Andytez videoed Saturday’s show. Make sure to click the settings wheel on the video toolbar and set the quality to HD 4k. Please give it a like and comment/share if you are compelled.
Thank you so much Andy for doing this for us!
Month: May 2016
May 27th Show Review
Memorial Day weekend, a time to remember and honour those who have served, those who have given and sacrificed that others may enjoy freedom and democracy. Tonight’s show was a tribute to Memorial Day, themed to honour the USA, the military, and freedom. Everyone was well-organized and prepared for this very special show. Paul and Jilley greeted arriving guests, DJ Gunner was spinning tunes and welcoming arrivals, Wiz was busy checking on performers and helping to get the audience settled into their seats with instructions on how to have the best possible viewing experience. I think everyone backstage took a knee before this show, as there was an air of reverence present above and beyond the usual atmosphere. Our performers were focused on the theme of this special presentation. The Black Eyed Peas’ much-loved song “I Gotta Feeling” hit the airwaves, announcing the start of the show, and the first act was up.
The curtain opened to reveal a burnt-out crash site, wrecked military helicopters and debris in a river. The straw hats floating on the water were especially poignant. Smoke in the air, an eerie yellow sky… a battle zone. Aly danced as a soldier to “Brothers in Arms” by Dire Straits in an exquisitely choreographed ballet. Light on the water changed colours as the song progressed which was incredible to see, going from moonlit white to the golden yellow of explosions to red like blood running. It was a powerful dance that evoked RL tears and strong emotion.
Ame brought us the “cute and heart-warming” with her dance to Zac Brown Band’s “Chicken Fried”. A gorgeous set with the most beautiful sky in shades of pink and the best fireworks I have ever seen in SL, the scene was a family picnic with old trucks and simple country goodness. Families danced while enjoying a barbeque and life in general, featuring the CUTEST Nadi dancing around from one person to another… and dancing with such delightful choreography! It was an uplifting look at value systems and enjoying the simple things in life, which are usually the best things. A wonderful reminder to consider our blessings. With Zach, Nevar, Renee, and Nadi.
Next, that devil girl Jilley flew a chopper onto the stage and crashed it into the jungle as she and Paul danced on a natural rock bridge. Smoke rose as explosions ignited, lighting up the dancers in yellow flames. Wild and Aly made their way through the jungle and joined the dance melee up on the wall, and there was smoke in the jungle, dancing to a reworked version of “War” by Edwin Starr. The choreography was BADASS and was as explosive as the grenades going off all around the dancers. It was our Jilley, kicking ass on the stage with the kind of energy that makes it hard for you to stay in your seat in RL. With Paul, Aly, and Wild.
This time when the curtain parted, Kyshra took us to Arlington Cemetery, dancing as an angel in respect for those who gave all. Tombstones strewn with roses, roses in the grass, and a backdrop featuring one of the most powerful pictures I have ever seen, showing soldiers who lost their lives reaching out in reflection to those left behind to grieve… hands meeting… at the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial, The Wall. Kyshra wore an ethereal white gown with wispy wings and danced in honour of those who died in the line of duty. The song was “We Were Men” by Theory of a Deadman. She sparkled with love as delicate, colourful particles lit up all around her, which felt like comfort being offered to those in mourning.
Our Wiz stepped up next, our resident shapeshifter, transforming into an old retired military man, in uniform and dancing at a flea market as though he is part of what has been discarded. Many items representing moments in a soldier’s life, everything is a dollar. The song was “Soldier’s Things” by Tom Waits. There was something sorrowful in Wiz’s dance that quietly reminded us to not take for granted or discount… derogate… depreciate… the service given to all by those who serve in the military. It was beautifully danced, poetic and eloquent, and the kind of dance that lingers in the thoughts long after the curtain closes.
We finally came to the last dance of the evening, which was by me. I chose to perform to “The Star Spangled Banner” by Madison Rising. This is my favourite version of this song. It is sung with such passion and majesty. I wore a costume that resembled George Washington, starting on an ocean enveloped by rays of sunlight. I rose and danced from one side of the stage to the other, and as I moved through the air, terrain and plant life appeared that eventually revealed itself to be a map of sorts of the United States, with the terrain and plant life being region specific across the country. Even Alaska and Hawaii were included. I then danced in the center of the country, the Statue of Liberty and iconic Bald Eagle appearing, and finally the U.S. flag itself. Yes, that star spangled banner does yet wave o’r the land of the free and the home of the brave.
