The beautiful ballerina in this video is my cousin, Theresa. Thanks for bringing ballet to the street Theresa!

When’s the last time YOU danced in public, when no one else was?

This dance post was going to be my next, and then I read Magpie talking about the Annual Shyne Like a Star Virtual Dance Party at Starshyne Productions. It’s today! So this dance post is in honor.

Check out this cool site devoted to cultural dance!

I’ve been taking Cuban Hip Hop at Center Space Studio. I just got back! It was really tiring tonight because I’ve been out of shape since my little accident. It’s a beautiful mix of hip hop (which I love) and Cuban dance (which I love even though I have no experience with it). Donna Oefinger is a fun and positive dance teacher, and an amazing dancer. She’ll do something in front of the class, and it looks so cool–then I find out it’s a part of the routine and I’m thinking,  “We’re going to do that too?” It’s a challenging class. Most of the dancers in there are really good! During the first class I was lost most the time. I couldn’t do the routine all the way through. Now I can–even if sometimes awkwardly.

Even though I’m not a trained or professional dancer, I am a dancer. It is my destiny. It is in me. I must live it out. Taking a dance class is helping me live it out. I would also like to choreograph dances–I have started a couple, but haven’t finished. I also crave to perform dance–whether it’s in a chorus line, with a dance team, or solo on the dance floor. But…I usually freeze when given the chance.

My favorite way of living out my dance destiny is free style dancing. When I really get into it I feel ecstatic. I feel like I can travel into other dimensions. It can be truly spiritually indulging. I don’t do it enough.

I was excited for the first Day of the Dead procession in Portland on Alberta Street. I was hoping for a carnival atmosphere. It turned out to be pretty carnival like.It took place last night, which was also the Alberta Street Art Walk that takes place every last Thursday of the month. We had an art table set up at 23rd Street.I ran down to 14th Street where the parade was to start at 7pm. I met a woman and her daughter in white and black makeup who were making their way to the same place. They have been celebrating Day of the Dead in some manner for years.

There was no Mexican people presence that I could see, even though this holiday comes from Mexico. People on Alberta Street are mostly White, and like to be a part of different cultures. I met a woman who had on Navajo face paint. She said she practiced different Native American spiritual practices. She had no Native American ancestry. I guess I fit into this White people who are looking for a culture to belong to crowd.

I felt a little uncomfortable when people started naming the dead and then a woman asked all those names to come and be with us. There was a strong smell of incense in the air–like in an orthodox church. There were a lot of people in the parade–at least 50, I think. There were even more people at the end of the parade after others had joined. There were enough people that I was seeing new skeleton and death costumes throughout the night.

There were dancers, accordion players, people dressed in white on stilts. Photos of the beloved dead and lit candles were carried by many.

There were many onlookers–it was pleasing to see. There were onlookers who looked at us very somberly like they were trying to join with us but in a very somber way. Then there were others smiling at us and ooing and awwing.  People took pictures of me.

The parade ended behind a gallery. We went through an alleyway lined with photos of people who have died and candles, through an incense filled tent, and came out into a backyard. There was a little drink truck with pillows set out to make an outside living room. People gathered in a circle around the yard. The stilt people danced in the middle to accordion music. There was an altar for pets, and one for people. There was an contortionist boy performing. I was wondering where his parents were. I just worry about street performing kids.

I carried a picture of my great-grandparents, Stephen and Ana Duris from Slovakia (formerly a part of  Czechoslovakia). In this picture they are celebrating a wedding anniversary. Someone gave Ana a cabbage for a bouquet and gave Stephen lettuce for a boutonniere. My family said this was kind of a joke thing. I don’t know if it was a Slovakian thing. I colored the flowers in the photo yellow. I later realized that yellow marigold are a symbol of death in Mexican culture.

