Pen Zen is a 22-years-old diabolist from Taiwan who started diabolo at the age of 7. He trained at the National Taiwan college of performing arts. He is part of the MHD crew and has been performing both in groups and as a solo artist. He is arguably the most technical diabolist in the world, notably for being the first person to self-start and control 5 diabolo low in 2016. He achieved several world records over the years. In recent time, he performed at the 42nd Cirque de Demain Festival in Paris. Pen demonstrated a perfectly timed, dropless and possibly the most technical diabolo act ever performed. He performed in the Flic Flac circus in Germany and is now part of the new ECHO show by Cirque du Soleil.
New 5 diabolo low trick : 673*73*73*63*
Pen's Interview
1. How did you start diabolo ?
你是怎麼開始空竹的？
When I was young, my cousin came to my house and show me how to play diabolo. I thought it was very interesting, and later joined the school diabolo club.
小時候，表哥來我家教我玩扯鈴。 看著他玩覺得很有意思，後來加入了學校的扯鈴社團。
2. How many hours a day do you usually practice ?
你通常每天練習幾個小時 ？
It depends, but usually one to two hours. It would be more hours before a competition or a new creation.
每天都不一定，但通常一到兩小時，如果有比賽或是表演會多練一些。
3. How does it feel to perform in the new Cirque du Soleil show ECHO ?
在太陽馬戲團的演出 ECHO 中表演感覺如何 ？
It's great, besides diabolo, I also play other animal characters, it's a very fresh experience.
很讚，除了扯鈴外我在演出中還有扮演其它動物，對我來說是種全新的體驗。
4. What is the most difficult trick you have done ?
你做過的最難的把戲是什麼 ？
For now I would like to say 5diabolos double 4sun.
我認為是五鈴的兩次4拋繞
5. You were the first person to self start 5 diabolos low. What is the dream trick that you haven’t done yet? 你是第一個自己開始低 5 空竹的人。 你還沒有完成的夢想技巧是什麼 ？
A lot, including 6 diabolos low.
還有很多，包括六鈴。
6. Do you have other hobbies than diabolo ?
除了空竹你還有其他愛好嗎 ？
Practicing other circus related things is also my interest.
練習雜耍，或是其他和馬戲相關的項目。
7. What is your purpose of training diabolo ?
你練空竹的目的是什麼 ？
In the beginning just for fun, now part of making money, but more about challenging myself and amazing people.
一部分是賺錢，但更多的是挑戰自我，和使人們驚豔。
8. What does the MHD Crew mean to you?
MHD Crew 對您意味著什麼 ？
A place, a troupe to work happily with like-minded teammates and teachers.
與志同道合的隊友老師一起開心工作的地方。
9. What advice do you have for diabolo beginners ?
您對空竹初學者有什麼建議 ？
Always enjoy the process of practicing.
享受練習的過程。
10. What do you think about the Sundia diabolos ?
您如何看待桑迪亞空竹 ？
New and good products are launched frequently, so I have more options, I think it's the best diabolo store.
非常棒的扯鈴公司，總是不斷更新，有很多種不同款式的扯鈴，讓我在購買扯鈴上有更多的選擇，我認為這是目前最佳的扯鈴品牌。
11. You have been using Taibolo, MHD Pro, Nova and now Magforce & LED. Why did you choose the Magforce diabolo recently ?
您一直在使用 Taibolo、MHD Pro、Nova，現在是 Magforce + LED。您最近為什麼選擇 Magforce 空竹 ？
Because I need to add LEDs during the show, and Magforce works best with LEDs, and it feels great when operating, the weight is also very suitable for me. But I have to tell you that I am not using the well-known magforce. First, I don’t use the bearings. Second, I use a short and fixed axle. The Magforce I use is reassembled by our MHD-Crew technical team and is suitable for me as I do 5 diabolos, the crew is trying to reduce the weight so that it will not cause too much burden on my wrist, but in addition to practicing stage performances, I am still using MHDPRO to practice.
因為演出時需要加LED，而磁浮鈴搭配LED效果最好，操作起來手感很好，重量也很適合我。
但是我得告訴你，我用的不是大家熟知的磁浮鈴。首先，我不用培鈴。 其次，我使用短而固定的軸，我使用的磁浮鈴是由我們的 MHD-Crew 技術團隊重新組裝的，因為我做 5 個空竹，技術團隊正在努力減輕重量，這樣不會造成太大的影響 手腕上的負擔，但除了練習舞台表演，我還在用MHDPRO練習。
Youtube: 彭湛Pen Zen
Instagram : zhanp
Booking : bad670102@yahoo.com.tw
Watch Pen's act at the 42nd Cirque de Demain Festival in Paris
No great success comes without great mentors. Angela has been supporting Pen from the beginning and is accompanying him all the way to Europe and America. She and her daughter Patty are managing the MHD crew in Taipei. An organization that coaches the youth and provides them with technical and artistic guidance. They help foster opportunities for their students by organizing shows and attending festivals. The MHD is welcoming any foreign diabolist visiting Taiwan, as they are open hearted and benevolent.
Angela's Interview
1. What is the goal of the MHD ?
1. MHD的目標是什麼？
It can be explained like this
M = Music
H = Happy
D = Diabolo
That’s “Along with music ,be happy To Diabolo” that’s the original symbol. In the meaning of Chinese, music and happy are the same word, so music, happy and diabolo are inseparable.
2. How and when did you meet Pen ?
2. 你是如何以及何時認識 Pen 的 ？
In 2014, Peng Chan was 14 years old. He was already a child with great skills. His mother hoped that he could improve, especially his artistic performance on stage. At that time, his mother thought that MHD could provide such help. So she took him to visit me, hoping to let Peng Chan join our team.
Because my team members were trained in our team from the beginning, and we didn't accept such students who joined in halfway, so I didn't think I could offer that kind of help and didn't say yes, but I did offer some suggestions like to find an personal instructor with specialty to improve his body movement.
In the following year, his mother kept in touch with me, and never gave up looking for the possibility to let Peng Chan join MHD. In 2015, Peng Chan finally joined MHD.
3. Can you tell us about his personality ?
3. 你能告訴我們他的性格嗎？
Good temper, good mind, positive, friendly, rich sense of justice, has perseverance. Loves to help people and share with others. Sometimes stubborn. Only focuses on the things he is interested in. Dislikes the complex things.
4. Pen is one of the world’s most technical low diabolo player. What makes him so good ?
4. Pen是世界上技術含量最高的低位空竹選手。 是什麼讓他如此優秀？
I think the most important thing is that he set a clear goal ,a very hard one ,and goes all out to achieve it, instead of blindly pursuing popular tricks. it is easy for everyone to practice the same thing. In fact, he might know most of them., takes it for a game, once he knows how to do it, he will put it aside and go back to practice his five diabolos.
In competitions or performances, he only does the tricks he likes. Although some people mocked him sarcastically he could only show 5 low and nothing else, he never care , Most of people knows that he has been practicing low five diabolos for the past few years, I say “years”, surely it means he took much and long time to train himself. Not only 5 low but also 4 and 3 and 2. The point is he truly enjoys training. Never stop, never get tired.
5. What are you the most proud of about him ?
5. 你最為他感到驕傲的是什麼？
Among my many students, Pen is the one who is willing to spend the most time practicing. He is talented and willing to work hard too. I am very happy to be by his side during his hard work and watch him become a man with super high control ability with diabolos and always brave to break through the limit, now he is a good and professional artist.
Pen's Character in the Cirque du Soleil show ECHO - Photos Benoit Leroux
Follow Pen's show in the Cirque du Soleil Youtube Series
