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Over The Frickin' Top!!!

topic posted Wed, May 27, 2009 - 2:53 PM by  		Share/Save/Bookmark
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what to do???????

We want ideas now on "OVER THE TOP" stuff to do next year... and I am not asking for the normal "bring this teacher in" stuff.

I mean way far frickin over the top shit!

Stuff that you would not ever think could happen type stuff. It may not, but throw that stuff out here! Let's see what sticks and what we can do.
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  • Hiya
    Hiya
    online 57

    Re: Over The Frickin' Top!!!

    Wed, May 27, 2009 - 3:11 PM
    Air conditioning!

    Fire dancing! Fire dancing classes!

    Free margaritas!

    A preponderance of group-improv style belly dance performances!
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    • Portia
      Portia
      offline 114

      Re: Over The Frickin' Top!!!

      Wed, May 27, 2009 - 3:56 PM
      "A preponderance of group-improv style belly dance performances! "

      yes, and may i add - classes.


      PLEASE AND THANK YOU
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      • Re: Over The Frickin' Top!!!

        Mon, June 1, 2009 - 11:53 AM
        .....A preponderance of group-improv style belly dance performances......

        we would LOVE this... please tell all your friends that are in ATS troupes to send in early!!! Get ready in November.

        As you know, we do not pick and choose 99% of the acts, so tell them to get their fingers ready and sign up in November! :-)
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    • Hiya
      Hiya
      online 57

      Re: Over The Frickin' Top!!!

      Wed, May 27, 2009 - 10:15 PM
      Actually, here are some cheap and easy thoughts - how about facilitating meet-ups?

      - Provide a bulletin board

      - Provide name tags or even just stickers that signify "I'm on Tribe"

      - Set up a few meetup times - drummers at noon on Saturday, for example. FCBD alums, people from other continents, Goth fusion, Steampunkers, Pagans, Facebook users, instructors, newbies, Cabaret dancers, hoopers, pole dancers, Burners, SCAdians, fire dancers, SF Bay Area folk, non-SF Bay Area folk, etc, etc, and so forth....
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  • Mat
    Mat
    offline 33

    Re: Over The Frickin' Top!!!

    Wed, May 27, 2009 - 3:36 PM
    Maybe better chairs? 10 hours of show = sore back on the ones we had this year

    Better lighting...less neons lights

    Beats antique Live

    A Zoe Jakes intensive

    A retrospective in videos and images of the past 9 TF

    1 hour long hawaiian dance by chuck

    1 week long TF

    A selection of vendors Fashion Show

    Of course, free margaritas!!

    That's all I can think of now!




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  • Doozer
    Doozer
    offline 82

    Re: Over The Frickin' Top!!!

    Wed, May 27, 2009 - 6:36 PM
    I like a lot of Mat's suggestions and Hiya's suggestion of fire performance. Yay fire!

    How about a totally beefed up program? Instructor and performer bios and contact info. Vendor coupons. Autograph page. And I'll also suggest some sort of raffle prize with the programs. Like Chuck opens up a program to page 5 and puts the day's stamp on it. Then he sticks it randomly into the pile of programs. Later in the day Kajira announces that if you have the sheep stamp on page 5 you get a super-special prize! To make the beefed up program over the top - give it away for free!
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  • Rachel
    Rachel
    offline 98

    Re: Over The Frickin' Top!!!

    Thu, May 28, 2009 - 8:14 AM
    A vendor fashion show would be excellent!

    Also, more catering options and food during the week would be really great - fruit, nuts, and healthier options would be especially awesome.

    I always enjoy the open dance floor, but maybe break it out by style? Like 10 minutes of ATS, 10 minutes of dark fusion, etc etc
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    • Blac...
      Black Lotus
      offline 238

      Re: Over The Frickin' Top!!!

      Thu, June 25, 2009 - 10:33 AM
      I second the Fashion Show.. They have had them in the past but it was kind of small thing..not a main event.. Chuck if you make it a big Deal I PROMSE to do something really freaking Awesome !!! also LOVE the costume night idea.. I think that would just be fun ;D Follow that up with open dance floor.. I'm in heaven..
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  • Re: Over The Frickin' Top!!!

    Thu, May 28, 2009 - 9:47 AM
    I'd love to see some collaborative work between teachers in performance. Pairing up contrasting styles and viewpoints. Would be inspiring and awesome!
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    • Maureen
      Maureen
      offline 189

      Re: Over The Frickin' Top!!!

      Thu, May 28, 2009 - 10:13 AM
      How 'bout some pre-planned theme (color, concept, and/or costume) for all attendees, who could be organized once they arrive into something like the bellydance groups we have here in Seattle who dance in the Solstice and Pride parades? To create a TF parade to promote what's going on at the fest.

