so here's some flo from my blog about our dance excursion to LA.

Returned last night from LA, what i endearingly call La La Land and drearily call HelLA or SmelLA. Nonetheless the Santa Monica Mountains were my home for eighteen years and it's still home to me. All the ugly and beauty smooshed in one. The mountains, the oaks, the wild life, urban coyotes, topanga canyon, the ocean, all the passionate and wickedly talented artistic folk, the creeks and rivers, all tangled together by the highways connecting the sprawling spew and morning dew and smothered in smog that leaves the night sky blood red over open spaces that the gorillas of the earth still fight to protect. Damn it was good to be hOMe...

...and to be there with mah grrl Serene dancing and raging it up. We drove down in six hours to perform at LA Decompression, finishing up the tour of Sacramento and SF Decompressions. We're already recompressing for next year! We gypsyied it out, trading turns driving while the other was braiding, sleeping, eating, putting on make-up, playin' good music, etc. Once we got there we changed into our costumes that we created as a combination of two costumes with spontaneous majick in the car in downtown LA! aww yeah.

At the event everyone was super sweet and willing to work with us to create art. The stage manager was able to switch our time to go after the Playafied Fashion Show (some fuckin' cool shit yo' *wow*), and we were introduced and danced down the runway in our costumes and went right into our set. the flow was good, the flow was real good! The audience wasn't quite as rowdy and live during our set as the SF crowd was (they had Sooooo much energy), but everyone was really responsive after the show and we had lots of people tell us it was unlike anything they'd seen before and offering us jobs! The stage manager raved that we could dance on the stage anytime. Later that night we danced with Naked Rhythms (with the percussionist from the Red Elvised ~i wanna see you bellydance~ our newest peice) that rocked. uh huh.

There were a couple of people taking photos and video taping with HD cameras and i was able to connect with them after the show to hook up for the goods. One of the videographers asked if we would be willing to shoot some footage in a cornfield sculpture in downtown LA that they are tring to save as a public art park after the corn is harvested in November. I said we would be interested in being a part of that project and exchanged info.

We took full advantage of our relaxed schedule and slept almost 12hrs the next day and then made our way to Venice Beach. Checked out the fun shops, watched a beautiful sunset and danced at the drum circle. Stopped at an internet cafe' then we went to the Temple Bar where there was some incredible music from around the world. Lots of instuments i haven't even seen before (and i'm a music junkie) lots of good prayerful dancin' and meetin' cool folks. There was also this beautiful soul singin piano playin' goddess at the place next door where we got our food. LA is just oozin' good music. By then it was pouring rain and it rained on and off for the next two daze. We thought we might not be able to do the video shoot...

Instead we visited with friends, went to Third Street Promenade, ate good food, went by my old house and the people that live there now had us over for dinner and wine! Talked with my old neighbors and ran up the somewhat muddy hillside i hiked every day for four years. Didn't get my hiking fix this go around...was planning on a Good trip with Serene....so many great places those that don't know the heart of LA will never cherish. There's always going back in the spring...

The rain cleared up and we set up to go back downtown for the last day for the cornfield project. As we walked our way into the spiral we talked about open public space and how LA has the least of it of any city, this projects aim is to reclaim the space that was before a trashed out wasteland by the railway. Now it exists as an agricultural space for people to visit and connect. In the center is clearing with a fire pit that people can gather at. This is where our bodies were painted by this incredible artist and danced our way around this cornfield sculpture for two hours...it was a beautiful experience. To combine art, support each other, raising awareness about this peice of beauty among the smog and pollution while dancing with Serene...is Bliss. Give thanks for the experience.

May this place remain open to the public, creating the opportunity for people to express their artistic natures and continue the visions of the artists and poets that helped create this reality. Mad props to the gorrilla gardeners, media makers outside of plastic realities, and all those inspired to make majick. It was good to grow some roots down on downtown soil. Much love. To find out more about this living sculpture, check out notacornfield.info

~*~
bliss