Crazy fun weekend

On Friday Kazum had two shows.

The first was from 6 to 7 for New Avenues for Youth. It was a fundraiser or benefit or something. Lots of ritzy folk in nice clothes. There were a few kids - two brightly glowing girls of about 8 and 11 watched us with huge eyes and much clapping. They made that gig for me - it's hard to entertain to the level that these kids were obviously feeling. I pulled 'em up and stunted with 'em, and they got our autographs, and we took a group photo with 'em. If I was reading things right, we were the high point of these girls' year 2010. What an amazing experience and honor.

We ran through very nearly every stunt we do in that hour. It was awesome. Those folks got quite a bit of bang for their buck - 7 acrobats throwing an hour's worth of crazy stuntery. Yay!

Then we scampered to the Bossanova - oh how I love that venue. It was Wanderlust's Wild Woman - the first of 4 monthly installments. Jem was there - yay! :) So were several of my students. Jessica the stunt addict, Kendra and Caitlyn whom I've had a crush on for weeks, Gregory the super-in-shape climber from my adult tumbling class. Just before the show started I saw Joey walk in and sit down by Jem. It was odd - but I was happy to see her there. I kinda hoped that maybe she was less - distant-if-not-hostile. After the show I said hi and told her I was glad she'd come. She was ice-cold and monosyllabic and I backed off in confusion and just kind of avoided interacting with her the rest of the night. She was warm & friendly to everyone, but didn't look at me or acknowledge my existence again the rest of the night. It's odd to be treated that way - but understandable and certainly acceptable. Just kinda surreal and ... odd.

We did our own makeup, and Alysia really came through with some TMNT-style eyemask-looking makeup. And then we were on.

The first bungle was my shoulderstand on Dutch's feet. We barely held it and I was off on timing 'cause I was pretty sure I was about to have to shoulder-roll out of a drop.

Next, I missed a throw-to-stand with Miranda. I'm almost sure it was my fault. We *never* miss those - except twice now in shows. *sigh* We hurried it back up there and threw the full-down from half-mast. :( Still cool. But after an obvious drop.

I followed this bungle with a failed calf-pop on Dutch. A *calf-pop*. Halfway up I decided it was good enough to go to foot instead of knee, per our usual MO. It wasn't; I bailed right in an obvious fail. I hopped right back up and pulled a wobbly Chinese Star (aka Diamondhead) up. HUGE crowd reaction. They nearly blew me over. That's when I realized that this crowd was super-enthusiastic.

The last drop wasn't me, at least. Doc was having a hell of a tough night with muscle fatigue. He and Dutch couldn't manage the arm-to-arm, and thought we got a good calf-pop, he put all he had into that and we didn't have time to extend. Probably for the best; we would've had slim odds of holding it.

Other than the drops, the routine was awesome. It could've been a *superb* performance. Instead it was only good with occasional flubs. I think we all felt good overall, though.

Lions came quick; we had to slap-dash the final makeup on. Then Miranda & James were late so Noah & Uli and I had to kinda vamp for a while. Once we got going, though, it felt like Lions was energetic and wild. Two people have given high props to Miranda's leoninity. She was rockin' it out there.

It all hit, felt sharp, and felt in character. A good-to-great Lion performance, for sure.

Final bows was a Big Sexy, with Clover. We rocked it and the crowd roared. Yay!

Then it was time to circulate and mingle. A girl I dated last week was there, so she became my date for the rest of the evening. It was wonderful... she didn't mind at all that I'm social butterfly boy with a billion little sisters.

As the afterparty plans gelled it became apparent that Joey was coming to Wackolicious. Same situation - odd and awkward with the stone-cold silence, but probably only for me and I can cope, so good for Joey for staying integrated with my entire world without requiring a tie through me to do it. She seemed to have much fun, and she's awesome friendly to everyone who ain't cheated on her recently, so my bit of awkwardness can be dealt with.

