Burning Man 1997 | Performances

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Performances

THE DAUGHTERS OF ISHTAR

From the Great Above to the Great Below... -- witness the mythic journey of Ishtar, the Goddess of Love, symbolized by the Evening Star. This ritual of death and resurrection is a revival of an ancient Sumerian cult, after 3,000 years of latency. This performance will culminate in the immolation of a towering temple on Saturday night, August 30, 1997. Directed by Pepe Ozan, and performed by the crew and dancers of the Fire Lingam.

THE RE-VIRGINIZATION OF THE MOON

A lunar landscape colonized by the male imagination of 1969. Imagine the American flagpole plunged into its virgin surface, the gravity-free cloth stiffened unnaturally like a debauched and impotent senator, Alan B. Shepard, Jr. whacking golf balls across the lunar surface... it's the opening of a cosmic country club with life-size dummies of astronaut swingers. RE-VIRGINATION will entail the cataclysmic obliteration of these frolicking playboy invaders. The great lunar egg will be cleansed.

LAUGHING SCORPION PUPPET THEATER

Don't be puppet! Make a puppet! Take up your chains of servitude and attach them to popsicle sticks for better control. Take a bearing on the floating puppet in the southeast sky and set out for the puppet show (4 and 10 pm daily). While you're there, pull up a bench in the puppet workshop; you can then perform with your puppet on the Puppet Wall. It's collectivism! It's the Three Little Pigs! It's on fire!

THE CYBERBUSS HUMAN STEW

Thirty live bodies will be placed in a stew, stirred and served to Gaia, Mother Earth.

PLAYA POETS PLAYHOUSE

Join us for poetry readings and music performances, open to all. Bring your own words, stories and songs to share with other nomadic bards in our "stately pleasure dome" tent and stage. Performance times to be listed on site and on the Central Camp Bulletin Board.

THE 20-FOOT MAN

The 20-Foot Man is a steel musical entity. He plays an 8-foot guitar and has xylophone toes, chattering jaws, blinking eyes and siren ears. His heart is a programmable bi-valve, snared membrainphone. Under telepathic control, his slaves will accompany him with hand-made steel tongue drums, theramins, moogs and tessellated project labs in his 40-foot high fairyland puppet show castle -- 7 stages and live puppets.

Blue Girl

The intergalactic Fertility Goddess from the 16th Dimension will arrive to seduce you with eerie multilingual arias; her ship is fueled by drummers and such cult leaders as Buddha, Krishna, L. Ron Hubbard and the Easter Bunny. Earth's first interactive Rock Opera.

CAPTURED! by robots!

Two robots have taken control of their former human master -- GTROBOT666 and Drumbot0110 force their prisoner to take them around the world; the robot's main goal: to humiliate this whipping boy of the human race in front of his peers and show the many failings of this weak human species.

SCOTT JENERIK

Rhythmic Pyromanical Noise. Quote from Burning Man Ô96: "Who was the guy pounding on the sheet-metal Sunday night? Kinda made Trent Reznor look like Julie Andrews."

THE FUTURE PRIMITIVE

The Future Primitive, a post-apocalyptic sculptor, will create a monument to the Man's memory, entitled "The Agony of Man" (a 3X life-size installation) made from scrap metal salvaged from the now-destroyed New York City. As he crafts this work of art, he will recount the story of how things came to be this way.

THE GOAT SUCKERS OF OKLAHOMA

The date is August 30, 1987. The soon to be former Soviet Union has sent a top scientific team to a remote part of Oklahoma to investigate three mysterious black pyramids that have been found on the flat dry Arbuckle Plain.... (Brought to you by WOODPUSSY)

CIRCUS RIDIKULOUS

The triumphant return of Circus Ridiculous, the be-boppin', punk rockin', fish-net stockin' band of ridikulous fools! Witness the Sea Monkey Tamer, The Temporarily-Tattooed Man, Insecto the Slug Eater, Igor Ignitor the Anal Pyrotechnician, Break-Dancing Stiltwalkers, and Fist Mastication! Musical interludes supplied by Organ Grinders From Hell, the 9 piece yes!, 9 piece Circus Band, and, of course, Dammit -- the Amazing Wonder Dog! Ringmaster: Chicken John.

PYRODESIACS

Burning Man's premier fire troupe. Follow mobile performers as they etch fire in the night.

PYROTICA

The Ministry of Carnal Relations, in association with the E Clampus Vitus Historical Monument Appropriation / Appreciation Committee and the 6 5/8 Institute for Bible Study and Bear Baiting presents PYROTICA -- a resonant map of transient subterranean frequencies incorporating sound, fire, dance and sculpture.

HOUSE OF DOORS

Entirely composed of vintage doors from San Francisco, its fractured geometry suggests the entrance into new realities. The House will be a nexus for performance, art installations, parties and leisurely relaxation.

CIRCUS X

Acrobats, clowns, geeks and military scientists unite for the purpose of overthrowing Earth's governments. They will topple the top heavy torpor of the stupid heads of State. Commanded by Colonel X. Three performances daily.

BINDLESTIFF Family Circus

Traveling the globe to bring you your deepest fantasies, darkest dreams and unexpected oddities. The Bindlestiff Family offers a sumptuous feast of juggling, magic, music, clown antics, side-show curiosities, fire eating, sword swallowing and more.

PLANET BRUKA

Planet Bruka is a Reno/Tahoe based company specializing in multi-media events -- fusions of art, design, music and technology.

A COMEDY OF MODERN AND ANCIENT LIFE

The Group Players of San Francisco will present an expressionistic journey of a man (Ryan Gowland) who's importance to the human race is challenged by the apparitions of a world determined to confirm his destruction. Based on "The Hairy Ape."

Trip Brown