blog flog frog gog

Feb. 20th: Benefit for Water in the Desert/ Last Call for $10 tickets!

mizu — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 18:15:39 GMT

Come celebrate the spectrum of expression at this performance-salon-extravaganza…. doors open at 8, performances start at 8:30 OUR EVENING PROGRAM–with MC Geisha ASA (in order of appearance): Kyai Guntur Sari; Javanese Classical Gamelan Maureen Freehill “momo”; Butoh Dance Adam Hurst Ghost Music; Solo Cello, Original Music Miriam Burke; Classical Javanese Dance Portland State University’s Kyogen Theatre: Medieval Japanese Farce Mizu Desierto Butoh Theatre; American Butoh, Contemporary Dance Soriah with Ashkelon Sain; Throat-singing, Ambient-Electric DJ GlobalRuckus; Trans-Global-Groove-Maniac, East-Asian set. at The Someday Lounge; 125 NW 5th Ave. 8pm-1am; $15-30/ $10 ♥ There are 20 more tickets available for $10 (presale only). Get one of the last ones today!! http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/53909 www.WaterInTheDesertFestival.org

Mizu Desierto Butoh Theatre at Mochitsuki-Japanese New Year Celebration!

mizu — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 20:43:40 GMT

Come join Mizu Desierto Butoh Theatre this Saturday at Mochitsuki—-Portland’s 13th annual Japanese-American New Year Celebration. We will be performing on the Community Stage at 2:50pm. The culture fair begins at 11am with the pounding of Mochi–japanese rice cakes—at the center. All activities take place at Portland Community College- Sylvania Campus. There is a suggested donation of $4 for adults & $1 for children. You can also buy tickets for the mainstage show which includes performances by Portland Taiko, Buyo dance, and more…. Please visit their website to find out more: www.mochitsuki.org

Katsura Kan: Performance This Saturday $5

mizu — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 22:46:51 GMT

This weekend at the Headwaters we will be presenting a student showcase of work by the participants of Katsura Kan's workshop in Portland. Katsura Kan is a native of Kyoto and a Master Butoh artist among the ranks of Japan's first generation of Butoh. From 1979-1981 he performed with the seminal troupe "Byakkosha" known for its austerity and integrity, rather than theatrical glamour. He is now a celebrated solo artist, collaborative performer and prolific choreographer. For the past 28 years Kan has worked with what he calls "minority dancers" in remote locations throughout Africa, Europe, and South East Asia, as well as performing for "cosmopolitan" culture in major cities. It has been an honor to work with this masterful teacher of Butoh and Buddhism, whose work feels closer to the energetic movements of tai-chi, or indonesian shamanism. It will surely be an interesting evening, directed by Kan. Seating is extremely limited, reservations are encouraged. contact mizudesierto@gmail.com to save a spot. $5-15 donation

mississippi street fair! Guerrilla Water Action!

mizu — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 22:56:02 GMT

come join our faery bootcamp for a little guerrilla theatrics this saturday at the mississippi street fair! Come as whatever kind of faery you like...and join in our brigade of bringing water to the desert....or to portland for now. you can meet up with the faery boot camp at 2pm in the courtyard in front of the laughing planet burrito. we will be playing with some fun, ridiculous and sweet improvisational structures....... and promoting the WATER IN THE DESERT FESTIVAL '08! www.waterinthedesertfestival.org AND! if you want to help contribute to the festival by coming and joining us tomorrow for costume/prop building...we would be overjoyed with your presence. we have all kinds of projects to take this coming midsummer simply over the top! butoh style. 12-5 pm 6106 n. michigan ave.

from the HeadWaters- who loves silky-smooth bouncing things??????

mizu — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 20:42:50 GMT

I DO. that is why i just went into my first massive tangle with debt to invest in a professional sprung-wood floor for a new dance studio.... that is right, i will be opening up a new dance/theater/laboratory in the new Disjecta...THE HEADWATERS!!!! (the home and oasis of exploration in all things kinesthetic and expressive). However, on WEDNESDAY, I need your Help! I need 2-3 good STRONG people to help me move the floor into the space. It will probably only take about an hour, but you would need to be available sometime between 10 and 2....at 8371 n. Interstate Ave. What can I offer? pastries! coffee! fun! a free pass to take a class in the studio, or some studio time! and, of course, love! please contact me if you might be willing or available..... xxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoooooxoxoxoxoxoxoooxoxxxxxxoooooooxoxoxoxoxoxoxxxx

bluegrass/blues pdx?

mizu — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 19:01:16 GMT

so i have a relative getting married in hood river this late summer...and he is looking for a bluegrass/blues band that will get people dancing. anyone have any recommendations here in pdx? xoxoxoxox m