      So, on the final day of TF, we could invite the public to come check out the vendors and the show and publicize it with a parade of TribalFest-ers from all over the country in coordinated costumes doing a tribal-type parade outside on the lawn ...? I say the final day because we'd probably need a meeting beforehand to get into decent parade shape. Peeps could be organized into groups according to what tribal moves they know (Black Sheep, Fat Chance, Unmata, etc). Local Sebastapolians could also join in the parade with whatever cool stuff they have down there (up here, we have naked bicyclists). Kind of a collection of tribes, all made into a parade. Folks who don't know a lot of a particular tribal system of moves could organize ahead of time in their own regions to come up with some parade steps--say, for example, Seattle TribalFest-ers could coordinate on tribe.net and then meet a month before TF10 to come up with costumes and dance steps.

      ahem. you SAID "over the top"!
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      • kath...
        katherine
        offline 263

        Re: Over The Frickin' Top!!!

        Thu, May 28, 2009 - 1:27 PM
        More advertising locally about the festival! Several locals who came into my booth said they wish they had known about the festival sooner. They said it isn't advertised at all locally and either they knew about it from a previous year or just happened to stumble up on it. So, a parade or something like that would be great to generate local interest, but it might be more effective if it happened at the start of the weekend when the performances start than on the last day.

        Also, I'd like to see the performances stick to the schedule. I know you can't help it if it runs behind, but if it's ahead of schedule can you try to stall? It's tough to get time to see performances while vending, but several times we made a point and ran in to watch only to find out they were AHEAD of schedule and we missed it entirely or only caught the tail end of it.
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        • Re: Over The Frickin' Top!!!

          Thu, May 28, 2009 - 8:16 PM
          Katherine,,,,

          We are on time more than most events that I have heard about. We work very hard trying to keep on time and in fact we hate to get people on ahead of time. That happened to Kajira once at a festival in Richmond and so we do try hard.

          Sometimes I mess up and forget to look at the clock, or in the case this year of Unmata who's time was 4:20 and I tried to stretch out for the 8 mins that we were ahead, the crowd wouldn't let us, they chanted, screamed and those dammed Unmata gals bowed to the peer pressure and gave the crowd what they wanted! LOL

          Nothing is perfect, but we try.

          If you have ever tried to find a seat in the Main Hall, you know why we do not do a lot of "local" advertising. Also in the 9 years that we have put Tribal Fest on, the only 2 times that the Police showed up, was because of a drunk or abusive "local" not someone from our community.

          But we know that the vendors would love to have more people shopping, so we will look into it.
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        • Hiya
          Hiya
          online 57

          Re: Over The Frickin' Top!!!

          Sat, May 30, 2009 - 1:20 AM
          A lot of the people I spoke to in town also didn't know about it.

          How about bringing back the outdoor stage? It might be less intimidating for some newbie performers, and it would give the casual TF visitor/shopper (townies) something to see while shopping, without taking up space inside.
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          • Hiya
            Hiya
            online 57

            Re: Over The Frickin' Top!!!

            Sat, May 30, 2009 - 8:32 AM
            It would, of course, mean less vendor space.... Maybe have more vendors in the back area (where Gladys had her very cool photo studio set up)? Although please preserve the grassy spot under the tree by the dressing room door - the only cool and shady open spot!
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  • Ginney
    Ginney
    offline 36

    Re: Over The Frickin' Top!!!

    Thu, May 28, 2009 - 11:04 AM
    How about a question and answer session with some of the greats? A raffle for free goodies like tickets to 2011 and maybe more musicians and zillers.

    Fire dancing is always fun!!!

    A costume night might be great -- even if your not performing you can encourage folks to dress in there favorite costumes.

    Have you ever done a yearbook type of thing?
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  • E-ly...
    E-lysaah
    offline 59

    Re: Over The Frickin' Top!!!

    Mon, June 1, 2009 - 9:19 PM
    ** Free Workshops for Attendees **

    There are a bunch of teachers who go but don't teach, how about some studio space that they could offer workshops on the fly in?


    ** Warm ups **

    Run morning yoga and other style warmups as a precusor to workshops, that way you turn up and are ready to go.


    ** No Talking Free Drill Workshops **

    You turn up and drill, no talking, no asking questions, just shut the hell up and dance. Run by 2-3 people, have one leading and a couple checking the workshop attendees for technique and safety.


    ** Outdoor Workshops **

    Bring out the drummers and just dance space, have them facilitated by the musicians.


    ** Longer Workshops **

    More 4 hour workshops and more workshop packages where you study with same teacher every day.


    ** Advanced Level Workshops **

    For dancers with over 5 years and 100 hrs of workshops under their belt stuff.


    ** Question and Answer Lecture Style Sessions **

    An hour or so of time where attendees can ask teachers questions, have a group of multiple teachers and take questions.


    ** Basic Acrobatics for Belly Dancers **

    How to do basic lifts and holds.


    ** How to dance while drunk **

    How to cover your mistakes and workshop with what you have.
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    • Jessica
      Jessica
      offline 11

      Re: Over The Frickin' Top!!!