My great-grandpa, Stephen, held me when I was an infant, but that is the extent of my knowing them. I wish I could have know them. I haven’t lost anyone really close to me yet. I chose them as my dead to honor because I wish I knew them. They guide my life in a way because I seek my roots. I have this imaginary nostalgia about what life was like before the United States. What was it like before the Slovakian way of living and thinking was smudged out by the “American way”. I hope to go to Slovakia someday to visit the family.

I chose my clothing because it was colorful. The dress reminded me of a Mexican clown. But once I put the whole outfit together with boots and a head scarf, it looked like Slovakian traditional dress that I had seen on a doll. What a coincidence!

I got to talk to people during and after the parade. Everyone was really open and friendly. I started to leave the celebration alone but I ran into some friends! I hung out with them for the rest of my time on Alberta Street. They really made my night!

I participated in the Thrill the World again this year on October 25th. My friend, Brittany joined me and made it even more fun. Last year I showed up and was disappointed at the event but I found out that I wasn’t at the actual Thrill the World event. This year I went to the real one. It was held in the skating rink at Oaks Park.

Brittany and I met at our business in SE Portland and took off from there. We did not get lost on the way there! (We’re known for being a little directionally challenged). On the way back we got a little confused but the Thomas guide, that has been lonely behind the seat for a long time, saved the day! Yes I read a map successfully!

We covered our faces in my white goth make up then shadowed our eyes with my black eye shadow. We looked rather dead–which was the point. To add to the zombie look we had on cut up shirts.

There were about 60 other dancers there-all in good spirits, not staying in the zombie character at all. All kinds of zombie interpretations were present there. There were “I died at the prom” zombies, “I died as a bride” zombies, and “I died in the 80s, or 50s” zombies. I just kind of went for the grungy look.

We all practiced twice together first. Then at 10:55 we got ready to dance Thriller at the same time as thousands of others around the world. We got down on the ground in our “graves”, and waited for the countdown. First the facilitator had to call the Thrill the World office, or whatever it was and get the OK to start.

It was really fun to do this dance with a bunch of other people. After the dance ended we all cheered, many giving high-fives. It felt like a great victory. Then we continued to dance but free style to Michael Jackson songs. It was a fun group.

Here’s more information from Thrilltheworld.com:

On Oct. 25, 2008, 4,177 people from 10 nations (Australia, Canada, England, Germany, Ireland, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, New Zealand, Scotland, United States of America, and Wales) simultaneously performed The Thriller Dance as part of the Thrill The World event, organized by Ines Markeljevic of Canada.

Sorry, I don’t have any pictures. There are videos on Youtube, but you wouldn’t be able to see me unless I pointed me out. I’m wearing a black shirt and am in the back on the left. Here’s the link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohXO10kv6rw&feature=related

November 1st and 2nd is when “Dia de los muertos” is traditionally celebrated in Mexico. If you have a blog, would you join me in posting something about someone who you love, or someone whose life has guided you who is no longer in this world. If you like using art to express your self you could make an icon, or a collage or painting about this person. For more ideas see this blog.

I’ll be participating in The Day of the Dead this year by going to the Day of the Dead walk, and going to the play “La Carpa del maestro” put on by the extraordinary Miracle Theater/Teatro Milagro. I’ll also be participating in the Thrill the World, but doing the zombie dance from Thriller is not really what I call honoring the dead.

Another blogging idea: If you are interested in blogging or networking about social issues that pertain to human trafficking and slavery, make an account with One Voice To End Slavery ning site.

 

Maybe you know the meaning of this saying “call and response”. I didn’t before I saw the movie Call and Response. I’ll tell you this much, it relates music to slavery. 

If you haven’t seen Call and Response, please see it. If you are interested in fighting modern day slavery, I know you would want to see it. It’s probably the most well done documentary I’ve seen on modern day slavery. It incorporates music which is a really unexpected way to address this issue. 