Monday Evening of Butoh and other Post-Asiatic Improvisations....at the Fez

mizu — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 19:23:39 GMT

A series of collaborations in butoh dance and improvised music, featuring the reunion of Vanessa Skantze and Death Posture (New Orleans, Seattle), the first ever onstage meeting of Mizu Desierto and Portland chamber noise ensemble Power Circus, and a rare live performance from post-asiatic percussion ensemble Nequaquam Vacuum. Lovely. Monday, June 16, 2008 8:00 PM Location: The Fez Ballroom 316 SW 11th Portland, OR view map More Info: www.fezballroom.com DEATH POSTURE New Orleans Ritual Butoh Reunion Tour featuring VANESSA SKANTZE deathposture.org/ with Portland guests POWER CIRCUS and MIZU DESIERTO www.myspace.com/powercircusmusic www.mizudesierto.com/ and NEQUAQUAM VACUUM www.radoncollective.org/artist...me.html at THE FEZ BALLROOM 316 SW 11th Downtown $7 21+ death posture Butoh Dance Collaborations & Environments, Repetitive Motion Experiments, Limitation and Impediment Experiments, Physical Theatre Since flowering in 2002, The DEATH POSTURE has served as a butoh dance-based multidisciplinary arts collective whose projects aim at revolutionary social alchemy. Transmutation of energy through extreme focus; the murder of everyday life via sonic and physical presence: Our dance is a mirror and nervous system. The DEATH POSTURE was created in New Orleans by multi-disciplinary performers VANESSA SKANTZE and ALEX HAVERFIELD along with guitarists Donald Miller -Borbetomagus- and Rob Cambre. DEATH POSTURE has performed in New York, Los Angeles, Birmingham, Albuquerque and countless times in New Orleans. Since relocating to Seattle in late 2004, DEATH POSTURE has performed numerous new works, collaborating with membersof PAN, DAPPIN BUTOH, NEQUAQUAM VACUUM AND SOCIETAS INSOMNIA. DEATH POSTURE'S various incarnations include collaborations with many renowned experimental musicians including Percussionists Tatsuya Nakatani and Chris Cutler, New Orleans saxophone impresario Kidd Jordan, the late master Bassist Peter Kowald, Bassists Reuben Radding and Nathan Levine, Guitarists Marcia Basset and Bill Horist and Violinist Tom Swafford (Degenerate Art Ensemble, etc). VANESA SKANTZE and ALEX HAVERFIELD study with JINEN BUTOH founder ATSUSHI TAKENOUCHI and performed with him in CRYING REVOLUTION in the summer of 2003 at the ex...IT! festival in Broellin, Germany, and in GEN in New York in 2004 at the Angel Orensanz Foundation. vanessa skantze VANESSA SKANTZE began performing spoken word in 1993, touring the U.S. with Lydia Lunch and Exene Cervenka. She premiered her solo piece "EYE OF THE BEHOLDER" at Zeitgeist Theatre Experiments in New Orleans in 1996. In 1997, Vanessa founded Teatro de la Psychomachia, Theater of the Soul Struggle, whose name expresses the desire for liberation from self-perpetuated barriers that fetter and frustrate the experiential and expressive freedom of mind and body. The first Psychomachia production was "I AM A CITY BESIEGED BY THE ARMY OF THE DEAD: An Incarnation/Invocation of the writing of Antonin Artaud," performed by Vanessa, Sal Muolo and an array of percussionists. In 1998 Vanessa was a featured performer at the 1998 MULTIKULTURNITEDEN festival in Maribor, Slovenia with her original piece "LITANIES/INCANTATIONS." Vanessa delved into Gnostic writings to create a movement piece exploring the first-century sacred poem "THE THUNDER: Perfect Mind," which she presented coupled with her own work "ASCENSION" in 1999. She created a work in Spanish and English entitled "PASSION," which she premiered in September 2000. Her most recent solo performance was "THE ALTAR OF DEAD WOMEN," performed at Easter 2001. Vanessa incarnated "MEDEA" in a new adaptation of the Euripides play by New Dramatists playwright Joe Goodrich, which had its première in New York at Six Figures Theatre Company's Artists of Tomorrow Festival in September 2002. She recently completed her feature film debut in "SYMBIOTICA," directed by Nicholas Faust with a script written by Joe Goodrich. Vanessa is an accomplished practitioner of Ashtanga Yoga, which she teaches. This practice endlessly informs her awareness of the body's mystery and possibility. She has put out a CD of spoken word recordings entitled PARIAH on her own hija del fuego label. With collaborator ce She has created sculptures in steel, copper and stone, which she exhibited in New Orleans at Delgado Comunnity College, Barrister's Gallery and City Art Studios. In Seattle she has shown her work at gallery 1412 and CoCA. While in New Orleans she became a Vodou initiate and studied Haitian drum rhythms which she performed at ceremonies. Currently she sings and plays percussion with local Seattle musicians. mizu desierto Mizu is a ritual performance artist whose work is an excavation of liminal states, an exploration of physical limitations, and a navigation of both the personal and universal psyche. Utilizing heightened states of provocation, contemplation, and supreme sensitivity, she seeks to expose the hidden aspects of human and nature