Part I: The Launch
I glanced up from my phone, squinting in the brilliant Texas sun. "Hey, I'm Mitch. I'm picking you up from the airport today with some other attendees." Soon after I got the text, I hopped into a white van with a DJ and fire fan enthusiast heading to the Blackland Ranch. We chattered excitedly about the artists and the lineup. After watching the many FiberFlies tutorials online, I was thrilled to finally meet and learn from some of the top fiber whip artists around.
When we got to the site, the greeters introduced us to Blackland's recycling/compost system and leave-no-trace principles, and gave us brightly colored Quasar wristbands. The schedule had been delayed by an hour after the intensity of last night's storm, so I headed over to the Star Gate stage, where Ghast and Forbidden Kitten were playing.
As I passed through a field of meditation huts, I felt grateful for the boots I had bought last-minute after someone mentioned the changeable weather at the ranch. That first night in Texas was biting cold!! It didn't matter after I started dancing and finding my flow, though. I was soon joined by Jon (Alien Jon), Sam (Light Lace), and Dana (D_lectric) after her stage performance.
After so much indoor fiber flow, it was incredibly satisfying to enjoy the freedom of movement under a clear night sky. Dancing indoors often meant limiting the moves I did to things that wouldn’t mark up the furniture and ceilings, wouldn’t alarm the neighbors whenever I dropped the whip, and kept the ceiling fan in one piece. At flow jams and concerts, there was always the concern about keeping my audience safe from the led whip handle and flying fibers.
At Quasar, there were no more worries about how to use an led whip in a crowd, whips being banned from venues, or lack of space! Looking around, I saw flow artists with all sorts of props: poi, orbits, hoops, rope dart, and LED glove sets. Intricate light shows surrounded me on all sides. Sometimes it was hard to decide whether to dance or watch the people around me. The first night out had a laid-back, relaxed vibe as people got settled and warmed up for the rest of the event.
Keep reading part II here-->
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