When I read about Apex Movement’s SpookArray: A Halloween Circus Night, in the newspaper under adult themed Halloween activities, I had no idea what kind of entertainment they would provide. Hosted by the Fractal Tribe, they advertised movement play in an interactive gym. I wasn’t sure what the heck that was, but they had a haunted house and suggested wearing a costume. It sounded like my kind of party.
Deciding to go at the last-minute my husband, Danny, and I reached for the easiest of costumes: Morticia and Gomez. We have getting into character down to five minutes, tops.
We arrived at a Boulder warehouse and walked up to the entry with several other costumed partygoers to the bouncer dressed as a butler outside the door. He held a sign-in sheet of some kind. Maybe we were supposed to call for a reservation.
Nope.
It was a waiver. The butler explained they didn’t want to be held accountable for any accidents while inside the gym.
What????
Of course we signed our lives away and stepped inside. A very fit and gorgeous woman DJ sat behind a booth, rocking a ten-inch mini skirt and bra top. She swayed in rhythmic motion like a belly dancer with her rock hard abs. I would rock my bare midriff too if mine looked like hers. We paid a zombie with a black hat $25 each and stepped inside.
We met very charming Jessica, AKA, Wednesday Addams, at the party.
Jugglers performed in greeting as I scanned the strange interior. It was a parkour gym complete with an interior building-like structure on one side of the room and monkey-bars throughout. I imagined someone leaping from one raised structure to the railings, then landing on the soft cushioned ground below. Zombies stood on top and performed with glowing hula-hoops. While we made our way to the back of the room, we passed a table full of drinks and snacks. Several people stretched out in the lounge on sumptuous chairs and couches. Another area was set up for a band.
A view from the top.
The haunted house opened and we stood in line. Nervous with tentacles around my feet and a partial knee replacement, I climbed to the top of the structure and then stepped down the ladder to the foggy darkness below. After being frightened by ghouls and zombies and creeping through a maze of small rooms, I came upon two dead ballerinas.
Too much fun!
Every twenty minutes throughout the night, the emcee interrupted the music with an announcement for a performance. One of the first was an acrobatic couple’s dance smoothly executed by a muscular bare-chested fox and a young maiden. Their intricate and gravity-defying fluid motion made Dancing with the Stars look like the Hokey Pokey.
A couple practiced acroyoga inside a spiderweb.
Acrobatics flowed to music in a new kind of dance. In solos and duets, performers used ropes, silks, and trapeze demonstrating incredible feats. Danny and I had a front row seat, except for one. The DJ played keyboard and a violinist accompanied her in the theme from Game of Thrones for a floor dance of some kind. Did I mention there were a ton of tall guys in attendance?
I was in the front row for Thriller.
Performances moved to the back of the room where acroyoga was performed in fluid display of body stacking and core strength. Yep. I’m a rank beginner. By then there were a couple hundred people and this was my view.
All of the acts were brilliantly executed. I didn’t notice any slip ups and most performed above the ground. Whoa. I think twice before climbing my apple trees.
My favorite?
A woman in army fatigues ran onto the stage screaming, “Help! Help me! Don’t take me, please!” She stepped inside silks draped from a circular trapeze. Wrapped up inside, she twisted and writhed to the top of the mother ship. She crawled and struggled against the invisible aliens and at one point fell halfway down the silks then clawed her way back up. In the end, she stopped fighting and slid back down inside the silks to the ground. She emerged in a skin-colored bodysuit and stared with blank dull eyes. She had transformed into an alien. Cool or what?
Everyone was super friendly and approachable. Most knew each other from classes. Many of them practiced with instructors during the party. I was tempted to try acroyoga, but at the risk of ripping a tentacle, I watched instead. Most everyone was in costume and no one was drunk or out of control. This event resembled a recital without the stuffy formality. There was no sense of competition, instead everyone cheered for their friends.
One tall Elvis impersonator told us he had worked at Apex for two years, but had never attended a performance. He couldn’t believe the level of talent. Neither could we.
What are we doing next weekend?
It’s a toss-up. Halloweird is a costumed dance party at the Dairy Center of the Arts. It starts with a showing of John Carpenter’s film Halloween for $5.oo. Or we can learn to tango at the UMC Glen Miller Ballroom at their Masquerade Ball. Comfortable costumes are recommended and it’s free. Saturday night there are too many choices including a Halloween Masquerade Party at the Stanley Hotel at a steep $110 each.
