1st & 3rd Sundays every month

I am no longer recommending this as a safe place for beginners to come and play.

If you do come to the fire jam, please bring your own fire equipment and safety gear, and respect the format that is currently being facilitated by dedicated members of the community.

July 18-20

Emrg+N+See is Oregon's premier outdoor, underground, visionary summer festival!

Experience three days & nights of cutting-edge electronic & live music, stunning art, transformational workshops, and more wonderful people than you'll meet in a lifetime!

Veneta, OR
July 11-13

This is my all-time favorite festival. The legendary Friday night fire show is now FREE and open to the public, and Kricket and I will once again perform trapeze and stilts with the Girl Circus.

When I'm not performing, you can usually find me hanging out in Chela Mela spreading the love of poi, so strap on your fairy wings, come find me and say hi!

July 3-6
Quincy, CA

The High Sierra Music Festival is a four-day music and camping festival that features a stellar line-up of national and international performers and is considered one of the finest showcases for emerging artists in the country.

Returning once again to High Sierra as a vendor, performer and instructor, shireen will be teaching daily poi playshops on the lawn as well as performing with members of the Spinsterz and Instruments of the Now for fire shows on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

May 24 & 25
Flow Form Movement Studio
5040 SE Milwaukie Ave (at Mitchell St.)
Portland, OR 97202

Come learn staff from one of the world's best performers and teachers!

MCP is coming back from Scotland to instruct us in the ways of contact staff, double staff, partner work and routine building.

This is a series of workshops you don't want to miss! Schedule and registration information available soon.

May 17-31
At the Newmark Theatre in the Portland Center for the Performing Arts
7:30pm, Sunday matinees at 3pm
$35/$29.50 adults, $30/$25 youth (5-12) and seniors (62+)

Adapted from Gaviotas, A Village To Re-invent The World by Alan Weisman, ¡Entusiasmo! uses a provocative blend of sensuous aerial dance, breathtaking acrobatics, humor, live music, along with a traditional dramatic narrative, to tell the incredible and inspiring true story of Gaviotas, Colombia.

¡Entusiasmo! features live traditional Colombian music by Los Llaneros and live original music by Portland composer Joan Szymko.

"A Triumph... Tolerance, understanding, inventiveness and vision... These qualities light up ¡Entusiasmo!" (The Oregonian)

May 1-4
Cutter Scout Reservation
Santa Cruz, CA

FireDrums is about bringing fire arts and drumming communities together to share knowledge and help introduce those interested in perusing these arts and is open to everyone at any skill level.

That said, this year's Firedrums is going to be off the hook, with some of the best known performers and teachers from all over the world. Come play with us!

Saturday, April 26
Sherwood Hall
Salinas, CA
3pm
free!

Come watch shireen of Flamebuoyant Productions and Brandon of the Spinsterz team up with members of Nocturnal Sunshine from Santa Cruz to wow the crowd at the Resource Fair in Salinas, CA.

Sunday, April 20
Flow Form Movement Studio
5040 SE Milwaukie Ave (at Mitchell St.)
Portland, OR 97202

Learn staff, contact staff and double staff from some of the most talented, innovative and experienced instructors in the field, the Vucan Crew from Oakland, CA!

Advance registration strongly suggested, but not required.

Portland's Earth Day event consists of 3 solar powered stages of entertainment, 150+ local and sustainable businesses and environmental organizations, a kid's village, better transportation fair, bike rides, a seed and plant exchange and so much more!

Look for shireen performing with local acro favorites Kazum, as well as walking tall throughout the day with our new group of female stilters! Come join us for a parade, and bring the kids!

March 21
The Echo Theatre
1515 SE 37th Ave.
8 pm
free!

DoJump! is opening their Friday night workout for the first ever adult student showcase. Expect to see trapeze, partner balancing and acrobatics by students 16 and older, including Kricket and yours truly. Best of all, it's free!

March 15 & 16
Flow Form Movement Studio
5040 SE Milwaukie Ave (at Mitchell St.)
Portland, OR 97202

Featuring Zan from Instruments of the Now

Join us for a fun and educational weekend of circus skills workshops! Learn from professional instructors while building strength, balance and coordination.

Most classes are appropriate for all ages, so bring your kids!

Take 1 workshop, get additional workshops for $5 bucks off each! Yoga not included. Family discounts available.

Saturday, March 15

Sunday, March 16

Sadly, this event is no longer happening. There is a new space for the spin jam in the works, so keep your eyes on the calendar for more information.

