Dancing with swords

The videos:

• https://notbornval.com/video/notbornval/mascaramuerteroja1.mp4
• https://notbornval.com/video/notbornval/mascaramuerteroja2.mp4

There's a lot I could say about this. It's not that I think we've redefined the entertainment world or anything like that, but from a personal perspective, in relation to my gender identity and other paradigms, it represents an additional way of expressing myself, and therefore a step forward for me. Just a few years ago, I wouldn't even dare to buy gas for my car with a wig and makeup on.

This performance was part of an event organized by Malenka as part of the annual gothic festival. It wasn't just a nighttime party; it also included cultural activities, among which I'd specifically highlight Issis Starlust's presentation, "The Female Figure in Edgar Allan Poe." I enjoyed it so much that I was a little intimidated; my topic was much more diluted in comparison.

Well, I was also intimidated because I hadn't prepared much. In recent months, my life has changed radically, including moving, but the last few weeks haven't left me with much free time, including my firearms exam and a perforated eardrum. To make matters worse, there were certain risks, such as the proximity of the audience in a dynamic environment, or the fact that the pieces of curtain I was cutting were incredibly slippery. Many things to consider affected the performance of that first part, but no one was hurt and the audience seemed satisfied. There's room for self-criticism and space for improvement.

In the second part I had more confidence. It wasn't just that I had the company of my incredibly charismatic partner, but also that staging a fight comes much more naturally to us. Of course, we hadn't rehearsed it even once, but our extensive practice with swords, and the fact that we knew the piece of music well, allowed us to improvise effectively. I felt much more confident, and I truly believe it turned out much better than the first part.

The music was also a key part of this modest artistic expression. Malenka wanted the fight to take place with an epic piece, and while I initially chose Verdi's "Requiem," but its structure didn't offer us much room for creativity. "Fortuna plango vulnera," however, allowed us to create the expressive interaction you see in the video, and it's not as overused as the first part, the well-known "O Fortuna."

As for the choice of the first part, the solo performance, I had some trouble deciding. Perhaps my initial desire would have been something like power metal, but it didn't fit the setting at all, and it might have lacked impact. My heart yearned for something industrial, but I also wanted the singer to be a woman for one of those gender-related reasons. I considered using one of the tracks from "Pretty Wild," but its structure didn't quite convince me because I wanted to tear down the curtains during the first minute. "More!" from "Deadlands" not only has those two intense parts properly separated, but it's also a song I really like.

In short, I loved the whole experience. In this life, I've been many things, including a nightclub bouncer, a smuggler, a freelancer, an athletics coach, a writer, a video game programmer, an IT executive, and now a variety artist. I don't think any of these things is necessarily more important than the others, but I do believe they've given me experience and shaped my identity.

I wonder if I'll have the opportunity to continue exploring this side of myself. As I said, there's room for improvement, and I think it can be adapted well to other musical genres, so even if it's just for my own creative expression, I'll try to record some videos about it. I'm open to hearing ideas ^_^