Fun day of hanging about

[wendyzski]

Went up to Bristol today. Why? Because it's Payday!

Still haven't watched a single show, but caught about 5 minutes of Tourdion while eating lunch. Wench-Walked with style, and Rob was stilll smudged at end of day. We were parked next to his car in employee parking, so I left a big lipstick smooch on his driver's side mirror too. Bought some yummy soap (citrus scrub, northwoods and tea tree) and some herbal waters. Northwoods is a wonderfully refreshing blend of cedarwod, rosewood, juniper & spruce. I also got a bottle of 'Slumber-Time', which is clary sage, lavender and vetiver. It might be my new fave for pillow spray.

It was great to do Danse Macabre again. I'm not in nearly good enough shape to do everything I want to do with the character, but it was fun to ease back in. I love the whispers that begin just as soon as we step out. It gratifies the part of me that likes poking people just to see what they will do. Plus I get to use my modern dance training that I never get to any more. But I was definitely heat-woozy by the end, so afterwards I just pulled on my kirtle and went to sit in Rob's shop, drink gatorade, end evaporate.

We won't have the new CD for next faire weekend. It hit the printers' on Friday, and it's 7 business days to do, so we will definitely have it by our August performances (7th & 21st). Oh well, at least we'll have it.

Comments

[aedifica]

So what is Danse Macabre? I've been wondering for your last several posts but hadn't gotten around to asking.

Reader's Digest Condensed version

[wendyzski.livejournal.com]

Danse Macabre, aka "The Dead Parade", is an adaptation of a 14th century tradition that some faires do.

When all your neighbors are dying of the plague, etc. an you don't know why, it's really scary. So some villages evolved a tradition where maskers dress as dead people and demons and dance through the village. Partly because it allowed people to "turn their backs" to them, thus symbolically turning their backs on Death. There is also the thought that if Death happened to be flying by at the time, he'd see all his "minions" and assume he had already passed through, and the village would escape the touch of Death.

As a faire tradition, it is groups of scary characters in black who appear from everywhere and nowhere at the beat of a drum, dancing and parading through the streets, sometimes freezing all at once or going into a frenzy with no obvious cues. It's very freaky. Sometimes the parade will do a "kill", where they will surround a seemingly unsuspecting patron, move in amd encircle him, then step back and he's gone, leaving behind only a spilled beer leaking into the grass or a smashed pair of sunglasses.

I have participated as various chanracters in Bristol's Dead Parade since 1991. I like that it brings a little chill to people at the end of the day, a reminder that this time was more than just beer and wenches. I also enjoy making the different costumes that I have worn over the years, and trying on different characters. And as I said in the original post, it's a chance to use my dance and physical theatre training in ways that simply aren't possible as a musician. Plus, I put in 8 years working in haunted houses, and have a genuine fondness for creeping people out.

Currently I portray "Sorrow", a woman in a long gown and veils, carrying the corpse of an infant. The babe has a skull for a face, and a stained lace cap covering wisps of decaying hair, and while the child is wrapped in a black shroud, the remnants of a tiny bodice and chemise can be glimpsed. As she progresses, the woman rocks her child, reaches out to passers-by as if begging, or pauses to slowly reach out and touch a child with obvious longing before clutching her babe to her and whirling away. It's usually one of the most disturbing images in the parade, and I'm very proud of the character.

Belated response

[aedifica]

OK, thanks for explaining! The way you put it makes me wish MNRF had one - though I doubt I'd immediately embrace the idea if I'd seen it before hearing it explained.