Introduced by our fly, Taiwanese MC, Nathalie, Xela is the first to take the floor. Taking a red-eye flight from L.A. and crashing on a couch in the Center just hours before her performance, this woman still has the energy and presence to command the entire room. The mic cord winds around her leg as her words wrap around our minds and grip tightly to our hearts. Sharing the voice of a mother and warrior, her message is raw and her flow is sweet. Her pieces ranged from speaking out on oppressive legislature and policy [do I need to type out SB 1070???] to advocating against domestic violence - and how this issue especially hits hard at communities of color. And what was the cherry on top of this sundae? She was definitely feelin, lovin and gettin inspired from our just-released issue of Women in RED [our manifesta tends to have that effect on people]. :) Disproving the myth that radical feminists don't actually smile, she definitely set the tone for the night on a light and inspiring note.
Strolling in with brown, cowboy/girl boots tucked underneath pants and hair pulled back to show off an Om tattoo behind hir left ear, Skim instantly lights up the space. Switching between heart-pumping tracks and ballads accompanied by hir guitar, Skim breaks up hir pieces with raw verses typed out and referenced to on a Blackberry. Ze gave us a taste of some originals and some "Skim-style" takes on klassic Korean folk, which my second-generation self especially appreciated.
Now, I could probably write a couple of pages on how incredible their performance was, but to sum it up: our minds were blown. Looking around the room, there were big-ass grins plastered on everyone's faces.
After hugs, thank you's and a ton of well wishes, a few of us found ourselves groovin in a circle, belting it out to Tracy Chapman and Macy Gray. Ignoring the lingering scent of everyone's body odor, I couldn't have asked for a better night shared in a more beautiful space.
much gratitude for the venue provided by MEChA de UW-Madison.
and big ups to Nathalie and Mayra for putting together such an unforgettable show.
