March 3, 2009 · Daniel Blue

DB: Fingers Crossed

We work on the weekends. Friday was cold hard prep, because Saturday there was an all girl dance party at the warehouse. It failed to attract all the girls. Someone informed me that women dance to get men, not to impress their friends. When I got back from the Moore Theater (after a spectacular performance by Anthony and the Johnsons) there was little joy to be shared as we discussed possible reasons for such a poor turnout. Then to business, I had an hour to transform the space from a roaring 20’s flapper dream to a comfortable private landing pad for local boy turned touring electronic music artist, Eliot Lipp and his friends. They were looking for a place to continue enjoying themselves after his show at the New Frontier that evening. Luckily there was a table full of uneaten party snacks and a veritable cardboard mural gallery of decorations that were donated from the rather sad lady flappers who were worn out from dancing at their own party.

My roommate and I set up a mock stage, engineered a makeshift live sound rig and redirected the lighting to better suit the mood while the girls packed it in and swept up the molted feathers that had spun from someone’s ill fated boa. I ended up having a fairly decent night, dancing a bit myself, and milling about trying to keep people from drinking out in the alley and smoking in my kitchen. Neither of which was much of a problem this time. There is an air of respect and decency amongst the Tacoma arts scene, even in the wee hours. I was able to lock up at around 6am, wishing however, I, like my roommate, had left to get some sleep at his parents place some several hours previous.

I want the warehouse to be a place where art happens. Not just is shown, that too, but happens. Like where it’s born or is inspired or conceived. If staying up all night listening to strange techno and staring at shadowy flapper inspired cardboard murals is a part of that then I’m on the right track. In Tacoma, it seems to me that art has happened before when we are together. When we find places to be together and show off our stuff. I want people to be inspired by each other, have room to speak their strange and wonderful ideas, and have space to try out their (sometimes gender specific) arty endeavors.

Somehow Tacoma is gritty enough to keep you honest and gentle enough to let you fail gracefully. I just spoke to the young woman who organized the dance party and she is already wanting to try again, give it a little time and some sharpened ideas … but pretty sure she can find what was missing (men, for one) and give it another go-round.

I’m happy to mimic Tacoma and give people space to try try again. Art mimics life, and my life in Tacoma has been a series of freely accepted failures and small comforting successes. Something churns deep in the soul of the Tacomite artist. A wounded desperate thing, perhaps. A dusty uncut diamond of a thing, that needs places to fight it out, throw it all at the wall and let it dry dirty. So what if I slept for three hours this weekend? People came together, spoke and dreamed and loved and hoped and just … were there. We can talk about community till our laptop batteries run out, but people need a place to be together … and somehow these places end up being like a petri dish for creative inspiration.

Don’t buy it? Ask the nine foot flapper painted on the wall of my kitchen hallway.

Filed under: DB

11 comments

Thorax O'Tool March 3, 2009

And yet some who wish to join in said petri dish don’t ever find out about the dish until after it’s over.

Why is that?
Thorax O'Tool March 4, 2009

Hey RR… are you familiar with Warrior?

Anyhoo. So, DB, do you have some sort of mailing list or website or are such events just limited to those “in the know”?
Honest March 4, 2009

No One wants to attend said Warehouse parties because No One wants to live under these false Tacoma Artist pretenses.

That shit is boring and so pseudo-intellectual people would rather go home and go to bed than sit through a DB Ceremony of the tragically hip parade of fools.
altered Chords March 4, 2009

Why son, when I was your age, we used to go to “farmhouse” parties. 15 or so 20 somethings rented a “farmhouse” and had parties from time to time. These were the attractions:
1) live bands – mostly played covers of current rock ‘n roll. Not acoustic, not pop, not disco, not jazz, not blues, not classical, not experimental, just kick ass rock.
2) beer…in abundance.
3) remote location. no neighbors to complain.
4) no ID check.

Frankly it’s amazing that I am capable of remembering any them.
Thorax O'Tool March 4, 2009

The best events are those that happen organically. Like my New Year’s party for 2K9. Stated out as just me and the gf, it ended up growing to include both my sisters and heir hubbies, my friend Rob and a neighbor.
We drank sparkling cider and champagne and played Great Dalmuti and Illuminati until the wee hours. That was so much fun.

But what made it so great? The games? Kinda. The Champagne? Dunno, I don’t drink. The people? Exactly.
Any gathering that feels pretentious, coerced or unnatural just won’t attract people.
altered Chords March 4, 2009

I have a few issues with the post @5 by “Honest”

It is “ship of fools”, “chain of fools” or “hit parade” not hip parade of fools.

