D-Efeitos – Prólogo

From Brazil with Love,

Superboy

I can't lie - I've been a club kid for a loooong time. This cirque piece totally made me wet my pants. Now you too can feel the magic.

Super Boy - Cirque du Soleil from l.a. bean on Vimeo.

Flies, Dead Guys & Bloody Thighs

Media from the EEB is now up at: http://mojodeville.wordpress.com/2009/10/29/zombie-kisses/

Zomburlesque

I'll be performing at this event with some of the other Counter Culture Collective freaks...
With all this new age vaudeville floating around a gal wonders just what's in store for the art of the tease...

Ever see a dead girl drop it like it's hot?

What's Next for Dance? Hollywood, CA

This, and Nine Inch Nails last tour took live performance and technology to a level I never considered could be achieved. We've been waiting for "what's next" after Cirque broke all the rules ten years ago. But it's been ten years and ... nothing.

Until now.

This is art.

.PLAYA FOOT.

My feet are my meal ticket. Sure I could dance without ‘em – I once had an amazing mentor who could pull quadruple pirouettes on one leg…he only had ONE leg! But really, I don’t want be at that point unless I have to – yaddida?

Being at Burning Man is a slap in the foot. For us grounded bare-foot walkers, the intensely dry alkaline silt may feel good between our toes for a day or two but can lead to serious playa foot if left untended for longer. Playa Foot is an infirmity unique to the Black Rock Desert. It can most easily be compared to a chemical burn. Symptoms range from dry, cracked feet to intensely chapped, bleeding feet that hurt to walk on. Trust, this is not something you want to have during one of the most epic celebrations of the year.

While I frolicked barefoot most of the week without too much chafing, I did manage to catch a few unlucky buddies at what seemed like some pretty bummerific times. The on-site cure is easy; A little vinegar goes a long way. The magic however, is in the decompression/rejuvenation time you get to enjoy post-playa.

The burners at my co-op loved the baths I drew for them. Packed with yummy things found around the home, you too can de-playafy!

Post-Playa Soak

A hot bath is drawn with:

2 cups of vinegar

fresh mint leaves

arnica

a few drops of tea tree oil

fresh rosemary

epsom salt

** muddle all herbs before hand in order to release their full scents and capabilities**

And if you’re not into gettin’ all DIY for some reason – Mom sent me some amazing salts from the Landmade Co. a while back. While I haven’t been able to hunt much of anything down online the company can be contacted here.

This group organically grows or conscientiously collects the herbs they use in their products, they stay away from artificial components and works hard to help transform the mundane routine into rituals of health and healing. Can’t go wrong with that! I used the Arnica/MSM Therapeutic Mineral Salts and fell in love!

Happy Decompression!

Got a Date w/ Busdriver & Rosetta...

Could life be any better?
MoJo will be rocking DC with Rosetta Stoned!!!
mojodeville.wordpress.com for more info soon!

The Lift & The Ground

Our bodies tell us to groove every second of the day. A hand on the heart or a finger on the pulse instantly supplies you with a steady beat for which to tap your foot. We know that it all has something to do with electricity and “life-force” but there is still plenty of unknown magic out there just waiting to be discovered. Why are we even alive? Why do we breathe and love and feel? Why does the beat and the pulse exist so evenly, so rhythmically? Even more, these things work inside us without us having to think or volunteer any real effort at all. We are spoon-fed magic every moment…and all that is required of us is respect.

But what of the other “inside things” we don’t control? What about the simple truths our minds hold? Our subconscious?

I’ve been using dance as a tool for expression for longer than I can even officially remember. Before schooling, before performing professionally, before becoming cognizant of what I was doing. However, for the last decade I’ve been allowing myself to explore it further. How can dance be utilized as a tool for spirituality, meditation, trance and possession?

The prospect of intentionally dancing myself into a trance came about as I was beginning to question my Catholic upbringing. I shirked many a responsibility as an eager teen – lusting for Truth. I wanted to learn more about the alternative spiritual systems that had previously only been hinted to me and experience their magic. I eventually came to realize that the esotericism I sought was right under my nose, as a beautiful & stoic old woman – quite dear to me – began to disclose some of what she thought to be the secrets of the universe before her quiet death. I didn’t understand it all at the time but was elated to finally hear something. Her words were memorable enough to open many doors through the years, even after her death and so – I held on to them tightly.

