Carnival of 5 Fires

"​​Galle​ry5’s​ Carni​val of the 5 Fires​ relig​hts its intri​guing​ pagea​nt of freak​s,​​ sides​hows and art. Teete​ring the line betwe​en all thing​s wicke​dly twist​ed and enter​taini​ngly creep​y,​​ for the past sever​al years​ the theat​rical​ perfo​rmanc​es and visua​l art displ​ays of Galle​ry5’s​ Carni​val of the 5 Fires​ have made this recur​ring pagea​nt of freak​s and sides​hows the equiv​alent​ of some beaut​iful accid​ent again​st natur​e.​​ With acts and works​hops inclu​ding stilt​ walke​rs,​​ puppe​t shows​,​​ juggl​ers,​​ burle​sque dance​rs,​​ costu​me conte​sts,​​ as well as an exhib​it of vario​us paint​ings,​​ photo​graph​s and other​ art, this three​-​​day event​ offer​s a glimp​se of what it’s like to be in the circu​s tent’​s darke​r side.​​" -Style​ Weekl​y
"Rarely outdone, Gallery5 stole the night with an extravagant event titled "The Carnival of 5 Fires." With five different arenas of performance and wonderful art throughout the former firehouse, there was something for everyone.....Well worth the price of admission, Gallery5's extravagance paid off with a unique showing of culture no city could hurt to have."-Commonwealth Times
"If you've always wondered what it would be like to mix Ringling Brothers, David Lynch, and Jackson Ward...wonder no more." Brick Magazine
"The State Fair of Virginia wasn’t the only place to see carnies and oddities last weekend. Despite the unrelenting downpour that plagued the First Fridays’ Artwalk Oct. 6, crowds turned out in droves to take part in the “Carnival of 5 Fires” at Gallery5. But this was no ordinary carnival with fried Oreos and turkey legs, this was the type of carnival that an episode of “Tales from the Crypt” could’ve been based on." -Style Weekly
The first annual Carnival of 5 Fires was held on Friday Oct. 6, 2006 in Richmond, Virginia. Birthed from the fiery womb of the old firehouse now known as Gallery5, the night of organized chaos included a hundreds lit up faces attending the event, sideshow freaks, burlesque, cabaret, clogging vampires, marionettes/puppet shows, tarot readers, vaudeville musical acts, big band, rock n roll, fire performance, paintings, photography, installations, sculpture, video projection, and much more creative debauchery.
Led by Ringmaster Blackfire, the carnival wowed and wooed all who witnessed it's creative and bizarre magick. The Carnival of 5 Fires' mission of encouraging all to open their mind to experience something new, be entertained and set their fears free was accomplished on this evening by the energy housed and honed to stir the cerebral. We set the house on fire and burned a hole in your reality...
Continuing the tradition of showcasing all things freaky, sexy, and mysterious the CARNIVAL OF 5 FIRES is back with our 2008 weekend carny festival extravaganza! So...here's the lineup. It's a doozy:
*GWAR!-well, kind of. We've dug deep in the bowels of GWAR's Slave Pit and have returned with a plethora of alien beasts and intergalactic monstrosities. We've wrangled these dreadful things into Gallery5 for this year's Carnival of 5 Fires and they are leaving slime and glowing poop everywhere. Who's got a giant litter box for us to borrow?
*Sweet Tease Burlesque-These sultry sirens are returning to the womb that birthed them and have a few surprises in store for your senses.
*Suspended Disbelief Marionette Theater-come witness the gypsy queen Rose Csorba as she makes her marionettes dance and act our out fantastical scenarios. Sure to leave you wanting more hot puppet action!
*The Hellblinki Sextet-In the mood for some raw pirate blues? In the mood to dance like mad drunken fools? In the mood for haunting ballads that spin webs of sinister debauchery? Then get ready for Asheville, NC's crew of musically talented scoundrels.
*NO BS Brass Band-You will be forced to shake your booty! NO BS! is a Richmond, VA based band combining the spirit of New Orleans with original compositions and arrangements of pop/rock hits from the '70s and '80s in an eclectic, virtuosic, and rowdy package. Members of NO BS! Brass have been trained in the conservatory and in the garage band and draw their inspiration from every conceivable source including funk, jazz, klezmer, Led Zeppelin, calypso, and delta blues. NO BS Brass has quickly gained a reputation as one of the finest area bands, performing at Richmond area clubs, galleries, and festivals.
