notes from a whirling dervish
it always takes me a bit to readjust to daily life post-playa. my friend asked me a couple of weeks ago how my reentry was going. i told him i was still falling, smoking through the atmosphere.
that being said, without a doubt, burning man is my absolute favorite place to hoop. so much room! it’s all flat! great music emanating from every direction! generally less breakables! appreciative audiences!
though i didn’t end up hooping as much as i expected to, i still hooped a hell of a lot. even my hoops look like they need a nap. lots of hoop minstrelling; lots of impromptu jump-off-the-art-car-and-boogie hoopgasms. and, fortunately, the gigs went well. all of my shiva vista stage spins were fun. the irish dance piece was a big hit. felt delightful performing it. also, a small solar flare contingent pulled off a kickass show at the mal label gig. at another point, we opened up the pulsing crowd at opulent temple. i got a couple of serious skyscraper tosses in. and no major accidents.
photo by ryan wilson, 2009.
by far, my favorite regular, non-fire spin was in a dust storm late in the week outside of hookahdome. just me and my practice hoop enveloped in a vortex of white. at times i could only see about a foot in front of me. the ambient music was meditative and similarly engulfing. i found my zone quickly, channeling my inner whirling dervish to dance with the elements. it is a little challenging to hoop in goggles and a dust mask (so hot), but there is nothing like getting truly dusted by the playa. like being bathed by the wind. the most spiritual hooping moment i’ve had this year.
my favorite led spin was probably at opulent temple saturday night. it was actually a rather off night for me, my lady was sick, my bike had just been stolen, i was exhausted on multiple levels, and i couldn’t find my friends. nevertheless, i persevered and zoned deeply a few times. a photographer walked up to me when i was mainlining h2o and showed me several great shots he’d taken. led’s certainly lend themselves well to photography. i’ll share when i get a hold of the pix.
my favorite fire spin was on the shiva vista stage. like last year, i was happy to have gotten on shiva early in the week, ensuring that it actually happened. things just got too crazy later on. (so hard to coordinate increasingly tweaked out burners, self included.) my first two spins saw me sharing space with some of my favorite fire performers. i felt honored to be up there with them. dipping for my third spin, i realized i was finally warmed up and relaxed. miraculously, the stage cleared. i heard enthusiastic screams from friends as i walked up the ramp for a solo spin. great crowd. great music. me mostly in my zone. with fire cannons as accents. fantastic. you just can’t beat that.
as for the big event itself, my first realized performance in conclave was a bit of a saga. one of the biggest dust storms of the week hit saturday. so, like last year’s “nonclave”, we were on standby for hours, trying not to be depressed by the possibility of getting cancelled a second year in a row. even while we were art car-ing it out to our position in the great circle, i feared we were toast. it was like being in an antarctica movie- it was a struggle to get set up in the still vibrant storm. i had to continuously use eye drops to keep my contact lenses from stinging. at one point, i stepped away from the group and chanted a bit for it to happen. then, like in a story, the air cleared and we were suddenly, clearly a “go”.
it felt amazing to be able to celebrate months of hard work with my friends as a gift to the community, honoring the burning of the man. it was a special night. the only drawback to the performance was that the winds remained gusty-had to refrain from doing any of my high tosses since i couldn’t ensure that i could do them safely. but, regardless, after two years of work it was a joy to be there, doing what i love. on my first burn i determined to be in conclave. years later it is a part of my memory. to be honest, i think i’m just still in shock that it finally happened.
photo by steven walker, 2009.
separate from performing, of course, one of the joys of the playa is getting to spend a little time with some wonderful hoopers i get to see infrequently. this year was no exception. got lots of warm hugs from some great peeps from all over. in addition to the usual joy of seeing friends happily hooping, i finally got to meet and see brecken in action. absolutely amazing-i was blown away. shakti and michelle were also really inspiring with their exceptionally beautiful flow. the skill level of some hoopers these days is beyond belief.
it has taken a bit for my body to rebound from the trip. i had to battle soreness, the heat, lack of sleep, an air mattress when sleep actually happened, and that intense hoop-generated thirst all week. been focusing on rebuilding, renewing and recharging. feeling less like a battered turnip.
but serious practice resumes. just got an invite to spin fire at a club in a couple days, and decompression, that after-playa taste of playa, is only weeks away. we’re doing the firish dance again. need to get back up to speed.
a big dusty hug to all of you who joined me in representing the hoop community on the playa. that was a great burn. you are all fantastic. see you next year.