Still, it was tough. I didn't want to not be on a date in order to avoid making out in front of my old girlfriend. And I didn't want to not stunt, or not bounce about, or not talk with people she's talking with. I really don't think she wants me to drop out of my own scene on her account... she isn't like that. I think we're both able to deal with the awkwardness, and everyone else can follow our lead just fine.

So, I bounced from loved one to loved one. I asked Creature at one point if he was making good decisions and he gave me a baffled, "I don't know!" It turns out he had Noah's thumbs-up, though, and it was all good.

Jess and Brandy were hilarious. They get aggro, a bit - I saw Jess punch Brandy in the chest. When I laughed, Jess looked at me and roared, "What, yeah, I punched her boob!" Cracked me up. They both ended up a little too tipsy to drive, and they bumped into Noah. When he heard their plaintive cries of, "We need someone to take us home," he gallantly shushed them - two gorgeous drunken acrobats desperately in need of a ride somewhere. I assigned Bre the job of driving them home, and gave her permission to do with them as she would.

I stunted with Brittany but only briefly. :( Anna and I stunted bunches, and I stunted with Caitlyn a lot as well. Dutch stunted with Joey, which warmed my heart. I don't want her to feel left out or upstaged or challenged or anything.

It was a wild, crazy, fun night. :)

Then we started winding things up. My date talked me into coming home with her even though it was way too late and I had to work at 8:45 in the morning. Then I discovered that she was giving Jem and Joey a ride out to Jem's in Beaverton.

It was so surreal having my injured ex-girlfriend be my virtual chaperone right up to the door of my 2nd date since our breakup. It should've felt downright stalkerish. It didn't; I trust Joey very much not to be freaky. Plus, she's still cold sober and a pretty different Joey than I knew and loved. I think its awesome.

Just *so* weird to have an estranged ex-GF in such close proximity at a very Scott event, up to the ride home with my date.

I got up early and my ladyfriend gave me a ride to the gym in plenty of time for class. At noon-thirty Creature & Noah & Uli picked me up for our afternoon gig - the Ladies' Red Hat Society pre-Cirque show. It was a smashing success: they loved All About Love, as well as Russ & Sugar Cane. Brittany got a standing ovation - very very cool.

Uli and I each took a third of the proceeds, and put the other third into the fund. Way cool to have enough money to get food and make a payment on my student loans.

We all hung out for a while, then I went on a 3rd date with the mystery girl. I'm hoping to keep her identity quiet 'cause lots of my people know her and I don't wanna be the center of a soap-opera kind of situation. I just want to go on dates with girls and not try to be caught up in a relationship. Not right now. Who knows where I'll be living next month. I can't afford Creature's rent without working for rent - even if I had a big room and running water, it's too much and I can find much cheaper for the same space. Anyway - I wouldn't wish me on any girl right now as a boyfriend.

Sunday was mostly chill and lazy. Went to the park for a picnic - very fun. Went to a healing meeting with various hippy/green/goddess ladies. It was awesome. Got some essential oils.

Then I headed into Circus Stunting class with Clover. I went over to her place afterward and hung out with her and Caitlyn. We watched the first episode of Firefly - excellent. :)

Today was mad stuntery. My adult gym class was awesome, and Doc & Jess & Alysia stayed after for about 3 hours. We stunted like mad, and did gymnastics and took pictures and video. Superfun! :)

Now I'm at home. Tomorrow I'm gonna do the last bits of work around the house for rent, and then the work's dried up. :(

I sure love my life, though. It's amazing and I want to wallow in it while it's lasting.

Endless Roadshow with March Fourth

Last night we did the first of 3 Endless Roadshows with Wanderlust Circus. We were followed by M4, which was followed by a ridiculously delightful afterparty at the Lotus Seed.

Alex is in town, and he had a part in the show. He was in overalls with a baseball hat and a stoopid look. It was great. Dutch and Miranda threw a kick-ass Planet Claire - we rocked it, and those two have never performed that routine before. Dutch especially - learning this kind of hardcore basing is not easy and that man has stepped up to the plate in a big way.