The first time I felt I had enough knowledge and courage to attempt a spiritual dance encounter in a focused, deliberate manner I was struck by how both scared and liberated I felt. While dance was something I already practiced and excelled at, this was much different than a staged performance piece. This dance was for the spirits, the earth and all vibrations between. Not for an audience of commercially driven spectators. The magnitude of this hit me like a sack of bricks. There were no mirrors or spotlights here. Time to shed the ego.

A tough pill to swallow – even dancing alone surrounded only by my four walls and some candlelight turned me into a self-conscious, trembling mass. I was too open. I was too vulnerable. “What floating personality has entered me? Surely I’ve no idea where I am within space and time. Surely I’ve never moved this way before in my life.” It felt to me like holy communion. I had ingested, become and was suddenly dancing the message of some God-force, some spirit, some animal…I was awake and lucid and sweating; Writhing on the floor like some twitching beast. Ecstatic.

Something beautiful happens when you allow yourself to give up completely the 9 to 5, the final exams, the boyfriend/girlfriend drama, the stress and the suffering. When you pass into a rhythmic induced meditation and pass back out of it you are left with a mental clarity that I hold no doubt is a healing. You – the empty vessel – have allowed your physical being to work as both conduit and doorway to your own personal nirvana. Lifting you up – grounding you down.

Now as I study set and setting, prepare for my excursions into the next - I am beginning to understand how to shape my journies so that they may be productive experiences as much as they are freeing experiences. By setting my intentions at the start I can mold my dance into a focused meditation generating specific results. Primal instincts coming out and assisting me in my troubleshooting processes – giving me the outside perspective I need to work out life’s lifey-ness.

Sweet catharsis.

Post Jerk - Get Punk[d].

Thanks to Miss Tonya Kay for introducing me to this. She posted this video on her forum at The Lonely Garden. Michael Clark is invincible I say. Perhaps my NYC punk days have got a stronger grip on my heart than I thought...but methinks the magic of this crossover art can hold its own. Check out the goods and let em simmer why don't ya?

I Like Fosse

DANCING THROUGH BOUNDARIES

DANCING THROUGH BOUNDARIES
by Katharine Vigmostad

This paper was originally written for a course at The University of Iowa, entitled Theories of Dance and the Body. This course explored varying theories and points of view on physical embodiment, and how our understanding of corporeality affects the way we view, experience, and utilize dance.


Introduction

The human body is inherently restricted in its ability to perform actions – and each one unique in its degree of limitations. How do we, as dancers, performers, and choreographers, respect these boundaries while still pursuing an aesthetic goal? How do intricate power relationships play into and complicate this issue in the dance world? How do current dance training practices lend to the formation of a dancer’s identity, and how does this identity, in turn, inform dancers’ participation in and proliferation of these complex and often imbalanced power structures? I believe these issues to be salient, and in need of exploitation in the practice and performance of dance, for their consequences yield considerable authority in the making and treatment of dancers and their subsequent relationship with their chosen profession. The power relationships established in the dance world have dominating tendencies, often cross ethical boundaries, and are rarely addressed in dance classrooms or rehearsal settings. I hope to reveal some of the mechanics of the complex relationships set up between dance teachers/choreographers and dance students/dancers, in the hopes that the awareness of such issues is capable of beginning a process of transition, leading to a more democratic and holistic approach to the practice, making, and performance of this art form. I will draw support from articles written by dance scholars and will try to focus my writing on 20th century concert dance and movement modalities, and draw from my own experiences in these disciplines.