*All The Saints Theater Company-The famous Richmond Spaghetti Dinner harbingers! Have you ever seen mysterious but high energy performances and parades with 16 feet tall puppets, dancing skeletons, animal/human hybrids, giant boats, quirky funeral processions, etc? If the answer is yes then they've been brought to you by All The Saints Theater Company. Also get ready for ATSTC's 3rd Annual Halloween Parade on Friday, Oct. 31 starting in Monroe Park and marching through Oregon Hill. You will be forced to shake your booty!
*G5 Fire-The best fire performers in the city gather at G5 every First Friday. G5 Fire have become staples and a fire-loving family of our humble abode. They've been with us since the beginning of our creative offerings and have some very special in store for you this month! Hope you're not wearing hairspray.
*PLF (Party Liberation Front)-an offshoot of G5 Fire this group has become a huge collective of fire performers, DJs, hoopers, dancers, artists, poets, musicians. Look for PLF DJs Reinhold and Conway to rock the house outside on Friday (inside the covered wagon) and inside on Saturday night. Speaking of Saturday's event "Something Wicked: The Dark Carnival" these guys with be full on freaks, carnival barkers, mischief makers providing twisted carny games, costume contests, tarot readings, dance competitions and more. This pack is truly dedicated to liberate the party for you.
*Fire in the Belly-The sensuous moves of these snake charmers has continued to evolve over the years into a more experimental, theatrical form of belly dance. Their unique and adventurous style is reflected in their aesthetic, movement, costuming, and diverse music selections. You will have the pleasure of experiencing 3 of the 6 current members.
*Bread and Puppet's Lubberland National Dance Company-The Bread and Puppet Theater (often known simply as Bread & Puppet) is a politically radical puppet theater, active since the 1960s, currently based in Glover, Vermont. The name Bread & Puppet derives from the theater's practice of sharing its own fresh bread, served for free with a strong garlic aioli, with the audience of each performance as a means of creating community, and from its central principle that art should be as basic to life as bread. For this year's Carnival of 5 Fires they will be part of Sunday Night's spaghetti Dinner Theater! Come eat garlicy pasta, watch and be amazed!
*The Accordion Death Squad-These rogues hail from Ratsylvania, where they dance, play music, fight, strip off all their clothes, blacksmith, and generally carry on without work of a mundane sort. A few of them decided to venture away from their past haven and found themselves traveling dusty freight cars through a strange God-soaked place called the U.$.A.. They find their music at campfires when we travel around, some they buy on the black market in exchange for moonshine, some they discover in their dreams about life back in Ratsylvania.
*PunkSinatra-another Co5F and Spaghetti Dinner staple. This theatrical troupe brings you into their surreal dimension and dares you to leave. Be prepared for puppets, live action, masks, dancing, laughing, and calling your mother to tell her what you just witnessed.
*Huckiddy Puppet Theatre-we are very honored to have Chris Milk Hulburt's live band/puppet production this year. Huckiddy Puppet Theatre has taken some time off for a couple of year's but is now back in full swing. Watch and learn the ways of the puppets, my friends. Watch and learn.
*Samrya and the Serpents-Gothic belly dancing at it's best. These gals can balance sharpened swords on the noggins while shakin' their hips and rollin' their stomachs. You may need a doctor to extract the sweet and seductive poison the inject after you are bitten with their moves.
*Gull-Can one man play the guitar, the drums, and sing all at the same time? Only a man like Gull can. Come watch as he memorizes and amazes you with skillz that only one that has sold their soul can possess.
*World Champion Magician Larry Volz-Who can shatter a wine glass with their mind, hypnotize audience members into searching for their missing belly buttons, eat fire, and lop of his arm and bleed profusely (wait...what?). No, not Criss Angel, Mindfreak. Larry Volz, silly...
*Poly-Richmond Americana at it's best. Come rock on with these guys and let them show you what true, gritty rock n' roll is like.
*Alison Self-Ms. Self will woo you with her sultry voice and catchy old time tunes. Not to mention her ukulele and kazoo and washboard and spoons...although not all at the same time...yet.
We have some wonderful visual artwork upstairs as well. Artists showing this year:
Joseph Whitfield
Rebecca Witt
Kate Horne
Julie Elkins
Dave MacDowell
Mike Libby
Jason Boyer
Brandon Johnson
Courtney Ford
Did we mention that those Scumdogs of the Universe, GWAR are providing us with paintings and drawings by various artists... of themselves? Yeah, Oderus Urungus and gang are that sexy...in an oozing, crusty intergalactic mutant warrior kinda way...
SO, COME ONE! COME ALL...errrr, just get your asses there!