We did some stunting with Sarah - she is excellent. At the afterparty she kept trying to get me to dance, but she didn't get that it's 'cause she's a she. It's okay; some girls simply don't get it. But we stunted bunches.

I met (re-met actually) Dawn, who is a trip. She's one of the quiet drop-dead gorgeous kind of girls that so discombobulate me if I'm not stunting with them. Much like Trish, Uli's good friend who I am pretty sure is single but Aspen insists isn't.

I'm jumping around here like an acrobat, pardon me.

The show was stressful 'cause P.C. is a tough routine. But we nailed almost everything. For a first show, last night was incredible. Lion Tamer went very well, too... James is an amazing stud. Miranda was in rare form last night, and at the afterparty she was all drunk & fun & stunty. We did a buncha great stunting.

Rene & Devin & Jax & Marco hung out with me all night after they joined us at the Bossanova for the ending couple of M4 songs. It was a wild night of rare fun. I really dig Marco. I hope I get a chance to hang out with him and get to know him better. He's one of those guys who makes an impression. He thinks.

I got to hang out with so many of my favorite people, and talk with lots of new exciting wonderful people, and it was just a night of wonder and joy. I love what I get to do and I love the people I get to do it with.

White Album Christmas Show - epilogue

This is from my Tribe blog, and a lot of it repeats stuff from this blog. *shrug* Deal, I guess.

What an amazing event! This was my favorite Kazum performance, yet. That's saying somethin', because Lightning in a Bottle was a blast, and the Oregon Country Fair is a FunFest of epic proportions. But I had more fun at the White Album event than I would've considered to be humanly possibly without high-quality drugs, tons of money, and a Swiss women's gymnastic troupe of questionable morals.

I think that my favorite aspect of the show was the crowd integration. Noah directed us to quietly merge ourselves into the crowd about 10 minutes before the show started. We lay down against the walls and one another, and went to sleep. We stayed there for Jasper & Noah's opening spiels, as well as the opening number. Then during the 2nd number (Dear Prudence) all of the cast gradually woke up, yawning & stretching & working out the kinks. We slowly filed backstage, preparing for the upcoming show.

It was so enjoyable to move among the audience like that! I loved it, and I think it added a great deal to the show.

During the 3rd number, there were several quick performances. First Rhys Thomas & Leapin' Louie came onstage and did some juggling. The crowd loved it. Then Cherry pranced forth in her delightfully sparkly outfit, and wowed us all with a short fire-spinning routine that gave glimpses of the amazing things to come. And finally, Kazum came spinning out of the crowd with girls in lifts. I wish we hadn't been required to devote 100% of our time in practices to learning the routines we were performing, because we didn't have enough time to work out a 5-person stunt. So we threw our staple stunt - the Chinese Star - which is a 4-person stunt. That left Alex out, and if there's anything I regret about the show, that's it. Alex is a core and integral part of the group, and he's also a great performer, not to mention blisteringly hot eye-candy. If anyone shoulda sat out of the opening stunt, it shoulda been the boring guy - moi. But the Chinese Star with me on Russ is tried-and-true. We knew we'd hit it reliably and quickly. So that's what we chose to throw. I'm really sorry that it had to be that way, though.

It's gotta be amazing to see Russ pop me up onto his shoulders; I'm not a slender fella. When I pulled the girls up into the star, the crowd busted loose with mad applause. Russ looks like a monster as he lifts me & the girls, and it's just an awesome & impressive stunt. Few people realize that basing it is fairly easy; it's the mid-level flier that really has the tough part of the trick. I'm so pleased that I can fly it, I get wood just thinkin' about it.

So, the audience-integration was wonderful. In one of the final numbers the cast circulates out into the crowd in order to dance and cheer, and that kept us integrated. The final number is slow & quiet, and we were instructed to wander out onstage and relax into a big cluster of bodies, gently going to sleep as the show concluded. It worked wonderfully well and the crowd thundered with applause as the music concluded.

