The History of Black Betty

The limo was originally purchased by Callahan-Edfast mortuary, for use a a funeral procession car. That's for the live ones, not the dead ones. Many tears were shed in that car by families grieving and releasing their loved ones. After ten years or more, Callahan retired the limo, but instead of selling it, they donated it to one of the local Boy Scout chapters. The Scouts had it for several years, and I'm not sure what they did with it it, but I bet they had a blast. They laughter of the boys in neckerchiefs surely balanced the previous cries of sorrow.

In 1996, I was cruising home on North Avenue when the big gray beast winked at me from the Wal-Mart parking lot. It was for sale and it was perfect! At that time, I owned BrightStar Homes, residential care homes for elderly persons with Alzheimer's Disease. Like anyone else, those folks needed to get out of the house for some fresh air. The problem was how to get all five residents, plus a driver and supervisor, out at the same time. This was it! The little old grannies though it was just the coolest thing to be picked in a limousine to tour the blossoming fruit trees of Palisade, the fall colors on the Mesa, the precipitous canyons of the Monument, or just something as simple as a shopping trip to the Mall or watching kids play at Canyon View Park. But they were every confused about being in the midst of the crowds, noise, and excitement at the Parade of Lights. We only tried that once.

After I closed BrightStar in 2003, the limo sat dormant for a few years. I toyed with the idea of of starting a "Last Resort Limo" service catering to low-budget gritty mountain bikers, climbers, and others seeking adventure in western Colorado and eastern Utah, but it never came to pass. You know the rest...

Story from Dave B.

Our Limo in Process – The FLAME job!

By far, the coolest part of the process, peeling the tape off after the flames were completed. Our flame artist, my dad, worked hard Sunday to complete the artwork, as we all stood by watching, hardly being able to wait! Black Betty is born.

Our Limo in Process – The Limo Party!

Our limo party was a success! We had a great turnout and got a lot accomplished, including taping and painting the roof, masking the flames, and detailing the interior. Here are some photos:

Our Limo in Process – Tinting and Drawing Flames!

Will got the windows half way tinted yesterday, and is hoping to finish up today. Twice I've walked by thinking no one was out there and there were people inside the limo... These things are dark!

Our flame artist, my dear dad, got the lines drawn out yesterday as well, and is doing some taping today. These babies are going to POP! Flamin' limo, just what a fire collective needs.

Tomorrow we have our group gathering to work on the interior and the roof, as well as establishing our parade plans. We may start painting the flames and drawing out the jolly roger as well. Lots to do still! Plenty of room for everyone to participate in part of the process.

Those Dark Tinted Windows:


Flame Outlines:


The Artist at Work:

Our Limo in Process – Plans, plans

While we originally had many huge ideas for the limo, it came down to people who are excited and out there working on it to come up with the final plan. At this point, a flame job will be added down the sides of the matt black paint job, and a very subtle jolly roger on the hood. The interior will be well cleaned, and a dance platform built on the top now that we have a welder on the crew capable of doing the work. Mirror window tinting is being priced, we are hoping it is in the budget.

A dj booth is still planned for the trunk, though the logistics need to be worked out. A small generator will accompany the awesome new sound system we have. Tool racks for the sides of the platform also need to be planned out.

We will need to have a limo fundraiser. Finishing the dance platform will cost a bit of money, but we are confident that we can raise it. Any ideas are welcome and encouraged.

Our Limo in Process – The Middle Seat

We always thought the seat needed to be flipped around in the limo to make it less bus-like and more limo-like, but weren't sure if it was feasible. With the help of Jaik and Aaron, Will was able to pull the old middle seat, flip the brackets, and replace the seat facing back. Now it's a limo with style!

Our Limo in Process – Taping and Painting

Taping is probably one of the most laborious parts of this process. When I got home to help, the taping crew was halfway done, and it still took us another half day to complete. Precision is the key. Luckily, we acquired a GREAT LIMO CREW to help! Freshly back from Hawaii, Aaron and Julia were excited to dive into the project, and have some great ideas for the limo! Jaik was along to help as well. Will managed the process, and I helped as much as I could. Those spray paint cans are hard on the fingers!

Here are some photos of the painting:

Our MONSTER GARAGE LIMO CREW:





And some of the finished paint after the tape was removed:

Our Limo in Process – Sanding

The limo recreation has officially begun. The sanding process took two days and a trip to the car wash. Abbie and Will started it off sanding away, and then had Heidi and Edmond join in to finish the project off. To tell the truth, we could have spent another day or two sanding, but HEY> it's a spray painted limo!


Here are some photos of our sanding parties:

BDFC to perform at Burning Man in the 'Great Circle'

Considered one of the largest collection of fire spinners in the world, the burning man of Burning Man is preceded by the Fire Conclave, which includes over a thousand fire performers from around the world spinning fire in the Great Circle surrounding The Man.

Grand Junction's own Burning Desert Fire Collective has been accepted for the second year in a row to perform as part odf the Conclave. This is an arduous ordeal, with a few fire troupes dropping out along the way or not making the cut. Each troupe must express intention to perform by March, and then must create a submission video detailing how they plan to integrate each year's 'theme' of Burning Man into their performance on the playa in Black Rock City, the night of the Burn.

