May Day Press

For Immediate Release

Press Contact 

Collective of Geniuses  

Smitty Amabilis 

(503) 804-3716 

cog.pdx@gmail.com

 

COG Presents A May Day Cirque Noir

Saturday, May 1^st
from 8 to 10pm,The CoG Factory, SE 1st & Salmon

 

May 1^st, CoG
is bring you the First Queers ♥ Geeks,
a fun pact vaudeville from marginalized artists. May Day Gayities are
coordinated by  Robin Hood and his merry gang of clowns performed Smitty
Amabilis, Jack StockLynn (Imago, Pelu'
Theatre and the COG Acrobats), Tera Zarra (Imago,
Do Jump!, Pelu' Theatre, Circus Artemis, Stefanefit) and Charity
McKee (the Portland Opera,New York at
the French Woods Festival, Ma’at Productions). Additional performances
by  Carlos Alexis Cruz: (Del
Arte Graduate; Imago, Milagro, Do Jump!, Pelu Theatre)
and Shireen Press (Flameboyant
Productions who brought you Circus Artemis), Kyoko
Uchida: (Clowns without Borders, Curious
Comedy). Production Crew Includes 
includes Natalia Kay (Executive
Director of Siren Nation), Nikki Jargon (of
PDX Majesty), Jett
Butterworth (DHOR:
ASL Interpreter) and Sam
MacKenzie (President of Sixth Street gallery.)

 

May Day occurs on May 1.
In many countries, it is  synonymous with International Workers'
Day, or Labour Day, a day of political demonstrations and celebrations
organized by the unions, anarchist, and socialist groups. May Day is
also a traditional holiday in many cultures. May Day marks the end of
the uncomfortable winter half of the year in the Northern hemisphere,
and it has traditionally been an occasion for popular and often raucous
celebrations, regardless of the locally prevalent political or religious
establishment. 

 

An important part of the late medieval and early modern
May Day festivities were "Robin Hood games"
or plays. It is commonly stated as fact that Maid Marian and a jolly
friar (at least partly identifiable with Friar Tuck) entered the legend
through the May Games. It wasn't until the 1880s that the fight for
the eight-hour work day began which we now celebrate as International
Workers' Day. Although most artists don't enjoy this luxury as they
work all day as teachers, doing marketing, and then several hours of
training and rehearsal every day to perform yet most still live a hand
to mouth existence. CoG is the Polemic to the inequity that states that
only people of privilege can be professional artists and  Queers
Heart Geeks is one of the answers as a circus/ vaudeville night for
the marginalized performer.

 

May Day,  we commemorate the struggle of working
people and the poor around the world for economic justice. We stand
together as workers, as artists. Fighting for our future. We say 
the proletariat can be an artist. We are the living examples to prove
it.  We aim to stop discrimination based on sexual orientation
and gender identity. Through solidarity we will reform our economic
systems to meet human needs. We demand an increase in public spending,
not more cuts to arts and social services. We demand living wage jobs,
full employment, the right and ability to self organize. We demand respect
for the hours upon hours we have spent learning our crafts.

 

We can achieve these goals by taxing the rich and corporations
instead of bailing them out. We can stop free trade agreements that
have outsourced jobs and kept wages low here while creating sweatshops
and destroying resources elsewhere. We can make crafts here in the United
States instead of a factory in a starving country. We can be environmentalists
and advocates for Social Justice.  Solidarity Forever. Si se puede.
We are Robin Hood!

 

More about the Performers:

 

Collective of Geniuses: Acrobats

CoG performs their enthusiastic partner acro-drag act
at events all over Portland! CoG's exuberance and athleticism have stunned
audiences at such events as the E-room Pride event, Siren Nation at
Plan B, the Gender (free) for all March, and coming soon at SuperQueer
with Jennifer Lanier. The CoG Acrobats train with Sports Acrobatics
guru Stefan Furst, and is currently choreographed by Smitty Amabilis
and Jack StockLynn but moving into more ensemble based choreography.  

 

Jack StockLynn: Clown/ Acrobat/
Aerialist/ Actor

Jack is a Portland based Clown, Acrobat, Aerialist, and
Actor. Jack performs as the forlorn clown spaceman
jack and with the Collective of Geniuses Acrobats. With CoG,
Jack also co-wrote and co-produced Denial of
Self at the IFCC. Jack was a mafioso in Imago's Apis,
and will be performing with them again for the Cuban
Missile Tango. Ze also played a stilt-walking bad guy in Suicide
Note from a Cockroach. Jack trains and teaches at DoJump! Extremely
Physical Theatre and holds a BFA from Cornish College of the Arts.

 

 Smitty Amabilis: Acrobat/ Puppeteer 

Smitty first performed in High School Drama Club but focused on visual
arts in college and beyond until the love of all things puppet, circus
and acrobatic overpowered Smitty's life. Smitty was awarded a RACC Professional
Grant to travel to Atlanta Georgia and attend the National Puppetry
Convention. Smitty loves to throw people around in the air and be silly.
Smitty is also currently working a a costume puppet animated short filmed
in the Pacific Northwest Old Growth and an ongoing documentary about
Queer Arts in Portland.

