Beautiful Amnesia

So there I was, at the Docklands apalled at the miniscule outdoor area that was mostly take up by a large portable toilet van. Great. Hello Earthdance 2008! We got tagged with one of those annoying wrist bands that you can’t get off without a pair of scissors. “I sure hope there’s more to this” I thought as I tripped over someone dressed in a skin tight black latex skeleton jumpsuit. Nice.

Dreadlocks everywhere – I mean, I almost felt like me and my standard bob cut was the extraordinary sight in this place. I felt conspicuous! Outside, people in neon, fur, leather print, stockings armed with toy spidermen gathered in tight groups, joined together by their cigarettes. Why there was a large green van selling soft serves parked right in the middle of the already tight area is beyond my comprehension when we were already literally fenced in in the tiny outdoors. I had to force my way past the greatest bottle neck to get in and out of the shed, sometimes on tippy toes (because yes that makes me so much thinner than I already am), sometimes finding my self face to face just millimeters away from someone with ghoulish face paint trying to get out. That did something to my digestion.

There was alcohol served in a deep dark corner of the shed. It seemed so seedy, all tucked away behind the few other standard market stalls selling herbs and trinklets. It was so dark in there people hardly had any silhouettes. Scary stuff. Smelt funny too. In fact, I think I only realised it was there because I smelt it. All that being said, it was not that much brighter in front of the stage. There was half a shed at the most and almost pitch black. There was a corner where people were playing poi and twirling staves and this almost chubby little girl was really going at it with the hula hoop. One guy was just amazing with the pois and he was possibly the most interesting thing at the entire event. Oh maybe him and this girl with hardly anything on trying to twirl glow pois in a supposedly seductive manner which wasn’t really so I had to laugh. A lot.

The laser lights were pretty though, I suppose that’s maybe where our money went (I mean, $20 for Earthdance?). I had few good dances to some awesome techno trance but too quickly they switched to hip hop which is never danceable for me. Time for outside for some food.

My beef burger cost $8 and the patty was only semi-warm. I was trying to feel the peace but it was very difficult. Luckily, the firetwirlers came on outside when the sky darkened and I enjoyed that immensely even though I had to push past a stocky old man in a trenchcoat to get a view. I didn’t really care at that point and was ready to head off after people started stomping around to tin drums. Not because I didn’t like it, I just didn’t have any space! Overall, the experience was extremely disappointing although I did have fun people watching. The dude in a red dress was one of the top ten spots that day.

Anyway, here are the photos that I actually managed to take considering the conditions (i.e. too dark in the sheds and no room on the outside).