February 24
The Tulen Center (next to Silver Moon Brewery)
20 NW Greenwood Ave.
Bend, OR 97701
for registration contact Brandon, 503/ 737-7842 or brandon@thespinsterz.com
12-3pm

Come join us to balance and climb on your friends! Develop trust, connection and playfulness while you learn how to share weight with others, and get lifted right off the ground!

We'll start with a warm up including partner stretches, then move to inversions, partner balances and acrobatics, finishing up with a group pyramid or 2.

All skill levels welcome, no experience necessary.

Come with a partner, or meet one at the workshop.

January 22
North Star Ballroom, 635 N. Killingsworth Ct.
Program begins at 6pm

Planned Parenthood is bringing out politicians, activists and yours truly to get fired up about the 35th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision. If we don't fight to keep our right to choose, Washington is ready to decide for us that we don't need it anymore.

Come enjoy food, drinks, live music and a theatrical fire performance and support those fighting for the right to choose!

January 1
Echo Theatre, 1515 SE 37th Ave.
1-5 pm
by donation

This almost-annual Portland tradition is a chance to celebrate the New Year in style by throwing some balls and clubs in the air, swapping stories of holidays run amok, and pawning off the last of that fruit cake on your unsuspecting friends. There's nothing else open, and nothing else to do on New Year's Day, so let's juggle and be merry.

Bring family or friends. Bring a snack or treat to share, or not. Bring a musical instrument, or not. Bring juggling props and other toys to play with.

See you there!

December 31
320 SE 2nd Ave.
9 pm-9 am, fire dancing from 9:30-11:30 pm
$25 at the door
21+

Let loose the events of the past and enter the horizon of a new present this New Year's Eve in Burning Man style! Portland's own Black Rock Boutique and MonkeyPuzzle combine forces to present two floors of sights and sound where the liminal phase betwixt "then" and "now" hold only opportunity.

With fire dancing, circus performances, too many dj's to list and breakfast provided, it's like you never left the playa!

Creative black tie and steampunk regalia encouraged.

December 7-30
At the Newmark Theatre in the Portland Center for the Performing Arts
7:30pm, Sunday matinees at 3pm
$29.50 adults, $25 youth and seniors

I will be helping Do Jump with ticketing for their annual holiday show at the Portland Center for the Performing Arts. This year the show will be in 2 acts, "The Best of the Do Jump Holiday Show" featuring new and reworked classics, and "At Such a Dizzy Height," the company's interpretation of the work of Marc Chagall. This is great non-traditional holiday entertainment that's fun for the whole family, not just the kids.

Look for Kricket on the trapeze in Act 2 in her debut performance with the company!

9 NW 2nd Ave. (@ NW Couch St.)
fire shows at midnight, 1 am & 2 am
Friday nights at Risque

Come heat things up at Risque, Barracuda's Friday night party.

It's also Ladies' Night, with a free cover for ladies before midnight. So come early, get a Tiki style frozen drink and shake your booty on the dance floor!

check website for times, venues and pricing
November 1-4, 2007

This is Portland's first annual celebration of women, art and community. Offerings include music events, a film festival, workshops and a community marketplace.

Come see Jaine burn it up right before Team Dresch's reunion show at the Wonder Ballroom on Friday!

Back to Calendar

ON AIR, 1300 N. River St. under the Fremont Bridge
October 20, 2007

Come out, rain or shine, to participate in the parade, live music, kids activities, dancing, and of course, a fire show with some of Oregon's best performers!

Check out the website for more info...

Reed College Sports Center, Portland
September 28-30

I'll be teaching a couple of workshops at the PJF this year-- look for a poi skill share and a partner acro workshop.

The Juggling Festival is always a great time, and gives novices and experts alike the chance to meet, throw things around, balance, spin and try new props. The Saturday night Extravaganza at Benson High School is a rare chance to experience the best of local and national juggling and variety acts in one live performance.

There is a fee to join in the fun at Reed, and a separate ticket price for the big show on Saturday night. Check out the website for more info...

Laytonville, CA
September 14-16

Come join Outer Spiral for this 3 day camp out celebration for world peace and unity. Set amidst a beautiful old growth oak forest, Earthdance features 5 stages of entertainment, global artisans market, late night cinema, healing village, Kidlandia, speakers forum, activist alley, workshops, all night music cafés and much more!

Black Rock City, NV
August 27- September 3

If you don't know already, this year's theme is the Green Man. Ripe with mythology and ecological messages, this year's theme encourages participants to creatively pursue sustainable celebration.