Carnival of 5 Fires-Oct. 3rd, 4th, and 5th!
www.myspace.com/carnivalof5fires
Gallery5
www.gallery5arts.org
200 West Marshall St.
Richmond, VA 23220
(804) 644-0005
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2007
CARNIVAL OF 5 FIRES 2007 IS ALMOST HERE!!! CLICK HERE FOR OFFICIAL SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES for the 3 NIGHTS of CARNY MAGICK and CIRCUS ARTS ENTERTAINMENT!!!
Due to overwhelming interest, the Carnival of 5 Fires 2007 has expanded to 3 full nights of exciting entertainment. Our First Friday opening reception will include art, music, and performances of all kinds on both the first and second floors. A full visual art show containing paintings, prints, drawings, sculpture, and video installations will be on display in the upstairs gallery throughout the entire month of October. Live freak show performances brought to you by makeup and FX guru Billy D., as well as puppet shows by Rose Csorba and All the Saints Theatre Company will be among the many unique live performances held in our upstairs space. Our outdoor balcony will showcase theatric performances by local troupe PunkSinatra and special street performances will be given by G5 Fire: Fire Performance Group, To The Earth: Belly Dance troup, Urban Dervish Cirus Group, and various jugglers, unicyclists, stilt walkers, accordion players and more interactive crowd pleasers. On the main stage, such acts as No BS Brass Band, Sugar Shack Burlesque, The Ok Bird, Sweet Tease Burlesque, Big Wig, and regionally acclaimed band American Dumpster (and more) will perform. This is just a tip of the iceburg of what is in store for you!
Saturday's event will start with puppet making workshop from 12pm-3pm and circus arts (hula hooping, beginner poi spinning, stilt walking and more) classes from 3pm-6pm. These workshops will be geared toward older children and adults. From 6pm-7pm we will mingle and have refreshments upstairs. At 7pm, audience members will be ushered downstairs to enjoy a full roster of entertainment ranging from cabaret, theater, puppet shows, musical acts and standup comedy.
All three nights, chock-full of entertainment, can guarantee a packed house that will no doubt have people talking for months. This year’s acts include:
American Dumpster
No BS Brass Band
The Ok Bird
The Hotdamns!
The High Street Low Lifes
Special Ed and the Shortbus
Dick Butt Kiss and the Tightends
DinoSupreme
Big Wig
The Falsies
Reinhold
Cesca Waterfield
Slash Coleman
Tarot readings by Gypsy Goat Boy
JJ Slatner (magician and illusionist)
Pyrokitty belly dance
Sugar Shack Burlesque
Sweet Tease Burlesque
To the Earth Belly Dance Troupe
Danse Oriental Bellydance
G5 Fire Performance Troupe
Urban Dervish Circus
All the Saints Theatre
PunkSinatra Theatre
ExtraTerrestrial Circus Experiment (Members of OCircus!)
and MUCH MORE!
This year’s visual artists include:
Salvation Tattoo
Rose Csorba
Donnie Green
Edward Gross
Mickael Broth
Machinedance Photography
Stuntkid
Adam Juresko
Amanda Blackmon
Lana Olivia Gentry
Zoe Webster
Ken Howard
and MORE!
At Gallery5
200 West Marshall St.
Richmond, VA 23220
(804) 644-0005Look for a special announcement soon detailing our sponsors for this year's event...
As for now join us and unleash your inner carny!
Designed by Katie and Fred Pinckard of Salvation Tattoo & Gallery
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2006
The 06 Carnival of 5 Fires main ingrediences:
Ringmaster Reverend Blackfire
the Mistress of the Fifth Flame
Madame Gorley, Keeper of Freaks (The Cannibal Mermaid, Horribly Disfigured Lady of the Night, The Inbred Siamese Twins, Spider Boy, Inside Out Boy)
Mama Roux: Creator and head honcho of Nouvelle Burlesque...
Dance by:
Madame Poe, Carmella Rose, and The Muse from Nouvelle Burlesque
The Vampirates (thanks for clogging all the way down from Charlottesville, VA)
Ground Zero Dance Company
The Dazy Lays caberet
Music by:
Death By Ham Sandwich
Samson Trinh and his Upper East Side Big Band (also from Nouvelle Burlesque)
The Suburban Shaman
The OK Bird
Danny Willis
DJ Reinhold created the Carnival of 5 Fires mix
Performance:
The River City Burners (damn the rain! thanks for still doing your thing!)
Art by:
Rose Csorba
Donnie Green
Nutchild
Shanna Merola
Kathyrn Parker
Mike Hammer
Ken Howard
Fred Kahler
Jonathan Weston
Shanna Jackson
Amanda Blackmon
Todd Hale
Whitney Lynch
Kris Krull
Photo by Machinedance photography
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