Raks Spooki in MA

I had such a blast at Raks Spookion Sunday! Many thanks again to Badriya, for putting on the event (and also for her fabulous knife dance), and to all the dancers--it was an honor to be dancing with some of the best in the New England gothic scene, and to attend the workshops with such fine nationallly known dancers. The theater itself was awesome--The Regent--an old vaudville theater built in 1916, all black and creaky wood with a balcony--a perfect venue for an event such as this.

I was glad to meet in person some of the people I have only gotten to know a bit online--and to see people that I don't get to see or work with often enough because of distance.

I felt so at home. What a pleasure. Let's have more of that.

--A

The Furies' Prayer CD out this November!

The Furies' Prayer

Aepril Schaile and the Judgement 's CD will be released Novemeber 20th! I am very proud of the work everyone involved has done on this project, and I am beside myself with impatience and excitement about getting this music out to you!

We picked November 20th because that is the day that the Moon turns New in Scorpio--perfect for Aepril Schaile and the Judgement's themes of death and rebirth, survival, loss, betrayal, sex, life, redemption. Also, Mercury goes direct a few days before (any astrologer knows that it would have been pure foolishness to put this out there during Mercury retro) and Uranus goes direct, supporting unusual music.

We're playing our CD release party on Dec 2nd (sounds so far away, doesn't it? Still, methinks it will get here fast) at Geno's with Portland's The Horror and Boston's Dreamchild. (Check out their music; they're both on the "top friends" at Aepril Schaile and the Judgement's myspace. www.myspace.com/aeprilschaile) I will also be weaving bellydancing intto the performance, and so will The Cumaen Sybil of Medusa Maidens.

Fire, fury, love,
Aepril

Still can't jail the spirit...

Due to pressure by the Portland police and others, an art exhibit at the University of Southern Maine by prisoner Tom Manning was taken down. I believe that everyone has the right to make and show their art regardless of any crimes they may have commited--how else is there ever to be healing?

There is more info about this below. If you have the time, and you care about freedom of expression, please do participate in this walking artshow in defiance of censorship. The bullshit has aready gone way too far.

--Aepril

Still Can’t Jail the Spirit
Walking Artshow by Political Prisoner Tom Manning and others
5pm starting at USM Woodbury Campus Center
Fri., September 15th
Portland, ME

(see full statement below)

On Friday September 15th, we will demonstrate that the government and
police still "Can't Jail the Spirit", with a walking artshow by political
prisoner Tom Manning and others. The art show will begin at 5pm at the
Woodbury Campus Center on USM(University of Southern Maine)'s campus, and
will travel on foot to Congress Square by 6pm in Portland, Maine.
Tom's paintings will be displayed along the route and in the square,
along with art from local artists. At Congress Square there will also be
food, signs, and more information about the work and history of the
artists represented at the exhibit. Speakers will include Ray Luc
Levasseur, lawyers from the National Lawyers Guild, and an open mic, at
which all members of the public who believe in expression free from police
control are encouraged to bring poems, music, art, and their free speech.


Statement by the Portland Victory Gardens Project

On Friday September 8th, the University of Southern Maine (USM) censored
"Can't Jail the Spirit: Art by Political Prisoner Tom Manning & others"
when university President Richard Pattenaude declared that Tom's paintings
would be taken down from the walls of the gallery at Woodbury Campus
Center. Pattenaude's abrupt cancellation has alarmed USM students and
faculty, and other members of the greater Portland community. USM's act
of censorship came on the heels of intense pressure from corporate
sponsors, police officers and law enforcement associations from Maine and
other states. Further, the show was canceled without due process or
notice to exhibit organizers or the USM community.

So far, much of the media attention to this action has been dominated by
the words of the University and the police regarding this art show. We are
releasing this statement to respond to the president's action, and to
clarify the Portland Victory Gardens Projects views on political
prisoners, free speech and human rights.

Just 2 days prior to President Pattenaude's announcement about the closing
of the exhibit, the University stated that "Can't Jail the Spirit"
presented a unique opportunity for public dialogue and debate – in keeping
with USM's mission as a "comprehensive public university…for the benefit
of the citizens of Maine and society in general." But in his recent press
statement, President Pattenaude said that the show was canceled because
"any reasoned discussion of ideas has been overshadowed completely by Mr.
Manning's and Mr. Levasseur's criminal acts, and the pain and suffering
they caused." These two statements are clearly contradictory: in censoring
the art show, Pattenaude is limiting campus discussion on the definition
of the term political prisoner—a complete reversal from the art exhibit's
original intention! How can a true discussion on political prisoners take
place while the opinions of the prisoners and their supporters are being
suppressed?