Oregon is once again bringing the best fire performers the state has to offer with our biggest conclave ever! Check in with the Fire Conclave Convergence on the Esplanade on Saturday to find out where we'll be performing in front of the man, and come support us!

Waterfront Park, Portland, August 10-12
fire performance Saturday 9:30, Fountain Stage
Adults $7 at the gate · Children 12 and under FREE

The Bite is chock full of great food, wine, beer and local music. I'll be fire dancing to live music by members of Vivid Curve at 9:30pm with my new friend Ashley. Come check it out!

Veneta, OR
July 21-22

This will be my first year at Faerieworlds, but I've been hearing about this sweet little festival for years now. Look for me at the Spinsterz booth, or at our roaming cart.

Come join us for a magical weekend in the realm of the faerie!

Veneta, OR
July 13-15

This is my all-time favorite festival. From the now FREE and open-to-the-public legendary Friday night fire show, to performing with the Girl Circus to hanging out in the meadow spreading the love of poi, this is what I look forward to all summer. Strap on your fairy wings, come find me and say hi!

Quincy, CA
July 5-8

The High Sierra Music Festival is a four-day music and camping festival that features a stellar line-up of national and international performers and is considered one of the finest showcases for emerging artists in the country.

Returning once again to High Sierra as a vendor with Outer Spiral, shireen will also be teaching daily poi playshops at the Peace Pavillion as well as performing with members of the Spinsterz and Instruments of the Now for fire shows on Thursday, Friday and Sunday.

Sunday, July 1
at Conduit Dance
in the Pythian Building, 918 SW Yamhill Avenue, Suite 401

A full day of object manipulation!

12:30pm-2pm Spinning with Hoops for Beginners, Dustin Hubel
2pm-3:30pm Intermediate/Advanced Poi, Dustin Hubel
3:30pm-5pm Single Staff, Fire Groove
5pm-6:30pm Contact Staff, Fire Groove
7pm-8:30pm Double Staff, Fire Groove

Back to Calendar

Techno-Tribal Dance, nights in the Grace Pavillion
Sonoma County Fairgrounds
Santa Rosa, CA
June 8-10

The annual gathering that is the Harmony Festival convenes once again in the heart of Northern California to bring together the best of leading-edge music, art, and culture.

We will be vending at the night shows in the Grace Pavillion including the now legendary Techno-Tribal Dance. We'll have some great new toys to play with, come find us all lit up across the hall from the main entrance!

Outlaws, 722 SE Burnside
June 1, 9 pm-2 am

This year, shireen helps to open Portland's annual Dark Bellydance Showcase. Featuring the best fusion dancers and DJ's from across the country, this is a tribal bellydance event of the highest caliber.

Manzanita, OR
May 18, 9pm

CART'M Recycling, a non-profit community organization, runs Manzanita's free recycling drop-off center as well as a resale store specializing in used building materials, household items, books, toys, tools, hardware, art/craft supplies, electronics, furniture and all manner of eclectic and excentric items.

Yoji the flaming ninja and shireen head out to heat up the coast...join us at the Dump!

near Santa Barbara, CA
May 11-13

Lightning in a Bottle is a 3-day green music festival with 3 stages, diverse musical acts and never-before-seen performance spectacles among 40 acres of oak trees just 30 minutes north of Santa Barbara.

Come find shireen and the Spinsterz in the yurt for your new spinning toys!

Cutter Scout Reservation
Santa Cruz, CA
May 3-6

FireDrums is about bringing the global fire arts and drumming communities together to share knowledge and to propel these burgeoning art forms forward.

Join Flamebuoyant and the Spinsterz for a wonderful weekend of spinning to kick off the festival season!

Dante's
1 SW 3rd & Burnside
April 29
8pm
$10 advance, $13 at the door, 21+ only

Come watch me duke it out with Portland's best fire performers for the title of "Fire Entertainer of the Year." This will be a show not to miss!

Opening performance by Firerotica including Miss Ty Fyre, Germany, Fire Ninja and Peach.

Watershed, 5040 SE Milwaukie
April 28
Doors open at 9pm
$10

This will be a fun evening with fire dancing, live music, a May pole dance, homebrew and other reminders of our connection to the earth in this blossoming season.

Woodlawn Park
NE 13th Ave. & Dekum St.
April 21
10am-10pm
FREE

Come see the amazing array of entertainment, kid's activities, bike resources, vendors and so much more to celebrate Portland's eighth annual Earth Day.

Come early to see our friends Kazum on the Manta Ray stage, and look for shireen walking tall around the park!

