34
lust,OUt
APRIL 21. 2006
OREGON
THEATRE
Seeing Red
CHRISTOPHER STOWELL I ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Dressing for success at the Red Dress Party
he sixth annual Red Dress Party has come
and gone. Originally a house party, Red
T
Dress began in a small basement in North
Portland and now tills an enormous ware
house with more than 1,500 revelers.
Since it’s one of my favorite nights of the year, after
weeks of pumping up at the gym, 1 headed out,
armed with a pad, a pen and a string of pearls.
Ten regular guys who hold full-time day jobs
organize the shindig. They were assisted by scores
of volunteers working weekend after weekend to
Out Going
construct an elaborate set that included five levels
BY FLOYD SKLAVER
of dance floors with a 10-foot satellite dish domi
nating from on high. It also included a furry swing
for photo ops and stairs that blew skirts up like
Marilyn Monroe.
ALL MOZART PROGRAM
APRIL
22
-
29,
2 0 0 6 / K E L L E R
AUDITORIUM
WITH THE OBT ORCHESTRA / Niel DePonte, Music Director
DIVERTIMENTO NO. 15
Mozart / George Balanchine
"...gloriously classical, formal yet warm,
precise yet gracious.” - DanceView Times
Among them was Scott Hull who found a pat
terned velveteen design at GW Homme that
In a new twist, design students from The Art
brought to mind the flocked wallpaper in my grand
Institute of Portland created stunning outfits for the
mother’s house. (For mv less fashion-forward readers,
10 board members. Highlighting the VIP pre
GW Homme is actually the Goodwill store on
function was a fashion show of their creations
Northeast Broadway.)
hosted by drag diva Poison Waters. Wearing a scar
Another stunning couture original was designed
let wig that looked like there was a strong wind
by Brian Wilson (founder of La Maison de Bobo),
blowing from the west, Poison quipped with ease.
whose family owns the giant warehouse where Red
As secretary Reid Decker climbed to the stage in a
Dress unfolded. Sizing up the crowd of beautiful
micro-mini, she announced, “You can tell if a dress
bodies, Brian told me, “I used to sort bolts in this
is too short if you can see your balls,” but then
room, but now' I’m just looking for nuts.”
added, “It must be very cold in here.” Reid, of
course, turned red.
Eric Steinhäuser, tottering on 4-inch heels,
wore a hat that looked like the centerpiece from an
Italian wedding. And Karla Clark carried
ALMOST MOZART would premiere
Mozart / James Kudelka
a gold purse that was owned bv a former
“...easily ballet's most original choreographer.”
~ New York Times
brings it with her to parties and takes pic
patient of Our House ot Portland. Karla
tures to place inside for her deceased friend
to enjoy wherever he may he.
CONCERTO SIX TWENTY-TWO
Mozart / Lar Lubovitch
Certainly, we all enjoyed aerial artist
Benn Mendoza, flown up from Los Angeles
"The robust, bounding, scampering elation” of
Concerto Six Twenty-Two "creates the image of
an angelic community at play...The adagio duet
remains a beautiful and moving expression of
male tenderness.” (The Village Voice)
to perform a series ot death-defying drops,
contortions and maneuvers while entwined
in twin bands of long red silk.
Actually, I had been seeing red since the
weekend before, when Portland Opera
opened its production of Nixon in China,
APRIL 22, 28 & 29 AT 7:30 PM
APRIL 23 AT 2:00 PM
about our 37th president’s historic 1973
TICKETS $13 - $96/CALL 503.2.BALLET
visit to the communist country. Stunning
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images, first-rate performances and thought
provoking ideas made this a fascinating
DISCOUNTS FOR GROUPS AND ORGANIZATIONS
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evening, but not one for all tastes. For
instance, while opera traditionalist Karl
Rohde didn’t care for John Adams’ haunt
ing minimalist score, Portland Art Museum
chief curator Bruce Guenther reported
being swept away by the epic grandeur of
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the avant-garde work.
Finally, in an attempt to ensure his
Floyd gets grounded with aerial artist Benn Mendoza at
the Red Dress Party.
Vice president Brent Echols looked very buff in
Tu threw a kickoff event at Aura where Brian
a Judy Jetson-inspired pleather mini-dress so tight
Johnson urged the crowd to give, give, give.
it was as if he’d been dipped in wax. And president
Among those gathered were Just Out Arts and
Jeff Hawthorne wore a long geisha-esque gown
Culture Editor Jim Radosta, who’s excited about
with flowing sleeves and a headdress designed for
seeing Madonna at the Coachella Valley Music
the follicly challenged that made it appear as if pipe
Festival in Indio, Calif., and Aura geheral manager
cleaners were growing out of his skull.
Ron Mitchell, who’s already gearing up for his sec
But not only the board members decked them
as Red Dress.
Guess I’d better keep pumping up at the gym if
I want to continue being Out Going. ®
503-679-1983 MOBILE
however, many opted for Burning Man/Dada Ball
Shellew@johnlscott.com
503-624-2900 ext. 156 office
type costumes filled with lights, elaborate headwear
RCAL tilÄft
ond Pride party to be held at the same warehouse
selves out. Once again, drag outfits were rare;
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Court judge doesn’t dip into the red, Trung
and metallic makeup. In fact, Saturn-like hoops
were the design motif of choice, and lots of men
F loyd S klaver uants to know about your event.
had rings around Uranus.
E-mail him at floydsklaver@comcast.net.