in order to process and deconstruct our cultural experiences and go beyond them. Following the lineage of butoh in both rebellion and transformation, her dance vocabulary is also influenced by modern dance, physical theatre, yoga, contact improvisation, circus, and capoiera. Mizu has studied and performed with Yoshito and Kazuo Ohno (Japan), Harupin-Ha (San Francisco), and Diego Pinon (Mexico), amongst others. In 2005, she toured France and Spain with the PachaMama Project and over the past 12 years she has traveled, studied and performed in Brazil, Mexico, New Zealand, Japan, Indonesia, and throughout the U.S. Thematic threads within her dances include duality, destruction, death, the raw feminine, sexuality, androgyny, the archaic and the apocalyptic, the carnal and the sublime. Her intention is to utilize the medium of the psychic dance body to open and heal the wounds of the mother, bringing water to the desert. power circus Power Circus started around 2003 in Olneyville/Providence RI at 244 Oak Street where a bunch of brilliant noise bands & artists used to live in warehouses.... Lana Guerra is the original band member who used to play all over the country mainly playing straight up noise, at times she would team up with other noise musicians to record or play live. All of her shows are improv and most of any recordings you will find are recorded live. Lana Guerra has played with & shared a stage with many amazing bands like Nurse With Wound, Soriah, Blixa Bargeld, Lightning Bolt, White Mice, Rubber O Cement, Moe! Kestra!, Arachnid Arcade, Panicsville, F Space, Jarbo, Societas Insomnia, Creature Feature...you can check out In the past year Power Circus has grown by adding new members- Meghann Rose, Uxepi, & Jesse Reno and has become much more theatrical during their live performances in which each show is usual different from the last. We are steadily becoming a noise orchestra! nequaquam vacuum NEQUAQUAM VACUUM is a post-asiatic free ensemble, founded in 1999 by Mssrs. Noah Mickens and Tyler Armstrong. Over time a sound has emerged from hours of improvisation which recalls asian and middle eastern traditional musics, avant-classical percussion, and the noisier end of new jazz - comparisons include Harry Partch, gamelan, Einsturzende Neubauten, noh theater, John Cage, 23 Skidoo, and the music of the sufi. Their method involves the accumulation and construction of instruments from scrap metal and other found objects, played in congress with more conventional musical instruments from around the world. They play with no premeditation, no arrangements, no composition; tapping instead into what they have come to understand as an ongoing thread of music that things and can be channelled when the mind is empty. With exposure to the Japanese dance form known as butoh through collaborations with Seattle's P.A.N. and others, Nequaquam Vacuum have grown to understand many commonalities between the two methods, and sought to combine their Work with this relatively new performance tradition. The creation of a butoh music is one of the major directions they have taken over the years, first providing the musical soundtrack and now learning ways of merging the music and the dance. Nequaquam Vacuum has toured and recorded with a number of different line-ups; most notably as a trio featuring Armstrong, Mickens, and multi-instrumentalist Travis McAlister. Other recurring players have included James Davis (prepared guitar, percussion, radio waves), David Miranda (singing bowl, sampler), Jay Lieber (flute, violin, mouth harp), Brian Crowl (sitar, umbush), Brighten Richardson (synthesizer), Rale Sidebottom (percussion), Uxepi Ipexu (cello), Jonathan Howitt (hand drums), and Sasha Drummure (percussion). The only musician to have played in every Nequaquam Vacuum session is Noah Mickens, who continues to be the organizational center of the ensemble. In addition, Nequaquam Vacuum has recorded with Soriah, The Master Musicians of Hop-Frog, Noancer, Sikhara, Ripit, Power Circus, Synchronicity Frequency, and master saxophonist Steve MacKay; and performed live in collaboration with all the aforementioned projects, Z'EV, Bill Horist, Moe! Staiano's Moe!Kestra, Smegma, Linda Austin, Nathan Hubbard, Mizu Desierto, Alenka Loesch, Haruko Nishimura, Kamilsky, John Wiese, Michael Sakamoto, Fuck the Facts, Markus Wolff, Suzy Kazawa, Death Posture, Sam Mickens, Jherek Bischoff, Paul Rucker, Sleighted, To-Ka-Ge, Something's Burning, Tatsuya Nakatani, Tom Swafford, Obe'Skupla, Jonathan Sielaff, Johnny Ward, Implied Violence, Ques Todd Oumi, Pan-Zen, Bizzart, Tres Gone, The Blender of Death, and a myriad of others who share their lust for new forms of beauty in music and movement. Along the way, they have left three self-released full-length CDs (Nequaquam Vacuum, |0|, and Ku); and appeared on compilations from Radon, URCK Records, Anomalous Silencer, Psychform Records, Pan-Zen Konspiracy Nettwyrk, IBOL Magazine, and Sonick Sorcery. Their next release, Fallout Over Peking, will see the light of day in 2009 on URCK. In one form or another, they will continue."

