TRUST ME, Your Life Needs A Little Variety!
This will be the third annual Coup de Carnivale, it IS a fundraiser, but more importantly, it’s an opportunity to showcase the fantastic and unique talents of our local artistic TC Community! This will be my first time attending the event and I had an opportunity to pose some questions to, Coup d’Etat Artistic Director, James Napoleon Stone, as well as some of the amazing artists being highlighted this year. I wanted to know where all this coolness came from and specificallywhat to expect on the night of.
JAMES NAPOLEON STONE: “When the 2017 CdE crew sat down to discuss a fundraiser, we asked ourselves 1. What are we good at? 2. What would people want to see? The answer was simple: we love to perform, and we love to throw a great party. A carnival-theme made sense - freaks, geeks, weirdos, and wonders - we're all a little bit of each. From there it became an opportunity to provide a showcase of local talent from a wide array of performing arts, and we are continuously grateful to all the artists who make the show what it is. The entire night is atmospheric and engaging - interesting and unexpected silent auction items, stunning performances including poetry slam, circus arts, burlesque, live singers, live violinists, and possibly a gorilla, as well as interactive experiences including highly skilled tarot readings, a photo booth staffed by Kari Godfrey who brings her theatrical flair to her photography work, crowd-roving photographer Craig Hosteler, carnival-style games, clowns, a strong-woman, dancing, and enough booze from our friends at Eastlake Craft Brewing to swim in. Probably.”
LUIS NUFIO (akaPriscilla S Yuicy)is a female impersonator: “Female impersonation (Drag) is a bunch of different skills put into one art form (dance, makeup, costuming etc) but it’s all about entertaining and being larger than life. I was going through a rough time in my life and so I turned to drag to release all I had to say through art. I have always been in love with drag queens, so it was about time I came around to doing it. Drag has not only helped my self-confidence but it has allowed me to carry myself through life like the QUEEN I am. It’s allowed me to learn so much from other amazing people and, not only that, but it’s allowed me to learn more about myself. I hope people take away a smile or three and just warmth in their heart, I hope to inspire all in some way.”
JADE GLASGOW: is prolific in the art of Hooping: “Hooping is the art of dancing with one or more hula hoops and this is my 2nd year participating in Carnivale. I was entranced watching hoopers dance at music festivals, it’s a very effective tool for expressing myself through movement. When you get into the "flow", everything else melts away. I would be thrilled if it sparked the interest for someone to pick up a hoop themselves. You can check out more of my work online. Tutorials are available from many talented hoopers online, but if you're looking for an in-person lesson, feel free to reach out to me!
SWEET LILLYBEE:“My art is multifold, but for this I'm doing performance art, specifically burlesque (I also perform drag & erotic & skill based performance art, I am a writer, a painter, and more.... Life is Art). This is my first performance with this group. I am happy to support them. I am a lifelong performer, as an adult, it is my gift to share with the world. I can do, be, or say anything.... and be celebrated for it. Everything we do is self-expression. (Saturday night) I hope people's hearts are filled with light and buoyancy. People can see me performing with Dykes Do Drag at Bryant Lake Bowl. And as Dominatrix in The Dungeon for Bondage A Go Go at Ground Zero Nightclub, the Midwest's longest running, live-interactive-BDSM show. It's all smoke and mirrors. Beneath this, I'm a regular person struggling to live and love and be the change just like everyone else. Please treat your performers with respect, respect our personal boundaries, & remember that just because we make ourselves vulnerable onstage, it isn't an invitation to insert yourself into our lives. We just want to make Art.”
