Performance artists The Tweaksters to play Albert Taylor Hall

Courtesy of Tweaksters

The Tweaksters perform their routine called “Potheads.” The Emporia Arts Council is bringing the performance art duo to Albert Taylor Hall on Wednesday.

The Emporia Arts Council is bringing another unique act to Emporia State on Wednesday.

The performance art duo of Regan Patno and Julia Snyder mix theater, dance and elements of circus acts into a show they call The Tweaksters and it all adds up to an experience like no other.

“It took us ten years to put the show together and now we’re touring our fifth season with the show,” Patno said.

The California based duo first met while attending a class on juggling.

“We ended up being partnered up and we immediately developed kind of little competition with each other,” Snyder said. “The big competition was to see who could juggle three balls a hundred times first. Then four balls a hundred times. Pretty soon we were having so much fun that we were getting together everyday and it just brought a lot of delight and joy into our lives.”

The two went from juggling balls and clubs to more interesting props like knives and lit torches.

“We have a short attention span so we learned what we could with one prop and move on,” Snyder said. “So that kind of happened for ten years.”

Snyder and Patno have years of experience in performance and dance and The Tweaksters was a natural continuation of what the two had done all their lives.

“I was just out of college and I had really overdosed my mind,” Snyder said. “I was just really in need of some play, try to move out of my head so much. I had a back ground in gymnastics, dance and things. So I had this dream of performing.”

Snyder was a national qualifier for Miss Fitness U.S.A. and Patno has danced professionally in a number of movies including ‘Forrest Gump’ and ‘Sister Act II.’

“I’ve been a dancer all my life,” Patno said. “I was a professional dancer for many years and still do occasional jobs. I’ve always loved working with props and learned to juggle with Julia and we just kept at it.”

With a project as unique as The Tweaksters, the performers often have trouble describing it to those who haven’t seen it for themselves.

“We try to encourage people to see and not describe it,” Patno said. “But it’s a mix of acrobatic dance and artistic juggling with unique novel routines and performance art ideas all blended together with some cool lighting effects.”

According to Snyder her favorite routine is a “G-rated striptease” called ‘Exposed,’ a routine that was inspired by the original Pussycat Dolls.

“One of our favorites is one of the first routines we created, its actually the first routine in the show. What inspired it was the Pussycat Dolls. They’ve become quite popular nation wide but there was a time that they were just struggling in L.A. and I knew of them. I noticed they were doing all sorts of striptease and getting a lot of work. They were taking work away from a group that I was working with, an all girl group. And I was so frustrated with how well they were doing with their striptease that I created our own version of it.”

Through The Tweaksters, Patno and Snyder hope to encourage people to keep themselves fit and active.

“We have a physical fun club,” Snyder said. “Its just our way of promoting people of all ages to be physically fit. Its part of our website and even though our show is wordless, that’s something I really hope we convey. Befriending your body and making physical activity a part of your day.”

Their demanding routines force The Tweaksters to really take care of themselves and work out every day.

“It definitely keeps us in shape,” Snyder said. “Due to the demands of the show, it inspires us to stay active and live really healthy lifestyles. And at the same time as we do that it helps us doing the show.

The Tweaksters have toured in the spring and fall for the past few years, but they also have other similar projects together when not on tour.

“When Regan and I aren’t doing Tweaksters, we have other projects related to art and physical fitness,” Snyder said. “Our life revolves around that theme. Like right now we’re creating a workout for couples to do and for parents to do with their kids and we’re going to create a exercise video to go with that.”

The two have found that their show transcends demographics in its appeal.

“When we first created this show we created it for adults be we found that kids really liked it,” Snyder said. “So I think that’s one of the neat things about Tweaksters, when we look out into the audience it’s a full age spectrum. It’s a really great show because the adults are just as entertained as the kids.”

The Tweaksters will hit the stage of Albert Taylor Hall, located in Plumb Hall, Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.

With a student ID, ESU students get in free, regular tickets are available at The Emporia Arts Council, 618 Mechanic.