This brought us to our popular crowd dances, choreographed by Jilley and presented on a stage patriotically decorated for Memorial Day, including a texture-changing background that showed scenes paying respect to the military. The choreography was tight and everyone looked amazing dancing to “God Bless America by Madison Rising, “Summertime” by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, and “Living in America” by James Brown. We really enjoy getting to dance with our audience, and they enjoy it too. It is time for bonding, getting to know each other better, and having fun with music and movement. We thank everyone who comes out to our shows, as our audience are as much a part of our shows as the dancers themselves. Part of why we dance is for the fun and friendship of it, and Elysium has an audience that is so friendly and such fun, they give us the energy and inspiration to keep making more shows!
I would also like to thank Elysium Management Paul Woodrunner, Jilley, and Wiz Nirvana for all the behind the scenes work that they do; DJ Gunner von Phoenix for the music without which dance would not be very nice; and all of Elysium’s choreographers, dancers, and cherished guest performers for bringing their talent and creative vision to Elysium’s stage each week. Pics by Fuki with thanks!
No Ordinary Friday Night!
When it comes to Friday night’s at SL, there is no place I would rather be than at Elysium! With the hustle and bustle starting to go into full throttle, Paul and Jilley were welcoming the guests as they arrived while DJ Gunner was getting everyone hyped up with his stellar choice of music flowing.
Elysium is known for bringing some awesome talent on the stage and I tell you, this could have been a best of show with so many fabulous dances and sets! No one left anything behind as they were stretching limbs and changing in and out of costumes to make sure everything was just perfect before it was finally time for the first dancer to get on stage.
Amari w/Diamonte Thomas, Star, Keko Heckroth, Misha Selene, Keesha Lenroy, Si Di Brit, Falk
SONG: We Are Electric by Flying Steps
First on the stage was Amari who joins us for just the second time on our stage with a gaggle of folks for an AMAZING display of lights and jumps with flips and spinning that leaves you unaware of where to keep yourself focused on! The set was amazing with this platform that was in the middle of pictures of folks dancing, to symbolize a dancing audience. There were electrical particles galore and some folks that went out into the audience sending electrical jolts and some stunning animations that left you wanting to grab a jug of water from leaving you breathless! I hope to see this one again!
Jilley w/Baby and Ames
SONG: Body Language (remix) by Queen
One of the things I like best about Jilley’s dances is her ability to capture the audience with her sets and costumes. I would have never thought about this concept myself but Jilley did and she totally brought it! It started with some silhouettes of pinup girls and then they faded to show the hotties behind it! Each one came down some steps and began to show off their skills with some major body language! In a hot red lingerie that was stylin from the pin up times, blonde hair and bright red lips, the animations were hitting the beats showing off those luscious hips! Loved it!
Monavie w/Melvis
SONG: DW3 – I got you
This was such a fabulous concept! I have to say that first off. It started off as a black screen with a piece of notebook paper with a few scribbles on it and then suddenly Mona came to life as a stick figure straight out the paper! Joining her in some wonderful animations as hearts with subtle blinking lights encompassed the paper, was Melvis who ended up going to a knee and proposing. The pictures on the paper changed to tell the story along with the cute animations, of this love story that came to life from a simple piece of paper! Wonderful!
Selene with Litz, Sassy, Lily and Nadiwith Carolyna Bikergrrl, Yukio onna, Anie Sevigny, Azure Sharktooth and Cici Nansen
SONG: Trouble by Girls’ Generation (SNSD)
Selene comes to us with a damn cute set that really made me smile! The girls come down from a rope, into the Bank of Chicago and start sneaking around, portraying their attempt on robbing the bank and our hearts. I loved the use of different animations for each set of girls and how they would come together and break apart. Their costumes were black and spicy but in the end, prison bars lowered to capture the beauties in a cage!