Some of the music artist in this film are: Moby, Natasha Bedingfield, Cold War Kids, Matisyahu, Imogen Heap, Talib Kweli, Five For Fighting, Switchfoot, members of Nickel Creek and Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers, Rocco Deluca.

It’s absolutely beautiful and moving and heart-wrenching.
It’s totally not for profit either.

I saw it at the Hollywood Theatre in Portland and the director was there, so that was quite a special thing!

I don’t know how long the movie will be running, but this weekend was supposed to be the weekend that it’s showing. So don’t delay in finding a showing near you!

This illustration is from Willamette Weekly, one of Portland’s free weekly newspapers which openly endorsed Barack Obama. I think this messianic representation of Barack is supposed to be a little bit of a joke though. Notice the stallion charging right behind him. Recognize the bridge? He’s coming out of the Willamette River.

This newspaper didn’t try to hide who they endorsed. They even published a “guide” for voting where they listed the “best” candidates for local government. How dare they! Well…I actually consulted that guide while voting though, because I think that they represent me values well.

Well, I really hope this guy is everything he’s cracked up to be. Hey, it’s not like I’ve been praying for a political messiah, but sometimes there are people who make a big difference. And there have certainly been presidents who’ve done a lot better running this country than others. I don’t want to even think about the chance of him losing against McCain. I don’t assume that everyone who ends up reading this post feels the same as I do, so just know I acknowledge that you have a valid opinion too.

This year for Halloween I didn’t carve pumpkins, but I did spend a whole day learning the dance from Michael Jackson’s Thriller, and then dressing up like a zombie and going to Pioneer Square. 

 

 

 

October 27th was Thrill the World, an attempt to break a record for how many people could do the zombie dance from Thriller at the same time. Some participating countries were Sweden, Sierra Leon, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Ireland, Honduras, France, Canada, and the U.S.A. The dance was actually pretty hard for me to learn because it’s five minutes long. I still can’t do it all by memory, but I’m still working on it because it’s fun. I watched the official Thrill the World tutorial on You Tube, which was pretty good. If you want to learn the dance, here’s the link:http://www.thrilltheworld.com/dance_videos.htmlThere were lessons at a dance club in Portland, followed by a group performance in costume (Which I didn’t go to). I heard there would also be an opportunity to do the dance at Pioneer Square (which is the public plaza in the middle of down town Portland). I went to Pioneer Square with my Mom. I bet I was the only zombie there with my living human mom taking pictures. There were hundreds of zombies there wearing all kinds of creepy zombie clothes and most of them were covered in blood. Like my sister said, “zombies should only have blood on there mouths because they eat people, but they’re dead so they shouldn’t be bleeding”. Good point, Emily. I felt underdone-up. But I was there for the dance! I soon found out that where I lacked in costume and make up most everyone else lacked in knowledge of the dance.The zombies filled the plaza. I saw few of them practicing the dance, and so I went over there to join them. Then I found out that it was over. That was the dance! There was no music. And no one announced that it was beginning. The other hundreds of zombies were only there for the zombie parade that followed. The president of the necromancy club announced the rules for the zombie march. He mentioned that there were problems with the police last year. Then the march began and I was stuck in a river of bloody zombies moving out of Pioneer Square to the streets. I was a little nervous. Those zombie people weren’t very friendly. But I found my way out. The event wasn’t what I expected but I don’ regret spending my day learning that dance. I was surprised how sore I was the next day!

What do we want?
Democracy!
What do we want?
Democracy!
What do we need?
Freedom!
What do we need?
Freedom!
China! China!
Stop selling weapons!
China! China!
Stop selling weapons!
Free, free…
Free Burma!
Free, free…
Free Burma!
Free, free…
Aung San Suukyi!
Free, free…
Aung San Suukyi!

October 6th 2007

Today was an international day of protest for Myanmar’s freedom, or Burma’s freedom. The Burmese protesters use the name Burma instead of Myanmar.

