A Long Overdue Update!!!!

Shame on me
Shame on me
Shame on me.

I've not updated my blog in waaaay too long.

Shame on me.

However I'm here to rectify that with an update and an Announcement!!!

UPDATE:::

The Summer found me in a whirlwind of sunshine and exploration of different music festivals. I did a few random performances at said festivals under the guise of Luxotica. I spent the majority of my weekend summers working with Luxotica, www.luxotica.com , selling all things fire related and some super groovy clothing. We hit up Vancouver Folk Fest, Pemberton Music Festival and Shambhala to cap it all off.

Each of these festivals are a learning experience for both Erin (of Luxotica) and I. The people that each one attracts are like night and day;

Vancouver Folk Fest was a mix of happy mom's to be, small children and genuine music lovers. The vibe was very cozy, friendly and approachable. On the Sunday I heard some gospel from across the creek that had me *running* to listen to. It truly was like going to Church for me...and I don't go to Church all that often ;) We met lots of great local folk, I taught a few how to spin poi and thier kids even! Such FUN!

Pemberton....hmmm....hard core music lovers that just want to dance, spend money and throw their garbage on the ground. It was a fun weekend and I did one of the best performances I'd done in a LONG time while at Pemberton . . . but I spent most of the weekend watching packs of feral frat boys roam the grounds bellowing drunkenly and bumping chests. Would I go back again? Yes. Why? Because while at these festivals you gain a keen eye for observing humanity at it's 'finest' and Pemberton was no exception. I was reminded that the 'world' I live in with my chosen community of friends is amazing, kind spirited and intentional. I was reminded that it's okay to not look like everyone else. I also had a huge lesson on the 'in' fashions as well....dude. I'm so out of touch these days! Although they were few, I did have some *golden* interactions with people that touched me deeply. It only takes a moment to touch someone! I also sold a teeny tiny pair of hot pink fairy wings to one of biggest guys I've ever seen. He was sober and literally tickled *pink* over the purchase.

Shambhala. What can you say about Shambhala. It's the largest outdoor DJ festival that happens on private land in BC. I truly enjoy working at Shambhala. The folks are kind, sweet and genuinely good overall. I met some amazing fire dancers there from other parts of BC and Alberta! Hooray! Granted by the end of the week I was a little over the rain and wind storms that kept racking our poor little booth. At one point I had myself and four other people inside our little 12x12 pop up tent with the entire stock crammed inside...holding it down so it wouldn't blow away. And of course....someone wanders in from the storm to squeeze thru everything, find a shirt that they like and ask "Do you have this in green?". Yeah. Funny!

Of course no summer is ever complete without a trip to the desert. The Nevada Desert that is.

I ventured to Burning Man just ten short days after returning back from Shambhala. I was to perform in the Fire Conclave that happens on the final night of the festival just before the Man itself is burned. I've been attending Burning Man for nine years now and this year was THE FIRST year that Conclave didn't get a chance to perform due to weather conditions. Shocking! The dust storms this year were long and hard. Like ALL DAY long. Saturday night was no exception. We drove out onto the playa to find our placement and were struck with sharp wind and a five foot visibility. In the end we ended up not spinning due to safety. The Conclave was oficially called off from the top. Needless to say we were very sad as we'd been working for six months on this piece but fully understood the safety calls. There were 1200 people around the man performing and teching. The man is stuffed with fireworks and large explosions that must be set off. There was a small window in the weather and they grabbed it while they could. Remember too that 40,000 people are watching from the sidelines....with big explosions. YIKES! We proceeded to have a good time all the same as we sung OH Canada as the man burned to the ground.

And now I"m back home in Vancouver settling back into life once more.

I've started attending Early Childhood Education classes part time in hopes of becoming a Pre-School Teacher eventually. This has caused a huge shift in my focus this fall. More school, less performances and teaching. It's tough to say the least but worthwhile in the end. I will always teach and perform as long as I live. I HAVE to. But for now I am trying to be more intentional about the shows I choose to do. I want them to count for ME and not for my resume....know what I mean jean?

ANNOUNCEMENT!

I have some classes coming up at the end of November. I'm going to post it in a second Blog Post...check it out!

Over n Out

Belva