Boom! The beat vibrated across the room over and again. Shuffle, stomp, move and cut! The dance floor in an urban warehouse studio was filled with energetic artisans as music beckoned motion. Film was rolling, the photographer was snapping and a great big ARRRR resounded as the pirates of the Rogues Guild and local pirate enthusiasts swash-buckled the day away.
The setting of the inner-city warehouse neighborhood on S.E. Madison in Portland, Oregon begs for some pirate action! At least that was the story on Saturday February 4th 2012. Early that morning Pirates from all over the local region gathered at A&G Center for the Arts to collaborate on their practiced dance moves and theatrics contributing to the "Pirate-Party Rock Video". Which was a choreographed dance video based off of LMFAO's Party Rock Anthem with the lyrics “Every Day I'm Shuffling.” Instead of the R&B Pop music scene that LMFAO portrays in their video, this unique group of vigilantes presented a twist on the popular song; it became a bunch of ruffian, shuffling pirates dancing in sync. “Every Day Swashbuckling!” was a declaration heard shouting from the mouths of pirate's throughout the day.
A sense of camaraderie in this sub-culture abounds. How many people in our society spend time collecting apparel for an authentic pirates wardrobe? How often do most people enjoy the past time of remodeling old pirate sail boats, mastering the skills of juggling and fire dancing, or enjoy a parrot as a first mate? A confident reply to those questions would be: Not too many of us. That is the quintessential element that makes this group unique and sets this counter-culture apart. They are sailing through their moments on the edge and living out their existence with adventure and imagination; literally, they are leading a pirate's life.
Often times adults forget the whimsical fancies of childhood. These scallywags, captains, buccaneers and mermaids all grasp the ability to reach into the “Never Land” days of childhood and refrain from letting go of that imaginative part of their youthful identity. As children we have all heard the classic story that portrays Peter Pan with concern that Wendy might grow up and forget, these pirates choose to never forget.
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| Randy Gardner |
Across the country other pirate groups joined in solidarity with the Vancouver/Portland pirates, including a sea roving crew all the way from Canada known as The Jade Dragon's Pirates. Each participating group separately filmed their own version of the shuffling dance and the film editors will throw in together a finished product that will combine each location onto one video. The purpose is to share the enthusiasm and unity among the different pirate crews making a dynamic visual statement.
This event was hosted by Jeff and Rebecca MacKay of The MacKay Pirate Family, members of their Rogues Guild crew including Randy and Sandy Foster, Randy Gardner and Janet Hansen, as well as, some of their brethren from the local pirate community. The Rogues Guild is a leading group of pirates that believe in giving their time and energy towards non-profit and compassionate work. Contradictory to the old tales of vagabond pirates pillaging and plundering, these spirited pirate's seek to promote peace . Along side the Rogues Guild swims the Rogue Mermaid pod. Some of the devoted members are pirates by land and mermaids by sea. Mermaids go hand in hand with pirate affairs, as ancient as the tales go mermaids and pirates have commonly been intertwined in the same genre of mysterious folk lore. The Rogue Mermaid website and Rogues Guild information can be found at: http://roguemermaids.webs.com/theroguesguild.htm, along with detailed information about the members.
As for now the dance video is on the operation table going through it's editing process. Look out for these vibrant desperado’s as they plan to attack the nation with a live flash mob dance. Keep your eyes peeled mateys Pirates be coming to town!
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| Jeff and Rebecca Mackay with film editor: Brett Caughie |
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Art Journal Website: http://artvigilantenorthwest.blogspot.com/2012/02/peace-is-something-that-resonates-as.html
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| Grant Caster |
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| Left to right: Jeff Mackay, Rebecca Mackay, Andrea Curtis-Gibson |
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