What is “hip”? I really want to know.
Vesuvius girl March 5, 2009

What are the real Tacoma pretenses?

This town is magic. Full of creators. Collected in one place for a few hours here and there, the collaborative efforts fuse and KABOOM! Inspiration, creation, cultivation, community – extended family.

I’m grateful to have lived here and been part of so many of these things, from RampArt, to the many festivals, to quiet collections of us gathered in dining rooms flinging ink.

Micro to macro.
A t-town Kat March 5, 2009

Tacoma is beautiful, beautiful because it provides the opportunity for us to own it as a whole, to see it as a canvas and individually as well as a community create whatever we may imagine.
At one time, T-town had a place, a mutual common ground where all walks may come, be comfortable to come alone, to bounce ideas off each other, off the art and creation of events one saw and to see life is that canvas. We can assume limitation or see false pretense as mr. honest does, of what we’re able to do, but that’s our choice, or we can see how coming together as a collective creative energy fosters a birth of not only creating, but of pulling us all together within this amazing sacred partnerhsip. IS not the only constant creation? Mr. Blues dreams of pulling cats together is many’s, and yet the question, as he is asking, is always how do we create such a space that may sustain iteself while providing such an opportunity, such a vortex for the orgasm of discovering what this moment holds. Mr Blue, my thoughts are, discover the common goal and unite the community with a common purpose. Provide the outlet in which all art is searching for, an opportunity for all to say what we need to say within our creative combustion that we may or may not be able to vocalize. Is not the heart of art the birthing artists who must create or combust, must create more than eat, must find and manifest the essence of our potential, a perhaps disagreement with subcumbing to limitation. Let us dream and speak of these dreams that they may manifest.
In short, is not the common vision to have a place where we may all share our creation, be inspired, and simply be amongst the synergistic engergy of this collective? You have the space, you have the community willing to provide the needed neccesities, and you have the community in need. As the Gita says, be detached from its outcome or how you’d want its outcome, savor that this is gritty low key T-town, and savor the gritty low attendence or big attendence that shows itself. It is not the turnout, but the ripples of what comes from your dedication to provide such a space, if “you” are so willing.

Dedicated to T-town : ) Acha! ;)

I think t-town needs a speakeasy, a daily space, an underground collaborative colletive. question is if you’re willing to dedicate yourself 100%. : )
alamo city expat March 5, 2009

Some women dance to get men, some women dance to impress their friends, and then there are those other women…you know the ones. If you want good attendence at a women-only event, invite those women. It doesn’t have to be a “gay” event. That demographic is open to the idea of activities sans males, and there aren’t nearly enough of those in Tacoma. If you have a reaction to the proposition of targeting an audience which is so receptive to the basic idea of women only, you’ve got different issues than attendence. That being the case the problem solving looks completely different.
altered Chords March 5, 2009

DB – put the shoe on the other foot for a minute.

“hey guys, there’s a really cool dance event for men only”…“wanna go to that tonight? It’s supposed to be really cool”

Or:

If a really attractive, interesting, hip, cool woman told me that an event like that was happening in Tacoma and asked me if I was interested in attending it, I think I would look for a length of rope, tie it around my neck and head for the 11th st. bridge.
Earthdaughter March 10, 2009

Vesuvius Girl, I checked the link to Ecstatic Dance on your post just to be sure it was what I thought. We have a Soul Motion/Sweat Ecstasy teacher right here in Tacoma at Jefferson Field House. Daisy Jo Compton has been offering dance through Metro Parks for almost 10 years! I’ve been dancing with her for about 8 years and it has changed me in so many ways.

There has been a small but committed core group and we have been trying everything to get the word out and find the “inner dancers” in Tacoma! Come and join us Sunday morning 10:30 – noon, 801 N Mason Ave. (N 9th at N Monroe St).

But one word of caution. This is not a spectator sport. Don’t come to watch the other dancers! Or pick up a date (though who knows what can happen when Mystery is afoot). This is a place to let your inner dancer run free in a safe place. No judgment, no “right way or wrong way” to move. A warm, wonderful accepting community of people who celebrate mindful movement. (Sometimes we do art pieces also!)

MetroParks doesn’t know how to deal with “drop ins”, so Daisy will be just renting the space starting next session. That way we can come whenever we want without having to sign up for the whole term. Meanwhile, Daisy invites you to come for free to a session to see if it fits for you.

So come! Stretch your boundaries. What more could you ask for? Step out of your Box and into the Circle of dance! We are all dancers!

BTW – they also have Ecstatic dances in Seattle which I’ve heard are great, but Dance Local Tacoma first!