MayDay Parade · May 2, 2010

2010 MayDay Parade Story

Uproar!

BurdensScene 1

GROWL!

People struggle to remain standing leashed under heavy burdens of poverty, debt, war, and a loneliness, while around them their children sprout jaws and claws. Contained only by fences, ruined earth. They trudge forward groaning and growling wracked by dis-ease, grief, rage, these angry tigers lash out at each other and would rip us to shreds as well.

Elephant puppetScene 2

BREATHE!

Breathe! The Whale and Tai Chi Tigers move with conscious breath. People breathe and come breath and dance. Beyond the grasses, an Elephant trumpets, awakening us to our collective together. Arks carry seedlings to grow into plants, the lungs of the earth. Grasses catch the power. Elephant bones burst with new and fertile life. Flowers! Flowers!

Owl & SkeletonScene 3

RETURN

Return to wisdom and our ancestors. Owls recognize and access the treasures of ancestral wisdom, Life and death dance together, embrace each other with joy. Skeletons shine with fire and light. and guide through the darkness. Ofrendas offer space for remembering. Tiger skeletons grieve. The four seasons surround a skeleton pregnant with life.

Scene 4

ROAR!

roosterRooster chariots call us to roar! Roar with exuberance in the raw beauty of the world! Tigers fly. contain the roar of the unfolding universe. When people protect the tiny snail, they protect the Super Roaring Tigers arrive with good deeds to protect this world of infinite wonder! Snails universe. The clouds merge and become a tiger. The tiger sun roars with exuberant energy.

Uproar! Part 1 of 2

Uproar! Part 2 of 2

Videos by by Craig Stellmacher

tiger dancer
Mark Wojahn
Mayday Parade
Nick Lethert

There are two parts to our MayDay event, the parade, and the ceremony, followed by a festival in Powderhorn Park in South Minneapolis until dusk.

Bird Man at MayDay paradeEvery spring, the MayDay Parade explodes onto Bloomington Avenue! We own the street for the day, dancing and playing instruments with fiery verve.

We tell our story, section by section, each designed musically and visually by MayDay staff artists as a walking theatrical performance.

The Join-In section follows, where lively groups proclaim their names and causes, and folks who like to dress up strut their stuff! All together, 2000 participants march, boogie or roll down Bloomington every year.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands more line the streets, enjoying the spectacle and each other. People are everywhere - on rooftops and on lawns, toting babies in backpacks and toddlers in wagons, or sitting knee to knee along on the curbs. Everybody greets neighbors from near and far with a "Happy MayDay!!" The city feels intimate, overflowing with goodwill and spring fever.

Don't miss the 37th Annual MayDay Parade: Sunday, May 1, 2011