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| Testimonials |
Spring Masquerade Ball
"Last night we were talking about the event and how nice it was to be a Part of it. You really did
an amazing job! It resonated at some dark Primitive level deep within my soul.
It reminds me of a feeling I had watching a film back in 1982. It was A movie called "Cat
People". The film opens with a simple repetitive Rhythm beaten out on a drum. The scene is a
desert village surrounded by a sandstorm. Blowing sand. Stark images. A young girl is taken from
the village and tied to a tree and left as a sacrifice to the large black leopards that live nearby.
Later we see another girl brought to a cave, This time the leopard takes her in what looks like a
sexual embrace. The Music playing through the opening sequence is by David Bowie. "see these
eyes of green... I can stare for a thousand years... colder than the moon..." The rhythm of the
opening sequence was aboriginal - like leopards mating, Simple primitive pleasure. Your event
had a similar feel to it and a strong primitive feminine energy. You really put the right mix
together."
"Last night we were talking about the event and how nice it was to be a Part of it. You really did
an amazing job! It resonated at some dark Primitive level deep within my soul.
It reminds me of a feeling I had watching a film back in 1982. It was A movie called "Cat
People". The film opens with a simple repetitive Rhythm beaten out on a drum. The scene is a
desert village surrounded by a sandstorm. Blowing sand. Stark images. A young girl is taken from
the village and tied to a tree and left as a sacrifice to the large black leopards that live nearby.
Later we see another girl brought to a cave, This time the leopard takes her in what looks like a
sexual embrace. The Music playing through the opening sequence is by David Bowie. "see these
eyes of green... I can stare for a thousand years... colder than the moon..." The rhythm of the
opening sequence was aboriginal - like leopards mating, Simple primitive pleasure. Your event
had a similar feel to it and a strong primitive feminine energy. You really put the right mix
together."
| On the afternoon before the Gallery Horse Cow’s Valentine’s Day party, the buzz was all over Sacramento. Shoppers scoured downtown stores for pink clothes. (Rumor had it that anyone not dressed in pink had to pay double admission.) At Cheap Thrills, comments flew from the dressing rooms: “I heard this guy wears a metal suit and runs saws all over it, and sparks shoot out.” “I’m modeling tonight, and I don’t even know what I’m wearing yet.” Tyrus Wilson could be seen through the window at Le Fun, furiously sewing for the evening’s fashion show. Even the barista at Infusion mentioned he was planning to be a go-go dancer there. When love is everywhere, there’s nothing to do but surrender. So, you assembled the pinkest outfit you could find and arrived just after 11 p.m. Outside, there was a line of people dressed in wigs, wings, faux-fur coats, lingerie, fresh camellias and fluffy sweaters that ran the gamut from light to hot pink. Nearly every one of them tried to talk their way out of the cover, telling the doorman that they had no room for a wallet in their hot pants or that they knew someone inside. Having little patience for those who want to indulge in independent art without financially supporting it, you skipped to the front of the line and offered your money with a smile. Inside, a couple hundred people lined the perimeters of the warehouse. Square stages were interspersed throughout. Huge movie screens offered simulcast views of each. For the next several hours, a montage of strange and wonderful sights passed by. Belly dancers shimmied to Eminem tunes. Women covered in fresh flowers spun fire from their fingertips. The Lovemakers played a scintillating set, as vocalist Lisa Light pushed her way through the crowd, staring down boys and singing, “I’ve got you hypnotized.” People in metal suits ran buzz saws over their armor, creating showers of sparks. Models strutted for a seemingly endless fashion show. Some wore pull-tab flapper dresses, inner-tube corsets and gowns made of plastic bags--all recycled-material garments by Davis group Haute Trash. The trash was fantastic, but the fashion by Amy Hemmens and Wilson was truly visionary. Models with hoods that totally obscured their faces wandered slowly through the warehouse in a parade of white, pink and burgundy. The clothing was so original, there aren’t even names for some of the garments: gathered velvet tubes that slid over both arms, shirts shaped like pink bows that bound the arms across the chest and asymmetrical masks that made it impossible to tell a person’s gender or race. For the finale of their show, two hooded models climbed atop the center stage and dressed and undressed each other. Some of their garments bound them together, and others barely stayed on their own bodies. Their dance became a metaphor for the transformative properties of relationships. It was a perfect Valentine’s Day gift and worth every bit of the buzz. 2/17/05 Sacramento News and Review; Becca Costello |
Wavy Gravy 60th Birthday Bash
"Hi Sequoia, it was really cool!