After audience integration my favorite part of the show was the visual continuity. We had one costume designer who spearheaded creation of our clothing. Melody led a team of dedicated ladies - I'm not sure who all was involved but I saw a picture of Cherry, Meghann and Kate hard at work building the Kazum dudes' vests. All of the costumes shared the theme of patchwork fancy - bright and flamboyant but made of odds & ends thrown together haphazardly. It worked beautifully.

Adding to the magic was a coordinated makeup theme that mirrored the costuming ambiance. Robert is an amazingly talented makeup artist who also happens to be a really interesting & friendly guy. Assisting him in his efforts was Naia, who Kazum often gets the delightful pleasure of working with. Naia always takes care of me and I appreciate her more than I can express. They were the primary makeup artists, though quite a few people kicked in their talents. The results were spectacular: darkly sparkly minimalistic makeup that really amplified the theme of a backalley circus.

The next tier of excellence was, in my opinion, the onstage talent. I can't really differentiate between band members and performers, because both categories were astoundingly impressive. I'll start with the band, because B (and) comes before P (erformers).

John Averill was the sassiest and arguably most noticeble musician, simply 'cause lead vocals are sassy & noticeable. He outdid himself, delivering a musical experience that shook the walls. Screaming along beside him was a lead guitarist whose name I've forgotten, but that guy made my eyes bleed on at least 2 separate occasions. He wrenched sounds from his strings that were mindblowing. Heavy thunder was provided by a percussionist who reminds me of Animal from the Muppet Show, though he's not nearly as furry nor aggressive as Animal. He did, however, get pretty damn aggressive in complimenting and hitting on my girlfriend... which is awesome. I can't remember his name, either... I heard dozens of names at the shows and remembered remarkably few of them.

The keyboard player was Carl, which I found out several days after the show after talking with Creedence. He put the soul into the Beatles' music, and he got to rain down his music from a high vantage point atop the backstage stairs. I envied him his position, and I was awed by his skills.

I know two of the other musicians, so I'll call them out by name... but every single one of the band members was exquisite and I hate that I can't give adequate props to all of them individually.

Jason Wells played rythm guitar like a madman. He is the only person I've ever met, heard of, or been drenched by, who actually sweats more than I do. They had to install a special grate in the stage to handle the downpour that he produced while in the throes of musical orgasm. He played his frakkin' heart out up there and provided the pulse and rythm of the music that was produced.

I got a chance to take some verbal jabs at Robin before the show, as he was warming up his lips & fingers in the Hoth-like tunnels beneath the Bossinova. Alex and I were hanging around while he made sweet oral love to his tenor sax, and we were impressed and aroused by the talent he has for blowing into his closed fist. Onstage, Robin added his instrument's brassy roar, melding its voice into the amazing music that the NoWhere Band produced to wow us all.

It would've been a great show with only the band. But when the band combined with the performers... Ye Gods, I wish the Beatles could've seen this show. I believe that they would've loved it and felt honored by the tribute that was paid to them.

First in the lineup was Jasper Patterson. His role was perfectly suited to take advantage of a great number of the talents that he's a master of. He's one of the few people I know who can rival Noah at laying down high-quality, perfectly timed, impromptu bullshit. His patter is exquisite and he played the audience like an experienced whore plays a fresh young john. He really instilled the ambiance of the show in his introduction, and he kept cycling back throughout the night to keep the same spirit alive. I wanna work with him to perfect an extension while juggling; that'd kick serious ass. We did a juggling shoulder-stand, which probably looks pretty impressive but it's really a cakewalk. His sexy dress routine with Noah was perfectly executed and the crowd ate it up like courtesy 'shrooms.

The bulk of the show featured Noah & Creature stepping on Jasper's attempts to become a star. It played wonderfully.

My favorite part of every Hippodrome performance is Noah's brazen, "Laaaaaaadies and gentlemen!" It makes my heart pump and my pulse race, and it fires me up to raise the performance bar. As I listen to his off-the-cuff BS I have a tough time not grinning like the idjut I am; he is an amazing entertainer. He did his customary incredible job as MC and Ringmaster.