This year's theme being 'The American Dream' brought up a multitude of ideas and concepts. BDFc decided on a interpretive performance loosly based on the seven chakras, or the seven nerve plexuses or centers along the spine and in the head of the human body that has also been equated with transcendence and consciousness. The ideas was each chakra dance would show the traits of the chakra, and how knowing these chakras defines the american dream of knowing yourself, growing, and being fully aware of your body and its power.

The previous post shows BDFC's submission video; we were accepted to perform for this year's burn and as of the end of August are trekking out to the Black Rock Desert 800 miles away. Please send good wishes for our journey!

BDFC at Burning Man 2008

Just this week we sent our submission video to be accepted to perform in the Great Circle as part of the Burning Man fire Conclave. Each year at Burning Man a thousand of the world's best fire performers take part in the largest fire performance in the world, minutes before the Man is burned.
Check out our submission video. This is essentially a rough sketch of what we will be doing on the playa, and is a fire dance interpretation of BDFC's 'American Dream' titled 'Harmonic Evolution'. Special thanks to Coulter for filming our moves amidst swarms of mosquitoes!

See you on the playa!

BDFC at Gateway

In June Burning Desert Fire Collective had the delight of performing to an appreciative international crowd in Gateway, Colorado, at the Gateway Canyon Resort. Here's a short video clip of the performance, taken by Grand Junction resident and fellow blogger John Linko.

Thanks to John and his son Evan for sharing this, and thanks to the Hendricks Family for having us at your beautifu resort. Check out John Linko's blog here.

Cat Herding

This somehow seems appropriate to the subject of this blog... Click Here 

The Responsibility of Fire Performance

Let's face it, this is not an easy hobby. When playing with something as dangerous as fire, there are so many things to consider, insurance, safety, crowd control, stage layout, hazards, fellow performers, sobriety, health, prop condition, fuel, etc. etc. I guess this helps weed out those who "just want to play with fire" and those who are serious performers. 

I've had a roller coaster of emotion when working with other fire artists. Some are hard core into safety, others light up on a whim with little regard for anything. Something that set the BDFC apart in the beginning was our absolute respect for the process. 

Taking hold of the responsibility of "playing" with fire takes everyone in a group. You can't have one person who cares, and five who don't. Responsibility in this game is not just about playing safe, it is also about being a part of a business, not only eating your piece of the pie, but helping collect the ingredient, stir the bowl and bake the pie. 

Though the behind-the-scenes day to day part of the business is not of interest to everyone, and I do find this art form tends to attract an interesting mix, it is ultimately what creates the cohesive, amazing end piece that people have come to love from the BDFC. The hard work that we ALL are willing to put in helps build something that benefits our audience as well as ourselves. Performing art is about giving to your audience, otherwise we would dance for ourselves in our backyards where no one could see. We are presenting this art because it brings joy, awe, love, and a plethora of other emotions. 

We are artists. We are partners. We are business people. It is not about what we take for ourselves, but what we give to our audience.

Opening the senses, finding inspiration

Finding continued, renewable inspiration in dance is challenging, but possible if you practice seeing, hearing, feeling and moving. By opening the senses, the essence of dance can be fully realized, and can also be continually refreshed and renewed through a push and pull of different sensual combinations. 

As a professional artist and dancer, I strongly believe that art begins with the ability to see. Often, our visual perception of dance is skewed by what we "think" we see. For example, have you ever watched a performer do a move, then asked them how to execute the move only to find out it is not at all what you thought you saw? It happens frequently, our brains sometimes work by applying something familiar, a symbol, to something they've never seen before, therefore blocking our ability to actually see what is happening. In order to keep this from happening, you have to start by letting go of attachment to the things you think you know, and then allow new imagery and new pathways to form. When you fully invest in your ability to see, you may notice subtle nuances of movement all around you. Movement happens in static objects as well as those in motion. Be open to inspiration from unlikely sources, and you may be surprised by what you find! 

When working with a piece of music, the ability to hear the fluctuation, rhythm and variation will take your expression of that piece from a simple bass-driven performance to an exciting visual representation of instrument and sound. You become the music, rather than just dancing to it. 

Music does not just contain sound, it also has emotion, and therefore must be felt as well as heard. Feeling is an integral part of dance, you feel the way your body moves, feel the way your feet land on the floor, the way the music pulses through you, and the emotion it conjures inside as you move. There is a physical sensation as well as an emotional connection. Both lead to more expressive movement and understanding. 

So many senses come into play with movement and performing arts. Remember to explore all of them, and you may find inspiration from places you never imagined. Let the body be open to receive this beautiful gift, and translate it so the world may know it, too. 

Satya

Welcome to our Blog!

Seduction, beauty, ferocity, danger fire is elusive, mesmerizing, and powerful.

Through sharing performance, it is our intention to engage you in a timeless space where you can encounter the intensity, creativity and mythology that fire offers. Since the beginning of human history, we have been instinctively drawn to the fire, a gathering place of community and celebration. We believe that fire art is a path to ancient and future ways. It is our joy to share the fire dance with our community and the world at large. 

This is our ritual. This is our play. We offer it to you, let us fuel your inner fire.