Join the Dance Party!!!

A lot has transpired in the world since the last blog entry here!!!!! One very fun new adventure I have had since Covid shut down the planet has been to create a weekly Zoom dance party called OpenDance. Every week has a different theme - some examples include: Motown, AfroBeat, Swing, Musicals - plus fun special playlists to celebrate different holidays. We have a very fun group of dancers. No training, fitness level, or prior experience is necessary! Dance in your pajamas, in your kitchen, with your dog or your kids! Follow me if you wish, or dance to your own beat!

"When?" "Where?" you might ask.

When is every Monday at 5:00 PM Pacific time.

Where is on the dance floor of your choice, in your home, via Zoom.

Email me for Zoom details: mlcate@mac.com

While there is no charge to join, contributions are much appreciated to help cover the costs in time and money to produce each event. In addition, 10% of participants' contributions are donated to a wonderful arts organization, which changes monthly. All of us in the arts world know how crazy challenging the pandemic has been for everyone, from local choirs, to dance companies, to theatre companies, to movie theaters...the list goes on! So every little bit of support is vitally important!

Did you know that dancing is not only fun and great exercise, but it also produces our Happy Hormones - dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins - that keep us going on a positive path in our daily lives! You've got nothing to lose but the blues!

"Shall we dance?" I hope to see you soon!

New Vaudeville in Taipei

Ambassadors of fun!

The phone rang one morning with a wonderful proposition: my talent agent Terry had been contacted about booking a performing troupe for a series of children’s performances in Taipei. Was I interested? Yes! Soon an ensemble of performers - colleagues I had enjoyed working with on numerous occasions - was ready to begin rehearsal. Our show included juggling, magic, mime, tap dance, clowning, and hambone (body percussion).

We were sponsored by a wealthy philanthropic Taiwanese family to perform for children for whom life was not easy. They included orphans and children with mental, visual, or physical disabilities. These children were living in institutions because having a child with such challenges would cause their families to lose face in society. These performances would bring a lot of joy into their difficult lives.

We were celebrities, invited to perform and talk about our upcoming shows on local television and radio. We performed ten shows in five days, each time to delighted and enthusiastic audiences, with crowds of excited kids waiting for us after the show for photos and autographs.

And when the six of us were out and about - having lunch, exploring the nightlife, shopping - there were endless opportunities for spontaneous on-the-spot theatre: mime (the universal language), hat tricks, juggling with whatever objects were at hand…. We were ambassadors of fun!

Taipei was undergoing huge development and transformation (we heard stories of simple farmers becoming millionaires overnight from selling their farm plots in town to developers). Our new high-rise hotel was just steps away from many traditional night markets with endless choices of exotic street food, caged animals, cheap clothing and household wares of every description, and peaceful incense-burning Buddhist temples. We took every opportunity to explore. The amazing Palace Museum filled with Chinese treasures left a lasting impression - especially the exhibit of exquisite miniature scenes carved into peach seeds and olive pits. And an overnight trip to hot springs to the south was a great chance to experience the countryside and rural life of Taiwan.

It was an unforgettable gift to share our talents and culture with the welcoming, generous Taiwanese of all ages, and to have the chance to learn about their traditions, food, language, and culture.

Memories and Stories: Charlie Chaplin in France

Charlie gets a ride to his next performance.

Early morning, Ribeauvillé, Alsace region, France. I had just arrived from San Francisco late the night before after a long flight and train trip, to be part of Festival Mime d’Or (Golden Mime) as Charlie Chaplin, one of my heroes whom I’ve impersonated for many years. My hostess was my friend Marie-Laure Lauth, a fellow mime I had met previously at another mime festival in Perigueux, France.

We were scheduled for a morning TV interview to promote the festival. We met the TV crew at the imposing tower entry gate to the medieval village of Ribeauvillé, and climbed the long, circular stone staircase to the top. There, against a luscious background of green hills, vineyards, and crumbling castle ruins, we conducted our interview - completely silently and through gesture: Marie-Laure as the classic French mime interviewing the star of American silent film. It was a blast!

The festival lasted four days, with venues and stages throughout the picturesque, cobblestoned town. There were performers from many countries, offering a wide spectrum of talents. The headliners were a troupe of Senegalese stilt walkers, dancers, and musicians who paraded daily through the streets. The stilt walkers were magnificent - they walked on bamboo stilts 10 feet tall, with only a simple leather strap to fasten them to their bare feet. When they wanted to un-stilt, they untied one stilt and let it fall, then gracefully launched forward, to land on that one free foot, with the still-stilted foot and stilt behind them.

As Charlie, I was scheduled for performances throughout each day on stages scattered about town. The most interesting part of the performing was actually moving from stage to stage. The French of all ages were totally enamoured of “Charlot” (the French equivalent of Charlie) and wanted pictures with “him,” to chat, to shake hands. It was a real movie star experience! I was almost late for a few performing times because of this adoring public. On one occasion, a motorcyclist offered me a ride to the next stage, which was a great “Charlie” moment.

As a friend of one of the event organizers, I got to meet the many local folks who made the festival happen. At the closing-day party, I was especially touched by conversations with older villagers who recounted their experiences in World War II, living in an area so close to the border that, as the boundaries of Germany fluctuated, they were French - then German - and back again, and forbidden to speak their own language, a local dialect forged of French and German.

That was the last year the festival took place. I am so grateful to have been a part of it, and so appreciative of the open, generous people; the fabulous Alsacian and French delicacies, the beautiful historic town and neighboring hamlets, and the chance to share international cultures, creativity, and community. Truly, all the world’s a stage!