Today at the Fremont Arts Council (FAC) Powerhouse Open House there will be representatives from ensembles already registered to participate in the 2019 Fremont Solstice Parade, on June 22nd at 1p. These are the winners of the Dave McKay Grant funds, allowing them to realize their visions and bring more art to the Parade.
The following ensembles will need more than money to create these works – they will need volunteers! Please consider lending a hand to one, or more, of these Parade projects:
- ‘Alice In Wonderland’ by West Coast Kickball: Dressed up as characters from the book and/or movie, this ensemble will include a float, kick-balls, candy and music, of course. They plan to build a giant Cheshire Cat, around which 70 – 100 Kickball Members will walk and spread Solstice cheer during the parade.
- ‘Carnival is Color’ by Seattle Steel Pan Project: They plan to use a 38’ float to carry 15 musicians playing Caribbean steel pans, supported by drums and percussion – and accompanying costumed dancers. Masquerade characters will be dressed in multi-colored costumes called ‘Pitchy Patch’, originally from West African and Caribbean traditions. The primary song they plan to play during the parade is a calypso celebration of carnival from Trinidad called ‘San Fernando Carnival’, and the second is a composition from one of Brazil’s most popular singer-songwriters Gilberto Gill. Finally, they plan to partner with local dance companies to present some of Seattle’s finest dancers of the African diaspora.
- ‘Flow of Water’ by Bloco Pacifico: The stories of Seattle are stories of water: Salish tales of glaciers retreating, Scandinavian fishermen providing for their families, the plight of orcas, etc. Our mountains are shaped by water, and the cycle of life here is the cycle of water itself – clouds, rain, rivers, and seas. Bloco Pacifico seeks to bring joyful music to our streets, along with visually bringing to life one of the greatest gifts in the Pacific Northwest – the interconnected web of life that springs from water. The ‘Flow of Water’ represents the cycle of life that feeds, nurtures, and surrounds us all. Bloco Pacifico, a Brazilian music and dance collective, has gathered for the Solstice Parade since 2012, to play Community Samba, a world-wide musical, artistic, and cultural movement.
- ‘Green New Deal’ by 350 Seattle: Time has come for the Green New Deal! This is a float with a giant scales with ropes to pull on to tip the scales from the red, with a depiction of polluting refineries, on the heavy oily side, to green, depicted as sustainable energy and communities. Two giant green hands in smaller carts will come together to shake each other, making a green deal, and beautiful batik banners will depict the emerging health life force. Audience members will be invited to participate, along the parade route, by characters in costume, shaking hands and encouraging young people to run out and add their weight to the scales to tip the balance to the green side.
- ‘Good vs. Evil’ by Randall Alberda: This float will feature two horse rocking abreast of each other, in competition. Accompanying music will feature an ‘evil’ song followed by a ‘good’ song.
- ‘Muirgan, the Mermaid and the Barnacle Babes’ by Marilyn Kurka: Muirgan will travel on Kinetic Sculpture Plan DD, accompanied by a host of sash-saying mermaids and barnacle babes. A dance ensemble has begun practicing a parody of the song, ‘My Drag’ by the Squirrel Nut Zippers, encouraging the watching crowds to join in on the dance and the fun.
- ‘Mythical Creatures’ by Kiymbah Tytania and Sarah Lovett: This pair of mythical creatures wander the world together, floating around, playing with others and interacting with the audience. When the pair come together, they create a magical gate, which people are encouraged to walk through. The intention is to create a transformational experience into a magical world, with roving mythically-costumed characters parading along, forming a world within the world of the Solstice Parade.
- ‘Portals’ by the Stay Happy Collective: This installation will be at Gas Works Park, following the parade, to allow participants to explore their curiosity and imagination. ‘Portals’ is an interactive play of space, place, and time. There will be six ‘D’ zones, with portals: to a time machine, a home, or simply a place you’ve never been.
- ‘Seattle’s Origami Crane Installation’ led by Brittani Anglin: Another installation at Gas Works Park, this curtain of cranes will frame a clear path, with a hallway of origami. The environmentally conscious peace crane installation creates spaces where everyone is free to celebrate, create harmony, break barriers, and come together in safe, agreeable spaces.
- ‘Tie Dye Kazoo Marching Band’ led by Leah Papernick: This highly accessible ensemble is exactly what the name implies. Wearing tie-dye for a somewhat unified, colorful and very fun look, members will be playing kazoos, and maybe the occasional toy drum, and will have practiced, maybe, a bit before the parade, but everyone is welcome to join in. A few extra kazoos and tie-dye apparel will be brought along during the parade, for any real last-minute additions, to play songs upbeat, familiar and easy-to-learn on-the-fly.
The Fremont Solstice Parade is spectacular to watch, but even more fun to be a part of as a player. Dancing alongside is always an option, but why not stop by the FAC Powerhouse, at 3940 Fremont Ave N, and see how you can take part in any one of these ensembles, hitting the streets of Fremont at 1p on June 22nd!