Après Moi, Le Déluge

2014. Philadelphia for Diabolique Ball

The producer of Diabolique Ball commissioned me to create a performance for their one-night charity fundraising event. It’s sort of a fetish/sexy dress-up event held at the Trocadero Theater, a grand old theater built in 1870.

They commissioned me to create a performance for the main stage, of 15 minutes in duration, in the theme of “History”

Well, themes don’t get much broader than that.

THE CHALLENGES

I fly into Philadelphis and have only two days before the performance.
Philly is not a town I have roots and much resoruce or network in
I have one window of time for rehearsal and it’s on the day of the performance
I will need to work with people I’ve never met. I have to rely on the producer to find the talents that I need. I need to explain my requirement clearly.
Any props, tools, costumes or sets will need to be brought with me in checked luggage or acquired there

I let my mind wander, as I usually do when creating.

My mind circles around periods of history when the privileged live in sense of grace and beauty, expecting to be served, while the masses grow restless. The privileged, unaware that their way of being is crumbling, their power decaying, as the disenfranchised mass to mock and eventually …

Concept: Après Moi, Le Déluge – a phrase attributed to Kink Louis XV of France (1710 – 177

THE ACTION

Empty stage. Dark
Music starts
Enter Jester. Humpbacked crippled jester of indeterminate gender, wearing a Venitian carnival mask, enters. Bowing to the audience as it drags and carries out large branches and flowers on to the stage, creating an encircled ‘stage’ are.
Jester exits
Enter: A couple in all white with white court wigs enters. They’re tall, elegantly dressed, have garb made of ribbons. They carry their own glowing halo. They dance a formal court dance
Enter Jester. Sprinkling flowers and petals around and before the couple. Jester bows and curtseys deeply, Very obsequious. Jester also turns to the audience and mocks the couple, rudely showing disdain.
As the couple dance, Jester unfurls the long strands of ribbons from their costumes. Jester takes these white ribbon and gradually ties the couple together. They dance, oblivious to the Jester’s treachery or the audience (the masse) witnessing this.
Exit: Couple while dancing
Jester faces the audience and signals that it’s going to jump into their pit and crowd surf them and jumps off stage

THE REHEARSAL

The Music

My concept and composition. Mixing and engineering help from Graydancer

Take JS Bach’s beautiful orderly music. Then lay down several tracks of the same music at irregular intervals. The music soon becomes discordant, chaotic, and even frightning in its urgency

The Dancers

Tomas Delgado aka Sven, Dance Instructor, Society Hill Dance Academy

Isobel Connors

0:00 / 0:00

THE BEFORE

THE PERFORMANCE

THE AFTER

From: “Diabolique Foundation, Inc.” <diaboliqueball@gmail.com>
Subject: Diabolique Weekend is almost here!
Date: November 14, 2014 at 7:04:48 PM PST

To: “Diabolique Foundation, Inc.” <diaboliqueball@gmail.com>

The Diabolique Foundation defies the powers that be with their 18th annual charity fetish masquerade ball, Viva la Revolution- Sexual Revolutions Throughout History at the famous Trocadero Theatre on Friday, November 21st.

This hysterically historical- themed event will celebrate kinky crusaders and fetishistic fighters from throughout human existence. Guests are galvanized for mutiny with headlining entertainment from San Francisco’s “Supernova of Kink” Midori while Liberty City Kings Drag & Burlesque troupe brings ammo and bomb bursts to the main stage. Fashion shows by Passional Boutique, Delicious Boutique, and BabyLove’s Latex exhibit seditious seams while Dave Ghoul and DJ Cubprovide a stopless soundtrack to rouse the music-hungry masses to rebellion! Once again, Diabolique’s battlegrounds are equipped with a complete, interactive dungeon space provided by The Aviary and numerous charity play stations to ingnite repeat uprisings!

Returning after a one year hiatus (for maxiumum civil unrest) is the catered Diabolique VIP Lounge which will invade and take over the Balcony Bar for generous contributors to this year’s causes.

~ excerpt of one of my emails to the production team ~

11/6/2014
Hi KC
Thanks for getting back to me.

I hope to get to talk to someone soon about this. Until I get the approval of the concept I don’t think it’s a good idea to get the flowers.

If the concept is approved I’ll need real flowers.

My preference is that I get to be there when it’s purchased. As fresh flower selections are highly seasonal, and I have specific scale and color balance in mind, I would like to be there.

If I arrive on the Thursday before the performance could someone take me to the flower vendors?

Am I correct that the flower budget and budget for some other props are separate from my performer fee?

If this concept is approved I would also need the following (this is just a heads-up, so we might expedite the process. I apologize for this tardiness. It was challenging to create this around the History theme.)

1 – Fresh flowers (see notes above)

2 – Two large hula-hoops. Like kids use. Plastic. Larger diameter is better.

3 – Two performers. Either male-male (preferred) or male-female. Tall and thin with dance, ballroom dance, modern dance or baroque dance preferred. Theater experience is a plus. They do not need to have any bondage experience or interest. They will be clothed (not nude) and all they will be doing is a slow regal walk resembling Baroque court dance. No they will not be suspended or be nude. I don’t want someone who’s expecting a scene. I can pay them out if my performers fee (unless the event had a budget for them.)

4 – Two wigs for the performers above. White. In style of 1700 French court. (Think Marie Antoinette or King Louis) If I can get two male performers, I’ll need two male wigs. If male-female, I’ll new a male an a female wig. Can we rent it?

5 – One stage assistant person for me.