We believe that the power of the police—through pressure on the University
and its funders—is being used in this instance to limit free speech and
opinions that the government does not approve of. We see this action as a
bold effort by police forces to control ideas and opinions being discussed
on a public university campus.

It is true that Tom Manning was convicted for the felony murder of a New
Jersey state trooper; Tom says he shot back in self defense because the
police shot at him first. Most of the controversy surrounding the art
show centers around this fact, but lost in the discussion is the fact that
Tom Manning is a political prisoner because he took action against the
racist, U.S.-backed apartheid regime in South Africa, and U.S.-backed
death squads and dictatorships in Central America. It is for these
reasons that Portland Victory Gardens Project and many others around the
world recognize Tom Manning as a political prisoner.

Controversy over the exhibit has also overshadowed the many positive
contributions made by Tom Manning and Ray Luc Levasseur for the causes of
freedom and justice in Portland and beyond, through such organizations as
Vietnam Veterans Against the War, Portland Victory Gardens Project, and
SCAR. SCAR, an anti-prison and anti-racist group begun by former
prisoners; helped to found a radical bookstore called Red Star North;
developed community programs such as self defense classes and a community
bail fund; worked against torture and abuse in the Maine prison system;
and published a newspaper. "Can't Jail the Spirit" documents the work of
Tom, Ray and others by telling about their time underground, and their
capture, trials and imprisonment.

On Friday September 15th, we will demonstrate that the government and
police still "Can't Jail the Spirit", with a walking artshow by Tom
Manning and others. The art show will begin at 5pm at the Woodbury Campus
Center on USM's campus, and will travel on foot to Congress Square by 6pm.
Tom's paintings will be displayed along the route and in the square,
along with art from local artists. At Congress Square there will also be
food, signs, and more information about the work and history of the
artists represented at the exhibit. Speakers will include Ray Luc
Levasseur, lawyers from the National Lawyers Guild, and an open mic, at
which all members of the public who believe in expression free from police
control are encouraged to bring poems, music, art, and their free speech.

There is a power and humanity that flow through his Tom Mannings’
paintings that transcends the confinement of prison walls and barbed wire.
His paintings provide a voice for the voiceless: indigenous women in
Chiapas, Mexico struggling against colonization of their homeland;
political exile and former political prisoner Assata Shakur; to a 3 year
old girl who was shot to death by the Los Angeles Police Department.
"Can't Jail the Spirit" will be rehung in a Portland gallery in the near
future, time and place TBA and will continue to other east coast locations
this winter. We call on all supporters of freedom and free speech to rise
up against this repression and celebrate our collective voices for
liberation.

For more information about Tom Manning you can visit:
www.geocities.com/tom-manning

For more information about U.S. Political Prisoners:
www.thejerichomovement.com or www.ecoprisoners.org

For more information about the Portland Victory Gardens Project and Can'ta
Jail the Spirit: (207) 761-1504 or pvg@riseup.net

----------------------
PRESS ALERT - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - September 13, 2006

CENSORED ARTWORK ON VIEW AT THEPHOENIX.COM
Paintings of a self-described political prisoner convicted of bombings and
involvement in police officer's death available at the Web site of the
Portland
Phoenix

Thirty-two paintings removed from display at the University of Southern
Maine are now available for viewing in an exclusive online exhibit at
thePhoenix.com.
The paintings include landscapes real and imagined, scenes from the Third
World, and portraits of modern and historical political activists. Many of
those whose portraits Manning has painted have served - or are now serving
- prison time in connection with their actions.
Other pieces address political themes, such as "Where's Liberty," in which an
African child turns away from the blue and red colors symbolizing European
colonization, toward a green field symbolizing land. "Bloody Cotton"
addresses the theme of chattel slavery, in which African slaves were
brought to live in harsh conditions in America to harvest cotton, among
other tasks; it also serves as a reminder that imprisoned convicts are the
only exceptions from the Thirteenth Amendment to the US Constitution,
which abolished slavery and involuntary servitude.
Some of Manning's work shows what society and the world have lost as a
result of sectarian conflict: "Bridge at Mostar" shows the 16th-century
bridge in Bosnia that was destroyed in the religious and ethnic violence
following the collapse of the nation of Yugoslavia. And "El Salvador
Massacre" depicts the lighting of a memorial candle near the body of a
victim of a massacre during that country's US-influenced political
upheaval in the 1970s.
Among those whose portraits are on display are:
Safiya Bukhari, a former member of the Black Panther Party, and co-founder
of the Jericho Movement, which supports and publicizes the situations of
political prisoners.
Assata Shakur, a former member of the Black Panther Party, and godmother
of hip hop artist Tupac Shakur.
Betty Shabazz, widow of Malcolm X and an activist in her own right.
Susie Pena, a 19-month-old girl shot by police while in her father's arms
during a 2005 standoff in LA.
Jose Marti, a leader of the Cuban independence movement.
Leonard Peltier, an activist for the rights of Native Americans.
Che Guevara, a Latin American guerrilla leader.
Fidel Castro, the Communist leader of Cuba.
Jaan Laaman, one of Manning's co-defendants.
Winona LaDuke, a Native American activist and former vice-presidential
candidate.