Nick da Creature brings his good ol' Texan ass-kickin' dread-wearin' personality into full bloom during shows like this one, and it's amazing to watch he and Noah play off of one another. Creature also managed the stage & set, and he did all that could be done to provide us with a safe & adequate performance space. I very much appreciate his efforts in that regard, in addition to admiring his talent as a performer.

If I had to say whether I was more impressed by Night Flight or the AWOL Dance collective, I'd probably gnaw off my own tongue. I'll group them together because they're all aerial performers, but they're very different and I'm a bastard for taking such liberties. These girls are, first and foremost, incredibly gorgeous. Lip-smackingly delectable. If I hadn't been newly in love with my wonderful girlfriend, I'd've drooled more than Jason Wells sweated. The ladies are picture-perfect even before costuming & makeup turns them into movie-stars. I'm not even gonna talk about their figures. That's something that must be seen to be believed.

Now that I've concluded the obligatory admiration for face & form, I'd like to move onto their real talent. They performed the most amazing & graceful aerial routines that I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot of that stuff. They don't rely on sex to impress, which is something I'm often disappointed about when cute girls are showcasing tits & ass rather than demonstrating actual talent. But Night Flight & AWOL Dance take off from T&A as a baseline, climbing quickly into pure amazement. They hang suspended over the crowd, spinning and hanging and posing and smiling their 2-billion-watt smiles as they do things that human bodies aren't intended to do. And they make it look easy. Every person in the audience was riveted by the performances. It's not something that can really be described; if you want to see what's so amazing about Night Flight or AWOL Dance Collective, check out their websites and invest in an upcoming performance. It's so very worth watching!

The remaining performers were mostly solo acts, and I've had the honor and pleasure of working with & watching nearly all of them in the past. Rhys Thomas is a blast to be around and he's been performing longer than anyone I know with the possible exception of Leapin' Louie, who's been performing longer than dirt. They are so tight in their routines that they can take anything in stride and make it look planned. Their showmanship is exquisite as they juggle, balance, lasso, patter, and craft an amazing display that leaves the audience breathless and giddy. They're both a lot of fun backstage, as well, and I'm probably not going to renew the restraining order against Rhys 'cause he's kept his hands to himself for the last 2 or 3 performances, now.

I got to see the tail-end of DizzyHips' performance, where this slender & athletic guy uses an enormous tire as a hula-hoop. It was throwing him back & forth as he spun it and I got to see it from almost directly overhead, from the balcony - it was amazing. The crowd loved his routine.

I got to see a YouTube video of Cherry's flaming poi performance, but I can't find it now. I cannot fathom how she can keep those two spinning balls moving in such complex and contradictory patterns, without ever colliding or shaking. She's amazingly talented, she's heart-stoppingly beautiful, and her costume made her look like a magical nymph from another dimension as the flames darted past her like guided meteors. Her routine was breathtaking!

I'm worried that I'm forgetting performers. :( I didn't get to see some numbers 'cause I was backstage prepping for other stuff. I hope I didn't forget to describe any of the routines that I was lucky enough to actually see.

The venue itself really worked well for this event. The Bossanova is a big area, with ceilings that are almost adequate for Kazum's basket-tosses and double-stunts. That's rare for an indoor venue. Uli did get clocked in the back of the head by a ceiling fan while cradling from the Triple-Base extension during a pre-show run-through of Birthday. But she pulled herself together and we had a nearly flawless performance when it counted. The stage was wonderful, although it really sucked when we had to rechoreograph the day before the first performance because a 3-foot section of the corner had been replaced by a wall. That really cramped things. But the stage was sturdy and very nearly adequate for what we needed, and the ambiance of the Bossanova fit perfectly with the theme of the show.