Forming a dancer’s identity

As I grew up with dance, it has been an integral part of my identity, and my identification process. My identity has always included the statement: “I am a dancer” – a statement that bleeds into the way I see and respond to my surroundings; I learn best through my kinesthetic sense, gaining insight and information through/from other’s bodies and their postures and movements. Andre Grau states that, “…identity is structured by otherness and vice versa…” and “is bound to the dynamics of interactions.” (Grau, 190-191). Our identity, then, is continuously being constructed through the reflection and/or deflection of difference. I think this is key in the development of a dancer’s identity in particular, because the body, being the form’s medium of expression, and a constant in the human experience, is so easily compared to others in the dance classroom and/or on stage. A dancer’s body must be trained, scrutinized, and controlled; body ideals are clearly stated by the visibility of such canonical statures in dance performances. Isabelle Ginot writes, “…contemporary dancers’ memories… have shown that one of the key guiding factors of their training is identity. The question is whether to succeed or not in ‘becoming a dancer,’ in conforming to the real or fictional images of this ‘being a dancer’ and its identity, perceived as both repressive and desirable.” (Ginot, p. 251 – 252) A dancer who does not “fit the mold” physically is aware of their potential to “succeed” in the contemporary dance world because of this factor. Comparison with other dancers is encouraged from the beginning, and this early cultivation of “what a dancer looks like” into the minds of young dancers becomes an integral part of their notion of self-worth and, subsequently, their identity. The objectification of a dancer comes from teachers and spectators as well. Susan Foster reveals the early ballet establishment’s role in promoting this behavior. Foster states, “Capitalist marketing strategies in the early nineteenth century supported and enhanced the objectified dancing body and the commodified female dancer. They pitted one ballerina against another in intensive, objectifying advertising campaigns.” (The ballerina’s phallic pointe, p. 6) These tactics to increase ballet’s popularity drove dance companies to create the image of drama and competition within the walls of their organization. Eventually, these stories manifested into reality, and competitive dynamics are still prevalent and a driving force in the field of dance.


Disciplining a dancer

A certain amount of masochism is built in to the training of a contemporary dancer. Pain is often explained as a sign of “growing” and “getting stronger”, and those who cannot endure it are not expected to go very far in the field; I can remember being reprimanded many times in pointe class for wanting to take my shoes off when my feet were numb and bleeding. It is no question that dance training, like all sports and physical training endeavors, is physically, mentally and emotionally challenging. But these extreme and coercive training methods from such a young age instill into the minds of dancers extensive amounts of competition and insecurity, which will eventually travel with them into the rest of their lives, both within and without the dance world. Dancers are often asked to perform movements which are potentially injurious to their bodies, and, because of their ingrained and debilitating work ethic, usually do not contest. The average professional dancer’s career is approximately 10 – 15 years (according to the few articles I could find on the subject) the majority of which end due to severe injury or prolonged overuse. For a dancer, jobs are few and far between. Choosing to not oblige a choreographer’s demands based on physical limit or moral/ethical belief is nearly impossible without serious consequence. Not only will this behavior most likely guarantee a dancer’s firing from their current job, but their reputation will also be soiled, preventing future jobs from manifesting. I think this perception of dance being “both repressive and desirable”, as Ginot points out, is a key factor in the cycle of power relations built up around the dance medium, and plays an important role in our understanding some of these central and multivalent power-dynamics present in the practice and making of dances.
The structure of dance training, in particular the study of Classical Ballet, seems to have developed from the disciplinary foundations set by institutions such as the military. The parallels are most apparent in the desire to control and dominate the body in the hopes to create a body that functions efficiently for the profit of the institution it serves. In Discipline and Punishment Michel Foucault writes about the evolution of institutionalized disciplines, and comments about the point in history when disciplinary modalities were becoming codified. Foucault explains, “What was then being formed was a policy of coercions that act upon the body, a calculated manipulation of its elements, its gestures, its behaviour... Discipline produces subjected and practiced bodies, ‘docile’ bodies. Discipline increases the forces of the body (in economic terms of utility) and diminishes the forces of the body (in political terms of obedience.)” (Docile Bodies, Foucault, p. 138) As the dance-pupil commits him or herself to the dance discipline their ability to conform to set standards grants them a certain amount of usability. It becomes the dance student’s goal to be desired by their teacher(s) and choreographers at large, and will most likely abandon their own needs/desires in order to achieve the other’s objectives. It is difficult for these cycles to be broken for many reasons. One may be that dance instructors and choreographers were taught in a similar way, and are propelling this mindset in the following generation through their classes and choreographic works. There is an expectation in most dance classrooms that the dance teacher – at least for the few hours that they are in charge – holds the power and should be respected to the point of tacit obedience from the pupil. This experience of self-repression becomes so ingrained in the student, that questioning the teacher’s knowledge of the subject becomes a taboo, and such questions of ethics (as far as I have seen in contemporary dance classes) are rarely raised. This paradigm then translates into the rehearsal process, where the choreographer’s will becomes the dancer’s mission and inspiration. It is a bizarre phenomenon that one day a dancer may suffer extreme physical pain, endure scrutinizing judgment based on their looks or lack of talent, yet they will still show up to a dance class or rehearsal the next day in an attempt to fulfill their own, and other’s projected, expectations/desires. The layers of power relationships in these classroom and rehearsal settings are extremely hard to understand and decipher, and I have only just touched the surface of such issues. A full disclosure of these relationships would certainly require an in-depth look into psychology, and other areas of pertinent human-dynamic research; nevertheless, I have tried to reveal something of these dynamics from my own experience in the field of dance.


