Evanescent Traces /Traces ephemeres/ - that is how Bulgarian mime Gerassim Dishliev – Gero has named his bicycle journey along the road back from Paris to his native Svilengrad. 21 years ago the young physicist, who had fallen in love with pantomime, took off from his small town towards the cosmopolite Paris, in order to try his luck with legendary Marcel Marceau. Later on the Bulgarian turned into his right hand up until the school under the Eiffel Tower was closed. Now Gero, a European and naturalist, will travel some 3,000 km with his bike, presenting at different cities and towns his Monologue with a Suitcase show, recreating the vicissitudes of his first travel to Paris. Those were part of the life of thousands young people from Eastern Europe, who stepped over the ruins of the Berlin Wall. The journey, emigration life, the country, the new place and culture are the base of this strange dialogue with a suitcase that has already brought success to the show three times at the famous Avignon festival of theatre in France. The mime jokes that the administrative organization of the project was almost as tough as his first travel to Paris. “The feeling really got me 21 years back,” he says with a smile. Gero’s bike journey kicked off on September 2 from the Kilometre 0 square in front of Notre Dame in Paris.

We contacted the mime during his first day off at the trim northern town of Nancy, immortalized by Joe Dassin in his Nancy in Winter evergreen. Gero hums the song, adding that it is magnificent summertime there. The center of the Lorraine province has traces of both French and German cultures, with a romantic Polish accent – the Stanislas beautiful square with his gilded fence, inherited by King Stanislaw Leszczynski, a Duke of Lorraine for a while. This is precisely the atmosphere of mutual cultural enrichment that Gero seeks.

“We are currently at Nancy’s historical center,” the mime said a few days ago. “It is a really nice place for walks – small streets, a large and beautiful square and the day is sunny too! I can ride my bike along countryside roads only, where the landscapes are really relaxing and beautiful. I have the chance to take a glimpse at the flower nearby or the freshly mowed field, or the vineyards of Champagne. I would like to create one more link with this journey between all people from these nations, calling themselves Europeans. May God help me cause more exchange of humanity and warmth in between people. I want to make them want to travel too, and to receive travelers with open hearts.”

“I played at a fair in  Châlons-en-Champagne last night, which turned to be among the biggest in the area of farming,” the mime says. “Different orchestras played there. I caught the audience and invited it to my show. It was very nice, a really artistic atmosphere.”

Gero tries to stir a discussion on the subject of travelling, meetings, roofs, suitcases, destinations… He hopes to create a small documentary out of the answers. It works for the time being, people get easily attracted to a dialogue with their own suitcase. “I see many sparkling eyes”, our mime is happy to say.

Days before the start of the project Gero said it was all still like a dream. On September 1 he performed his show in the hall of one of Paris’ city halls.

“Up until September 1 I used to say after each show: “Thank you for your attention, the show will start a journey across Europe on September 1. On the date I was about to say that again. Then I suddenly realized that the project had already kicked off! “

At the moment Gero is in Germany. On September 8 – 9 he visited the famous spa city of Baden-Baden that charmed him. We asked him whether he felt the elegant shadow of his teacher Marceau alongside through this journey, with his typical poetic spirit. He is always with me, Gero answered.

“I hope I will be his worthy student. People think of and talk on Marceau wherever I play. I do believe that poetry can change people’s life.”

We wish Gero a happy journey that is expected to end in his native town of Svilengrad on October 4. He will have presented his Monologue with a Suitcase some 25 times along the route. On September 29 his fans will be able to see the show in Sofia as well, on the open stage of the Salza I Smyah theatre.

English version: Zhivko Stanchev