Kazum's numbers came together really well. Russ choregraphed Piggies, and it's graceful and regal with some pretty impressive tricks in it despite the stately tempo. It's only 2 minutes but it's packed with amazing stuff that makes it seem longer than that. I've seen a video of Piggies on YouTube and it was really fun to watch. Miranda wasn't in it because her work/school schedule only allowed her to attend half of our practices. My favorite parts were the Juanita Barrel-Roll over the 3 guys' heads, the High Throne (aka Ass Catch) where Russ & Alex swing Uli into a toss up to a chair-like catch, and the Juanita Roll where Uli dives forward and swings under & back up. I don't think I've ever done a 3-guy-1-girl routine, and it really turned out amazingly well. I want to do more of them, now.

Birthday was our exciting, flamboyant routine. Uli choreographed it, and it came together beautifully with some wonderful musical cues that the NoWhere Band nailed perfectly every single time. Thank you, band! Birthday starts out with high-flying stuff in the background behind impressive shifting poses in the foreground, and it keeps the excitement high throughout the full 3 minutes of the song. Here's a shot of one of our opening poses. Some highlights include a Triple-Base extension that was a beast to solidify, Alex & Uli doing a dizzying Flying Squirrel, multiple Straddle-Over to chairs, a rock-solid Cupie with Miranda the super-stunter, a breathtaking Toe-Touch Basket Toss that could've been 5 feet higher if the venue's ceiling hadn't cramped our style, and a last-minute perfect-ending Double-Base Chinese Star with balloons in the girls' hands.

The whole show was exciting and amazing and more fun than I could've ever conceived of. I love the Kazum members very much and I hope that we can keep working together for years, always improving ourselves and upping the difficulty level of the routines we're capable of mastering. The Wanderlust folks are awesome and I love working with them.

White Album Christmas show

On Friday we gathered at the Bossanova to prepare for the first White Album Christmas show.


In many ways, this show is the most difficult that Kazum has ever done. The tricks are seriously tough. On the bright side, Piggies is only 2 minutes and Birthday is only 3 minutes. But the most challenging aspect is that we had 3 new people learning every single trick. It's not like we were just throwing in tricks we've mastered; Alex & Russ & Miranda are learning this stuff from the ground up. Plus both numbers are brand-new for all of us. So it's been a rough ride... but so worth it!


I'm not willing to claim that we put in a professional level performance. We were shaky on a few things, and while nothing dropped, we still weren't tight & polished. The night before the show we were still working desperately on the triple-base extension, and about 2 hours before showtime we finally replaced it with a walkup torch and a double-base extention. It was pretty scary. Even more scary was the conflict: Uli & I clashed several times, and Russ & Miranda had a bit of a tiff as well. Alex is the only one who hasn't bickered yet, but we'll get 'im. Oh, yes.


Uli & I had a lousy conflict right off the bat at 3:00 just as we arrived. I've processed it extensively elsewhere, and public venting isn't usually a good idea, so that's all that needs to be said about that.

The door-check process was abysmally slow. Venue staff insisted that there was no way to speed it up - the one person on duty had it totally handled, apparently, despite numerous complaints to the contrary. I personally think that they should've allocated 2 people to the door instead of 1. But one result of the entry delay is that curtain got pushed back 1/2 hour... which gave me enough time to get makeup done. Woohoo! Other things are often prioritized over Scott's makeup, and it's a sore spot for me as well as a big stressor. It was nice to actually be fully ready to perform a full 15 minutes before curtain.

The ambiance of the show is kind of a bright-paint-splashed-over-rusty-metal-and-threadbare-rags kind of dealio. We all have bright & colorful costumes & makeup, but it's all patchwork and thrown-together scraps of odds & ends. The stage is the same way. It really does a great job of conveying a professional troupe that's struggling hard to make ends meet. And having a single costumer really let the ambiance penetrate every act in the show.

We started about 10 minutes prior to curtain. All of the performers walked quietly out into the audience and lay down, often atop one another. We immediately began to doze as soon as we were set. The result was that it felt like the cast & crew were sleeping in the rafters & wings after the previous night's performance & revelry. We stayed down during the first number, and then began to stir to the beautiful & awakeningish strains of "Dear Prudence."

We stretched & yawned, quietly trading good morning greetings and cuffs, trudging along to the curtain leading backstage. Creature poured coffee for a select few, and we eventually trundled backstage by the end of the number.

