February 10, 2012
Jared Kirby, a fencing instructor at SUNY Purchase, teaches Northern Italian dueling saber at the Leonia Recreation Center on Tuesday nights. He and his wife, Carol Crittenden, moved to Leonia a year and a half ago. He has a degree in Theatre from the University of Minnesota.
After five years of acting professionally he decided to focus on fight directing. He also teaches Western Martial Arts and Combat for Stage and Screen in New York City. He’s the editor and one of the translators of “Italian Rapier Combat.” He’s also the editor and wrote the introduction to “The School of Fencing” by Domenico Angelo.
Q: Where did you grow up?
A: Brainerd, Minn. It’s a town of 12,000 and best known for where the movie “Fargo” is set.
Q: Did you know from a young age that you wanted to be a fight director or fencing instructor?
A: My interest in stage combat began first at 15 when I attended a Renaissance Fair. I watched a human chess match in which two (human) chess pieces duel with swords over a square (all staged of course). I found it fascinating and knew I wanted to do that. After high school I began to study stage combat and that led me to historical fencing. I now train and teach fencing at the Martinez Academy of Arms, founded by Maestro Ramon Martinez and teach Combat for Stage & Screen in NYC.
Q: How did you get from Brainerd, Minn. to New York City?
A: After graduating from college, I moved to Edinburgh, Scotland for six months to study with a fencing master. Near the end of my stay, I took a one and a half hour workshop on Spanish rapier by Maestro Martinez. It was amazing and I was hooked! I told him right then that I would move to New York to study this with him. It took me three months to move to New York City. I have been studying under Maestro Martinez for 12 years now and have made great progress towards becoming a Master. This art has always been passed down from master to student in an apprenticeship format. I can trace my fencing training lineage back more than one hundred years to five generations of masters.
Q: What’s the difference between Western and Eastern martial arts?
A: The Eastern martial arts are more popular right now. Things like karate and jujitsu are more common. Western martial arts were practiced by European gentlemen and knights using a variety of weapons throughout the ages. Weapons like long swords, short swords, side swords, rapiers and small swords were used for both defense and offense.
Q: What museums do you recommend for those interested in swords?
A: In the United States, the Met has a fine exhibit, or the Higgins Armory Museum in Worcester, Mass.
Q: Do you have a personal sword collection?
A: Yes, I love collecting swords of various types, both antique and reproductions.
Q: Can you recommend movies with authentic sword fighting scenes?
A: “The Duellists,” with Harvey Keitel, features six to eight duels. The small-sword duel is the most accurate I’ve seen in a movie. There are some really fun fights in Princess Bride or Rob Roy which are not historically accurate, but still entertaining.
Q: What was your most memorable acting role?
A: When I was 24, I played Hamlet in “Hamlet” with the New Vic Theater of London. They flew me to London to rehearse with Alan Cohen, a famed Shakespearean director. It was an amazing experience.
Q: Do you have a favorite Shakespearean play?
A: “Titus Andronicus!” With thirteen deaths, it’s his bloodiest play (which is great for a fight director), but it also has the broadest number of dynamic, interesting characters. Julie Taymor directed a great production of it with Anthony Hopkins and Jessica Lange 12 years ago. You can rent the DVD.
Q: What special skills are required of a fight director?
A: You need to choreograph the fight so that it enhances the story. It must have a beginning, middle, climax and end, like a small play. You are a magician, tricking the audience, if only for a moment, into believing the character is hit or mortally wounded. To accomplish that, you need knowledge of anatomy and how people die, so that you can help the actor portray it correctly.
Q: Do you speak a foreign language?
A: I read and understand 16th century “fencing Italian.”
Q: Who signs up for your classes?
A: Most are interested in their health and fitness. Others in learning a European martial art. However, one young man told me he wanted to be ready for the Zombie Apocalypse.
Q: Why did you move to Leonia?
A: My wife grew up in Teaneck, so she’s always known about the special quality of Leonia. Since I primarily teach and work in the city, Westchester and North Jersey, we needed a central location that was an easy commute. While looking for a house, we read (on the high school billboard) that Leonia High School is one of the top 50 high schools in the state. Leonia’s also next door to Englewood, home to the famous fencing Santelli family, who created the Hungarian saber system which became popular in the early 20th century.
Q: Where did you meet your wife?
A: We met ten years ago at a Pennsylvania Renaissance Fair, where we were both part of the professional cast. After that we did musical theater and Shakespeare together. We’re expecting our first child any day!
Q: Does she share your interest in Western martial arts?
A: Her interests are acting, singing, and recording original songs. She just released a new CD, “En Route,” which is a collection of her songs.
Q: How do you unwind after a day of sword fighting?
A: My wife and I both walk/run through town. The architecture and topography on every street is unique and interesting. I like how the people I meet along the way are always very friendly.
Q: What do you most enjoy about living in Leonia?
A: We like the fact that it’s one square mile. We can walk to local restaurants, eat a big meal, and walk it off afterward. We haven’t had a bad meal yet. In fact, I’ve had the best Pasta ala Norma in the U.S. at Dante’s. Ever since I first tried it in Sicily, where it was invented, I’ve ordered it in numerous restaurants, but only Dante’s nailed it! A good sign.
Q: What advice do you have for someone who wants to pursue an unusual career such as yours?
A: It’s not an easy path, so make sure to look at everything that makes you happy in life, and if there’s something that makes you happier, do it.
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