Manning, who terms himself a political prisoner because he is imprisoned
for crimes he committed to make a political statement, is serving a life
sentence in federal prison in connection with politically motivated
bombings of government and corporate locations in several states in the
1970s and 1980s, as well as being involved in an encounter in 1981 that
left a New Jersey state trooper dead.
His work, painted while incarcerated, had been on display in a show called
"Can't Jail the Spirit," at the University of Southern Maine in Portland.
The show, according to university publicity materials, was intended to spark
discussion of what the term "political prisoner" means, how it might be
defined, and how to determine who is one, and who is not. It is a question
particularly potent in today's world, where people who the US government
calls "insurgents" or "terrorists" believe themselves to be held prisoner
for actions they took based on political beliefs.
Accompanying the images online and in the most recent issue of the
Portland Phoenix are a news story about the cancellation of the exhibit,
and a review of the artwork by a Portland Phoenix art reviewer.

Contact information:
Peter Kadzis, executive editor, Phoenix Media/Communications Group:
617.859.3236
Jeff Inglis, managing editor, Portland Phoenix: 207.773.8900 x108

Portland Victory Gardens Project
PO Box 1992
Portland, Maine 04104
(207) 761-1504

Beginning Bellydance: Intro to Raqs Gothique

In repsonse to the many inquiries I've gotten over the summer, I am offering a short-run *beginning* Bellydance class this fall. It will of course be taught in a darker, Gothic style.

This is a class for beginner dancers. However, I hope offer a multi-level workshop on Gothic Bellydance sometime very soon--either teaching it myself or hosting another teacher. Stay tuned!
-----------------------------------
Intro to Raqs Gothique

Tuesdays, 9/19-10/24 (no class 10/3)
At the New Church (formerly the Swedenborgian Church) 320 Stevens Ave, Portland, ME
$60 for 6 weeks, $12 drop-ins

Get an introduction to the elegant, sensual, and sacred art of Bellydance! Get in shape and increase your mystique while learning basic bellydance vocabulary to darker music. We will also touch upon the history, drama, and costuming of an emerging dance form, Gothic Bellydance.
No prior dance experience necessary. Open to ages 14+

www.aeprilschaile.com/bellydance.htm



Aepril Schaile, MFA is a Bellydancer of a more experimental, darker hue. She performs this dance as a ritual of the Dark Goddess, with all its snakey mystery and sacred eroticism. Her personal style is a fusion of fusions: Raqs Gothique; tribal fusion; dark cabaret. She brings a background of theater and performance art to her performances, making them more than a showcase of costuming and technique.

Aepril is a founding member and the Artistic Director of the dark fusion troupe Medusa Maidens, Portland ME’s dark fusion bellydance troupe. www.myspace.com/medusamaidens
posted by:

Aepril Schaile and the Judgement at Space Gallery...

My band is playing Thursday night for a suprise show. Would love to see friends there...

------------------------------

Aepril Schaile and the Judgement ( www.myspace.com/aeprilschaile ) with ( www.myspace.com/ocean ) Ocean and Kayo Dot of Boston ( www.myspace.com/kayodot )

Get a sneak peak (or listen!) at our new trumpet player, Adam Trull, before the CD release in October.

We're on first, so get there nice and early to see us!