Babypea with SoCo, Gunner, Fuki, Wiz, Ame, Zach, Gert and Kysh
SONG: GTA by Red Lips feat. Sam Bruno
I had never heard this song before and it was definitely one of those moments where you wished you could jump into baby’s head to find out how she comes up with these concepts. It started out with a background of rocks, and then dark figures, symbolizing her demons, start to crawl down the mountain rocks and then begin to dance with her. Particles forming around and clouds that envelope the stage to represent a journey an arch appeared and rain into another area that was surrounded by bones and gargoyles. It was definitely a visual masterpiece and the animations were so incredible! I can’t wait to see this one again! Just amazing!
JenzZa – Misfits Dance & Performance Art w/ Dulcikate Noel and Phoebe
SONG: Peeping Tom
When the Misfits take the stage, you just know it is going to be something that bring you to tears from emotion or puts a smile on your face and makes you laugh. This was definitely one that made you smile! They started dancing around a large record player with follies and rag time posters surrounding them. Their outfits were were sexy and the female version of Charlie Chaplin down to the little mustaches and cane! The particles were flowing and then it changes into large piano keyboard and music notes and mover work that was just so great and animations that were so cute!!! I just adore her style!
Melvis w/Andytez, Kellan, Monavie and Ame
SONG: Mrs. Jones by Billy Paul
Melvis was next to take the stage, and he is by far one of my favorite dancers! His set was to die for as far as capturing an old 50’s esque type of feel with cobblestone streets and store fronts that were classy. Out came a window washer cleaning the glass on the bakery, blowing a kiss to Andy who was waiting to open the door for clients at a fancy bistro. Melvis comes out and starts to dance with joy, waiting for his Mrs. Jones who joined him with some phenomenal couples dancing! This would have been enough, but Melvis added a young little girl coming out jumping around and playing. Oh the days of old were brought to life in this dance and I loved being in it!
Immy
SONG: Witchcraft by Pendulum
First off, I need to confess that it was SOOOO hard to take notes during this dance because I didn’t want to take my eyes off it! A screen appears talking about fire and ice, and then you see her dancing with a background that was STUNNING with lighting effects. Suddenly the door explodes back and she zips back with it creating this 3D effect that left me stunned! Particle once more explode and ice down with her on a platform. Each explosion of particles zipped her so you couldn’t see it! Then poof there she was again, reprsenting a whole new aspect! The platform lifts up and then BAM water where she was floating in, then turns into outide with grass and a pathway. The animations were ungodly perfect and if I had to choose just one for this dance that jarred my mind into blowing up, I would say…Brilliant! I HAVE to see this again, and I am so jealous of her ability and want to pick her brain!
With the end of our regular how comes one of our favorite parts of our Friday Nights at Elysium. The crowd dance! Doing the crowd dances can be so much fun, and so much work at the same time. It is such a joy when our fans come up and dance with us though! Ame was the one that brought us some killer songs and animations making us all feel like a pro! She danced us to Katy Perry’s This is How We Do, Back It Up by Prince Royce ft Jennifer Lopez and Pittbull, and lastly Fifth Harmony’s Work from Home featuring Ty Dolla $ign. What a way to end the night with some amazing music and animations!
We hope to see you next Friday!
Friday the 13th – Prince Tribute Show
Friday the 13th is one of those days we can look at with trepidation if you’re superstitious or sneering if you enjoy watching those people squirm. In this case, we had a fabulous show lined up and no reason at all to dread it.
The club was full, the spirits were flowing, Gunner was playing some great tunes and we were excited to be there. Now we just had to keep our fingers crossed the SL gremlins would stay asleep and not come playing.
Most of us are big Prince fans so we had a wide range of Prince songs and interpretations.
Opening the show was the beautiful Jilley with Prince’s version of Crimson and Clover. With a flashback to a time of peace and love, Jilley performed a very sexy interpretation of this iconic song, surrounded by a psychedelic garden of whimsical plants. The perfect start to a great show.
Following Jilly was Adam, Nadi, Zach, Moni, Nev and me dancing to one of Prince’s newer songs, FunkNRoll. One of the more fun dances we’ve done in a while, we had our street dancers in an abandoned hangar, rocking out.
Third, from the great mind of Babypea, we had her space interpretation of 1999. Baby, Jo and Gertie lit up the stage with a combination of great choreo, and awesome set and bright lights culminating with Baby’s ship taking her away all too soon. It was an awesome party!
