A Look Back:
The Rootwire 2K16 Performance Artist Lineup!
Click the images below for bios, pics and social media links!
|
Quixotic
Art that enchants, invigorates, and awakens the imagination has always been born of the rule breakers, and no one is breaking the rules more joyously, more fervently than Kansas City’s Quixotic. A melting pot of dance, aerial acrobatics, projection mapping, high fashion, and original live music, Quixotic is a cornucopia of mystical majesty that enraptures audiences who have never even dreamed a night at the theater could be this much fun. Sleek dancers pushing the boundaries of athletic artistry soar across neon skies that encompass and envelop traditional and non-traditional venues, bathing structures and even painting new nature on old in a vivid fantasy world. Evocative tribal electronica sets the stage for the visual panoply of color and agility in flight. Even the aural accompaniment blurs the lines between stylistic worlds, blending organic instrumentations of lush strings and primal drums with digital symphonies of programmed beats and bellowing subsonic frequencies. Founded in 2005 by renowned graphic designer, percussionist, and artistic director Anthony Magliano and joined a year later by award-winning lighting and theater technology guru Mica Thomas, Quixotic’s mission statement was to tear down the walls that cloistered each discipline of the arts, unleashing a flood of new ideas that would wash away the staid norms of traditional theatre performance. It is the joint vision of Magliano and Thomas that has taken the loose collective of avant garde trendsetters and molded them into what the New York Times branded an “innovative circus [company].” This ultra-modern, multi-sensory experience shatters antiquated notions of “a night at the ballet.” The stunning and surreal environments that set the scene for this experimental movement troupe has aligned its performers with the most progressive acts in the burgeoning electronic music scene (Dave Tipper and Shpongle, among others), but its undeniable grace, transcendent athleticism, and dogmatic dedication to haute couture also allows Quixotic to flawlessly complement the Kansas City Symphony. The raw power, immersive experience, and sheer mesmerizing artistry of Quixotic Fusion cannot be conveyed through words, nor can audio or video alone capture the magic of an intense, firsthand glimpse of the collective in action. To truly get a sense of what it is to leave the earthly realm and enter a digital landscape of breathtaking wonder, where the bounds of genre—and gravity—have no meaning; you have to be there to believe it. "We are here to lift the vibration on our beautiful blue planet!" |
|
Kalah Raela
Over the past 9 years, Kalah’s creative expression has evolved from flow arts-fanatic to professional cirque-arts performer. She began performing hoop dance in 2009, and has since trained in fire dance, aerial dance, stiltwalking, and stage dancing with props of all varieties. Leading the Rootwire cirque team, she will be showcasing her specialty in aerial hoop, fire eating, fusion belly dance, and stiltwalking at this year’s event. Be sure to check out some of the many performance-centered offerings that she has organized for Rootwire 2K16.
Over the past 9 years, Kalah’s creative expression has evolved from flow arts-fanatic to professional cirque-arts performer. She began performing hoop dance in 2009, and has since trained in fire dance, aerial dance, stiltwalking, and stage dancing with props of all varieties. Leading the Rootwire cirque team, she will be showcasing her specialty in aerial hoop, fire eating, fusion belly dance, and stiltwalking at this year’s event. Be sure to check out some of the many performance-centered offerings that she has organized for Rootwire 2K16.
Jill Martin
Jill Martin is a multi-faceted performer and teacher who has truly made her mark in the festival scene. Beginning her rendezvous with the flow community as founder of Nocturnal Arts, a well-known fire troupe in Ohio, Jill has since expanded her reach as far as the west coast, where she currently resides. Teaching and performing at music, arts, and flow festivals, sharing her knowledge of geometry in spinning, partner choreography, and prop manipulation has made Jill a prominent name in the industry. She will be travelling all the way from Eugene, Oregon to continue her long standing involvement with Rootwire in her home state of Ohio. 
