The pants were simple — cut the seam, serge the purple up the side and then attach the ties. The ties are made from serged purple “leaves” tied in a knot and sewn with a few hand stitches to the top of the purple stripe just below the waist band. I intended this so I could wear the pants without wearing the skirt as well as with the skirt and also to wear with street clothes to make them just a little more funky. I have this long standing fantasy of every outfit I wear (except gym clothes and lingerie) is some sort of funky cool costume. So gradually I’ve been upcycling the pants.

I like the tie on the pants a lot with all the “leaves” hanging in a cluster — it’s short enough to work with fire. I’m particularly happy with the vintage broach I attached onto the top to give it a little extra pizazz. The costume worked well — I used it for a few gigs and the photo shoot featured in The City Exposed piece as well. it was well worth it, as a simple costume that took under 5 hours to throw together.

One of the things I liked about this dress which was only $25, was that it had a lot of fabric that was fire safe as well as the gradient in the colors.

I combined it with a dupioni silk that matched almost perfectly and then I added appliques of a brocade silk in white on top of the dress part as well as the leg cuffs and arms cuffs. Though I don’t have a photo of just the dress without the skirt, I actually had originally intended that to be the look. However, as art will be, I decided that the dress was a little too short and then ended up adding the patch work top and skirt. I’m glad I did because, ultimately, I think they look better. The top is made of more silk than the dress itself, with just those three patches in the front under the breast. The skirt is half and half.

The other thing that had the costume work better without the dress is that I sewed on some vintage bracelets on top of the white applique on the dress, leg cuffs and arm cuffs. Sadly, on the dress, the bracelets broke the first time I wore it, which, in and of itself would not be a problem if I had sewed down every link on the bracelets, which I did not. You can see the bracelets here in some close ups of the leg cuffs and arm bands.

April 14-17, 2009 I moved everything out of my old place. About a third of it went to my new office/art studio/sewing lab. Through a bizarre twist of fate, my bed ended up there as well which is convenient if I need a place to sleep and because of my hectic travel schedule, I have actually slept there a few times.

Shortly after, I did some couch surfing and then during the weekend of the Expo I got a hotel room which was great and what I needed. The show was amazing and was, absolutely, my greatest contribution to planet earth so far in terms of making change and creating opportunity on a community level. I got lots of press and feel great about the whole thing.

Then the first weekend in May I went to FireDrums in Santa Cruz where I taught and performed and got rained on and got a tent full of water and had some amazing breakthroughs dancing in the rain and mud after completely surrendering to the crappy weather and wet tent. I also was reminded how grateful I am for a roof over my head and a place to put my stuff.

I was back in SF for a few days and then I went on what has turned out to be a major journey on the road. The initial plan had me going to Dallas May 7-11 where I taught a workshop and stayed with my friends Phillip and Disney. I had a great time and the workshop was a phenomenal success (despite a few bumps in the process).

Then I went to Chicago on the 11th and went with my friend Liz to her chemo treatment the next day. What an amazing spirit she is and I am continually inspired by her. I stayed with her and her equally inspiring husband Devin at their loft in Chicago (the Ninja Loft — yes, you might have noticed my new GlitterNinjaGirl NickName) to do some private sessions and then, on the weekend after the Dallas workshop, to do 2 workshops which were both sold out (34 students in all over the two weekend days). They were also phenomenal and I was very inspired by them both!

While I was there, the idea of me going with them and the rest of their troupe, Pyrotechniq, on a gig to the Bahamas came up and after a week of discussion, in stead of going back home to SF — after all, I hadn’t gotten a new place to live so I could travel through most of May — I decided to stay in Chicago till the Bahamas trip which is upon me now — June 1-4. So I’m still in Chicago right now staying with them and we’re preparing for the trip to the Bahamas and having a blast.