8/31
Space Gallery
538 Congress St
Portland, ME
9pm

Raqs Gothique

The following was written in response to a questionaire put out, by Nadiyah (www.nadiyahs.com), on the Raqs Gothique Yahoo group, asking dancers about Gothic Bellydance. Since I have so many bellydance friends here, I thought I'd share it here, too! Nadiya will be writing an article about Raqs Gothique based in part on the repsonses she receives form dancers. (Edited for length and clarity)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My name is Aepril Schaile, and I am the Artistic Director for Medusa Maidens, up here in the starkly beautiful, and remote, state of Maine. I am also a solo dancer, and have been for some time.

We have our dark culture here, and my new troupe has been met with exuberance, and open arms, by the Maine "underground" scene. I do unfortunately also have to report, though, that the bellydance community has had mixed reactions to our presence: some support, but also some distrust and disrespect.

I love a good controversy, however, and so my troupe and I are up to the task! And I suspect that this suspicious response will relax as we establish ourselves and become more of a known quantity.

>What does Raqs Gothique mean to you?

To me, Raqs Gothique is the logical extension, and intuitive expression, of being a "goth" and a bellydancer. I've always been a dark soul. Bellydance has an obvious eroticism to it, while the goth thing has the thanatos. Death and sex--what else do you want?

My understanding is that, from a historical perspective, the whole "Gothic" era in Europe came out of the influence of Middle Eastern culture on Europe during the Middle Ages: European culture had declined to such a point that there was a huge cultural vacuum, and as the crusaders returned from the Middle East, they brought with them Arab influences, which had a huge impact on the artitecture, art etc. of the time. So, with that in mind, Gothic Bellydance is not a "strange" mix of ideas and creative impulses at all; instead, we know that such combinations have occured before, and that GB could be considered more recent development.

> Do incorporate Goth styling and/or the Gothic era?

Of course! Black is my base for everthing. I feel like an overly colorful clown in anything else. ;) I dance with knives, sticks with skulls, and a black silk veil. Medusa Maidens has done Victorian era mixed with coins, with a veil as the bustle: we danced with black parasols and in black fishnet garters, etc.

> Do you go for the shock-in-awe factor, drama, escape to an alternative reality, or simply let loose when performing Raqs Gothique?

My troupe and I definitely cross lines on occasion that other Bellydancers might not cross, particularly when it comes to erotic content and aggressive theatrics. It's not really in order to shock for its own sake, necessarily, but instead we are really just being ourselves!

I think it's all about the "Shadow", a Jungian term that refers the darker aspects of the human psyche, both collectively and individually. The shadow is where all the taboos and undesirables are in the psyche, but also where the "gold" of the heart and spirit are hidden. One needs to travel into the Underworld on occasion to revitalize the soul--the individual soul and the group soul; any mythological story can tell you that, and in myths, anyone who was anyone made a journey to the Underworld. Maybe we are a troupe that expresses sort of the shadow aspect of the Bellydance world.

There is also a mysticism in what the troupe, and I as a solo artist, dance. For instance, my troupe just danced at Pagan Pride--a piece that was also a spell for grounding and prosperity, where we danced as the 4 elements.

> What are some music styles/songs/artists you like to incorporate into your performances?

All sorts of dark stuff----from the mystical to metal to dark folk to electronic to medieval. My troupe and I have danced to a lot of live music lately, too, mostly that of metal bands. There is some great dark electronic music using Middle Eastern samples coming out as of late that appeals to many dancers of a darker aesthetic, such as the work of Maduro and Solace, which I love, too.

> Do you ever perform or study Raqs Sharqi?

Raqs Sharqi is what I was trained in. My first teachers were cabaret performers. And even now, for all my oh-so-seriousness and dark intensity, many of my solo costumes have a lot of sparkles! I love the *diva-ness* of cabaret! It was dancers of Raqs Sharqi that first attracted me to Bellydance. So beautiful and sexy!

I very much respect the traditions and cultural origins of Bellydance. That said, I will argue with any member of the Cultural Police anytime that *all* Bellydance is a *fusion of fusions*, and that "authenticity" is a very hard thing to claim or dispute.

Though I can appreciate and respect other dancers for who and what they are, I am a creature who needs healthy portions of sex'n'violence and weirdness in all my creative endeavors. As I've developed my own personal style over time, I've been happy to find that there are many others who love the darker side of creative dance!

www.aeprilschaile.com

www.myspace.com/medusamaidens

Medusa Maidens and Lotus Moon at Maine Pagan Pride!

Medusa Maidens and Lotus Moon will be casting their spell at 12 noon for...

