Poet-tree En Motion’s Seasonal Arts Showcase is Free to the Community Wednesday, Oct. 5 at The Rotunda in West Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA – Flames will rage once again – the flames of creative inspiration and fire performance – as Poet-tree En Motion exhibits its 10th annual fall arts showcase to celebrate the harvest season Wednesday, Oct. 5 at The Rotunda in West Philadelphia.
Poet-tree En Motion has gained a reputation in the city for highlighting some of the best and brightest established and up-and-coming regional artists in a variety of disciplines while also giving the community a chance to shine on the open mike and open stage. Multi-award-winning artistic director Gabrielle de Burke weaves together performances by artists of many different styles to create a magical display of the arts that ends up flowing seamlessly.
“Poetry in motion is a lot of different things,” de Burke says. “It’s not just stuck on a page. It’s not just stuck on a stage. It’s moving in time. All of the artists are expressing poetry but just in different forms. I want the event to be an expression of the many different ways in which poetry is present in our lives whether it’s music, dance, art or visual performance.”
The “Fall Harvest Flow and Fire Festivities” event will kick off at 7 p.m. with spoken word and a yin-yang yoga flow and chi-kung workshop led by de Burke. The practice will be accompanied by live electronic ambient soundscapes and visual projections by artist Bruce Leitch.
Every fall Poet-tree En Motion event features a fire and flow arts troupe performance. This year three members of the Burning Hearts Fire and Light Theater, a troupe that’s been making waves since 2010, most notably in the Lehigh Valley, Pa. and at regional “burner” events, will show off their skills. The trio – Sarah Fulton, bellydancer Lorenda and Ashley Riccaboni – will give two performances. Their first piece will feature flow artistry involving hooping, silk veils, swords, Isis wings and LED lights. The last performance of the evening will be outside in front of the Rotunda with the trio dancing with a variety of exciting fire props.
In between Burning Hearts performances, legendary Philly DJ Jeff Omega will give a special tribal house set to get the audience grooving and moving.
“Community showcases like Poet-tree En Motion are fantastic platforms for burgeoning performers and creators and I’m excited to be invited to share my craft at this venue,” says Fulton, manager of the Burning Hearts. “It’s a great way to meet other performers and support one another.”
Poet-tree En Motion’s “Fall Harvest Flow and Fire Festivities” is scheduled for 7-10 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 5 at the Rotunda, located at 4014 Walnut St., West Philadelphia. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free with a suggested donation of $5-$20 to support future performance projects by Plum Dragoness. There will also be a silent auction featuring gift certificates, artisan and antique vintage jewelry, accessories, handcrafted and wild-crafted pieces, art and more.
The next Poet-tree En Motion event is scheduled for March, and it will feature female artists for its annual Women’s History Month celebration.
ABOUT POET-TREE EN MOTION: Poet-tree En Motion works to inspire both artist and audience to connect and work together toward cultivating the arts community in Philadelphia, welcoming artists of all kinds to experience performances local to the neighborhood, and offering the opportunity at each show for community participation to sign up in the all-genre open mike/stage and jam session component of the events.
The Burning Hearts Fire and Light Theater will perform 8:30-9:30 p.m. Friday, May 13 at the Allentown Brew Works. The show will feature fire performers displaying their skills with a medley of props, including poi, staff, hoops, fans and more. Belly dancers Lorenda and Laura will also do a routine with fire swords. This show is choreographed to the music of David Bowie. Come join the troupe outside on the patio! The Brew Works is located at 812 Hamilton Street in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Call the Brew Works at (610) 433-7777. For information about the Burning Hearts Fire and Light Theater, log on to http://www.theburninghearts.com/.
The annual Philadelphia Experiment (PEX) Heartburn event is coming to the 23rd Street Armory in Philadelphia 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. on Feb. 13, 2016. The event doubles as a Valentine’s Day and Chinese New Year celebration. PEX continues its tradition of showcasing some of the best fire performers in the Philadelphia region. Among them, NJ belly dancer Lorenda will entertain with her breed of bellydance mixed with fire. Party-goers can also experience fabulous performance art, live and DJ’ed music, aerials, and art installations. For information and tickets, log on tohttps://www.facebook.com/events/481491058705122/.
For bookings and information about Bellydance by Lorenda, email info@bellydancebylorenda.com or call (609) 442-1752.
The next installment of “Drink ‘N’ Draw” at the Boneyard Bar and Grill will feature the bellydancer Lorenda from 10 p.m. to midnight Thursday, Jan. 28. Lorenda will hold different poses for set lengths of time while the audience draws, paints or photographs her. The event is free and some art supplies will be provided. All skill levels are welcome.
Lorenda will also entertain the crowd before and after the Drink ‘N’ Draw by belly dancing with fire and LED wings.