Following Babypea was someone that visits us far too infrequently, SexyS. She performed to Sexy MF sharing the stage with Diiar, Royal, Sebastain and Zach. The set was brilliant and creative and the choreo spot on, but you would expect nothing less from Sexy. A very hot and sexy number.
Next up was Wiz and Suz with Raspberry Beret. Wiz wowed us with his Ben Franklin 5 and 10 straight from the song while Suz teased poor Wiz with her yummy beret and sexiness. Wiz always bring pure enjoyment with his dances and tonight was no exception.
After Wiz, Kyshra stepped up to do a saucy performance with Kellan, Moni, Melvis, Nevar, Tray, Andy, Falkon, Si De Brit to Prince’s Pussy Control. She had a colorful and bright stage and the dance was sharp and crisp. I felt like I was at a Prince concert watching his back up dancers. She even changed her name for the occasion. Another stellar act.
Just when we thought we’d gotten through the show without any trouble from the gremlins, they attacked with a vengeance and Eva was unable to get her set to do what she said. I think the gremlins chewed all the stage wiring. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see Eva this week and look forward to the next.
Closing the show was Kellan with “Purple Rain”. I was fortunate enough to dance in this with Wiz, Jo, Nadi, Imrhein, Kyshra, Jilley, Keith, Andy, Melvis, Zach and Tray. Purple Rain is one of his most well known and probably most beloved songs that takes a special hand to perform and Kellan did not disappoint. We had a stage fit for Prince, light, smoke, purple rain and terrific choreo ending with Prince ascending with the angels. A perfect end to a wonderful night of great acts.
Finishing up the night, as always, we invited the audience to join us on stage for the group dance, also choreographed by Kellan. She chose When Doves Cry, I Would Die 4 U and Baby I’m a Star to dance and send our audience home with. We were honored to present this show in tribute to an iconic performer.
The Hunky Man Show, with a side order of ladies 05.06.16
SL did it’s best to beat us down on Friday….about an hour before show time, SL crashed…not just one server….every server….for just about everyone. Now, I’m not sure about non-dancers, but dancers have a checklist of things that have to happen before a show. We have to cache our sets, our dances, our outfits and any textures we might use in slides…not to mention streching our hamstrings, and all sorts of parts likely to snap like dry, brittle twigs. When we all managed to fall back in like desperate shoppers in front of a Kid R Us on Black Friday Eve…it was really crazy as we tried teleporting and rezzing all at the same time.
Well, thankfully, Paul was there and then Gunner appeared and then the great tunes he always plays came back; Daisy was helping Paul with the greetings and our guests managed to stumble through the door, all looking smart and no worse for the wear…so without too much ado…we were of and running!
Kellan opened for us in a rare solo performance. This set is a favorite of mine…EmilyBrowning with Marilyn Manson doing a cover of “Sweet Dreams”. Creepy song…super, duper creepy. I love it! I’m still on the fence about my favorite part of the set, the weird, wavy hands that look like grass, or the giant beating heart that rises up out of the floor that Kellan dances on. For those of us who are used to bright, sunny Kellan with her amazing mover extravaganzas with lots of beautiful backup dancers…I love how good she is when she goes over to the dark side!
Seb was up next and he chose “Butterfly” by Crazy Town. Seb was a forest god/dryad/prince….and he was bedecked with mossy antlers and not much else as he called his butterflies out of the forest to dance with him. I was not distracted by his buns in anyway…never even noticed them….nope…He was joined by Jo, Nadi, Fuki and myself. He used some great mermaid dances….and ti was a unique way to animate the butterflies to dance in mid-air. It was very cool and sexy! We finally joined him on the ground, but I loved the way he thought to use those dances.
Keith Ringold made his debut with us next to “Godzilla” by Blue Oyster Cult. Keithzilla stormed in breathing fire and began to destroy buildings willy nilly. He was quite good at it despite his teeny, little, kitten-like upper arms. Fighter planes wove around him and I think the shooting pissed him off a little because he breathed fire right into the audience. Baby and I were rooting for a win for the big lizard, but sadly, he met his untimely end in a nuclear explosion which was spectacular. Heck of a debut Keith, we can’t wait to see what you have for us next!