Beltaine Celebration & Casting Call...oh yeah. (WEAR TIGHT PANTS!)

mizu — Sat, 03 May 2008 00:45:06 GMT

on Saturday, May 3rd we will be having a Beltaine celebration and fundraiser for FlowForm Studios and Water in the Desert Festival.....with performances by yours truly (and my BEaUtiFul workshop attendees)!!! as well as Rose City Vaudeville, aerial hoop, projections by m.one, sexy waterspiders (sexy little band...mmmmm.....), dj muse, and more.............(it's only $2 from 8-9) and $5-7 from 9 on........ Just swing by for a drink even, to show your support!! @ Flowform (inside the Watershed Warehouse) 5040 SE Milwaukie, PDX ALSO, i am making a MASSive Call out to performers of all shapes and inclinations to perform in the Butoh Midsummer Night's Dream project for Water in the desert this summer. There will be an audition this sunday May 4th from 1-4pm at Om TRAdition Arts 14 NE 10th AVE. Rehearsals will take place throughout June & July.... ......and for those with interest but less time to commit, there are roles available to learn just before the project, in a week of intensive-faery-play-and-practice-----to join in a massive chorus of FAERIES. and, of course, we are still looking for both creative and functional contributions to the festival!!!! contact me if you are interested or to find out more... www.waterinthedesertfestival.org

Where is Nature?

mizu — Thu, 01 May 2008 02:58:30 GMT

Did anyone else receive a rather bizarre email from Nature Hogan today stating that he is in Nigeria, stranded without money, passport, or anything else--with a hotel manager demanding $950 and another $1000 necessary to get out of it? the fishy part of it all is that he then gives a wiring account in Malaysia, after saying he is stranded in Africa. if seems like some strange scam that somehow accessed his gmail account. any news of his whereabouts? anyone? I am perplexed and hoping that our wonder boy of Nature is safe and okay. ........

following in Miss Sarah King's footsteps- lets wrangle those super-delegates!

mizu — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 22:30:18 GMT

i just wrote to the oregon super-delegates to share my piece of mind. these are the addresses, as posted by Miss King. However, the Wayne Kinney one seemed to bounce, if anyone has another one...... (then a letter to follow). xoxo Meredith Woods-Smith (OR) chair@dpo.org Frank Dixon (OR): vicechair1@dpo.org Jenny Greenleaf (OR) has a blog in which she comments & participates. She seems VERY intelligent and is waiting for May 20th, but has NOT pledged to vote with the popular vote, so I think it's important we remind her of Obama's strengths: www.blogger.com/comment.g Wayne Kinney (OR) ("Democratic National Committeeman") - His website says he's the only RURAL party leader. Could be a key vote! wkinney@eoni.com Gail Rasmussen (OR) - educator, the 1st African American to serve as the head of the OEA. gail.rasmussen@oregoned.org Hon. Bill Bradbury (OR) Secretary of State Bill Bradbury 136 State Capitol, Salem 97310-0722; 503-986-1523 oregon.sos@state.or.us 4/30/08 Greetings, I am writing to you to share my feelings about the current democratic primary, and to urge Oregon's super-delegates to commit to their choice for the Presidential Democratic candidate as soon as possible, and hopefully in alignment with the country's popular vote. I believe it would be of great benefit for the Democratic party to begin the focused campaign of one candidate. I have never campaigned for a candidate before, and am writing to you without any prompting from the Obama campaign. In fact, the mere existence of the Obama campaign, and its emphasis on the people, rather than the corporation, is inspiring to me as an American citizen, in a way that no other presidential campaign has ever been. I actually have faith in the role of government again, after the past 8 years, which almost completely obliterated my belief in our constitution and the role of the government to protect us under its guidance. I believe that Obama has a remarkable, once-in-generation kind of leadership, which is non-divisive, positive, honest, and truly for the people. It is unfortunate that the media has currently misused the sound-bites of Reverand Wright to corrupt the good nature of this campaign. However, I do believe that for those that have chosen to intelligently research this matter, it is more than evident that the Pastor's remarks, taken in context, are emphatic rather than offensive, and truly part of a culture and strength that has served the evolution and advancement of black communities for many years. Obama is clearly of the next generation, which is more enlightened and integrated. This is exactly the kind of leader we need to help bring together our citizens for the many obstacles we are currently facing on a global level. I am a white working-class woman, an artist, a community organizer, and an avid believer in the Obama campaign. I have never before witnessed a candidate able to inspire and affect such diverse communities of people--from my republican family to the 80-year old artists who mentored my development, to the 18 year-old high-school graduate I just sat with on a plane. Already his campaign has proved a power to heal relations, and bring previously separated communities together. Today I ask that you step forward and announce your intention to support Obama as the Democratic Candidate. Thank you for your time, your service, and your consideration, MIzu Desierto; Executive/Artistic Director Water in the Desert Festival; Portland Oregon www.waterinthedesertfestival.org