Cosmic
Karma Fire Cosmic Karma Fire is a traveling fire performance troupe based in upstate New York. The talented artists in this group are united by their passion for performing with the one element that is truly uncontrolled by nature: fire! Harnessing its power, Cosmic Karma Fire creates one of the most mind-blowing fire shows imaginable. They thrive to impress, amaze, and astonish their audiences in extreme and unique ways. 
Cata Lee
Cata Lee is a midwest stiltwalker, hula hooper, and aerial dancer. Her intent is to put love and beauty into the world through performance, and inspire others to do the same. She is a little lady with big dreams and big personality, and she can’t wait to share her artistic vision with you. Expect to see Cata Lee walking tall and grooving all over the festival, spreading magic and smiles all along the way! 
Laura LaFlora
Laura is a dedicated hoop flow artist, Reiki energy healer, and workshop facilitator. Her performance is inspired by her passions for movement meditation and individual empowerment through creative expression. Laura views her hoop as a vehicle of ascension and uses her performance art as a method of healing through ecstatic dance. 
Brittney Marie
Brittney has been teaching and performing hoop dance for 3 consecutive years. She has performed with major music artists and several hoop troupes around the Midwest. Her dance style focuses on precision and accuracy. Brittney will be sure to captivate you with her wicked style and fierce personality. 
Matt Edick
Matt, a recent graduate of The University of Akron's percussion performance program, has been performing music for the last 15 years. He has spent the last 5 years teaching both music and circus/flow arts. He plans to grow as an artist, while traveling, teaching, and continuing his education. His hope is to use his abilities to advance artistic culture, advocate for the free exchange of ideas, and promote the communal spirit. |
Angelina Rose
Ever since she was inspired by a hoop performance in early 2012, Angelina Rose has been a pioneer in hoop performance and has become a positive and well-regarded creative force in the flow community. She has been dancing since the age of 3 and has now performed at some of the country’s biggest live music events including Euphoria Music Festival and EDC Las Vegas. Her goals are set high and her mission along the way of helping people find their path to eternal happiness shows no signs of slowing down! 
Tina Todd
Tina has explored many facets of the spiritual journeys we all walk from a very young age. She strives to share love and smiles in order spread light throughout the universe with grace and bliss. As a performer, she utilizes her fire spinning to connect heaven and creation with a flow of pure energy. You are sure to find this happy little elf sprinkling joy and empowerment through performance all over the festival! 
Maya Skye
Maya Skye is a local performer with a passion for the arts. After a decade of dance training, she fell in love with circus arts and decided to fuse the two professions together. At Rootwire 2k16, she will bring her love for circus arts to the stage to accompany both local and headlining musical acts alike! 
Combustion Crew
This performance troupe from Dayton, Ohio specializes in Fire and LED flow arts. Long time veterans of Rootwire Festival, Combustion Crew will be back this year bringing specialized dance to the fire circle. 
Joshua Vibes
Joshua Vibes is a self-taught, big hearted hula hooper born in Frankfurt, Germany and raised in the mid Ohio valley. Recently having celebrated 6 years of hooping, his passion for hoop dance has morphed into an all-encompassing lifestyle. His skill and experience as a flow artist have lead to performances at local venues, lgbt/alternative clubs, private events, and music festivals across the midwest. Joshua’s continued dedication to the hooping community keeps him eager to learn and share his love for all things hoop dance with all demographics of people and events. At Rootwire 2k16, you will find Joshua spreading hoop magic on stage with his LED, or collaborating with other talented spinners in the fire circle. 
Ohio Tall Stars
The Ohio Tall Stars are a diverse stiltwalking group featuring stilt artists from different circus troupes around the country. By inviting experienced stiltwalkers for a chance to “guest star”, the Ohio Tall Stars maintain a consistently fresh spirit that can match the atmosphere at any festival or event. In the past, the Ohio Tall Stars have featured stiltwalkers from well-known circus troupes such as Big Fun Circus, The Amazing Giants, Cadence Crowley’s Dark Circus, and The Safety Crew. They can’t wait to surprise you with stiltwalkers both new and familiar alike at Rootwire 2k16! |
