Paris Journal 2011 Part 13

Paris Vegan Day was overwhelming in good way! I couldn't believe the amount of delightful treats at every turn. Vendor after vendor presenting yet another goody to share with you and of course I couldn't say no! I snapped a few photo's to share with you. If you have questions about the products here, just write a comment below and I'll get back to you with company information ASAP.         

        

Paris Journal 2011 Part 1 Paris Journal 2011 Part 2 Paris Journal 2011 Part 3 Paris Journal 2011 Part 4 Paris Journal 2011 Part 5 Paris Journal 2011 Part 6 Paris Journal 2011 Part 7 Paris Journal 2011 Part 8 Paris Journal 2011 Part 9 Paris Journal 2011 Part 10 Paris Journal 2011 Part 11 Paris Journal 2011 Part 12 Paris Journal 2011 Part 13

Merci Beaucoup

Enforced Arch would like to extend a special thanks to the following people who helped send the Anti-Fur performance piece 'Please, Don't Touch' to Paris. Our community has grown as a result and new opportunities have presented themselves. We created this video to thank everyone for their unconditional support. Enjoy: Thank you; Amanda Lee, Andrea Rosa, Andrea Torres, The Anti-Fur Society, Beatrice Cox, Bettina May, Blossom Du Jour, Bonnie Erickson, Brooke B Toohey, Bud Burdick, Carly Fox Horton, Celine Orang, Clara Lofaro, CocoaV, Creadanse, Daphne Cheng, David & Nancy Dorius, Elizabeth Castoria, Esther Bell, Foodswings, Gavin Reign, Hope Kandel, Jasmin Singer, Jennifer Fox, Judith Vogel, Julia Hochner, Joshua Katcher, Kristin Mularz, Lauren Cox, Leanne Mai-ly Hilgart, Marcia Fox, Margo Martinez, Marlena Pavich, Mary Sarsfield, Melissa Fornabaio, Michel Lambert, Michele Bernstein, Michelle Cohen Carpenter, Nicole Johnson, Nina Athanasakos, Pamela Elizabeth, Paris Vegan Day, Rachel Kay, Rebecca Hall, Shelley Ohmes, Stacie Adams, Tarik Daniels, The Gentle Gourmet, Vaute Couture, Vegan Paris Day, VegNews, Verité Catering, The West Cafe, Tracey Katof, Zachary Koval

Paris Journal 2011 Part 9

         I'm thrilled to have two inspirational dancers, Carly Fox Horton & Tracey Katof join me in Paris tomorrow at noon (12h00). I've heard numerous people say that they are thrilled to see our performance at La Bellevilloise for Paris Vegan Day(PVD) and even more to see a marriage between art and activism in our performance piece 'Please, Don't Touch!' PVD wrote an article on the PVD website. You can read it, translated from french, here!

Paris Journal 2011 Part 1 Paris Journal 2011 Part 2 Paris Journal 2011 Part 3 Paris Journal 2011 Part 4 Paris Journal 2011 Part 5 Paris Journal 2011 Part 6 Paris Journal 2011 Part 7 Paris Journal 2011 Part 8 Paris Journal 2011 Part 9 Paris Journal 2011 Part 10 Paris Journal 2011 Part 11 Paris Journal 2011 Part 12 Paris Journal 2011 Part 13

James Koroni's Birthday & Fundraiser

Our fundraising event on Tuesday evening went brilliantly. The turn out was outstanding! A crowd made up of friends, family, artists, activists, fashion industry professionals, dancers, choreographers, Clara Lofaro fans and of course the lure of Bettina May topped it all off! I could not have had a more splendid time. A special thanks you to all those involved including: Bettina May , dough-nut stop till you get enough!

Clara Lofaro accompanied by Andrea Torres on Taps!

Lauren Cox & myself performing 'Please, Don't Touch' with Marlena Pavich's Anti-Fur pants!

Verite Catering

The West Cafe in Williamsburg

Thank you to Cocoa V, Blossom Du Jour, Bettina May's PinUp Class, Foodswings, Tracey Katof, Bud Burdick, Carly Fox Horton, Joshua Katcher, Vaute Couture and of course thank you for being in attendance!

As for the fundraiser element, we raised just enough to send one dancer to Paris which means there is still more outreach to be done. We have created an IndieGoGo web page. If you know anyone that might be interested in our cause please send the following link their way:

http://www.indiegogo.com/Please-Dont-Touch

Here is the launch of our video:

‘Please, Don’t Touch’ focuses energy on a topic that sits at the intersection of social justice, ecology and design. Our ultimate goal is to to become effective conduits for empathy and creative tools for change. Through the use of live performance, transmedia and personal interaction, this project will impact the heavily guarded perceptions of fur iconography by shedding light on what isn’t revealed behind the glitz and glamor.

Not such a 'Bad Babysitter'

I recently danced for Princess Superstar in Paris. She is charming, exuberant and hilarious! We met at an Olsen House fashion event. She is not only a fantastic DJ selling out houses all over Europe and Asia but also an animal rights activist.

She asked me to team up with her as choreographer and dancer for her performance at Paris Vegan Day. When I first heard her tracks I could not stop pressing repeat and found myself distracted for hours dancing to songs of hers like 'LICKY' and 'Bad Babysitter.' I immediately began sharing her music with all of my friends. I love this feeling! Check it out for yourself!

I needed a talented and professional dancer to accompany me so I contacted Bonnie Erickson the Educational Director at Broadway Dance Center. She introduced me to Celine Orang a fellow vegetarian, dancer and owner of Creadanse school in Paris. She and I worked through choreography, rehearsals and costuming for our performance with Princess Superstar, which was a huge success. This year Paris Vegan Day brought in about 5,000 people! Can you imagine how this concert must have gone?

The musicians preceding Princess Superstar were not of the same genre as her, some were groovy and others were hard rock. She was not worried saying, "We'll get them dancing," and within 30 seconds this came true. One of my favorite moments was when the song 'Party People (JUMP)' was thrown into the mix. She speaks French fluently and rather than screaming jump she yelled "SAUTE," which most dancers know means JUMP in French. Well I just about lost it. I joined Parisians in the crowd yelling, "Party people wanna SAUTE SAUTE, Party people wanna SAUTE SAUTE!"

We went NON-STOP for an hour when Princess Superstar said that she and her unborn child needed to get to bed. Seriously?! She flew to France, rocked out at Paris Vegan Day, got the crowd partying, and meanwhile she was 4 months along. She has certainly inspired us all. I can't wait to see more of Princess Superstar in the future.

Photography by Joshua Katcher of TheDiscerningBrute.com