aYaHuAscA taking a bite of the jungle

mizu — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 03:35:42 GMT

wow. i just fell in love with this film. which took me right back to the amazon...in the scritchity scritchy scratch of it all...serpent in my mouth...squatting like infinite butoh in my vomit. rrrrggghhhrrrrr....... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=736NKsK86Uk

AR111 RESPECT ARTISTS NOW

mizu — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 23:49:09 GMT

I received two phone calls this week, both proposals for performance. The first came from a fellow artist that I have often counseled regarding the importance of having her work valued and respected through proper compensation. This is also a person who has, at times, clearly let me know that my performance work has forcefully (if not always pleasantly) affected her. So, of course, when she asked if I might perform at *%^*) event but did not mention a budget or compensation, I asked about one. She responded with the following statement, which felt a bit like receiving a spiny cholla directly in the heart (and ego), “oh well, you see, we are already paying so many performers that I don’t know.” Apparent translation: “there are performers whose work we value and therefore they are being compensated. You, however, should be honored to work again for hours to make something for a bunch of people that do not honor what YOU do as a payable art form.” Or rather, “geez, you were the last person on our list and we thought since you would be performing for a bunch of cool kids that should be enough”. ……….deflated, I left the conversation feeling like, “wow. I must really suck.”…. THEN, an interesting contrasting situation happened…the very next day. Another friend of mine, from an entirely different underground community, called to ask me to perform at *&^(^) fundraiser. And again I asked, “is there a budget”? he replied, "oh mizu. I am so embarrassed. I really never meant to imply that you would or should perform for free. I know you are a professional. Let me get back to you." ---that conversation made me feel good, about whatever happens. And hell yeah, with that kind of respect, I will perform at your event for free. So I suppose, as in all great circumstances of conflict and evolution, I am left to ponder what this all means for me in my own development. The first point it felt necessary to act upon was to clearly communicate with promoter #1 my feelings about our interaction. (now complete). The second point is one for me to refine, as I am also working in the realms of event production and sometimes asking artists to work for free. While water in the desert is a non-profit, free event (at this point, still a deficit project), one of its long-term goals is to create a festival that financially contributes to all involved artists offering their work. Last year, most of the artists performed for free as well as our amazing crew of designers. This year, we are committed to giving at least a “symbolic” fee (a pittance of their professional worth) to all invited performers. So I realize that yes, I too, have asked artists to perform for much less than their value (yet I hope with the grace and respect of promoter #2). AND, I hereby declare that I am committed to making an event model that equally values the worth of performing artists across the board. A drug-induced computer tweaker will receive the same fee as a sap-licking poet or a professional nose blower (who has dedicated their life to a unique expression of such). As with any artist, my work is not for everyone. CLEARLY. However, If you would like me to perform at your event for free, I would work on the diplomacy and respect essential to creating creative communities. And, if I have ever made any of the artists that I have asked to perform for free feel like they were the bottom of the barrel compost that promoter #1 made me feel like, I hereby plea for you to call me on it. Now. Fearlessly. That’s AR111 RESPECT ARTISTS NOW lecture…..for today.

you can call me...Professora Desierto....

mizu — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 20:51:46 GMT

that's right. I have my first gig teaching Butoh as an adjunct professor at Prescott College in Arizona this May. It will be a month intensive with young, raw, collegiates...ready to spit, barf, and cavork....leap, mwahf & shabaam. <AND> i just have to share, because as cool as i can be around it all, it actually is a very big deal for me, as well as an enormous passage into butoh "professionalism"...which, i never really thought could exist a decade ago. ....so, yeah, that's the news from my beating, nerviosa heart...happy to feel the buds of spring after a winter almost entirely without inspiration. happy to feel that even dedication to the most absurd impulses, come bearing fruits of labor. happy to see that middle-30's have some fringe benefits, and to feel the power of passing from student to artist to mentor. love to all of you that sit and witness all of the rowdy and silent changes, La Professora Desierto.

