Yang dynasty bubbles over
Show pops with lights, lasers and showmanship
Do your kids like to blow bubbles?
Well after seeing the Gazillion Bubble Show preview yesterday I would say encourage them to hone those skills as Fan Yang’s bubble business is blowing up.
For 30 years, Yang has been developing his unique skills into a thriving industry.
“I came from poverty. We didn’t have anything. I played in water, loved water,” explained Yang, who was born in Korea and then moved to Canada.
Yang now maintains homes in New York City and Mississauga, Ont.
The Gazillion Bubble Show is here, Friday until Sunday at the Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts. This show is one of three large shows on tour that makes its way from Hollywood to Helsinki. Also of note on their resumé is a Broadway show that has been running in New York City for six years.
The 90-minute show is a combination of bubble artistry, light shows, laser shows and, of course, good old-fashioned showmanship.
Yang and Melody both take turns in the spotlight. Yang sticking with the big ta-da stuff and Melody bringing some pop to the proceedings as she creates, while techno music blasts, a series of bubble sculptures that look like beautiful blown glass.
A certain crowd pleaser is when the theatre is flooded in laser lights and bubbles. Wafting off the stage on threads of light the bubbles automatically stir a childhood thrill but at the same time make you wonder how do they do that?
“We combine art and science to bring bubbles to another dimension,” Yang said.
Adding to the stage success, Yang and his gang have made sure they leave a lasting legacy on the art form they so love. To date they have racked up 18 world records involving bubbles.
Highlights include: A 156-foot long bubble wall that covered 4,000 square feet; a soap bubble dome that included 12 bubbles created inside one another and the biggie happened here at Science World in September when Yang managed to cover 181 people in one large bubble.
Oh, and he has the record for putting the largest animal in a bubble. Yup, in 2008 Yang took a breath and blew a bubble around an elephant.
“Total ingredients are a trade secret,” said Yang when pressed about what goes into his extra special, high performing bubble solution.
Yang answers questions openly and with a big smile on his face. This is a guy who likes his work. No kidding, he gets to blow bubbles for a living.