All I know is I have a basement full of costumes with somewhere to go.
Apex Movement has performances every few months. Next time, I’ll leave my tentacles at home. Maybe I’ll join the Circus…
Do you like dressing up in costume?
My mother says that I live in a costume so I guess that’s a yes!
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I love them too and have contributed to my costume room with many clothes I thought looked pretty good at the height of one trend or another. Ha!
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I have no idea, but I am following you now – Wild thoughts kinda grow on ….people!
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Thanks KD! Nice to meet you.
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Wow you are so lucky to have so many fun things to do. That looks a blast!
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It was so unusual and fun! I would love to stop by to watch on a normal day of classes. I noticed a slackline in one of the photos!
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Lord have mercy I’m exhausted and exhilarated by all this ghoulish activity. You two are a fun pair actually seeking all this fun stuff to do. We do have a few costumes which we’ve donned through the years of parenting four and being church youth leaders. It’s time to chill for a bit. I am gonna live through you for a while as I still rarely have time alone. My empty nest with supposedly less activity for a few years has partially refilled. The house is abuzz with energy. But it’s all good. Keep the tales coming.
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Thanks Lisa!
It’s supposed to be a chill time in our empty nest too, but not when there’s so much fun to be had. Sounds like you keep busy too. Four kids!! Soon your house may be filled with little ones once again. Right?
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Ruth now it’s really full when my three old and settled dogs and cat try to survive my oldest daughter and husband’s new baby. Four legged and massive for a puppy. A viszla. Energy on paws running through the house like a wild deer with paws. His visits are frequent as they’re trying to socialize him. Let’s just say we will be working on this for awhile. A baby will be a breeze after they raise our granddog.
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I suspect I missed the entry where you explained what your tentacles were, but still sounds like you had a lot of fun!
The closest I’ve ever been was the annual Witches and Wizards Ball in Las Vegas–loud music, go-go dancers, Tarot readings. (My friend does live painting, but she was off that night.) Might make it a double-header in 2017 and see if I can do Fall Festival (which the ball is part of) and the Count’s 77 party in the same weekend. (That’s the one thrown by the star of Counting Cars and his band.)
I’d just have to figure out a good costume in 53 weeks…or less!
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That should’ve been “Tarot readings, etc.” ^
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I’m the original Morticia from the Addams family which was drawn with tentacles at her feet like an octopus. That sounds like loads of fun! I would do the double header too.
I don’t remember so many adult activities in the past, but maybe I missed this section in the paper. There’s a lot going on during the week too. I love Halloween. Sounds like you do too, Daya!
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Reblogged this on O LADO ESCURO DA LUA.
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Thanks for the reblog!
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What a blast, Susie. Thanks for sharing it. One of the things I have never stopped pining for is Halloween in Boulder. Boulderites know how to do it in style!
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Thanks so much, Mary! So great to “see” you!
Boulder “gets” Halloween, my favorite holiday. I knew about the Exotica Erotica Ball, (I’ve never been. Have you?), but didn’t realize how many other parties were out there! So much to choose from and so few days left in October. Ha!
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You always have too much fun. I’m pretty sure the grand sum of things to do in Vicksburg totals 0. They even move trick or treating to a different night, but NOT a football night. If a holiday happens to fall on game night, they move the holiday.
Not that I could go anyway. Running an inn sort of takes the fun out of a lot of night time events.
Looks like fun though. And you and Danny are so cute in your costumes.
Patricia Rickrode
w/a Jansen Schmidt
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Thanks so much, Patricia! It was easy to throw on those costumes since we’ve worn them so often. This party was kind of a last minute thing. If we go to the tango night, we’ll have to come up with something different. I may have to pull out Tippy Hendren’s costume from The Birds. Ha!
Maybe you should host a party at your Inn. I bet your guests would LOVE it!
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As Lurch would say, huh huh huh huh huh huh huh………..
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Lurch. A man of few words or were they grumbles.
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I’ve always thought he and John Kerry were separated at birth.
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Hahahaha!
