Instead of thinking about retirement, Ben Jimenez of Evanston is thinking about bubbles.
Jimenez is the “Ben” behind Ben’s Bubble Show, a show comprised of art, science and a little bit of magic.
“When you think of a magician, you think of a guy — it’s usually a guy, for some reason — in black pants and a nice shirt, maybe a vest. He’s got a table beside him with stuff on it and he pulls things off the table and amazes and pleases people with his tricks,” he said.
“That’s what my show looks like except it’s all bubbles. People call it a bubble magic show, but I like to avoid that term because people have certain expectations about a magic show and I don’t meet any of those. I don’t do silk scarves and card tricks — it’s all bubble tricks. I tell people I do edu-tainment.”
Jimenez is bringing his bubble show at 3 p.m. July 1 to the Lake Forest Public Library in Lake Forest. It’s one of many shows he has scheduled throughout the summer.
He’s a former teacher and when deciding on a gimmick for his shows — silly clown, mad scientist — he stuck with what he was familiar with and picked the educational route, he said.
“I put smoke inside of bubbles, make some fancy sculptures, call some people up on stage to help me with tricks … people love that,” he said. “I usually end the show by putting someone inside a bubble, their whole body inside a bubble. Everybody loves that.”
He makes his bubble fluid and his own props.
He has three different themed shows: an all-ages entertainment show, a STEM — science, technology, engineering and math — show and a corporate entertainment show.
The STEM show is appropriate for ages 8 and up, he said.
“It gets a lot more into the science of it. I talk about the scientific method, geometric shapes, fluid dynamics, 2D verses 3D and what that means — all thrown into my bubble show,” he said. “The corporate (shows), I wear a nice suit and I’m over in a corner doing these really elaborate sculptures and things the younger kids don’t have an appreciation for.”
Many years ago, he went down a rabbit hole on YouTube and started watching videos of people making bubbles — giant bubbles, tiny bubbles and sculptures made of bubbles. He was fascinated and he started teaching himself how to make the bubbles. As a singer and guitar player, he is also comfortable being on a stage in front of people.
“I felt that those skills — my performing skills as a musician and my performing skills as a teacher — transferred over really well into putting on a bubble show,” he said.
He taught preschool, second grade and seventh grade language arts. He’s been doing professional bubble show performer for about 13 years, he said. He performs mainly at schools and libraries but also occasionally at senior centers and corporate events. He will tailor his show to whatever audience is in front of him, he said.
“I really enjoy the connection with these people who have such a sense of wonder about these bubbles,” he said. “To have that power to bring wonderment and joy and pleasure to people — it’s a powerful thing.”
He occasionally adds new tricks and tools to his act, especially for older, more sophisticated audiences.
At 70, he is slowing down with the amount of shows he books but he’s not stopping.
“I don’t want to retire because I love what I’m doing,” he said. “Most people, when they retire, do what they love. They golf, they travel, they sew, they garden. I love doing bubble shows, so why would I stop? I’ll slow down but I’m not going to stop.”
His act is special because it’s a performance art that many people have never heard of, he said.
“It’s a unique thing and people always want to see something they haven’t seen or they’ve rarely seen and that’s inherently a bubble show,” he said. “Just the natural beauty of a bubble — we take bubbles for granted but when somebody shows them to you in a new way … people are in awe of that. It’s something new to people and something inherently beautiful.”
Annie Alleman is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.
Art and Magic with Ben’s Bubble Show
When: 3 p.m. July 1
Where: Lake Forest Public Library, 360 E. Deerpath Road, Lake Forest
Tickets: Free
Information: 847-234-0636; lakeforestlibrary.org/event/art-magic-bens-bubble-show-42576