...this now millionaire was my manager at a cheesy mexican restaurant in sedona....

mizu — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 23:12:03 GMT

now a legend of the price is right. the highest paid contestant EVER. the video is friggin' hilarious. it does look like he literally shits his pants with shocking glee, and this time not from the chimichangas at oaxaca. he won over $1,000,000 plus a catamaran, two cars and apple gear for a family of 5.... meanwhile, i've got about $500 to my name after my peruvian adventure. so if you see this adam, remember all the sacrifices i made for my cherished waitressing job, like wearing a really bad wal-mart wig to cover my pink dreadlocks....and that circa 1984 denim button-up shirt. why doesn't tv-land have butoh gameshows....like trivia regarding chicken sacrifices or contests for rolling your eyes back into your head and drooling?.......i think i might have a shot at that.

....policia, protestanda, allergia.....

mizu — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 20:20:02 GMT

we flew from Cusco to Lima yesterday.... in response to not one, but two, mild to moderate emergencies. thankfully my spanish skills alerted me in enough time to the first of these. you see, peru is in the midst of that global crisis that at times effects each of us in positive or not-so-positive ways...the question of privatization. in this case, of the very archeological/ecological sites that make peru the destination it is. yes, it seems that foreign interests want to privatize sites like macchupicchu- to build hotels on them, etc. and of course, the peruvian people, to whom the sites are heritage, are outraged. so from cusco, thanks to a few conversations i had with the locals, john marc and i were able to flee only hours before a massive protest that completely shut down the city and all transportation for days....we continued to stay a few steps ahead of demonstrations that stranded travelers and slashed the tires of busses, and even saw the death of some of the peasants and protestors. we ¨hid out¨ in the living inca village of ollataytambo and rode horses through the andes with a peruvian ¨terrorist¨- or so they call the indigenous people who are fighting for the preservation of their land and resources. In fact, we rode for hours to a village of artisans that have only had electricity for one year, and contact with contemporary culture for less than a decade....and all the time questioned what it means to be a tourist/traveler and how we can positively impact the places and communities we visit. ....after much contemplation, we decided to visit macchupicchu, in the midst of all of this chaos, even though we both had this underlying feeling that it would be a dissapointment- you know, how many pictures of macchupicchu has the world seen already....REALLY. ....we were dead wrong. the place is absolutely unreal...enormous in scope, profound in vision and craft....mystical in location....and just really that impossibly good. we also were gifted the strangest blessing in arriving there...you see, we got up at 5am to catch the first bus there...and even at that time, the tourist march is on....however, when we got to the park, we followed our instincts and left the main path- to discover ourselves completely alone in the central stone structures of this wonder of the world- for a good 20 minutes...mists surrounding us. and while we took pictures, like everyone else, really you just have to go and experience it for yourself. ...the second emergency that put a fire under our pants to get out of cusco, was the emergence of a very intense allergic reaction i had to god knows what. and for those of you that grew up with me, you might have an idea of what this looks like. i woke up in the first night with an exponentially swelling face and hives....luckily john marc had a solid first aid kit with antihistimine, etc... day two saw increasing and highly mobile hives and more swelling...and while looking for an epiniphrine pin in a small village, we were led by a sweet peruvian pharmacist, to the office of a doctor, who immediately helped us out- the visit, and a good shot in the ass of antihistamine and steroids plus a prescription of pills- all for an astonishing $25. the reaction continued to move through my body for two more days and sleepless maddening itchy nights---as we headed stubbornly and without obstacle to Lima in hopes of the best medical assistance. magically, by the time our plane landed here, the allergy had dissappeared...and its whole passage had been more surreal than simply physiological...like some strange voodun spell that i passed through in my symbolic peruvian moldy death. ...so from here, and after some of the good comforts of Lima, including Mcdonalds (john marc insisted). we are off to the amazon- a dream of mine for many years now. ...and while our declining american dollar and our desire for certain standards of health and comfort have left our pocketbooks rather puny, we are off for at least one last round of adventure in this country that has negotiated travel sometimes harshly to both of us, and most definitely on its own terms. much love to you all...

...a video offering before the peruvian descent.....

mizu — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 05:02:14 GMT

i just crammed in (between the manic packing, grant completions, & all other necessary final purges of my american life) an edit of the evening from water in the desert last year.... and put'er up on youtube for your pleasure. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpjM0R55t0w unfortunately, my semi-geek technology is somewhat illiterate in file sizes, compressions, etc. so it looks really wicked uncompressed..... but, i hope you enjoy it nonetheless...and thanks to the camera crew: daflew, kevee, & Nat. and, well, all you heroes that made that festival one of the most epic creations of my life. .....on the horizon: flights over the nazca lines and carnival in lake titicaca (where they furiously dance away the devil)...and the amazon.... i'll see all you mofos on the other side of winter, just in time for the next incarnation of Water in the Desert.......

barf...

mizu — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 19:52:04 GMT

that's what this makes me want to do. (and i know it's been pointed out before) but if this is where marketing and design have taken our playa fashions, i would rather see J crew here than this crap.