I did another class while I was here which was small and fun. It’s been great working with a troupe that’s been together for a while and so much fun to be appreciated for the gifts I bring while working with professionals who love their work and allowed me to just pop in and play with them. I’m elated by the experience. And, on top of that, although I had to defer some money in SF until mid June, I am getting well paid which has it be almost worth while fiscally. If you consider the working vacation to the Bahamas though — where I’ll be staying at the Atlantis Hotel (which I went to back in 98 I think for a Tivoli/IBM sales reward trip) — it is completely worth it for me. Plus the adventure is fun!

I get back to SF on the 4th after a full day of travel and then I am back in the swing of classes there. I had thought to go to Seattle in June to teach a workshop but I don’t think that is going to happen. I will be going to Bend Oregon for a wedding though at the end of the month (at least I think so) and then I’ll be up north for two campouts where I teach and perform in early July. So it’s a summer of fun travels and adventure.

For now, I’m about to take a shower and will be getting in a cab in 45 minutes to head to O’Hare for the FIFA gig. Hope everything is thriving in your world.

I’ve been on vacation this week — quite an interesting experience in and of itself. That, alas, for another post. This post is dedicated to the fun poi-la-hoop practice I had on the 25th (shortly after my 40th birthday) to “Tom Sawyer” remixed by Z-Trip. Fun, fun, fun! You can download it through the Temple of Poi podcast or see it below through YouTube if you prefer. In addition, I had a really fun set with my flag poi which you can also see through the Temple of Poi podcast or through the YouTube link below. The Temple of Poi Blog has a listing of the moves being practice, in case you want more details.

This event, while free to the public, costs about $5000 to produce. Fortunately, the city is covering about half of it. I’m still looking for donations — even $10 helps a lot, especially if many people give $10 — to assist in funding the travel stipends for the artists and permits (the fire permit alone is nearly $800).

If you’re called to help, you can do so on the Temple of Poi web site using the Chip-In link where you can read about the event and artists participating as well.

Please feel free to spread the word liberally about the show and mark your calendars for April 25, 7:50 pm sharp in Union Square.

Many blessings,
…isa

You undeniably made me who I am — in all the ways you encouraged and discouraged me. All the ways I fought you taught me; all the ways I listened to you taught me as well.

I feel grateful that you’re my Mother. You’re an amazing woman who is a ground breaking individual in her own right. I hope you know that is how I hold you in the world. You often inspire me.

I hope when you think of me you’re not too embarrassed by how weird/unusual I am. When I tell you that it is a gift in more people’s lives than you could count, I mean it. I have countless stories of how the mindset of and the school has changed people’s lives (have you ever read the Flowology Mindset?). One of my favorites is about how one of my students walked into her synchronized swim team meeting and one of her teammates who didn’t know about the Temple from her found the mindset on line and printed it out, asking the coach of the team to use it as a guideline for how they all played together. How cool is that to be putting it out on the internet and have some random person ask another person to use it as the official team philosophy?

I guess my point in all of this is that as I’ve written my will, I’ve reflected on all the times where we have not always seen eye to eye. Despite it all and in many ways because of it, I am who I am and where I am. Your clear and undeniable contribution to me being who I am spreads through the world as my work avails itself to more and more clients each day.

So I thank you for the gift it has been for me both in my own life and in the way I get to share it with other’s in their lives.

I imagine in the great ether of the universe we (the soul) may choose the parents whose lives we come into. I wonder why I choose (if in fact that happened) you and Dad sometimes — I often feel like my relationship with the family makes no sense.

But when I look at it through the eyes of the clarity of my work ethic, commitment to excellence, strength of will, leadership capabilities, brilliant mind, cognitive development, reasoning skills and the profound sense that it doesn’t matter what stands in my way I will make it happen, I’m clear much of that in me is a result of who and how you and Dad have been in my life.

So thanks. Which seems like such a small thing to say in response to all you’ve given to me. But sometimes appreciation, even this small, means something. And I wanted you to have that since hey, one never knows when the end will come.

Love love love!
The daughter (formerly known as) Lisa.