Accepting the limits of corporeality

With the current acceptable dance training modality in place, it is clear that dancers are instructed and expected to apply techniques presented by the teacher without thought of its potential injury to their body. Sandra Fraleigh states, “Whether I like it or not, my particular embodiment and my images of its powers and limitations condition my general comportment in life... Not only is my body mine – but I belong to it. I experience myself as implicated by my body.” (Dance and the Lived Body, p. 17) Fraleigh continues by illuminating the downfalls of a dualistic approach to dancing, drawing insight from existential phenomenology in her pursuit to reveal the separation of mind and body in the language and mindset of contemporary dancers. I think that this dualism, which is prevalent in the entirety of the western paradigm, is detrimental to all power-based structures. In the dance world, this dualistic viewpoint lends to the promotion of controlling the body; the mind is viewed as the agency by which the body is moved and utilized. From this foundation, dance students are trained to objectify themselves in the learning process, leading to ignorance of the body’s functioning and inherent limits, and, therefore, unconsciously damaging themselves through their exertions.

I realize that I have painted a very grey image of a traditional dance career. I have not focused on beneficial aspects of concert dance, only so that I could raise and investigate salient issues in the dance field that are so oft overlooked. I am not interested in discouraging the progression and continuation of concert dance; quite the contrary, I hope only for betterment and prospering to occur in the field (a field in which I am an active participant.) I think that with consideration of our treatment and training of dancers, education in the areas of movement analysis, biomechanics and anatomy, the dance world has potential to bloom into a new and exciting era of movement exploration. Dancers could become relatively injury-free, self-sufficient in remaining so, and capable of pushing the envelope of movement potential. This is an idealized vision, but one that I believe is (and have seen living proof of) possible. I do not think that it is possible to completely avoid injury, pain, or discomfort on all fronts – accidents and disagreements always happen. But, the amount and degree to which one damages their body should and can be held at bay.

In my study of the human body, and its various ways of moving, I have progressed from Ballet to Improvisational dance, to Modern and Contemporary dance forms, to Yoga, and most recently the study of movement analysis - absorbed primarily by the Axis Syllabus (AS). Frey Faust, the main synthesizer of the AS and author of numerous dance articles on related topics, writes of he and the AS’s goals in an article titled The Pedagogical Thesis of the Axis Syllabus, “Consistent with the natural environment that produced us, nowhere in the human body is there any evidence of a straight line or flat surface. It follows then that the most logical way to train the body would be through non-linear, undulatory, tri-axial motion. We could consider this kind of movement as a neutral starting point for mechanical integrity and well-being.” (Faust, Pedagogical Thesis, (http://www.axissyllabus.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=105&Itemid=2) Faust, in his observation and experience of the body from various lenses of both dance and the sciences, has developed a method for training the body from a sensory, rather than aesthetic, orientation, with his student’s physical safety at the core of his endeavors. Using visual references, technical terms, and physical demonstration, Faust is able to lead his students through series of transition-specific movements, which allow joint-integrity to remain intact and a priority throughout the class. Giving weight to the salience of recognizing and honoring our inherent physical limits, the AS-ump reveals to its patient students a powerful movement logic that transforms preconceived limits into nurtured and choice opportunities, while remaining within physical safe-zone parameters. In this form of training the body each student is given the tools necessary to make movement choices based on knowledge of anatomy, biomechanics, and principles of applied physics – granting them both freedom and responsibility in their own safety and health. I believe this and similar methods of training the body could greatly benefit the contemporary dance world, providing students and teachers with practical solutions in their movement making decisions, as well as setting up clear priorities for each.


Theory in motion – choreographing boundaries

In our choreographic collaboration, my group discussed the various perspectives we each hold on the idea of “integrity” as dancers, and how we feel the dance world either supports or debilitates this quality in our own lives, and in the art form we both observe and interact with. We have discussed how we have been “marked” by different influences in our lives – dance teachers/choreographers; life experiences; friends; colleagues; schooling; belief systems; ancestry; and so on. I believe these markings play a definite role in one’s identity and particular manner of identification. I am curious about how I have been marked and how I, in turn, mark others. Our discussions have lead to a belief that you cannot always know how you are influencing those around you, and where or when other’s marks will show up in your own person. In our choreographic process, we extracted “essences” from the conversations we engaged in as a group, in order to produce movement from the core issues at hand. We chose to represent these markings with colored paint as a process of making visible the unconscious influences from the world around us. Throughout the piece we represent numerous influences/people for one another, and have endeavored to represent certain boundaries and our dance and genetic histories through movement vocabulary and interaction with the paint.