 

Tera Nova Zarra: Acrobat/ Aerialist/
Soprano 

Tera Nova Zarra is an Imago Theatre Associate Company Member, and has
performed with Do Jump, Circus Artemis, Teatro Milagro, Clowns Without
Borders, Wanderlust Circus, and Troma. Tera is a trained opera singer,
the front woman for ninja band Fist of Dishonor, and a teacher at The
Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls. Tera Nova Zarra co-created and performed
as Missy Jitsu in Fist of Dishonor. She appeared in La Carpa del Maestro
at The Miracle Theatre, Do Jump's 30th Anniversary, Clowns Without Borders
benefits (2007-2008,) Anneyong as The Revenger, and a live presentation
of Troma's Make Your Own Damn Movie as a wrestling Toxie. Tera studies
singing at Eugene Lewis Studio, tracks vocals for Dig Recording, and
teaches at Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls.

 

Kyoko Uchida: Acrobat/ Aerialist/
Hand Balancer 

Kyoko is naturally born to be pretty short from Japan. She studied dance
with Darryl Thomas and Valerie Baughman directors of Rainbow Dance Theatre.
She studied circus skills specializing in aerial fabric, partner acrobatics
with Jacob Skeffington from Cirque du Soleil. Currently she is trying
to be an extremely funny hand balancer. She also trained with hard core
Russian coach Yuri Bozyan as well as performed with el Viento y la Tierra
and el Dia de Sol in Barcelona Spain, Sala Roja in Montreal Canada and
Wonderbolt Circus in Newfoundland Canada.  Her performances have
been numerous in the Northwest including: Wanderlust Circus, the Clowns
without Borders Benefit and in A Suicide Note from a Cockroach.

 

Carlos Alexis Cruz: Clown/ Acrobat/
Aerial Straps

Carlos is a professional
actor performing in Puerto Rico, Northern California and Portland, and
touring shows from New York City to Los Angeles and beyond. Locally
he has performed with Do Jump! Theatre, Imago, and Teatro Milagro. As
a theatre director, he did the Miracle’s last touring production,
El Ultimo and most recently he did a one-act version of his own show
A Suicide Note from a Cockroach… at Imago. In 2004 his work was highlighted
by the Theatre Critics of Puerto Rico for his performance in ĺconos
de Vellonera, pointing him out as the only contender for the Best Young
Actor recognition. Carlos Alexis has an MFA degree in Ensemble Based
Physical Theatre from the Dell’Arte International School in California.
He has a BA degree in film studies from the School of Communication
at the University of Puerto Rico. He has trained Circus Arts at the
San Francisco Circus Center.

 

Shireen Press: Fire
Dancer/Aerialist/Acrobat 

Shireen has pursued her lifelong interest in movement arts through training
in yoga, dance, circus arts and aerial dance. She has been dancing with
fire since 1999, and is known for her fluid style, innovative movements
and mesmerizing performances. Shireen also performs on stilts, in the
air and balancing on her friends. An accomplished teacher as well as
performer, she has taught poi spinning, fire skills and safety to students
of all ages from the Portland Saturday Market to the beaches of India
to the National Circus School in Cambodia. She currently teaches private
circus lessons and manufactures equipment from her home in southeast
Portland. She was recently seen in the Clowns Without Borders Benefit
and the Stephanefit.

 

Johnny O: Drag 

Johnny O was a member of the San Diego Kings Club Review from 2000 to
2004. He's a Portland Ember's Hall of Famer, and he is San Diego's Mr.
Closet Ball 2001. He has performed with troupes including DKPDX, the
Denver Alter Boys, & the Vancouver Lips Cabaret. From Palm Springs
Pride, San Diego Pride and up the coast to the Pacific Northwest, Johnny
O has his Pride on. Additionally, Johnny has been a drummer for 18 years
and is in a current project with the working name- Jim Strange with
the Proud and the Damned. This offers some depth for Johnny O, giving
him the opportunity to drum in drag for Pride Northwest and for Portland's
Egyptian Room.

 

Stephanie Boston: Fire-Dancer/Aerialist/Acrobat

Stephanie Boston aka “Nikita”, is a kick ass fire-dancer.
Stephanie performs regularly for many Portland area clubs such as Dante's
and Devil's Point doing fire and trapeze. Past event performances include
Convergence for Climate Action, Rockin It Bionic Benefit, and the Benefit
for the Trans and Women's Action Camp. Stephanie also performs partner
acrobatics and is learning Aerial silks/tissue and stilt acrobatics.
Currently Stephanie is choreographing a partner trapeze routine and
an aerial silk routine.

 

Charity McKee: Singer/Aerial silks  

Charity competed in state operatic solo competitions and performed in
Oregon Oktoberfests. Her first large stage productions were Saturday’s
Warrior and a production of Handel’s Messiah. She is now a west coast
regional musician including the Portland Opera’s Carmina Burana and
Pagliacci, Oregon Cable Access with Obby Addy in Kukrudu and Okrapong,
The Crystal Ball Room, the African Arts Foundations Homowo Festival
and Mississippi Studios. Her first album Table Mirrors featuring the
rock opera Persephone was released May 2005 and The Red Cabinet Confessionals
released June 3rd, 2006. She can be heard on local radio FM broadcasts
such as 90.7 FM KBOO in Portland, Oregon and has appeared on KMUN 91.9
FM in Astoria, Oregon. In July and August 2007 she was featured in full
spreads in editions of JCT Magazine and featured on their radio station
92.G in Connecticut.  She currently attends Marylhurst University.
Previously singing with St. Ignatious in their quartet in Portland,
Oregon, she has sung irregularly with Hurricane Hole and shared the
stage with artists such as Mel Watson of Fruit and also is continuing
her classic studies in the acrobatic and cirque arts with her focus
in trapeze and the aerial tissue. Her first combined recital was this
past March singing opera and jazz while dancing on the aerial chiffon.
This summer after having a successful debut on the aerial silks she
taught and performed opera, musical theatre and cirque in New York at
the French Woods Festival.