This delightful audience-integration let us wander freely during the show. I got to watch Night Flight's amazing aerial hoop (the "lira" if I'm not mistaken) performance, from the balcony. In most shows it's totally inappropriate to peek out from backstage but in this show it's all part of the ambiance. I love that.

The AWOL dance collective and Night Flight were simply amazing. They're drop-dead gorgeous, of course, as well as nubile to the point of superheroinely, ridiculously scrumptious. Catwoman's got nothing on these ladies. These ladies are eyecandy that'll give wood to a blind man at 60 paces through thick fog. But that's not their primary attribute, which is a welcome change from many of the cabaret & burlesque shows I've seen. These girls are freakin' talented. Their synchronization is exquisite; better than most such routines I've seen. The difficulty level is amazing. And the showmanship (showomanship?) really adds that extra gasp to the visual orgasm that they invoke so artfully. And most importantly... they're classy. There's nothing sluttish about their demeanor, makeup, smiles, or routines. Any cute chick can evoke lust, but drawing forth desire is a whole new level of yum. The AWOL ladies and Night Flight girls are totally worth the price of admission all on their own.

Meanwhile, the NoWhere band was kicking out Beatles music that was simply astounding. I was particularly impressed by their lead guitarist and their drummer, as well as John Averill's vocal performance. I mean, the whole band kicked serious ass, but those three were somethin' else.

One of my favorite parts of the night was Gaelen. Not only did she help me wonderfully in getting through inter-Kazum conflict stress, but she was also a superb gopher for Kazum as well as for Noah. She ran a ton of errands in her car, she undertook various responsibilities and made sure they happened, and she kept hitting on me and making me feel all manly & awesome. It was a way, way better night for me (as well as for Kazum, IMO) because of her presence. Not to mention that she's great arm-candy. *preen* That's my girl.

Leapin' Louie did back-to-back numbers that fit his style really well. That guy's been entertaining since the West was One, and he never fails to deliver his thigh-slappin', low-falutin' brand of gawky humor. Behind the stage he's a really nice guy, and he was all excited that his wife & daughter were there for the show. He showed off his daughter's artwork where she'd drawn all kinds of showtime events on a table napkin. It was great stuff.

I didn't get to see much of Rhys Thomas' routine, but he's a ridiculously talented performer as well. I see him at various events around Portland. He's another dude who's been making a living as a performer for like 60 or 70 years. Well, maybe 30 or 40. Okay, 20 or so. But he'll still be doing his thang in 50 years if there's a planet left to perform on. I did see him warming up his tightrope-walking juggling routine - pure nuts, is Rhys. People often compliment me on my balance... like holding people up is a tremendously balancey thing to do. I am a stumbling buffoon compared to Rhys Thomas. That's not saying much; I'm a stumbling buffoon compared to a great many folk. I can, however, do backflips.

I got to see Cherry spin fire-poi for the first time, which was awesome. She's another great performer, and her costume was exquisite. She did a fire-spinning backward roll that blew me away. That girl knows what she's doing. I can't even imagine how many millions of times her poi have circled her. It's cool to watch people who can do physical stuff that's difficult and you can tell that it takes about as much concentration and effort as it does for us normal Joes to blink our eyes.

Creature and Noah, of course, reveled in their buffoonish and glib interplay that makes them so amazing when they share a stage. They're both excellent performers, and their styles are different enough yet enough alike that it's more than double the pleasure when they pair up. Added into the mix for the first time was Jasper Patterson, the youthful patriarch of the next generation of old-school Gypsie-blooded vaudeville performers. He comes from a tribe of folk that perform while they sleep because it's genetically melded into them. I had the delightful pleasure of lurking on the sidelines as the gypsy crew danced and sang and laughed around their fireside at the OCF. I felt quite the interloper, but that was cool because these people have a culture that baffles me because I'm just astute enough to catch a shimmering glimpse of its interwoven complexities. I can barely keep from insulting my best friends out of social retardation, so the Stage Left vaudevillians evoke a level of nervousness in me that makes it hard to pee. This effect in no way diminishes my admiration for their talents and the warmth that they extend to Kazum (and thereby, to shy little ol' me).