Wiz was up next with “I Took A Pill In Ibiza” and I was glad that Wiz poked me so that I could see the youtube and understand what the inspiration was for starting out a set with urinals….O.o. The basic premise is a guy goes out one night, takes something he likely shouldn’t have and ends up on the dancefloor thinking his head is about 20x as big as it is….It was hysterical and his head was HUGE! He also did create a great nightclub, but I was really stuck staring at the hypnotizing head…follow the hair…breathe deep and follow the swaying hair…
DavidGage was up next…(men, lots and LOTs of men!) and he was joined by Paul, Seb and Melvis and his shoulders (trust me). They dance to Tiny Tim’s “TipToe Through The Tulips” and odds are those tulips will never recover. The men were resplendent in their funny hats and boxer-briefs. I especially enjoyed the boxer briefs with cute little pictures on them. I think there was a dance…oh, yes! There was and it was really funny and then all of our manly men passed out in the tulips at the end.
Baby was up next in a little break from our manly man show. She chose a beautiful song, “Moon and Moon” by Bats for Lashes. Her set was a deep blue, with shades of blue and black…water and mountain, but Baby was in creamy white as she stood out in a beautiful flowing dress with particles as she glided across the stage. This song was hauntingly beautiful as was Baby. She made my eyes all misty. Course, she does that a lot….but it was stunning.
That brings up … me. I am having a special weekend, it’s my 7th cancerversary since my breast cancer diagnosis. Survivorship is a bittersweet thing, I have so many things to be thankful for, but life after cancer is much different than it was before. I wanted to do a set that was a way to thank my SL friends and acknowledge how much my life has changed. I chose Ludovic Einaudi’s “Nuvole Bianche” and I danced with Jo, who is a two time cancer survivor, and Zach, Nevar and Maia, who are very involved with Relay for Life and have all lost people very close to them from cancer. I’m so glad they agreed to dance with me 🙂
Our evening ended with a fantastic set from Gunner who chose Shaman’s Harvest “In Chains”. This set was HOT, like on fire hot! I hope that someone pays these insurance bills…that’s all I have to say about that. There was a cage…it moved…there was fire…there was Gunner without a shirt on which rounded out manly man night very nicely! It was an exclamation point on a very fun evening despite all that SL had to throw at us.
Kyshra, our resident sex kitten was in charge of the crowd dances and thankfully SL was apologetic in letting the servers catch us fairly quickly. Kysh chose Will Smith’s “Switch”, “Drop It Low” by Kat De Luna and “Shake Senora” with Pit Bull, T-Pain and Sean Paul. Needless to say, we boogied our little fannies off on the really fun set that she built…as we said hello to the weekend!
Thank you all for hanging tough with us and for the staff for acting like nothing happened and pulling it all together in a half hour instead of our usual more leisurely hour! Thank you Fuki once again for the fantastic pictures. We can’t wait to see you all next Sunday night…same bat place…same bat channel 🙂
Elton!!!!! A Tribute.
Friday night April 29th brought a tribute to Sir Elton John to the hallowed halls of the Empire Room. Now, it’s no secret that I love a good themed show, and let’s face it, if ever there was a man who invited a theme, it’s Sir Elton…I mean those hats, the sunglasses…the piano….the sequins! Needless to say…there isn’t a song this man wrote that I don’t think is genius…so let’s see what happened when we started dancing!
*note, SL was being a big pain in the *ss and we don’t have a picture of Ame’s set. Fuki and Ame both contributed pictures due to the technical difficulties*
Gunner, Jilley, Wiz and Kellan were in charge of the house as Paul had the weekend off. Jilley and Kellan greeted our guests in a double whammy of lovely while Gunner again dug into his treasure trove of music to get the crowd ready for the show ahead and Wiz reminded our gentle guests that wearing 233 scripts or taking up more than 10mb was just bad form!
Elvis night kicked off with a set by…me 🙂 I chose “Crocodile Rock” because I can’t think of a more infectiously funny Elton song. I also chose some really funny crocodile avatars from Abranimations and thankfully, Jo, Nadi, Monique, Corri, Gerty and Zach felt the need to join me on my insane little adventure. I like to encourage individuality in my co-dancers, even if we wear a similar outfit, I always like to make sure there is a little of “them” in their costumes and when Gerty showed up with a human leg jammed in her snout, well, she stole the whole set! Thank you all for helping me kick off the show in style.
