Downtown Tucsonan - November 2008 - (Page 20)

The All Souls Procession Everything you always wanted to know by Jim Lipson ou’ve been hearing about it for years. You have friends who plan intricate theme parties around it. You know people who swear it is a part of their core spiritual belief system. Finally, you keep telling yourself no matter how cold the weather, how compelling the sunday night football game or how much you believe you need to prepare for the work week to come, this will finally be the year you experience that early november phenomenon known as the El dia de los Muertos (day of the dead) all souls Procession (asP). Granted, this may not be everyone’s cup of mocha decaf chai. But for those who indulge in this annual ritual, one of the signature events of the downtown arts scene, it’s hard to believe the asP has not yet been made into an official city holiday or more appropriate, holy day. unlike the Rodeo Parade and Rodeo days which actually is a city holiday, and celebrating what some would consider the abuse and humiliation of the animal kingdom, the asP has its roots firmly entrenched in the realm of the spiritual. organizers and participants talk both earnestly and in depth as to the deep significance the asP can play in paying homage and tribute to those who are now in the spirit world. “It’s completely unrealistic to think we can take two weeks to mourn the passing of a loved one,” says event coordinator daniel Meyers. “we don’t really give it (mourning) the credence it needs.” Honoring the memories and celebrating the passing of ancestors in ritualistic fashion is a custom that defines many cultures. at the same time however, the asP is also about spectacle and being spontaneous and outrageous while creating (and flaunting!) images larger than life. so how to describe the indescribable? Imagine the intention behind a good old fashioned wake. Place that within the context of a full blown mardi-gras celebration, complete with garish costumes and masks, a meandering parade that’s open to anybody, super sized puppets, scores of drummers and other musicians— Y some organized and some not—performance artists, dancers and those who simply like being part of a scene where the line between participant and audience is blurred beyond recognition, and you’ll begin to get a sense as to what this tradition is like. to help the uninitiated to better understand and embrace the essence of this unique event, the Downtown Tucsonan offers the following all souls Procession primer and attendant glossary. after that, you are on your own. Humble Beginnings. Back in the day in the early 1990s, this was a small and intimate event (invitation only) organized by local sculptor susan Johnson. while there was always an element of other-worldliness to it, the procession itself was self contained and was not a public event. this went on for 7 years. as Johnson’s pet project it was extremely significant to those involved, although few outside her circle were aware of either its presence or significance. Flam Chen. Many regard this ever-evolving pyrotechnic troupe as synonymous with fire dancing. But the truth is they are remarkable performance art ensemble that just happens to express its art through all manner of theatrical fire dance. nadia Hagen, a founding member of Flam chen recalls how the group helped change the asP and how the procession did the same for Flam chen. “after 7 years or so we wanted the whole thing to be more raucous,” says Hagen, Flam chen’s only original member who is still with the group. “the all souls Procession helped make Flam chen more of what it is. It gave us the motivation to collaborate with other artists…to work with multi media and expand our interactions.” throughout the last several years, Hagen and Flam chen have taken on many of the responsibilities around fundraising and asP logistics, which are many. without their participation and active in- continued on page 24 20 downtown tucsonan.november.08 photo by Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli Arts

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Downtown Tucsonan - November 2008

Downtown Tucsonan - November 2008 Contents Downtown Lowdown Vital Signs Downtown Live Arts Galleries Performing Arts Events Film Historic Downtown Museums Billboard Classifieds

Downtown Tucsonan - November 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.