I got to bear Jasper's weight - twice, in fact. In his triumphant emergence as a talented performer, he claims 3 juggling knives and I "tackle" him into a shoulder-sit. There he holds his flashing steel to my throat and forces me to lift him to a shoulder-stand (I wanted an extension but Noah & Jasper wisely overrode my puppyish exuberance). There he juggles the knives while I try to pretend I'm pretending about being nervous. The night before the show I had a dream wherein a falling knife severed my ear and I had to try to convince the audience that it was fake blood while getting offstage without passing out. I'm not actually worried about it despite Alex Cougarbait Mancandy Boytoy going on at length what it would sound like to have a juggling knife embedded in the top of my skull.

I also get to lift Jasper in a fireman's carry while extracting him from a birthday cake after Kazum's "Birthday" performance.

There was a really amazing hoop routine by Revolva - another case where the ridiculously impossible is made to look like a casual stroll. This girl did some of the most amazing hooping I've ever had the pleasure of ogling. Amazingly talented, and bone-growingly scrumptious as well.

Naia helped with makeup and costumes. She also did a great job of validating my concern re: makeup, and soothing my stress. I love Naia, though I suspect she has to fight hard to not view me with the same disgust that her peers do. I appreciate her putting up that fight. She's always been very awesome to me, at least to my face. I doubt she does much sticking up for me behind my back, but I also have high hopes that she doesn't do much actual slandering back there, either. She's someone I earnestly enjoy seeing whenever I see her.

Mahon (May-Honn) helped tremendously with costumes. She's probably the most visually striking person I've ever seen before. She takes "red" to a whole new level - her dreads, her sweater, her makeup, her clothing. She's a little intimidating, actually, until she speaks and then she just melts hearts. Alex and I both agreed that of all the beautiful ladies in attendance, Mahon probably led the list of "chicks to be infatuated with". If Miranda doesn't agree then I'd risk thinking about accusing her of not really being gay (though I'd never say such a thing 'cause I value my jewels). I dunno about Russ... dude baffles me when it comes to women. The only woman I know from his life is the one lady he hasn't bedded (Susan, his really cool dance partner). I gotta party with Russ and see how he does his thing.

Melody is the lead costumer. Her primary trait for me is that she's the mom of the most adorable little critter I've seen since Nathan started talking. His name is Noah and he's a kid whose coolness defies description. Both Melody and her hubby ("J" as in "Jeremy") are entranced, but J is often non-distracted enough to be utterly and visibly wrapped around his kid's chubby little finger. That trait right there buys a father a lot of real estate in the landscape of my heart. But Melody's more than a mama, oh goodness yes. She's waded through fiendish quantities of time to produce a wardrobe for the show that holds to the amazing theme that really breathes life into the whole production. She's measured us each 30 or 40 times, and her poor fingers are usually numb from various feats of sewmanship. It's gotta be a real trip for her to see all of her amazing costumes dancing about doing their thing onstage.

There was one disappointing part in Friday's show... poor luck resulted in the band stepping on Noah's trademark "Laaaaaaaaaaadies and Gentlemen!" intro. I love that intro; it kicks both crowd and performers into Excitement Mode.

The Bellini Twins performed, but I didn't catch their show, to my chagrin. I've seen them before and they're amazing - a brand of humor that's tough to pull off well. Plus they're incredibly athletic. I saw them at the Clowns Without Borders show early in the summer of 2008, and I absolutely loved their stuff.

Okay, on to Kazum's numbers. :) I think I'll sign out of this entry and write a separate blog about each number. Not 'cause I think that many people will much care about the ins & outs of a Kazum number, but because that way I can isolate & read about it later on. I have one subscribed reader (Alex, maybe?) but a lack of commentary reassures me that my primary audience is, as usual, myself. And honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way.