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Every year in Oly people dress up as plants, animals, fungi, bacteria etc, and parade/mosey/dance through downtown to the beat of not-quite-marching bands and samba drums.
I don't know why every city doesn't do this, but I suspect it's because they're boring.
I've only been in the actual parade twice*, but we've got a little tradition of showing up early and making use of my family's natural ability to be, basically, a mobile party kit. This year we brought my fiddle, dad's drum, the new face-paint kit I put together, and some indescribably hideous balls shaped vaguely like distended animals which mom found. She also gathered vetch from the side of the parking lot and made head-wreaths. Dad and I played a few tunes, then I painted Kiyoko's face, then two little kids I didn't know asked shyly if I'd paint THEIR faces, then a few more tunes, then mom is gives away the hideous elephant balls (heh) and everyone's having a pre-parade party.
Dad might have better pics, but until then, here're crappy ones from my phone. I don't take or post pictures of strangers' kids, so you just have to imagine lots of hello kitty cheek art, one faded cheetah, and a pretty spiffy dragon.
Kiyochan! (The bearded fellow with the drum in the background is my Pater.)
Her friend Helena, with one of mom's vetch wreaths.
Multi-person dragon.
I loved this. All the elementary school kids are so used to playing parachute games that they knew exactly what that was for, and as the sun dancers progressed whole flocks of kids would run out from the curb to play under the 'sun.'
I didn't get a good shot, but he was a very dapper dandelion in a green corduroy tailcoat. I've no idea how he made the seed-head.
This merman hopped the entire parade route.
Leaf-cutter bugs, complete with disturbingly adorable bug-butts.
I'm not sure the link from facebook will work, but I have to try to share this gorgeous picture. My beautiful yoga teacher dancing with Samba OlyWa.
The evening kinda fell apart after the parade -- there was a complete and total snafu** and the less said about that the better -- but I got to sit in with my friends' band at Cascadia for a few sets, and they had the place hopping. During their last set there was clapping and dancing in a cleared space.
*I have danced along with the parade for less than a block on numerous occasions. Audience participation is encouraged.
**The only reasons this isn't going down in history as my greatest failure as a host ever is A) I've been a truly craptacular host at least once in the past and it takes a lot to live that down and B) I'm pretty damn sure it wasn't actually my fault. I'm so sorry,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
westrider.
I don't know why every city doesn't do this, but I suspect it's because they're boring.
I've only been in the actual parade twice*, but we've got a little tradition of showing up early and making use of my family's natural ability to be, basically, a mobile party kit. This year we brought my fiddle, dad's drum, the new face-paint kit I put together, and some indescribably hideous balls shaped vaguely like distended animals which mom found. She also gathered vetch from the side of the parking lot and made head-wreaths. Dad and I played a few tunes, then I painted Kiyoko's face, then two little kids I didn't know asked shyly if I'd paint THEIR faces, then a few more tunes, then mom is gives away the hideous elephant balls (heh) and everyone's having a pre-parade party.
Dad might have better pics, but until then, here're crappy ones from my phone. I don't take or post pictures of strangers' kids, so you just have to imagine lots of hello kitty cheek art, one faded cheetah, and a pretty spiffy dragon.
Kiyochan! (The bearded fellow with the drum in the background is my Pater.)
Her friend Helena, with one of mom's vetch wreaths.
Multi-person dragon.
I loved this. All the elementary school kids are so used to playing parachute games that they knew exactly what that was for, and as the sun dancers progressed whole flocks of kids would run out from the curb to play under the 'sun.'
I didn't get a good shot, but he was a very dapper dandelion in a green corduroy tailcoat. I've no idea how he made the seed-head.
This merman hopped the entire parade route.
Leaf-cutter bugs, complete with disturbingly adorable bug-butts.
I'm not sure the link from facebook will work, but I have to try to share this gorgeous picture. My beautiful yoga teacher dancing with Samba OlyWa.
The evening kinda fell apart after the parade -- there was a complete and total snafu** and the less said about that the better -- but I got to sit in with my friends' band at Cascadia for a few sets, and they had the place hopping. During their last set there was clapping and dancing in a cleared space.
*I have danced along with the parade for less than a block on numerous occasions. Audience participation is encouraged.
**The only reasons this isn't going down in history as my greatest failure as a host ever is A) I've been a truly craptacular host at least once in the past and it takes a lot to live that down and B) I'm pretty damn sure it wasn't actually my fault. I'm so sorry,
westrider.
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no subject
Date: 2012-04-30 07:48 pm (UTC)From:My knees and feet are screaming just thinking about doing that on asphalt. Hats off to you, merman!
Also, re: the v. dapper dandelion:
It looks like he took an existing cap or helmet (something about the shape of it in the photo makes me think bicycle helmet?) and attached wires of some kind; the fluffy bits of the seed head could be... just about anything.
no subject
Date: 2012-04-30 08:24 pm (UTC)From:I'm pretty sure the Dandelion head started with a bike or rollerblade helmet (one of the old-style non aerodynamic ones), but the seed wire construction is pretty convincing -- that's the bit that confused me. Maybe wires through some rubber tubing (to make the thicker bits)... I'll have to see if dad got a better picture so I can zoom in and look.