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For All Hollows eve’
‘That is still up in the air’ either it will be ‘being roasted as a witch for having visions and hearing ‘they’ or’ – living a surgical seen from Buck Rogers, in having a Kidney stone Lasered – ‘out’ or still Partying excessively (Escaping Pain) while on Brandy’ Percocet, a huge slice of delicious – Espresso chocolate cake and an Italian coffee’ (which could explain the visions and voices’) after a fine dinner of Lasagna, or Steak Dianna or a delicious Beef Tenderloin cooked to perfection’ because I have not made that jump or sudden transaction from Carnivore to ‘Jack – Semi – Semi – Vegan.
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Sounds like a Wild Time either way! At least your meat is cooked…I thought you may go a creepy route for Halloween! Ha!
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I tried to go Vegan’ (That choice lasted about three hours before I ended that), mostly because the eating habits of my family are ridiculously unhealthy, I am the only one that goes to Vegan / Vegetarian restaurant, but they are starting to come back to food –food. But at least McDonald’s is now offering lettuce leaves and thick slices of gassed tomatoes on their Quarter Ponder Deluxe –
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That’s one way to get your vegies!
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Um yah… But then if you think about it so is drinking Potato Vodka and if you want to throw in fruit into that logic, then drinking wine is a way to get your fruit. 🙂
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There you go. You can always eat Fruit Loops for a midnight snack too.
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I just got this in my mailbox this morning..:( This looked fabuluuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuoussssssssssssss:)
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Thanks! It didn’t come yesterday? I blogged at 11:00.
It was a really spectacular event! Even though Danny and I didn’t know anyone, people introduced themselves and were very friendly! I wanted to try all of it; the silks, trapeze, ropes!!
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nope got it this morning..:( yahoo mail what can I tell you LOL
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Reblogged this on DREAM BIG DREAM OFTEN and commented:
Susie Lindau’s Wild Ride continues!!!
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Thanks, Danny!
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My pleasure!
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That looked like fun… you guys looked great, and you proved once again you make the cutest Morticia ever.
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Thanks so much, Ted! After all these years, it’s the easiest costume around. Ha!
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Sounds like fun! I live very, very, VERY close to Boulder! We may have to add this to the list of things to do! 🙂
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Definitely! There are a lot of fun festivities going on this coming weekend. Coloween and the Paranormal Palace sound insane!
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Anything but frightmore! Hahaha!
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First time here, and yes I love to dress up for Halloween. My HIM and I went as a hillbilly man and his barfly floozy last year, HIM was the barfly floozy. The most fun was shopping with him for his outfit…the red tights and platinum blonde wig, he had to make sure they matched with his dress and accessories! Good times.
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Wow, that sounds super cool!
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Loving the pieces on Halloween. You know how to paint a picture that’s for sure! Look forward to following your blog.
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Thanks so much, VM! Halloween is my favorite holiday in some ways. I wrote a psychological thriller based on some of my own ghostly experiences, so it’s a great month to post about it. But there are no ghostly clowns. Ha!
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Haha it’s my favorite as well. Oh wow would love to read that and a perfect month 😉
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Thank you! It is a perfect month for ghost stories. I’m looking for representation and hope to have it published sometime in the near future. Fingers crossed!
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That’s so great! Keep us posted!
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What fun! These days, my idea of a Halloween party is going to a friend’s house (who loves Halloween) and letting the kid hang out with her kids and other friends and kids (who are fast becoming teens). Last time I went as Rosie the Riveter.
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Boulder does do Halloween right! (The light off the mountians, chilling breezes, and general willingness to suspend ordinary belief and existence does help). Cool performances – you will end up trying some of that wildness – looks fun!
Always look forward to your Halloween discoveries and adventures
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Duuuuude that sounded like an awesome night! So glad you and Danny got a chance to go! Those acrobat artists really know how to rock the house. Apex Movement sounds like an amazing way to spend the night, plus with the yoga retreat under your belt you could have totally volunteered to bust a move if they asked for volunteers. Plus now you have all these options for the upcoming weekend. Can’t wait to hear what happened 🙂 This was a great Wild Rider adventure 🙂
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Wow! That’s quite the production! 🙂
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It was! I loved every minute of it. I would love to learn how they do it!
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This is INCREDIBLE! I LOVE circus arts.
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