The way I engaged with our dance-concept was by using my writing/research as a springboard for movement exploration in terms of my viewpoint on integrity and the boundaries that I attempt to respect in my dancing. I wanted to show my position on the power relationships set up in dance classes/rehearsals between teacher/choreographer and dancer, and how these power structures’ inherent tendencies promote the abandonment of joint/structural integrity in dancers. The movement material I contributed to the piece was drawn from the defining of my physical body, and applying the paint in a way that illuminated these boundaries. I was also concerned with the boundaries around my body; further clarifying my parameters for self-preservation. My first markings come from two other dancers, and these marks are placed on the sides of my arms. I asked the dancers to mark me on my skin to emphasize the physical boundary of my body. Having others mark me in this way is both a signifier of the action others take in helping to define who I am, and also the ability to manipulate a dancer through projected ideas/ideals/aesthetic agendas. When marking myself with the paint, I place it right on the front of my chest. This action is a symbol of my desire to be upfront and clear with myself, and those I work with, in my communication of my beliefs/boundaries/comfort zones. I also mark the other dancers in this same way; deliberately encouraging a similar approach to communication and a rethinking of priorities. Towards the end of the dance, we all engage in a series of vigorous/sharp/harsh/exhaustive movements, which carry on in a series of permutations and shifting spatial arrangements. One by one, we eventually withdraw from the fervor, leaving one dancer to continue the cycle alone. An outside force is pushing the dancer in this motif – an imaginary choreographer has given her this movement, and she performs with full force and conviction. I imagine the movement itself representing violence towards the dancer from this outside force. Her boundaries are being entreated upon, yet she continues to dance. As the other dancers dissipate, she continues, now internalizing the previously external force of the choreographer’s demands. She pushes herself now, struggling to rise to the expectations of the choreographer. She eventually quits due to utter exhaustion, falling back into line with the remaining dancers. This section represents my past – my old habits of relating to and approaching dance. I was ignorant of my body’s needs, pushing/pulling/thrashing through my limits, wanting, at whatever cost to my well-being and physical structure, to please my teacher/choreographer, and to be rise above than my fellow dancers in terms of skill and desirability.

I believe there is a more conscious and healthy way to achieve aesthetic goals through dance – one that does not stress the importance of suffering or engage in violent communication in order to succeed. Sondra Fraleigh states that, “Human movement is the actualization, the realization, of embodiment. Movement cannot be considered as medium apart from an understanding that movement is body, not just something that the body accomplishes instrumentally as it is moved by some distinct, inner, and separable agency.” (Dance and the Lived Body, p. 13) As the current paradigm of dance continues to objectify the body in this way, progress towards body-conscious development cannot ensue. I hope that by bringing these issues to light it is possible to highlight and instigate the application of alternative ideas for, and methods of, training the body that engage a holistic approach to the body’s functioning and treatment of the individuals involved in the field of dance.


Bibliography
Dance, identity and identification processes in the postcolonial world, p. 190 - 191 … Andre Grau
Identity, the contemporary, and the dancers, p.251 - 252 … Isabelle Ginot
The ballerina’s phallic pointe, p. 6 … Susan Foster
Discipline and Punishment, p. 138 … Michel Foucault
The Pedagogical Thesis of the Axis Syllabus, http://www.axissyllabus.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=105&Itemid=2 … Frey Faust
Dance and the Lived Body, p. 17, p.13 … Sandra Fraleigh

Slumber Party!

Check it - my lovely housemates have decided it be time to go big. BIG i say.

Ladies and gents, Cartesian Records & Counter Culture Collective present to you:



Complete with magic, sideshow, burlesque, oddity arts and wait...there's more!
Come jam with us. We'll be rockin all night long.

Circus Without Animals on the Tonight Show Thursday Hollywood, CA

Cirque du Soliel spawned a circus revival when it hit the Vegas strip—aerialists, hand balancers, acrobats and clowns now populate not only the big top but music concerts, MTV videos and commercials as well. Yet a circus is authentic only if we are dazzled by a death-defying knife-throwing act. Jack Dagger and I keep this original circus art alive and will be doing so this Thursday on the Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien!