...and while I am being Political...

mizu — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 20:05:56 GMT

I just found this thread of Poetic terrorism. I think is f*%#ing funny. Below is an email correspondence with customer service representatives at Nike iD, an on-line service that lets people buy personalized Nike shoes. The dialog began when Nike cancelled an order for a pair of shoes customized with the word "sweatshop." [get the latest on this story at shey.net] From: "Personalize, NIKE iD" <nikeid_personalize@nike.com> To: "'Jonah H. Peretti'" <peretti@media.mit.edu> Subject: RE: Your NIKE iD order o16468000 Your NIKE iD order was cancelled for one or more of the following reasons. 1) Your Personal iD contains another party's trademark or other intellectual property. 2) Your Personal iD contains the name of an athlete or team we do not have the legal right to use. 3) Your Personal iD was left blank. Did you not want any personalization? 4) Your Personal iD contains profanity or inappropriate slang, and besides, your mother would slap us. If you wish to reorder your NIKE iD product with a new personalization please visit us again at www.nike.com Thank you, NIKE iD From: "Jonah H. Peretti" <peretti@media.mit.edu> To: "Personalize, NIKE iD" <nikeid_personalize@nike.com> Subject: RE: Your NIKE iD order o16468000 Greetings, My order was canceled but my personal NIKE iD does not violate any of the criteria outlined in your message. The Personal iD on my custom ZOOM XC USA running shoes was the word "sweatshop." Sweatshop is not: 1) another's party's trademark, 2) the name of an athlete, 3) blank, or 4) profanity. I choose the iD because I wanted to remember the toil and labor of the children that made my shoes. Could you please ship them to me immediately. Thanks and Happy New Year, Jonah Peretti From: "Personalize, NIKE iD" <nikeid_personalize@nike.com> To: "'Jonah H. Peretti'" <peretti@media.mit.edu> Subject: RE: Your NIKE iD order o16468000 Dear NIKE iD Customer, Your NIKE iD order was cancelled because the iD you have chosen contains, as stated in the previous e-mail correspondence, "inappropriate slang". If you wish to reorder your NIKE iD product with a new personalization please visit us again at www.nike.com Thank you, NIKE iD From: "Jonah H. Peretti" <peretti@media.mit.edu> To: "Personalize, NIKE iD" <nikeid_personalize@nike.com> Subject: RE: Your NIKE iD order o16468000 Dear NIKE iD, Thank you for your quick response to my inquiry about my custom ZOOM XC USA running shoes. Although I commend you for your prompt customer service, I disagree with the claim that my personal iD was inappropriate slang. After consulting Webster's Dictionary, I discovered that "sweatshop" is in fact part of standard English, and not slang. The word means: "a shop or factory in which workers are employed for long hours at low wages and under unhealthy conditions" and its origin dates from 1892. So my personal iD does meet the criteria detailed in your first email. Your web site advertises that the NIKE iD program is "about freedom to choose and freedom to express who you are." I share Nike's love of freedom and personal expression. The site also says that "If you want it done right...build it yourself." I was thrilled to be able to build my own shoes, and my personal iD was offered as a small token of appreciation for the sweatshop workers poised to help me realize my vision. I hope that you will value my freedom of expression and reconsider your decision to reject my order. Thank you, Jonah Peretti From: "Personalize, NIKE iD" <nikeid_personalize@nike.com> To: "'Jonah H. Peretti'" <peretti@media.mit.edu> Subject: RE: Your NIKE iD order o16468000 Dear NIKE iD Customer, Regarding the rules for personalization it also states on the NIKE iD web site that "Nike reserves the right to cancel any Personal iD up to 24 hours after it has been submitted". In addition it further explains: "While we honor most personal iDs, we cannot honor every one. Some may be (or contain) others' trademarks, or the names of certain professional sports teams, athletes or celebrities that Nike does not have the right to use. Others may contain material that we consider inappropriate or simply do not want to place on our products. Unfortunately, at times this obliges us to decline personal iDs that may otherwise seem unobjectionable. In any event, we will let you know if we decline your personal iD, and we will offer you the chance to submit another." With these rules in mind we cannot accept your order as submitted. If you wish to reorder your NIKE iD product with a new personalization please visit us again at www.nike.com Thank you, NIKE iD From: "Jonah H. Peretti" <peretti@media.mit.edu> To: "Personalize, NIKE iD" <nikeid_personalize@nike.com> Subject: RE: Your NIKE iD order o16468000 Dear NIKE iD, Thank you for the time and energy you have spent on my request. I have decided to order the shoes with a different iD, but I would like to make one small request. Could you please send me a color snapshot of the ten-year-old Vietnamese girl who makes my shoes? Thanks, Jonah Peretti {no response}

