Last night was the wrap party for the mardi gras float and the launch of our DVD. Chadd has done a great job once again putting all his footage into the DVD and making sure we all look like we are having a ball. We were so it might not be that difficult.
I designed the cover again this year, but then had to design another one as the committee thought the first one looked too much like a porno. Maybe I’ve been desensitised after years of being single and masturbating to porn but the porn I buy is much more racy than the cover I designed (left). Oh well, people liked to have the option.
Last night was the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras parade and we had so much fun! The parade had over 6,000 participants and zillions of sequins and dodgy fashion choices that are perfect for mardi gras. Our routine was a really high energy routine that left us all exhausted half way in.
I was just browsing a couple of the local news sites online and one of the galleries had this photo of me and local blogger boy Shannon next to me! Our routine was a disco inspired number that the crowd seemed to love. Apparently the judges thought we were pretty good too. In our first year, 2007, we won sexiest float, last year we won best choreography, and last night we took out the grand prize of best float! That is despite, with a third of the parade to go, our generator blowing up so we had no music or lights. We did prove that we can all count to 8 over and over again after that to try and keep the routine going, some of us just didn’t do it at the same time! So much fun!
Now that the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras parade is only 9 days away, I’m about to kick my all-too-pathetic training regime up a notch. Tomorrow morning is going to hurt at the gym. I’m going to do the Spartan 300 routine again. I’ve only done it 3 times, many months ago and it hurts like a mother fucker. Mainly because I never do any cardio.
I am fully aware that it’s all a case of too little, too late, but hey, I need to do what I can. So, it’s off to bed for me so that I can get up at 5.30. That bit hurts just thinking about it.
Tomorrow night is our first rehearsal for this year’s Mardi Gras Parade. We had some issues in preparation earlier in the process but we have a really enthusiastic committee and we’ve locked in a new choreographer so tomorrow night will be great. I’m fighting hard for my beloved front row position and I can’t wait to see the routine!
The madness of the Mardi Gras rehearsals is about to begin again. There is almost an entirely new committee for our float this year and the enthusiasm is brilliant. It’s going to be a great night.
If you want to be a part of it and are a REAL lifesaver or lifeguard, email lifesaverswithpride@gmail.com
North Bondi Surf Life Saving Club has taken the bull by the horns in their efforts to raise much needed cash for a refurbishment of their facilities on our iconic stretch of sand. The club needs a bit of a makeover and to raise the funds, they’ve just produced a calendar called North Bondi Warriors.
The calendar features lots of the clubs genetically blessed guys and girls including the very hot and very well built twins (see above left). At $19.95 (AUS$) it’s really good value and goes to helping an iconic institution going strong so head to the site to order your copy now.
Tonight the Lifesavers With Pride, my mardi gras float, is having another fundraising party at Slide Bar from 9pm. It’s $15 entry to help us put on a great Mardi Gras float entry and raise our profile to let people know that being gay and being a part of masculine domains like lifesaving is ok!
I’ll be doing another performance almost a year exactly since my first public performance! The video below is last years performance. Let’s see if I can’t do a little better this year! I’ve got music sorted and I’m kinda just winging the routine as I haven’t had time to prepare one to the music.
Update: I’m performing at midnight!
The wonderful Chadd that does our photography and video for our float has put together this teaser for the upcoming DVD that we produce every year for participants. It’s looking good I have to say!
This is how the Foxtel people portrayed us on the weekend’s broadcast of Mardi Gras. They’ve done a really good job although they did film us on the parade as I was messing up the routine but that was expected. It was so much fun.
Well, the Mardi Gras parade is over and done with once more for another year. We got a fantastic amount of press in the lead up to the parade, once again, prompting my mother to ask “Why are the lifesavers so popular?”. Who knows, but we seem to have lost none of the support we’ve had from the first two years.
The parade was an absolute blast once again but was all over too fast. I was just getting a second wind when the lights went out and the music was turned off. Early on in the parade route we were running around and I slipped on a pile of glittery confetti and re pulled my hamstring but the adrenaline was plenty strong enough to keep me going with a smile on my face.
Each year, there is one run through of the routine, which we do about 25 - 30 times along the route, where I completely fuck it up and lose the plot, like a little brain fart. Well this year I did it in spectacular fashion, just as we were hitting the main part of the parade route, where all the media for Foxtel, who broadcast the parade, were set up. We were approaching that area and I just completely messed up and couldn’t remember what to do next, so I started laughing, the choreographer’s assistant laughing at me too, me in the front row. At that point I turned my head and there we were, on the 40 foot wide screen, just as I lost it! Priceless.
To anyone that may have been out there supporting the parade participants, thank you! It was an incredible atmosphere once again!
On Sunday a bunch of us from the lifesavers float did a little preview of our Mardi Gras parade routine at the Bondi Boys party which was hailed as a great success. It was a fun performance but for some reason a couple of hundred people was MUCH more intimidating than 350,00 has been on the actual parade route.
I haven’t actually even watched this myself yet, but it’s photos from thursday’s rehearsal. We’ve got one more big rehearsal on thursday night this week before the big night on saturday. I can’t wait. We did a sneak preview of the routine at the Bondi Boys party this afternoon and the crowd really liked it so that is a good start.
Chadd, our photographer has put a bunch of the photos from last week’s rehearsal together and added some music for us. You can guarantee that if you make a mistake at the rehearsal, Chadd will have got it for sure. Thankfully he seems to have been pretty kind, so far.
On Thursday we had our second rehearsal and it definitely felt like the bar had been raised, to pinch a cliche from So You Think You Can Dance. The Journey we are on is such a learning experience that I’m hoping we all grow and learn and develop and find out more about who we are as performers.
Seriously though, we put together some moves and then when we realised the real speed we had to do them, we all panicked a touch, then laughed a LOT. It’s all coming together really well and I think we are going to make a great impact!
