That all said, what is the big deal? I’ve thought about this a lot. As someone who has done quite a bit of singing in choirs and enjoyed a bit of success as a musician and performance artist, I examined the clip a bit critically, as I’m want to do — after all, extraordinary is the standard around here.

The conclusion I came to in conversation with my friend Renee today is this: Ms. Boyle, while having an amazing voice, was not so much amazing in who she was, but rather, in helping people see (the audience for starters) how they had unconscious expectations of what amazing or excellent might “look” like.

I was not shocked to hear her belt out the excellent choice of songs with the strength and passion with which she sung. I thought she sang quite well. And, at the same time, excellence is every where, so I was not at all surprised. What did surprise me is that people were so impressed by it. Is this phenomenon because we (humanity) has such limited views about what is possible? Is it because we expect certain things to look a certain way — in terms of voice, dress, character and aesthetics?

Frankly, I think people being so surprised – at least surprise is what I perceive when I watch the whole clip with the judges conversation — is a result of their limiting views on what’s possible, not a commentary on Ms. Boyle. So I proudly salute you Ms. Boyle for helping people see how they are allowing themselves to have such limited views of what can be so in this world.

Of course, as I said to Renee, I’m sort of an unexpected walking incarnation of my dreams, so maybe I just believe hope and possibility lives everywhere.

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

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.

Erin’s an inspiration to me. She is living her dream and is recently engaged to an equally awesome being. Check her out if you need to hire a performer and we’re already booked.