My first experience with shadow dancing was at the Exploratorium in San Francisco in the early ’80s.  My favorite exhibit created my shadow with rainbow trails around my body as I moved.  It was, quite simply, pure magic.

Fast forward to Florida’s Orange Blossom Jubilee in 2021.   “Mike Three” had a large screen set up next to the band.  He was projecting his psychedelic oils onto it. (Video below).

I stepped up to dance between his light and the screen and my shadow dancing days were born.  It was an easy way to project my vibe and your joy to the audience in a special and entertaining way. The screen allowed the audience to see the dancers in a big way but removed us from seeing them as they watched.  It was an interesting dynamic that helped the participants to set their inner rainbows free.™

I knew then that I wanted to create my own setup.  I had the inspiration.  Now all I needed was time, money, and a debut event. 

Ask and you shall receive. 

I purchased a simple 8 x 10 black collapsible metal frame (that came in a small bag), two color-changing LED spotlights, and a white polyester 8 x 8 backdrop.  I had a drum stand that I used for the spotlights.  I placed them at mid-torso height, approximately six feet back from the dancers.  I added an additional laser light to create simple two-tone patterns. The final touch was a bubble machine on the audience’s side.

I debuted it at a private party in a historical Hollywood mansion and it was a hit.  A large part of that was because of the particular group of people to whom I was presenting.  It was a Burner party, and as such, it was a super creative and supportive crowd. I had no lack of audience participation.  My first customer was (no joke) a unicorn wearing a rainbow skirt and a sequined top. Below is a slideshow of her and her shenanigans behind the screen.

Props were definitely key, as was the lighting. I had my two lights sources on one stand but I couldn’t get them synced up to shine the same color at the same time. They rotated through the rainbow color spectrum giving us trippy multicolor effects around the outlines of the shadows.  (Picture below.) It was serendipitous, especially considering my original inspiration.

My intention is to bring joy and healing into this dimension, particularly through dance.   To bring our visions to life is to live on purpose. We are, each of us, powerful creators.

I encourage you to dream often. 

Dream big.

Be Magnificent.

Manifest.