Performer Spotlight

i’ve decided to start a series of blogs spotlighting performers who have had a particular impact on my life. my own performance heroes, for one reason or another. it is going to take a while. like many endeavors upon which i embark, it will probably never be complete. nonetheless, it is a worthy cause. each person mentioned will, of course, deserve more from me than some little mention on a personal blog site that very few people actually bother to read, but it’s my way of saying thanks. thanks for being awesome in my eyes and for being you.

Performer Spotlight 1 - Sora Sol

Heather “Sora Sol” Iriye is my hero and one of my favorite people in the world. she is Aerialist, Dancer, Artist. Sora practices her art with ferocious dedication, strong-willed determination and impassioned self-critique. her routines are the movement-based manifestation of her passion for life and all the contents of her heart. she demands perfection of herself, almost to a fault. yet she approaches every other person and situation with tolerance, compassion and love. she is a constant reminder that i should strive to do so as well.

a few years ago, i had the honor of sharing a stage with Sora in a show that we produced together and it remains to be one of my favorite performance experiences ever. when the time is right, i know we will do so again and every fiber of my existence is looking forward to that day.

go to her website, watch her videos, go to her shows. if you have the good fortune, spend some time with and get to know her--your life will be better for it.

www.PassionateSky.com

Sora Sol, thanks for being you.

addicted to crack...

...ing whips. terrible, i know, and of course i mean the pun. anyway, a few months ago i commissioned a matched set of two 4-foot red and black nylon bullwhips (seen below) from Steven Susanka at Metro Whips. his work is awesome; go to his website; spend money there. these are now my favorite whips to use. i got shorter ones so i could use them in a tighter street setting and have been meaning to put them in the show for a while now. finally, in the last show i did on this past new year’s eve, i whipped ‘em out and went at it (so to speak). with no prepared schtick and just the desire to do something out of routine for my last show of the year, i showed the crowd what i’ve been practicing, ending with a simplified version of the Queensland Crossover (think crazy, cross-handed flailing and lots of cracks). i had fun and the crowd seemed to dig it, too. good way to end the year.

whips have fascinated me for as long as i can remember and i SO enjoy playing with them. been starting to get the 2-handed volley and i’m rather excited about that. don’t know what that is? here’s a link to my newest hero, Adam Winrich, explaining the volley. he is a whip god.

so, if you catch the show sometime this year, look for whips to play a bigger role. yeah, they hurt, but i kinda like it. wink wink, nudge nudge...