Face of {{::cHanGe::}}: Barack Obama

mizu — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 19:57:57 GMT

I can't say that I have ever felt quite the same about a presidential candidate (that actually has a chance of taking on the presidency) as Mr. Barack Obama. For certain, politics and theatre share the same bed in our culture (and in most). However, there is something beyond resume, reason, (or scripting) in the ways of Obama. ... I believe him... And while there always remains a healthy dose of cynicism in my examination of any politician, I actually feel that this man could TRULY change the face of America. (Which is now beyond absurd memetic status, considering the NCpM (number of "changes" per minute) use of the word {{::cHanGe::}} made by every one of our current candidates). From a global perspective, I think Obama's lack of foreign policy is far outweighed by his Kennedy-esque exuberance and youth, his MLK ferocity and literacy, and his multicultural visage. An image of this man alone, in the seat of America's president, says to the global community that we are fed up with our pervasive legacy of the traditional white patriarch. And while I would relish in the advent of a woman in the seat, I just don't get quite the same good vibe from Hillary. Something feels amiss. Perhaps it's her newfound supporting relationship with Rupert Murdoch of Fox News. Perhaps its all of her backing from pharmaceuticals. It just doesn't quite add up. ...Regardless, I think this recent speech of Obama's is well worth watching. Unlike the other candidates in this race, there is such a graciousness he continually gives in support of all of his competitors. To me, that speaks volumes...... (oh, and I cried too.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_lQYC7vqBg

September 22- Car Free Day

mizu — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 16:32:07 GMT

Recently I went to see Thich Nhat Hanh. Wow. no glamour. no dynamic cult-like personality. just the simple soft-spoken words of what he called a "lazy" monk. his work has been an inspiration to me--towards simplicity and creating change first through the sphere of the personal--for quite some time, but as of late, his teachings are the core of a deeply provocative need to begin in this body and mind...in this breath...here and now. I highly recommend his new book on power. it is as if it was written primarily for the american sensibilities...subtly suggesting how to change, with an utterly compassionate voice. While his teachings help the individual discover simplicity and mindfulness in the context of the contemporary, he is also continuously suggesting small ways to change our habits in affecting the global. The idea of a car free day was proposed by Hanh to UNESCO last year. Currently there is a petition to be found at: http://www.carfreedays.org/ This is a commitment to plan on 4-5 car-free days per month. i just signed on. However, to begin with, we have September 22...the organization's attempt at a global car-free day. I vow to make plans to not operate a vehicle on that day....and would love to encourage others to join me. In the face of our current global abysmal questions, I feel that the small intimate changes we undertake might possibly be of the greatest significance. xoxoxo

(AWE)*some Photos from Water in the Desert...

mizu — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 04:30:35 GMT

Wow. Here are some amazing images of the festival, as captured through the eyes of the extremely talented Raku Loren here is the link. http://www.rakuloren.com/portland/waterinthedesert/content/index.html or just go to www.rakuloren.com Supa ShaBaam!

Poetic Offerings from Water in the Desert...

mizu — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 19:44:19 GMT

Thank you to Capra J'neva for these words & to Kyle Hailey for the image. Take Back the Bombs by Capra J'neva Map the maze the clouds make for the moon. Jog your memory. The river doesn't make that sound. The longing your heart feels is the man in the row boat bowing his cello the bridge sighing above. For a decade the waters waited for all this to converge: the delicately crafted torches, the torch song the war wounds squirted line by line with red ink sick of the task. I tore the petals from the altar flowers while he huddled in the water the raft rope chafing his hands and someone screaming down the shoreline rewrote the history of the future. If only a scream could do it. The rivulets of midnight sky would current the events and we'd all yield to the love in our hearts. Say you'd do anything to take back the bombs. Take them back.

I'm looking for a couple of theatrical assistants...

mizu — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 21:50:37 GMT

to help out at the Water in the Desert Festival for the Performance on the River. There are some technical aspects of the "floating" theater that need some dark creatures to help out. If you could come to dress rehearsal tomorrow, between 1-3 (or shortly thereafter) even more bonus points!!!!! tribe me or phone me: 928-274-3247 meow you rockas.

Butoh Workshop Series Begins

mizu — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 04:20:20 GMT

Begins Tuesday July 3.... at the Watershed Building/ Flow Form Studio We will meet from 8-10 for the next three Tuesdays, with additional workshops the last week of July with some extraordinary artists of the form. 5040 SE Milwaukee is where you will find us. See you there

L.A. tonight @ the Steve Allen Theatre: Soriah + Mizu Desierto

mizu — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 22:12:41 GMT

so we just got into the city of smog, and we are on at 10... at the ever-strange Center for Inquiry- Steve Allen Theatre. (4773 Hollywood Blvd.) If you have not heard the vocals of my collaborator Soriah before, it is a truly mesmerizing ride. The Illumination of Escarabajo is a Shaman's encounter with the Cockroach...weaving the mediums of shadow, butoh, and throat-singing.