American Honey (Whiskey) leads my Path to Freedom

     No shame in my game folks, just ask the dude at the counter ringing up people's weekend libations and giving me the side-eye for my enthusiasm towards the pictured Freedom Fighter.  If you know my hectic schedule then you know that I must, at all times, be free of germs and mental illness and cancer and much more.  The aforementioned reference to this American Honey (whiskey) as a Freedom Fighter does all of that.  At least for me anyways.  I only drink the liquid gold at the onset of an illness and have been free to do the following 3 things: 

 

1. 
       Corey the Talented Blind Guy is sitting there next to one of our dancers (DJ) in a recent birthday celebration that we performed for.  Not only does DJ speak Japanese, Spanish, mediocre Chinese, and real good English, he's also an amazing performer that we adore.  He's one of the stellar performers in this weekend's best show onstage entitled The Path to Freedom.  I agree, he does look free of most of his clothes, but that was at the specific request of the Birthday Girl for the male African dancers to be "...as natural as they can."                                                               
2. 
        Speaking of freedom, there's nothing more free than Mardi Gras with all of the interesting things that can happen in New Orleans.  When Corey and I last visited New Orleans it was November and we only did respectable upstanding things when in the company of those of who knew us.  For Atumpan African Dance, we will be recreating Congo Square for next Saturday's Mardi Gras performance.  We made masks at our Marvelous Mardi Gras Mask-Making with Lynn Ruehlmann and one of our lucky dancers, Harmony, found the baby in the King Cake!  It looks like her mom and grandmother will host next year's party.  Join us at a discount for the show.
3.      This interview with the Hurrah Players' namesake and founder, Hugh Copeland, sums it all up for you when it comes to Freedom Fighting.  Our relationship with him over the past 15 years has given us the freedom to be creative and to be challenged artistically.  Corey's production of The Path to Freedom shows us how if we open our minds to the possibilities rather than inabilities then we are always free.  Heck, Corey has an obvious disability that hasn't stopped him.  I'm still praying for a cure for his handicap in "listening to the wife" and I solicit your fervent, effective  prayers as well in this ongoing and debilitating inability of his!  If you're attending the show, use this coupon for a discount on merchandise from Atumpan.