It's extra special to see a real knife-thrower perform. In this regard, Jack Dagger is truly one of a kind. And to top off this rare performance on NBC, Jack Dagger and I will be performing our deadly "Cucumber Cut." After Jack throws knives with Conan, he will slice a cucumber in half off of my arm (hopefully without injuring me in the process) as the grand finale. This stunt is something you won't see on the Vegas strip.

As you might remember, only two weeks ago I was featured on Showtime's Live Nude Comedy, cracking a flower out of my shaking assistant's mouth with my 5-foot bullwhip. The danger and thrills just don't stop! Support your favorite cruelty-free/non-animal circus act and watch Jack Dagger and me this Thursday!

Live Studio Audience: Backstage on Showtime shoot Hollywood, CA

We were given one rehearsal on-stage—about 10 minutes on the actual set to mark dimensions, lights, camera angles and choreography. That's not much time to add a set of stairs into a dance number. In fact, 10 minutes is not a lot of time to rehearse at all. But we burlesque dancers are used to bringing in a solo act and putting it on within the context of a grand production. We're fast and we work well under pressure.


I was somewhat experienced at "live studio audience" tapings prior to this one. I had spun fire with my stilt company, Stilt World, in NBC's America’s Got Talent semifinals. I stood as target girl for a knife thrower on the Game Show Network's I’ve Got a Secret. But it was usually just my fellow actors, assistant directors, grips, camera operators, crafties and the director on set with me. So this "live studio audience" taping of my Bullwhip Burlesque solo in high-definition for airing in the premiere episode of a new Showtime series inspired me to be at the top of my game.

Live Nude Comedy, hosted by American Pie's Shannon Elizabeth and featuring star comedian Andy Dick, pushes late-nite television boundaries while educating a nation of comedy-craving viewers on burlesque as a diverse art form—from the classic, pinup sweetheart to me, the edgy, skill-oriented geisha-meets-striptease badass.

We filmed in the lovely El Portal Theatre on Lankershim in North Hollywood. The comedians’ and burlesque dancers' dressing rooms were no more than fabric walls suspended on pole frames in the spooky theater basement. The dancers had two make-up artists on hand for support, though we did our own faces. They encouraged us to shy away from glitter on high-definition tape (looks like it's levitating over your skin). I didn't use glitter. I did use cruelty-free Alima mineral cosmetics—listed as vegan and testing safe in the Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database. I applied those with Aveda brushes, which I love because they have handles made of flax and recycled plastic and taklon (non-animal fiber) bristles in an organic cotton case. (I also prefer cruelty-free hair, but how do you assure/certify that?) By the way, Alima mineral cosmetics gives you free eyeshadow when you return your used plastic containers. Alima and Aveda cosmetics are two exceptionally progressive companies environmentally and their cosmetics hold up under hours of intense, hot set/stage lighting during long shoots. They can sculpt even the most complex burlesque make-up design, and don't make my skin bumpy or hurt my eyes when removed.

In the dressing room, chit-chatting about this and that, a dancer wanted to know what I was drinking. Most of the time this calls for a less-is-more kind of answer, but this dancer showed some genuine interest so I talked with her about kombucha, the home-fermented, pH balancing, life-process promoting and economical drink. Backstage I thought to myself how nice it was to be able to relate to her about my passion for feeling healthy. She got it, too. Things are changing and in my favor!

When I came off stage from my single rehearsal, the dancers watching playback from the dressing room voted me "most flawless body," which really made me chuckle because, from my angle, I was sitting among the most gorgeous women in Hollywood and they were telling this to me? I wanted to give them something nice in return—perhaps a raw fooder's performance secret. I said, "We all play up our assets in costuming. Some people have this and some people have that. I have nice muscle tone, so I don't try to push up or pop out too much. I rub raw coconut oil all over my body because it glistens and is more like fitness modeling, only very healthy since it’s a natural oil. I use Cocopura because it's light and silky with a sweet, fresh coconut-oil scent.

At the last minute, the choreographer, Frankie Anne, gave me the go-ahead to work a pre-approved audience "volunteer" into my whip routine. So this new addition to my act and I rehearsed backstage in very cramped quarters. The space was so small, I didn't dare actually crack my whip in there with all the C-cups flying and hair rollers boinging. I just explained to him what he should do to stay safe while I attempted to cut a flower out of his mouth without rehearsal in front of a screaming "live studio audience." Around us, the ladies stretched out to stay limber. The Bellydance Burlesque dancer breathed like the spirit of a dragon was clawing up her spine. We all prepare differently, but we all prepare.

