Spectacle crawl

What a week! I worked Monday-Friday, as usual, but still made it to several Fusebox events- a stop on both the Yoga AND Frito Pie tours (I only had a margarita, but I'm still counting it), a play without actors at the Long Center, and a bring-your-own-record listening party. Saturday, though, was the main event. 

I began the day with the final stop on the Fusebox yoga with Adriene tour. Each stop took place at a different, non-yoga-studio location- an art gallery, a theater lobby, a front lawn, or in Saturday's case, the upper outdoor mezzanine of the Long Center. I've really been enjoying Adriene's informal, do-what-feels-good approach to yoga, and here's what was pretty outstanding about this hour in particular- several other events were in progress around us, and she wove the sounds and smells into our class. The first and dare I say only time a yoga class has included roasted corn and "C'mon 'n Ride it (The Train)."

Heart open and limbs limbered (limbered?), I proceeded to my next spectacular destination: The Big Squeeze Accordion Contest finals at the Bob Bullock Museum. I went to this event last year and was really blown away. Texas has sown some amazingly talented young (and old) accordion players, and getting to see our state's finest again was a real pleasure. This year, we were treated to polka, conjunto, and zydeco styles, all from musicians under 21. I was a little disappointed that the categories also fell down racial lines- without exception, white kids played polka, Hispanic kids played conjunto, black kids played zydeco. Maybe initiatives like the Big Squeeze will encourage a little mixing. How great would be if a hybrid of all three styles, accessible to all musicians emerged from the players just hanging around together? Polkonjunteco? Sign me up.

One bus mishap later (Capital Metro, I just... ugh), I returned to Fusebox happenings for the end of Body Shift: Cripping the Streets. The Body Shift company, made up of dancers with and without disabilities, performed a series of improv-based pieces through the streets (and crosswalks!) of downtown Austin. In general, their work is challenging, uncomfortable or tense at times, but ultimately, joyful. Like good radicals, Body Shift 1) forces the audience to examine their social constructs while 2) offering an alternative to it. What are dance, movement, and participation when you don't stand, see, or have control over your body? After viewing Cripping the Streets, I would suggest those definitions are at the dancer's discretion. Have a little watch!