I try not to get down on Facebook because it's allowed me to keep in touch with a good number of dear old friends from my formative years - high school and college - and keep track of each other's life changes even as we change differently, often from far away. They keep my Self in perspective, and remind me that I am not just present Me but also the me that I used to be, and even future me -- that I must respect and honor every aspect of who I am, was, and will be.  I used to be a lot of things that I'm not now, but must cherish the fact that in some way, those things are still a part of who I am.

I used to be a Ben Folds groupie, I used to love horses, I used to be a girl scout, I used to be overweight, I used to have major depression, I used to be Catholic, I used to love the color chartreuse the most, I used to watch a lot of TV.  I'm not presently those things any more, but they define part of who and what I am.

Laura, aka JBJ, thank you so much for writing this song.  I hope that someone out there might help me - us - set some music to it so that I can always remember it and even sing it loud and proud, like the first time I ever sang in front of an audience during a high school summer mission trip, Jane Be Jane.

Endymienne smiles with her shimmering eyes
When she dances with Bridgetown revue
She's all feathers and sequins and fiery lights
But she's lived a lifetime or two
And she says to herself

Chorus:

If it's a while till you smile again
Just read the note that you wrote on your skin
It gets better
Endymienne

She carries her hopes in the folds of her skirt
It takes twenty-five yards worth of cotton
Yeah things could be better but they could be worse
Yesterday she's never forgotten
And she says to herself

Chorus:
If it's a while till you smile again
Just read the note that you wrote on your skin
It gets better
Endymienne

T-t-t-t-time stops
When she moves her hips
No one can look away from it
T-t-t-t-time stops
When she shimmies across the stage
For a moment there's only today

Chorus:
If it's a while till you smile again
Just read the note that you wrote on your skin
It gets better
Endymienne

Many people's experience of Burningman includes transporation issues.  Can't find a ride for your self? Your bike? your stuff?  Break downs, accidents, flat tires?  Well I figured I'd ensure that didn't happen to me by getting it out of the way now!  Last night I got distracted by a garbage can (I was so excited my partner remembered to bring it out!  ...of course as it turns out, it was our neighbor's) and ran into my own curb.  Flat tire, screwed up hubcap, hoping it's just the wheel and not anything worse. =(

In better news, tomorrow Bridgetown Revue performs AND sells awesome wares at the Pre-Burn Midtempo Dance Party Social & Double Album Release Event 
feat. Halo Refuser + Takimba/Guda/Ninjamonk/Bridgetown Revue 


Get yer warm up on tomorrow at the Star Theater with us!

Yesterday I got to spend a fabulous evening drinkin' ginger brews and dying my hairs blue, and having awesome dreads (via Peacheserratica) braided into my hairs with some cats from Cloud City Circus.  We're not quite done so no pictures yet, but thank goodness for time, because I'm ridiculously low on it.

...which is why Sunday I hope that our Oregon Fire Conclave practice (final before showtime!) ends early enough to make it to the Silent Beach Party with TAKIMBA and Special Guests....

...and then next Thursday!  Halo Refuser show featuring Guda, Takimba, Ninjamonk, and BRIDGETOWN REVUE in our burner-best!  We'll also be selling neat wares, like the SUPER AWESOME feather earrings I've been churning out this week.  They're un-MOOPy feathers, too -- not the entirely-made-of-feathers MOOP-fests like boas and collars, these are earrings with a small selection of securely-fastened post-peepers (or at least what Peeps wish they had).  real cheap, too, 'cuz I like makin' 'em as much as I like seeing people enjoy 'em.

Don't miss me at Burningman!  I'm camping, performing, and teaching at Camp Questionmark at 2 & J!

Thursday 12:30-1:30:
IMMA CUT YOU: Sword Balancing for Bellydance
Yes, it's real, and yes, it will cut you. Look SHARP out there with grace, mystique, power, and a big shiny blade! We'll do some slinky sexay stuff of the bellydance flow variety, all while channeling our harnessed Burn energy into a directed, balanced, smooth scimitar-bearing force to be reckoned with. If you've got something you wanna balance, bring it and we'll give it a try! Safety Third?

What another amazing weekend!  We drove down to Mowhawk Valley Music Festival Thursday night and spent the day lounging about our campsite waiting for the rest of our party to arrive, festie shopping for the first (and only) time this summer, and then I got to perform with Govinda for the second time in my life, this time with my pal and fellow Cloud City Circus member, Luna LaBelle, and super secret surprise aeriel silks performer who, though I can't name names, killed it out there.  

After my set I came back to camp to change into warmer clothes, wandered to their brightly colored light-up dome (uhn tss uhn tss) then came back to rest my eyes for just a moment until I could join the silent dance party raging outside my door.

That's when J opened the door and said "there you are!  You missed it!"  

I haven't fallen asleep at a festival so early in quite a while.  Musta needed it, and I'm glad I did, because Saturday morning I packed up, got a ride into Eugene, and took my own personal tour bus up to Portland where I was greeted at the station by a hot red-head.  We then went home and got sweaty, naked, and glittery together - with a hot blonde - and we proceeded to Portland Artists Repertory Theater where we finally did it!  We performed the dance we'd been choreographing and costuming for months! 

And eventually there will be photos and video.

We celebrated with bar food and early bedtime, for Sunday was Isaiah's Hip Hop workshop (dancehall!!), more shopping (oops), and Bridgetown Revue's dance workshop.  Everyone thoroughly enjoyed it - ourselves included - and I'm even a little sore from my own teaching.  

We celebrated by going to ad-hoc PARK-A-ROAKE.  Yes it was a thing, and it was incredible.

...then you've probably already bought your tickets to this weekend's Jamballah NW festival, specifically, the Saturday night showcase and Bridgetown Revue's workshop on Sunday at 2:30.  Why?  Because we have spent months choosing music, making costumes, practicing props, choreographing, rehearsing, critiquing, writing, outlining, and generally getting SUPER effing excited to share the culmination of this work with you.

Last night I went to aqua-robics class at Columbia Pool in North Portland with my best friend and about 15 other folks, most of whom were nothing less than twice my age.  IT WAS SUCH A GOOD WORKOUT.  After the first fifteen minutes I was thinking "OK, so this must be the cardio section and then she'll slow it down for conditioning"...at the 20 minute mark I was impressed that all the other folks in class were keeping up.  At 30 minutes I had my first vision of leaving early, and how embarrassing it would be to give up before the 70 year olds. By 35 minutes I was back to the exasperated giggling that I'd spent the first 30 doing.  It was insane!  And all worth it for the mango slush puppie afterward.

Ask me how sore I am tomorrow, I'm sure I will enjoy complaining.  

Then I did some shopping, ran through 45 seconds of choreography for an hour straight, and finally added LED to my lemur tail! 

...and because the fun don't stop, be sure to come down to the Analog tonight to see me perform at Gothique Blend Circus Cabaret