I’ve never seen a natural fire that big before. Beautiful experience. And really humbling too. It was clear the fire had traveled pretty far because we could see where the fire department had put out the fire and where it was still moving.

It was so big. Made The Man burning look small. Very small. Very pale.

I arrived at the site and within minutes fell in a construction ditch (about a 4-5 foot blind drop — didn’t see the hole because it was dark) while surveying the performance area on the other side of the construction zone. The client led us there, in case you’re wondering.

I sprained my finger (and put more pressure on the finger I had two days earlier dislocated in practice for a show I’m doing) and sustains some bruises and abrasions on my rather ample butt. Apart from that, I walked away from the accident laughing about it. It was, objectively, funny even if my subjective experience included injury, pain and discomfort. Surveying the situation, I consider myself lucky in that I could have fallen onto some rebar or broken my leg or twisted my ankle and had some really serious injuries.

Anyway, the client hadn’t provided an appropriate area for managing our fuel and set us up in the neighbors driveway — fairly close to the ditch I fell in with the performance area just on the other side of that. The neighbor was understandably upset and confronted us — he was not pleased we had fuel in his lot near wood and was naturally concerned that an accident might lead to a fire. So after setting up and getting everything ready for our first performance (this means soaking all our tools which we’d passed through the construction area to our safety person), we had to pack up our gear and move
it to the sidewalk in the front of the house.

By this point, we’d missed the performance window — we were supposed to go on for our first set before midnight but the delays made this impossible. Some time later we performed our first set using live music rather than the music I had spent 5 hours editing for our intended show. The tools wouldn’t light well at that point. Why? The fuel had evaporated because we’d been waiting so long.

Our second set was more of the same, with the client refusing to tell the DJ to play our music when the DJ wouldn’t do so. During the second set, I slipped on the carpet outside — a wet green leaf got under my shoe. I’m told I made it look like a break dancing move. Not bad for a sore girl with swollen fingers and a bruised bottom.

While we did not perform the show we’d intended, we did perform an amazing show and earned ~15% tip from the client.

In the 5 years I have been a professional fire dancer I have never had a client fail to meet so many of the agreements of our contract nor have I had an experience laden with so many difficulties.

Upon reflection, it seems like a blessed experience. Those who witnessed my first fall indicated they were concerned they would be transporting me to SF General — not just the client, but the other dancers and witnesses present. I then performed two fabulous sets in the face of all sorts of opposition and earned a tip from the client.

I imagine 10 years ago I might have looked at this experience as a sign that the new year would be fraught with challenges — a “bad sign” about the things to come.

Now, thankfully, my world is different. I was inspired becayse as we were leaving the venue, one witness went so far as to say I must be a special being to be able to walk away laughing from something like that when I could have ended up injured in the hospital, let alone performing the way I had.

I am grateful to say it seems more natural for me to view this event as a sign that the new year will be filled with the ability to flow through challenges and walk away with a smile on my face, laughter in my voice, and abundance in my pocket… even in the face of obstacles that quite literally will drag me down than the less positive perspective I might have had 10
years ago.

What I learned I offer you now as follows:

May 2007 bring you all you desire, including the resources to laugh when you are down, the strength to pick yourself up and keep going in the face of that which you hadn’t planned being foist upon you, the will to move through the pain that can sometimes stop you in your tracks and the capacity to remind yourself just how great a joy all that you have really is.

Temple of Poi performed today in Union Square. What an honor to once again get to support the San Francisco Food Bank’s Canned Food Drive! We also sold copies of the Temple of Poi 2006 Fire Dancing Expo DVD and donated a portion of the sales proceeds to the Food Bank as part of our contribution to the beautiful work they do.

Working with students was really fun for this event despite the sound challenges we had, as is evident in Sarah and Devon’s piece. Considering all the sound challenges, they did a super amazing job! I am proud to have contributed in any way to their success and humbled by the professionalism they had while performing.