Today's post is by guest blogger, Brian Beaman. Brian is a member of the Lost Nomads (Like them at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lost-Nomads/124885607564856) and Blue Moon Dance Company (www.bluemoonbellydance.com). Enjoy!
Imagine yourself during medieval times walking through a market, shopping for supplies or looking for a place to rest from your travels and partake of food and drink. As you make your way through the crowed marketplace, you are surrounded by other shoppers and travelers. Some of the other people are dressed like you in familiar clothing and others are dressed in a variety of clothing that is much less familiar. Gypsies, pirates, warriors, and barbarians with no clothing on except for a loin cloth from animal skin are just a few of the people you notice. The local shop keepers are busy helping their customers to purchase a variety of items from clothing to armor and weapons to musical instruments. Just beyond the marketplace, clusters of tents with banners indicating the names or heritage of the different clans stretch out as far as the eye can see. As the day turns to night, the sounds of drums can be heard echoing thought the encampment and you slowly make your way in that general direction. Along the way, you marvel at the variety of tents and other structures that are used to make each of the makeshift groups feel more at home within their own separate space as well as a special part of the entire community. When you arrive at the encampment where the drumming has originated, you find it crowded with people. Like you, they have been drawn by the sounds of the drums and the bright lights from the many torches surrounding the encampment. There are musicians playing familiar melodies and dancers moving to the music with sensual grace and beauty. The host of the party greets you and welcomes you to their celebration with plentiful food and drink. The festivities continue late into the night until you finally make your way back to your tent for a few hours of sleep.
This place that you have imagined is not a fantasy or a magical dream world. This is a place of reality called Pennsic. It exists every year for the past 40 years at a little camp ground north of Pittsburgh. 10,000 people come together every year for the first two weeks in August to create this real life fantasy world. Talented musicians and dancers share their knowledge with other members of the community and provide a source of inspiration to dedicated acolytes. While there are many wonderful benefits that Pennsic has to offer, there are also many challenges and it takes a special kind of person with dedication and desire to find a home at Pennsic. Do you have what it takes?
To be continued ....
Within the first few sentences I knew you were speaking of Pennsic. It's a world that some days I'd rather be my life for fifty two weeks out of the year, rather than just two. I can hear the drums run through my head even weeks after the event has ended. What a wonderful world within a world such fantastic people have created!
ReplyDelete