Wiz took the stage next and in the most appropriate choice of a song, danced to “Pinball Wizard” from Tommy. I owned the album for this and wore it clear through…pure genius! His set was two pinball machines and it was really his outfit…he was a super stretched out version of Elton….big boots, loooooooooooooooooong skinny legs and all Elton from the waist up with sweater, glasses and hat included. it was perfect!
Eva was up third with Nadi, Johnn Galt and Si Di Brit. They had the most amazing costumes that cycled through colors…I was in LOVE with those costumes. They chose “I’m Still Standing”, a song that is timeless. It could be the anthem for any person who has triumphed over feeling like an outsider, different, out of sync…It’s as relevant today as it was when it was released. Great shot of Elton there in the background too!
Ame was up with Zach, Nevar and Wiz in a great set to “Amy”. She was one cool cucumber, dancing around…dancing with the gents…Poor Zach though, she made him wear some shorts that made Gunner blush, but the ladies were totally ok with his quads and hammies…looking good there Zach, but not quite as good as your lovely bride 🙂 Super psychedelic fun! Sadly, due to SL being a big booger, we don’t have a picture of this set 😦
(inserted by Kellan as I saw Fuku bouncing off and online. Wiz had crashed though, but I got Zach, Ame and Nevar!)
Kyshra…our little sex kitten took us all by surprise when she chose “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” with George Michael and Sir Elton, one of the most inspiring songs that I know. The secret of our Kysh is that when she does pretty, there aren’t many who can do it better. She was in a desert with these silks that were to die for with golden particles on her hands and feet. She spun and flew and jumped and whirled and those silks and particles swirled around her like golden magic. I was speechless and she was a goddess 🙂
Jilley was up next to a beautiful song called “Japanese Hands”. Her set was a gorgeous Japanese house and garden that all of us were trying to figure out how to run off with while she wasn’t looking. I’m not sure Jilley has ever made a set that we didn’t all want to steal, lol. She used the Japanese fan dances from Abranimations…and she was delicate and elegant in her very high heeled geta’s. We were transfixed. It was beautiful.
Baby was up next, and although I haven’t had a chance to chat with her about this set, I’m going to take a stab at her inspiration and share it with you. She chose “The One”. Now, Baby and Gunner are a special couple. They have an amazing connection with each other and every now and then, she does a dance that I know was really only meant for him…not the rest of us watching along with him. Baby started as a mermaid…in a gorgeous ocean with waves with Gunner watching from the beach. She dove deep, Gunner got up and danced and in a particle poof of love, she rose up out of the water as a human. She and Gunner danced and then a beautiful statue rose up out of the sand and they rose up and danced in more particle magic…it was a love story…of epic proportions, and a love letter to her Gunner. If it wasn’t….feel free to correct me, because I had tears streaming down my face from the power of this dance.
Kellan took to the stage to end the evening and we all know that that means mover work that any of us would kill to have the time to do…if we didn’t end up in the loony bin first. She chose “The Circle of Life” from The Lion King. Kellan was Rafiki, Fuki was Timon and Adam and Muse guested as our lion and lioness on a set that was a lush jungle with water and sunbeams and fallen trees….the two smaller characters danced above the two lions and everyone got a little bit teary when the scene faded and the dance ended with all of the animals on the savannah looking on as our lion family stood outside their den holding a baby. It was amazing….frankly, were were specializing on touching, heartwarming dances…and Kellan’s brought tears to my eyes.
Well, after wiping all of the tears from all of our eyes, it was time to bring everyone up on stage for the crowd dance. SL wasn’t been much nicer at this point, so there was a little bit of ball calisthenics to get us all up and rolling, but once we did, we had a great time to the dances that Kellan choreographed for us. She chose three great Elton songs, “Bennie and the Jets”, Nickleback and Kid Rock’s version of “Saturday Night’s Alright” and Elton John and Tina Turner doing “The Bitch is Back”. What a superb way to end the evening and start the weekend! Thank you all for coming out, thank everyone for dancing. for Fuki and Ame for pictures and for our fearless group of owners for producing such a wonderful show each week 🙂
Elysium Cabaret 