Yuri's Night World Party at NASA/Ames Research Center: April 12, 2008, Part 5 http://www.ynba.org/2008/
Written by Dennis Gonzales.
Photography by Jim Taylor, John Schultz, Kyle Cavallaro & Paul Langston.
Interview with S. Pete Worden by Dennis Gonzales.
Art and Science (Continued)
Hangar 211 housed a technology showcase featuring leading Bay Area alternative energy companies; dozens of art and science installations; and a number of fashion, music, and dance displays. Among these:
Capacitor (San Franciscoís ground-breaking interdisciplinary dance company) offered live feats of dance and acrobatics.
Award winning poet and novelest, Vanna Bonta--editor of The Cosmos Review (a literary magazine celebrating space through poetry, gave a talk on the future of smart fashion and introduced an aerial dance by The Aerial Showgirls (Jessica Lindsay, Sasha Harrington and Cheri Geist) whose performance included amazing stunts set to classic science movie themes and original aviation music (See video below).
Fashion Show.
Musician Kenji Williams performed "Bella Gaia," a mixed media piece inspired by astronauts who spoke of the life-changing experience of viewing the Earth from space. Bella Gaia featured stunning HD projections of Earth accompanied by a live performance of Williams's trademark violin-electronica music.
Bad Unkl Sista presented multi-media performance art that fused couture costumes, wearable art, sculpture, physical theater, butoh and installation work through fantastical otherworldly characters and environments.
The VonStilt Family troupe returned to NASA Ames to walk tall above the heads of other YNBA attendees in their beautiful geisha wardrobe.
Flowtoys presented a number of flowshows throughout the evening using electroluminescent floating wands and dancing LED "fireflies." Miguel Angelo performed gravity-defying acts of hand-to-hand balance, strength, and body control.
Aerial demonstrations featured Yuri Gagarin-era AERONAUTUKA aircraft. The unique airplanes, flown by three of the best aerobatic pilots in the world--Eddie Andreini from Half Moon Bay, Lt. Col. Craig ìButeî Teft (USAF, retired) and Doug Jardine of Mureitta--danced in the skies over Moffett Field, engaged in feats of high-energy aerial artistry. (See video below).
