About Me
It All Starts Here
The start of someone new. This has been the most interesting chapter yet and I love it the most. My name is Robin Curtis, I am 25 years old and I am a business student….but to tell you the truth for the last five years there’s nothing more I wanted to be than an artist. But for some reason I still went to business school, however every night I came home, and I started following my dreams, my passions. I started making videos, learning how to be creative, you can see those here and on YouTube. I started to juggle, learn tricks, alone, by myself, hoping one day I would be good enough to perform for such a lovely and real audience like those at my show.
Growing up in England and the Czech Republic, Robin had always dreamed of performing. He discovered street preforming and fell in love with juggling and circus during a trip to Australia. While studying for his business degree at university, Robin started pursuing his passion by learning to juggle on his own in his bedroom. He is now on a gap year, traveling the world with his solo show and sharing his love for circus with the public.
Self-taught and self-made, from the confines of my room, with a vision of a future and a drive to deliver. The journey filled many obstacles along the way, from a master’s degree in business, dealing with a tumour in my spinal cord at 18 and a fractured hip at 23, I never gave up. Each obstacle teaching me more, making me fight harder and solidifying my goal in life. Live, Explore, Do more.
mentions in the press
published date: 07.17.2022
published date: 01.07.2024
published date: 07.17.2023
published date:. 11.07.2023
published date: 07.17.2022
From Zero to Hero
Self-taught and self-made, from the confines of my room, with a vision of a future and a drive to deliver. The journey filled many obstacles along the way, from a master’s degree in business, dealing with a tumour in my spinal cord at 18 and a fractured hip at 23, I never gave up. Each obstacle teaching me more, making me fight harder and solidifying my goal in life. Live, Explore, Do more.
Notable venues:
Notable venues:
Lucerna palace, Prague
VSE representative ball
Robin Curtis performing his daring acrobatic show in Lucerna Palce. Once again VŠE hosted the Representation Ball in the beautiful rooms of the Lucerna Palace. But this year’s edition was far more magical. Not only was it one of the biggest balls in the Europe, but it was also a ball organized to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Prague University of Economics and Business.
During last night’s event, you could step back in time with us to the 1920s and experience one of the incredible parties on Long Island like the ones in The Great Gatsby.
my biggest show
With over 3500 people in attendance it was quite a night to remember. Situated in the heart of Prague, Lucerna palace, a national cultural monument, is one of the biggest balls in Europe.
Esplanade, Theaters on the bay, Singapore.
Night & Day with Robin Curtis, International Masters student
“Knives and pins are not the only things he juggles:
Hailing from Prague, Robin is a circus wiz who also happens to be a Masters student in an international business management programme. When he’s not busy tossing objects in the air, Robin studies topics such as economic theorems and advanced mathematics. He just completed a semester at the National University Singapore, where he focused on subjects such as branding and marketing. Talk about being a multitasker!”
Me, My Monsters, My friends
A circus piece that follows Lina's journey of her silent fight as she recovers the colours depression has robbed from her life.
Outdoor theater, Esplanade
03.Jun. - 05.Jun.2023
The robin v curtis show
My one of a kind performance re-booked
Concourse, Esplanade
06.Jun.2022
29.May.2023
CEMS Master of International Management (MIM) student Robin Vaclav Curtis from the Prague University of Economics and Business spent his January semester here at NUS Biz as part of his CEMS Term Abroad exchange programme.
Like his peers, he chose Singapore to gain international exposure. But while most exchange students take the opportunity to sample the local culture, Robin went one step further – gaining a permit from the National Arts Council to perform as a busker and staging a number of shows together with local performers. Robin shares with BIZBeat some of his Singapore experiences.
Q: What brought you here to Singapore?
Students enrolled in the CEMS Master in International Management (MIM) programme go abroad in their second MIM year. This gives us the opportunity to attend one of the 34 CEMS universities abroad.
I chose Singapore because it is known as the business hub of Asia, and NUS is ranked highly on the QS World University Rankings. I am obsessed with self-improvement, and I believe everyone can reach their best selves by learning. This programme gave me the unique opportunity to find out more about the world, and expose myself to different cultures, management and communication styles.
Q: What did you find the most beneficial about your time here?
The quality of teaching materials in the classes exceeded my expectations. The professors are passionate about their subjects and engage the class in discussions for a better learning experience.
In particular, the module on Customer Centricity and Brand Alignment, taught by Associate Professor Shamdasani, gave me useful insights into how to build my own brand as a performer. While developing my act I thought a lot about how I could put the audience first, what they would like to see and how I could deliver that to them. Based on this, I create a stage persona, make my costume accordingly and carefully choose what I would do and say in my show. From the jokes in my show to my message, banner and props, everything is carefully chosen to involve and satisfy the members of the public the most I can.
Q: What was it like performing in Singapore? How different
was the experience as compared to busking in other parts of the world?
Performing in Singapore is honestly
amazing. It’s quite a unique place to busk as the entry barrier,
especially for foreigners and international students, is so high. This
means the quality of acts is top-notch, and the community is quite
tight-knit. For circus performers, due to Singapore’s warm weather, we
mostly perform shows at night, this is very different to Europe, but
this also allows for LED lights to be used. The audience is also very
different. Europeans watch a performance for dangerous tricks and verbal
jokes while Singaporeans prefer more of a theatrical show, performing
to music and slapstick comedy.
I get to work with local performers,
such as the circus group BornFire and the Buskers’ Association of
Singapore. The artists offered advice on improving my performance.
Q: Why do you like to busk?
I am interested in being a public
motivational speaker. I can learn to establish a strong rapport with the
audience and cultivate a stage presence through busking to reach my
goal. I get terrified, but performing helps me overcome my fear and
learn from my mistakes.
It is also essential to experience
different communication styles to create a perfect show; performing in
different countries and cities is important. Singapore has taught me a
lot, and I look forward to busking here in the future.
However, most importantly it is such a
thrill to put time and effort into a skill I love, developing that into
a full street show act and having the audience members clap and cheer
as it goes along. I want to make arts accessible, and I believe street
shows are the easiest way to do it. I love seeing their smiles, hearing
after the show how much they liked it and knowing that together we
created an environment full of laughter and happiness.
Q: What advice would you give to students considering coming to Singapore to study?
Singapore may seem to be a society
full of rules and regulations. However, it is a diamond with countless
opportunities. So take the chance to venture outside your comfort zone,
explore this unique country and work with the people here