Thanks so much for being a part of the show.
Wavy did love it.
I hope we can work together again some time."
"Hi Sequoia, it was really cool!
Thanks so much for being a part of the show.
Wavy did love it.
I hope we can work together again some time."
8/8/2008; Sacramento's First Fire Spectacular! A Festival Celebrating Fire, ART, Music, and Dance
Hi Sequoia,
That was a wonderful show last night. I remember when you were having all sorts of difficulties with permits, the fire department, and it really
seemed like the City of Sacramento wasn't ready for fire art... the fact that you were able to organize such a show speaks well of everyone who was
involved.
I really enjoyed the gallery art as well as the performing. It was a little like the Fire Arts Festival at the Crucible, but on a more human scale -
better for me, frankly. Less alienating. You are a very good organizer, with good awareness of fire safety, and attentiveness to everyone who was
there. Safety is another thing that's often totally lacking in these chaotic massive ravey San Francisco events. Some of those kids think fire safety is
for sissies. No lie. That's not my thang, I can't let go unless I feel like someone's watching my back.
I wanted to say to each of the fire artists how much I enjoyed their performances. There was a lot of creativity out there, a lot of individual styles,
but more important, everyone was having a great time and they were supporting one another instead of being cold and cliquish. It was nice to see a
wider age range, too - I got tired of being the oldest person at these SF things, everyone else is way under 30, and I just didn't have the dreads, the
tats, the massive piercings, to fit in! As if body mods had anything to do with it, really.
Another thing that added to the warm vibe was a solid core of live musicians instead of canned or DJ music. They all appeared to be fairly
dedicated and skilled drummers and players. And, it started on time, metaphysically correct - I wondered if any of those guys were NASA
scientists???
The staging was good. Having the stage lights helped - they enhanced but didn't overwhelm the fire. Having the fire sculptures around the stage
really set the mood.
It was nice to see that many of the artists seemed to have some dance background as well. I could pick them out and see how they were putting their
dance training into their fire art. I actually got into Oriental dance (aka bellydance) from watching fire-dancers who'd had a little training - in
anything - and thinking that they looked better than the ones who hadn't. I didn't have much luck integrating African dance with fire, but bellydance
seems to work a lot better.
Thank you so much for inviting me!
-R
Hi Sequoia,
That was a wonderful show last night. I remember when you were having all sorts of difficulties with permits, the fire department, and it really
seemed like the City of Sacramento wasn't ready for fire art... the fact that you were able to organize such a show speaks well of everyone who was
involved.
I really enjoyed the gallery art as well as the performing. It was a little like the Fire Arts Festival at the Crucible, but on a more human scale -
better for me, frankly. Less alienating. You are a very good organizer, with good awareness of fire safety, and attentiveness to everyone who was
there. Safety is another thing that's often totally lacking in these chaotic massive ravey San Francisco events. Some of those kids think fire safety is
for sissies. No lie. That's not my thang, I can't let go unless I feel like someone's watching my back.
I wanted to say to each of the fire artists how much I enjoyed their performances. There was a lot of creativity out there, a lot of individual styles,
but more important, everyone was having a great time and they were supporting one another instead of being cold and cliquish. It was nice to see a
wider age range, too - I got tired of being the oldest person at these SF things, everyone else is way under 30, and I just didn't have the dreads, the
tats, the massive piercings, to fit in! As if body mods had anything to do with it, really.
Another thing that added to the warm vibe was a solid core of live musicians instead of canned or DJ music. They all appeared to be fairly
dedicated and skilled drummers and players. And, it started on time, metaphysically correct - I wondered if any of those guys were NASA
scientists???
The staging was good. Having the stage lights helped - they enhanced but didn't overwhelm the fire. Having the fire sculptures around the stage
really set the mood.
It was nice to see that many of the artists seemed to have some dance background as well. I could pick them out and see how they were putting their
dance training into their fire art. I actually got into Oriental dance (aka bellydance) from watching fire-dancers who'd had a little training - in
anything - and thinking that they looked better than the ones who hadn't. I didn't have much luck integrating African dance with fire, but bellydance
seems to work a lot better.
Thank you so much for inviting me!
-R