following week and they were a big hit.
Michi and Sophia are continuing to expand on the property’s features, and are open to more collaborations with outside artists. It’s a very special place. I would love to visit again and if you’re ever in the neighborhood, do check it out! In the meantime, a photo gallery:
• View Iman’s Instagram farm reel here: https://www.instagram.com/p/C_k5ivwM_mK/
• And this is a total aside, having nothing at all to do with the farm or physical comedy, but with writing: When I described Andi’s cheese as the real McCoy, it was because I wanted a phrase that was less of a cliche than the real thing, the real deal, or the genuine article. And I associated the old-school term the real McCoy with the tv show of the late 50s, early 60s, starring Walter Brennan as an earthy, stubborn West Virginia farmer transplanted to California. So I liked the rural connection. But then I discovered that the origin of the phrase dates back to a brilliant 19th-century black mechanical engineer and inventor, Elijah McCoy, who in 1872 patented a revolutionary automatic lubricating cup for steam engines. It allowed trains to be lubricated while moving rather than having to repeatedly stop. Not surprisingly, it was a huge success and, also not surprisingly, the market was soon flooded with inferior imitations that often led to engine breakdowns. So the story is that railroad engineers would specifically request the real McCoy system.
One Response
What a gorgeous place ! If I were in my thirties, I would work there for free milking cows, eating cheese and painting circus wagons! Thanks for showing us lives that manage to include everything.