CASSIE ALFVBYis an Aerialist: “The description I like best (for this practice) is ‘flippy stuff in curtains.’ The actual description is using different knots to secure myself to two hanging panels of fabric to create drops and poses. I’ve been doing silks for about 3.5 years. I (discovered) it at Common Grounds Yoga Festival, when me and a friend went. We had the chance to try and climb and I shot up like a squirrel and fell in love with it. It has helped me to realize that I can do amazing things and that it often takes a lot of pain and effort to produce beautiful things. Getting covered in fabric burn and bruises has been a large part of learning new tricks. The hardest part is making sure I know what type of rigging I will be working with, i.e. height, so I know where I am when I plan my routine. I train and teach at Open Minds Fusion Studiowhere there are silks, hammock, and lyra for aerial, along with twerk, belly dancing and several types of yoga. Challenge yourself to try new things because you never know what you are going to end up loving.”
ADAM SCARPELLOis an Actor, and Fight Choreographer: “with a wide range of improv, drama, comedy, classical, and some musical. Over 15 years of fight direction owning Staged Steel Armory. I apply practical and historical applications of combat and make it relevant and safe for the stage. I’ve been in the Carnivale since it began, I found that I could not escape my passion. Acting and combat allow me to go to a place personally (and) to leave the world behind. I have gone to both extremes in the industry for film and theatre. My time with varying processes and projects has taught me about balance. I have gone from performer to teacher and now rest where work is fulfilling and not draining. Art, performance art, should be fulfilling for the artist. I think it gives the clearest picture for any audience. (To me it’s all about) wonder and interest. I always marvel at other’s performances (when I) am able to see their process. I hope people see the passion and dedication to put on even the simplest performances.
BRANDON CAVINESS:“On top of being an actor and singer, I am a practicing witch and I am honored to be back sharing my craft for the third year in a row for Coup D'Etat. Tarot is a term that describes a deck, typically made up 78 cards (22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana/suits/court cards) used in deciphering both the magical and mundane, most commonly for divination practices. Tarot readers are those who have learned to interpret the tarot for those who would like or are in need of a reading. They can be used for fortune telling, dream interpretation, counselling, divination... The list goes on. Initially, (I was drawn to this practice by) curiosity. I had been struggling with my beliefs and I found myself being pulled towards what, at the time, were less than conventional belief systems. I had done cleansings (rituals to expel unwanted entities from a home or structure) a few times and I was at a Barnes and Noble in the "New Age" section when a tarot deck literally fell off the shelf in front of me... I didn't think twice about it. I would say there is a certain level of showmanship involved with any arcane practice, but ultimately I don't use tarot for myself. It fulfills me to help people who want to see or discover about themselves or the world/worlds around them. I am one of the three founders of Shadow Wick Creations and I run my own tarot practice out of my home in Minneapolis. I hope to see everyone there!
JNS:“We are honored to feature an award-winning national poetry slam artist and children's book author (Shane Hawley), a local burlesque legend and luminary (Sweet Lilly Bee), and not one but two up-and-coming powerhouse performance troupes (Kinsey and the Killers and Queer Circus). Come in costume or as you are, bring cash, and a friend if you have one!” The Carnivalwill feature over 20 local acts from notable burlesque and drag performers, professional LED hoops and fans, Tarot readers, amazing aerialists, singers, dancers, and sliding-scale donations for entry starting at $20 ($16 for groups of four or more if you purchase online)! You're officially out of reasons to not join the mayhem.
I’ll see you there!!
Performing live: Kinsey and the Killers, Queer Circus, Sweet LillyBee, Shane Hawley, L'Assy Rabid, Priscilla S. Yuicy (Luis Nufio), Jade Glasgow, Mark Radcliffe - Haywire, Anna Hermanson, Poppy St. Germain, Cassie Alfveby, Brandon A. Jackson, Alexcia Thompson, Adam Scarpello, Alison Keller
Featuring the talents of: Julia Bothun, Brandon Robert Caviness, Michael Terrell Brown, Jake Sagen, Kaylyn Sunshine Forkey, Kari Elizabeth Godfrey Photography, LLC, Craig James Photography
Fallout Urban Arts Center, Studio 3 is located at 2601 2nd Ave. S., Minneapolis, Minnesota 55408
