The Lower East Side Festival of the Arts

The Theater presentations in this year's Lower East Side Festival of the Arts were so incredible that some of them actually emitted Gasps of awe from the audiences. Especially prominent in this category were Suspended Cirque, an Aerial Dance company that will be the top U.S. Contender for a Gold Medal in the Theater Hall of Fame. Their collective beauty in the air was worthy of P.T. Barnum and Dostoevsky; an unbeatable combination when you add a little Niels Bohr, Harlan Ellison and Stephen Hawking to the mix.

Interestingly enough, the Infinity Dance Theater, under Kitty Lunn's direction, was equally orgasmic with abled and disabled dancers sharing the spotlight. Dixon Place's work was exceptional. This also included an aerial component. And Heidi Latsky's Dance Company, which also included abled and disabled dancers, working together, was so very moving. Not a dry eye in the house. What is going on?! The best stuff of the 3 incredible evenings were all either in the air, or swept us up in their desire to move beyond physical limitations. I think we are all headed for the sky and one day, with either a fiber optic silicon chip, or the mental strength of 3/4ths of our brain, which we're not yet using, we will fly!

That is, if we don't blow ourselves to Kingdom Come, or nuke ourselves to death, or drill Mother Earth to a crumble looking for anything else she may have to offer.

Which brings me to some of the great protest moments of this 17th Annual 3-day confluence of many minds and Great matters. Lissa Moira's cry against the Bamboozlement of the 99%, the Occupy Wall Streeters, and the Latin Heartbeat of Maquina Mono and Circus Amok tore us apart. The Radicals of the evening (except for Lissa) were quiet and charming in their demeanor, which only goes to s how you that Revolution in this new age, is taking on a new and different face. Actually, much closer to TNC's philosophy, non-violent, non-categorized, gentle leaderness, but with the persistence of a flea in your pants that bites and stings and never gives up. And the worst part of it is, you can never catch it. Eventually, you'll tear your clothing apart trying to put it down. And it'll land, finally, in your ear, and you'll never hear the end of it.