All my friends came to see the live taping, as well as my manager and some new fans—and wow, did the audience howl and hoot. (That's what I really miss when it's just me and the crew on set!) They hollered and I unzipped. I did have some unexpected prop malfunctions, but I figure that's something audiences actually like—to know I'm only human and we're all just having a good time. I'm a pro and I’ve learned to handle surprises like whips wrapping or traction slipping. But when it finally came time for my volunteer to kneel down in front of me, bless his geeky heart, he was trembling with nerves as I lined up to break the sound barrier in front of his face and crack a flower out of his mouth. Quivering comedian that he was, he reacted perfectly and was a hero at my feet.

After what proved to be a raucous, bigfunadventure of a performance, returning to the dressing room feeling all was right with the world, I found my coconut oil missing. The dancers yet to perform were rubbing it on each other—each glistening like water and smelling as if they’d had an intoxicating bath of coconut. As for having my belongings “stolen,” I really didn't mind. I didn't mind at all.






Watch Tonya Kay perform her Bullwhip Burlesque in the series premiere of Showtime's LIVE NUDE COMEDY this Thursday, July 16th, at midnight (Friday morning). This episode reairs on July 17th at 11pm and July 19th at 11:30pm. Also, watch for Tonya Kay's comic cover-issue in Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose this November.

To view additional photography, visit EcoHearth's Clean and Green Everyday online.

Summertime Clothes

Good grace - there has been some major shyte going on.

Firstly, Outside of generally going insane - I've been in the market for some new sauce. Things were oh-so-sexy back in the big city. Not much room for glamour in the little town I'm currently in. But upon coming across a shady little fetish shoppe cleverly named Camouflage in our downtown district I grew nostalgic of days old where drag queens, neo-burlesque, foot fetish parties, dominas and various new-age vaudevillian and cirque performers took over 90% of my love, time and energy. It got me to thinking...why haven't I hosted anything out here yet? So pirates and pixies, I give to youHA! And if that weren't enough...Animal Collective just released their new music video for Summertime Clothes. Perfect timing...it was starting to get hot and lucky for you my birthday suit is in my summer wardrobe.

*wink*

This group is sick. The music is complex and exciting. The video showcases some really interesting motifs and uses dance as a springboard for aesthetic madness. A little wave for ya? A little pop? Some lock? Oh...what about hot balloon burlesque? Get down.

League of Extraordinary Dancers

I Sweat Cherry Juice Originally Published with http://ecohearth.com on 04.04.09

Signing autographs in a different time zone each week. Waking early to make small talk on morning radio. Snarling as a dirty, corset-wearing character in front of thousands of shrieking teenagers from a sold-out stage at Madison Square Garden. Sometimes even I think it's play. But it's my job.

I've been dancing professionally for 17 years. I was stretching splits at age seven. I was tapping time steps under my seat in kindergarten. I was counting crunches in the womb (or at least that's what mom said it felt like). And sometimes even I have to remind myself of the broken rib cartilage, torn hamstrings and transverse fasciae latae insertion tendonitis to remember that professional dance isn't all passion and play. It's a job. And it's a sport.

Read On ...

DIGG story

FOOL's GOLD

So when you're bored and looking for some madness on April Fool's night...
Come kick it with Counter Culture Collective, the Dub Pirates, Little John and more at Fool's Gold! - A splendid affair...

SWOON is at it again!

Ok...WHAT?
Pirate ships. Swimming cities.
She's on some next level biz yall...

Check it out here!

Spotlight on: Eric Van Uytven

Belgian Artist Eric Van Uytven has got some pretty dope portraiture going on. Wish he had a site to refer to but sadly he's another artist lost to the etherspace.

If you're lucky, you can find his work around Belgium and certain big American cities...ahem...

If you love him - hit him up on Facebook...lol...he's got one of those.

We're Going Native!

Counter Culture Collective will be reppin' it hard at
GO NATIVE pt 1: Descend-Dance on March 28th!

This event will raise funds for the Native Church's medicinal work, specifically the neurofeedback research demonstrating causality between medicinal use, improved brainwave patterns, and heightened mirror neuron activity in users.

The venue is an 1870s bordello complex built in front of the ancient Ohlone Indian gathering ground in Oakland.