I planned to lay off of the social activism but…I was drawn to the “free Burma” protest in Portland today.
When I learn about cases of political disaster that have occurred in the past (the Apartheid in South Africa, the hootsies and tutsies, massacres in Guatemala…) I have thought to myself, ‘if I was an adult when that occurred then I would have made some noise about it.’ I want to be a part of social revolution history.

I’ve been reading news about Myanmar (formerly called “Burma”) lately. I’ll let you know what I’ve heard about Myanmar through news and people. There is a military government in Myanmar. There has been a lot of human rights abuses in the past. It is a very poor country. In 1988 a student revolutionary group protested, and thousands of them were killed for it. Over 10,000 people in Myanmar were killed that year by the government. Aung San Suukyi (her name is in the chant above) helped found the National League for Democracy, won the Nobel Peace Prize, and was elected Prime Minister. The military wouldn’t let her assume the role of Prime Minister and put her under house arrest where she remains to this day. This year people have started protesting again because the price in gas and food has been raised to unaffordable prices. The monks were the ones who were on the front lines of the protests this time. Now the protests aren’t only about gas prices, but government reform. The government has been arresting protesters.

The group that met in front of Nordstrom’s across the street from Pioneer Square in Portland was no more than 40. At least half of the protesters were refugees from Burma. I felt confident participating in the protest because it was led by Burmese people. I wouldn’t be so confident if it wasn’t started by Burmese people. I’m happy to see people fight for their own freedom. I’m happy when immigrants don’t forget about the people in the country that they came from.

When I first joined the group I took pictures. When the people started chanting, I chanted with them. Then, a girl in front handed me her sign, and I took her place in front. The sign I held had photos of poor village children in Burma–some had horrible skin diseases. I asked someone about this later, I was told that the people in the villages are treated like animals by the government because they aren’t provided with any basic needs. They have no option to go to the doctor for horrible rashes.

There was a man next to me who held the red “student flag” with the fighting peacock on it and he was from Burma. He said he had fought on the Thai/Burmese border in a revolutionary group. He had also lived in a refugee camp in Thailand. We had a connection because he used to live somewhere on the border that I have actually been before. He has been in the U.S.A. for six years.

I also talked to the man who did most of the the chant leading (yelling) for a while. He was one of the student protesters in 1988. After protesting in Burma, he protested at the Burmese embassy in Bangkok, Thailand. I think he was there to seek refuge. But it was illegal for Burmese people to be in Thailand, apparently except for refugees. Immigrants from Burma who were caught would be whisked right back to the motherland–even though it was probably their worst nightmare to return. He was able to come to the U.S.A. as a refugee. He told me that although he escaped the hardships in Myanmar he doesn’t want to forget his people who can’t escape. He doesn’t want 1988 to occur again but he doesn’t think it will because this time the world is aware of the situation in Myanmar. He talked about how the people in the government only make decisions that benefit themselves but do not consider benefiting the people. A country is the people, not it’s government, he said.

A young man who was passing by stopped to talk to me. He asked about why we were protesting and I said, “Burma”, and he said he didn’t know about the situation in Burma. I told him about it, and then he asked me what we were trying to accomplish by protesting. I told him that I didn’t know because I wasn’t an organizer of this protest. Personally, I told him, I wanted to raise awareness and make some noise, and support the Burmese protest. I was a little unprepared to answer his question and even said some stuff that sounded stupid. He seemed to be challenging me to think more about why I was protesting and if it’s really effective or not. I’m glad that he cared enough to say something, and I think his question is a really good one. I felt like I was misunderstood though, and that’s not a good feeling.

The Burmese leader I talked to said that they’re going to protest every Saturday until the government changes. What he hoped that the protests would accomplish were direct change of the government, and UN involvement I think.

I would like to keep thinking about the effectiveness of protests and what more could be done in this case than a protest. Got any thoughts?

I’ll tell you about my special connection to Myanmar in my next blog.