The 3rd annual MAINE PAGAN PRIDE DAY!

Come out and celebrate Paganism!
this Saturday, August 12th
at the Allen Street Church,
Portland Maine,
9-5.

Get Henna'd by Luna Wind Henna! All sorts of witchy vending.

Blessed be!

From the website:

What is Wicca? Do witches worship the devil? Is witchcraft different from Wicca? What does being a Pagan mean?

Come to the third annual Maine Pagan Pride Festival to learn about the growing religious and spiritual paths of paganism. You may be surprised at what you will learn!

The Third Annual Maine Pagan Pride Day Festival will be held at the Allen Ave Unitarian Church on 524 Allen Ave in Portland, Maine on Saturday, August 12th from 9:00am-5:00pm rain or shine. Entrance is free and open to the public. Donations of canned goods for a local food pantry are welcomed and encouraged.

The purpose of the Maine Pagan Pride Day is to bring a greater awareness about Paganism to our local Maine communities. Visitors will?be able to experience a lot of different aspects of various Pagan traditions and beliefs. Join us for workshops on a variety of topics where questions and participation are encouraged. Enjoy fun entertainment, including music by Lorelei Greenwood, the Medusa Maidens, and the Different Drummers Drum Circle.

Families with children are welcome! There will be a childrens area and childrens workshops available throughout the day. Feel free to stay the whole day; bring a lunch and enjoy the picnic and playground area!<br><br>Numerous local vendors will feature quality, handcrafted items for purchase, as well as the opportunity to have individual sessions with professional psychic readers. Join in our raffle, items include autographed books by Margot Adler and Starhawk, CDs of Pagan interest and other wonderful surprises.

Pagan Pride Day will be supporting Project FEED: a local food pantry in Portland, by receiving donations of canned foods from event attendees. Please bring in a few items to donate to help us support this cause to feed the hungry right in Portland!

More info here at www.maineppd.org

How good it feels to be supported! (2 gigs, 2 reviews)

It's really great to get so much support from other people for my music.

I've had two really good gigs in a row, plus two reviews (one from Mick Mercer).

Aepril Schaile and the Judgement had a great gig at Skybar. It was really great to see two of my favorite bellydancers there: Karina of Lotus Moon and Badriya. Those of you who know my philosophy of creativity and art know that I am a huge fan of crossover, so I was thrilled.

The skybar show was reviewed by a member of the audience, who goes by "Kaiser Ape". He was a doll, and the review can be read on his blog. www.kaiserape.com/blog.htm

Kelsey Perchinski was kind enough to invite me to join her on WMPG today. It was a my first experience playing live on the air! She was great (that's us in the pic) and so was the staff at the radio station. I got many emails about the show afterward (despite the fact that I babbled nervously for a good part of the show)... People I met online from out of state listened via streaming, which i didn't really expect. Thank you!

Last, but hardly least, we got a wonderful surprise as Mick Mercer, well known lomg-time goth historian and music journalist, decided to write about Aepril Schaile and the Judgement. This was out of the blue, based on our myspace page. Its a great review www.mickmercer.com/mmset.html

Here is an excerpt:

...Aepril scares me. There’s a hurricane trapped inside that willowy frame, and if ’Flight From‘ tells you anything it’s that there really is a missing link between Patti Smith and Diamanda Galas and that link is Aepril. There is no Tori Amos to this variant of pain at the piano. The sounds crouch beneath the skeletal cello and prostrate themselves before the scathing vocals. This is bitter and wild, but as it develops a stunning piece of atmospheric piano rolls in like a cross between early Alien soundtrack and Johnny Cash’s take on ’Hurt’ and only a cretin would ignore this...

I'm on the radio this friday

I'll be live for an interview and performance, "unplugged" (or something--It'll be just me on piano) on WMPG 90.9/104.1 FM this coming Friday, Aug 4th, from 3-4 pm EST.

Even if you don't live in the Maine area, you can listen to streaming at www.wmpg.org
Don't miss it!

www.aeprilschaile.com

Calling all goths! (and the people who love them)

Get your 1200 SPF sunscreen and your parasols and come out to the 4th annual GOTH FLY A KITE

Sat, June 10th
Fort Williams Beach
Cape Elizabeth, ME

special performance by dark fusion Bellydancers Medusa Maidens htttp://www.myspace.com/medusamaidens at 2pm

Wondering what to bring? Well, a kite, food, spooky stuff...

Be there in your summertime black!