Find us floating about the four rooms themed to the four elements!

Water: Island Natives (Maori) : Raw Foods, Absinthe Bar, Fresh Coconuts

Air: Cliff Natives (Anasazi) : Atrium : Chillout

Earth : Jungle Natives (Shipibo) : Giant Dream-Catcher hanging between balconies

Fire : Desert Natives (Pueblo) : Dub-Step Room

Mad Zach & R2 the Specialist doing a live set!

Fashion show, micro-massages, an absinthe bar, raw foods and more.

Be there.

MAD ZACH gets down!

For all you lucky folk with access to a radio in the Santa Cruz area, Mad Zach will be performing a live set...cooking up the dank noms on KZSC 88.1 this Friday the 27th at around 7:30pm.

Be sure to tune in - this boy's got some super fresh beats for your ears!
Check out more about him at www.madzach.com! Why? Because he's one of the few peeps out there today helping to shape the live electronic music. He's got a killer collaborative effort going on with R2 the Specialist - another local Santa Cruzian - and has loads of bomb tracks available for free and for purchase here.

Movement Manifestation

We're all just manifesting moves from a different time...
Crazy Legs introduces this badass clip - if ever you were wondering about the evolution of street movement...here you go!

Detours: An Experimental Dance Collaboration is pretty funky yall...
If anyone feels like throwing me a copy of their dvd I'd be the smiliest girl in town!

We're Coming...

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.
- Theodore Roosevelt -

Roustabout (Bassnectar Remix) - Beats Antique

.Tribemates.

Ladies and freaks, Zoe Jakes.
As a hip-hop dancer continually training myself in the realm of isolations and movement control - I definitely admire this woman and her ability to emote whilst hitting her marks!

Very excited to be able to meet and work with her soon!
Check out her vid!


And if you didn't get enough of the tribal b.i. - Rachel Brice is one to fawn over as well - currently teaching classes throughout Santa Cruz and beyond!

Knife Throwing on History Channel national television

To all you weapon lovers, marksmen, and film stunt enthusiasts - do not miss this high definition feature!

Jack Dagger and I will appear on the History Channel on Sunday, January 25th at 8pm PST setting records and performing stunts WE didn't even know we could do!

Tune into More Extreme Marksmen Sunday, January 25 at 8PM PST.

The show is also scheduled to re-air on Monday, January 26 at 12:00AM, and I'm sure many times after that.

This is the stuff screen writers re-write their action scenes to feature - never seen before - no kidding!

Tell everyone you know ...




PS - you can receive automatic reminder alerts by subscribing to my iCal feed
PPS - to get you excited, more photos from the More Extreme Marksmen shoot by photographer John Leonetti are here

Dancing to Save the World

Put your hands where?

Did we all forget about this?
Hope not.

DinoRhymo

Courtesy o' Kelly Peach.
yo, check it out.

pretty killer.

Rumi

Dance, when you're broken open.
Dance, if you've torn the bandage off.
Dance in the middle of the fighting.
Dance in your blood.
Dance, when you're perfectly free.

--Jelaluddin Rumi (13th century)

Odbol.

This young man is fantastic and my brain click clicks for him and all the other young engineers utilizing new technologies to enhance their performances...

I am in love.

I am in love with these lovers. Every day I encounter a new one - sometimes I'm the one reaching out, oftentimes they bring me into existence through an email or phone call - but boy am I glad to be able to make the connection.

Check out what this sorcerer manages to cook up with a couple Piezo mics and a sprinklin' of MIDI magick!

We're talking cyborg musician status, where the body acts as both instrument and player.
What you know about that?

Chick With A Whip

Happy new year!!!

To my knowledge, I am the only chick in Hollywood doing professional level performance whips. A chick with a whip seems like a natural combination to me!

Here is my recent edit of some whip footage I threw together: precision cracking and cracking sequences. The two 4' nylon bull whips you see in the footage were made by Coyote Whips.

My bull whip burlesque act will be featured on Showtime's "Live Nude Comedy" series in summer of 2009. Yup, sometimes I'm a wild west arts kinda dancer, with knife throwing and whips (soon to be gun training and bow and arrow, too!). But sometimes the fetish, burlesque or circus venues know where whips fit best! On Showtime's "Live Nude Comedy" I will be featured in a 3 minute high-definition solo in true burlesque exposure. There are a few backstage Live Nude Comedy photos here.