      Tue, June 2, 2009 - 3:03 PM
      (Hey Girl!! xo)
      I second the:
      ** Warm ups **
      ** No Talking Free Drill Workshops **
      ** Longer Workshops **
      ** Question and Answer Lecture Style Sessions **
      ** How to dance while drunk **
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  • Elusis
    Elusis
    offline 26

    Re: Over The Frickin' Top!!!

    Tue, June 2, 2009 - 2:43 PM
    This is actually a very mundane request... but I would like to see a "no videotaping from the chairs" policy. The reason is that I found myself about 2/3 of the way back with an OK view of the stage... and then Rachel Brice came on, and dozens of people lifted up their phones and videocameras over their heads and held them there for the whole performance. Meaning if you stayed seated, you basically couldn't see. It's the equivalent of sitting behind someone with a tall beehive hairdo, or a very big hat, and it's not just one person but dozens.

    This seems to be endemic to all kinds of public gatherings as recording devices get cheaper and more ubiuquitous. I missed out on views of a number of things at Maker's Faire this past weekend because at 5'1, I have a hard enough time just seeing over and around people, but by the time a bunch of people lift their cameras over the crowd, it's hopeless. Raising and lowering a camera for some snaps is annoying but intermittent; videotaping means the whole performance is blocked.

    So I'd love it if people who wanted to tape were asked to stand at the sides or back, rather than doing so in the chairs and blocking others' views.
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    • Red Rob
      Red Rob
      offline 76

      Re: Over The Frickin' Top!!! Projection Screens

      Fri, June 19, 2009 - 10:43 PM
      If it's difficult to see the dancers when it gets packed in there...

      how 'bout a literally over-the-top idea...

      A projection screen on the side of the stage (or both sides!), fed by the main video cam (or output from a switcher if it's being live-switched), so everyone in the house can see.....

      Oh yeah... and have one outside too... so all the vendors can see :-) And then that solves the "community" and "limited seating "problem, because you've effectively opened up the whole outdoors for people to watch (which might encourage more shopping too!)
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      • "Shay"
        "Shay"
        offline 517

        Re: Over The Frickin' Top!!! Projection Screens

        Tue, June 23, 2009 - 10:27 PM
        It also means no one has to pay to go in to see performances, which is not good for the festival income or the indoor vendors. Same with the outdoor stage. Either both stages should cost to go see or both should be free, IMO, but one you pay to see and one that's free makes it unequal and unfair for performers and vendors alike to draw equal audiences.

        I kinda wish the festival had a gate perimeter and that the entire festival was a pay to get in, like Rakkasah, but the daily rates would go down. So to come in and shop and schmooze, you need to pay in, but the cost would be lower so it's more accessible to everyone. That makes it fair for all the vendors, makes it so the outdoor stage and indoor stage get equal pay-to-playtime, etc. I would love to see the daily rate drop below $10.
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  • Alaska
    Alaska
    offline 76

    Re: Over The Frickin' Top!!!

    Thu, June 4, 2009 - 1:55 PM
    I was cosidering doing a hula hoop tribal improve work shop some day.. I'd really like to see more options for fire dancers too..Hmmm maybe I could do a workshop on that too!!! Muah hahaha (evil laughter) :)
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    • Lee
      Lee
      offline 418

      Re: Over The Frickin' Top!!!

      Thu, June 4, 2009 - 3:53 PM
      You could call it improve your hoop improv.
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      • Tanya
        Tanya
        offline 19

        Re: Over The Frickin' Top!!!

        Thu, June 4, 2009 - 5:31 PM
        I second makeup and hair workshops! How about a costuming workshop?
        Stage lighting would be awesome- so dancers can have dramatic light to accentuate their performances?
        Afterparty to live rockin music. Outdoor stage for afterparty.
        Queen Harish Workshop?
        Queen Harish every day.
        We have Indian and Flamenco and other styles-how about adding Tango or other Latin flavors?
        Ballet for Bellydancers.
        Yoga (not just warmup yoga) with a killer teacher. Yoga specific to bellydance.
        More food selections or change menu from day to day.
        Tribal Basics... I know, we all have videos, but a nice solid foundation class could be cool...


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        • Desd...
          Desdemona
          offline 65

          Re: Over The Frickin' Top!!!

          Thu, June 4, 2009 - 9:18 PM
          Tjarda for tango-fusion!!!! I took a workshop on tango/flamenco fusion with her and it was amazing!! Plus, it's always good to find reasons for the Uzume to cross the pond.
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      • Alaska
        Alaska
        offline 76

        Re: Over The Frickin' Top!!!

        Sat, June 6, 2009 - 2:46 AM
        Word, I'm actually developing a Improvisational hoop language (based on the workings of ATS). Its called HITS- hooping improve tribal style. I have an online tutorial series going on my youtube channel :)
        www.youtube.com/user/AlaskaJPiper
        Check it out if you're interested :)

        I would definitly like to see more food vendors/options. :)

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