One of my (very few) blog posts was titled "Silly Muse" in which I talked about how my "artsy thoughts" had turned from humor, comedy and silliness, to some very serious stuff. I felt like my "Silly Muse" had abandoned me, leaving me at the mercy of the "Dark Muse" who was heavily influencing my projects for Second Life.
Well I'm happy to announce that Silly Muse has returned, and the results of which will be on display at the Paramount on the three performances of "Fantazmagoric" on 9, 16 and 23 May at 7 PM Second Life Time. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Paramount-Grand-Theatre/480138692073462?sk=events&event_action_context[ref]=105 I pretty much let Silly Muse run rampant and - - well what we've done involves a pirate ship and Peter Pan and Captain Hook and . . . so on. :-)
The Dark Muse is still with me and anyone who would like to see an early result of that collaboration please attend the repeat showing of "Night Players" at the new Night Players Theater on Tuesday, May 12 at 6 pm slt.
It took 3 months to get my Dark Performance Artwork "Primal Instinct" on stage. No I'm not satisfied with it. It debuted at the Paramount "Night Players" show on April 24th. It did cause some controversy. I'm not sure how much - I definitely received both negative and positive feedback - but I have no way of knowing what people are saying to each other about it (if indeed they are saying anything) . . . only what is said to me.
I SO welcome discussion. About anything. :-) I know that the Paramount has never pleased everyone. It was never intended to. I've been told many times that "not every act (dance) requires (needs, fits-with) nudity. To me that is kinda missing the point. The Paramount was created first and foremost out of a desire to have a performance venue where my sl family and I could choose what we wanted to create and not be crammed into someone else's "vision." In dancing "for other folks" I enjoyed most of the acts I was in, kinda didn't care for being cast in the role of "bad guy" (although some wonderful, kind and moral people (Gert Frobe, Dan Duryea for example) had very successful careers playing bad guys). There was also an act that I was given no choice but to do - one in which I not only was a bad guy but I also hated the song. That turned out to be my last performance at that venue - and the only act I have performed in sl that I totally sincerely regret doing.
The Paramount is a Labor of Love. Quite literally. In the 29 months Paramount has been in operation it has "paid the rent" exactly one month. That's a lot better than I ever expected. The important thing about the Paramount, to me, is that the dancers - ALL of us dancers - please ourselves. If we please ourselves there will most likely be people who come because what pleases each of us pleases them. Certainly people who enjoy the sight of nude avatars performing, enjoy the Paramount.
I happen to very strongly believe that God's most beautiful creation is the human body. ALL human bodies. Second Life gives us the chance to create avatars which might or might not resemble our real life human forms; we can regress to a time when we were younger - advance to a time when we are older - become anything we want, which often is idealized, lovely humans.
Nudity is highly encouraged at Paramount - in acts. I don't care whether nudity "enhances" an act; I don't care that the "official" definition of Burlesque does not include full nudity; If someone wants to perform Dr. Zhivago totally naked, I'm all for it, snow, goosebumps and all. To me "Burlesque" as a general term within the sl dance community covers stripping and/or nudity. "Old School Burlesque" means something very different, and certainly is never used to describe the entertainment at Paramount.
The main limitation on creativity at the Paramount is that we have always wanted the Paramount to be "Classy." Our acts to be classy. Whether we succeed or fail in that endeavor rests in the perceptions of our customers.
It seems to me to be an unwritten unspoken rule within the "Burlesque/Cabaret Community" that no act goes beyond the limits of an "R rated" movie. That's pretty much how the Paramount has been, and will continue to be.
Which leads to why a new Theater called the "Night Players" has come into being. It's located just around the corner from the Paramount, and has the appearance of a smaller, younger sibling of the Paramount.
Night Players is for performers who want to Stretch Our Wings. To me there is a large area of Art that falls between the bounds of an American R rated movie, and Pornography. My intention is that performers who want a venue where they have the same creative freedom as, say European Filmmakers, will have that opportunity at Night Players.
I'm going to save more about this Philosophy of Performance for another day. The latest show in the Night Players Series contains a couple of examples of going beyond the "R Rating" of most Dance Venues (not including the sex/porn clubs). Night Players is not nor ever will be a sex/porn club. At least, not by my definition of pornography.
Anyone interested, please come check out Night Players, 6 pm, Tuesday May 12, 2015.
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