Watershed, 5040 SE Milwaukie
April 15
7pm

Any performer who is interested in participating with Portland's part in the Oregon Conclave needs to come perform at the Show Me.

da Vinci Middle School Auditorium
2508 NE Everett
March 23
7:30pm
$10-20 adults, $5-10 youth 12 and under

Portland's finest and funniest vaudevillian performers have come together in support of this great cause.

Clowns Without Borders is an international organization which offers laughter to relieve the suffering of all persons, especially children, who live in areas of crisis around the world, including refugee camps, conflict zones and territories in situations of emergency.

Portland is a hub of active CWB volunteers, and this annual benefit is their main source of funding.

Echo Theater
1515 SE 37th Ave.
March 17
Fun-A-Thon 4pm-6pm, $10
Performance 7:30pm-8:30pm, $30 including Fun-A-Thon and Ball
Ball 8:30pm, $15

To celebrate Do Jump's 30th Anniversary, they are doing a one-of-a-kind short performance and having a fancy dress ball.

They are also having a fundraiser called a Fun-A-Thon, and this is how it works:

I have chosen an activity for 2 categories in the Fun-A-Thon. One is standing in a scale on my friend's shoulder for as long as I can, the other is doing a partner acro flip with Kricket we've nicknamed "the machine" as many times as we can in a minute.

I am looking for pledges for one or both of these activities. Please help by offering your pledge: per second (I'm already up to more than a minute!), per flip or a total donation, you choose! Whatever you can afford will help ensure that Do Jump will be able to keep defying gravity for another 30 years!

To sponsor me in any amount, please send an email to me directly.

Watershed
5040 SE Milwaukie
March 4
noon

Everyone's invited to co-create the magic we'll spin on the playa this year... we need fire dancers, safety people, drummers, photographers, videographers, adoring fans...

If you are interested in joining the conclave, whether you can come to the meeting or not, please get in touch with me directly so I can add you to our announce list.

Watershed
5040 SE Milwaukie
March 3
5pm-5am
FREE

Meet up on Saturday, March 3 with Burning Man theme camps and conclaves, other projects, groups and businesses, and anyone else who shows up to "fly their banner." Our part at Aphelion is to discuss fire at the new space, and begin planning on how we want to handle the fire department in relation to this building.

Sojourn Theater
215 SE 9th Ave.
January 3-4
Doors open at 7pm, show starts at 7:30pm
Sliding scale $10-$20

This showcase of Portland's best circus talent is about the past and future, coming and going. The show includes aerial dance, contortion, juggling, partner acrobatics and fire, and proceeds will help my friend Mee Seon pursue her vision of utilizing the body as an artistic element at Parsons School of Design in NYC.

Tequila Ole
3905 SW 117th Ave., Beaverton
Fire show at 12:30 am

Come join me to say goodbye to 2006 at Tequila Ole for a night of live music, belly dancing, snake dancing, fire and more! They'll be giving away a trip for two to NYC plus free drinks for the first 150 people through the door. Sounds like a good way to kick off the new year to me!

December 2 & December 9

11am-1pm
Poi & Performance
If you spin for an audience, for hire, or would like to, this workshop is for you. The material is a distillation of performance training, busking experience, and professional shows. Spinners of all levels will benefit from instruction in crowd interaction and connection, tricks of the fire performance trade, tips for effective practice sessions, new approaches to expressive movement, ideas for visually appealing poi dance, spinning to music, and a group of impressive leaping/jumping moves.
Learn what it means to be an entertainer. A course notes handout is included for this detailed information. You WILL put on a better show after this workshop.

1:30pm-3:30pm
Poi Technique Workshop
This is the tech class you've been waiting for, with a focus on 1-on-1 coaching to correct the subtleties of technique. All levels are welcome; the class content is dependent on participant ability, and will be tailored to best suit the group.
We'll work on some new concepts like shots, meltdowns, planar rotation, and going beyond the behind-the-back weave. Time permitting, the class will move into tangles, flowers, under-the-legs and dodging daggers based on group preference. If you don't know what these are, you definitely want to. You won't be disappointed by this workshop and the new doors it opens for you.

Saturday, October 21, 2pm-???
City Repair warehouse on Mississippi

Did you miss Burning Man this year? Do you yearn for the days of crusty playa boogers, dust in every crevice and people doing strange and interesting things wearing strange and interesting costumes? Do you miss the ring in your ears of the megawatt sound systems? Come to decompression!!!

This is still coming together as I write this, so I'm not sure of the details yet. So far, I know I'll be teaching a poi workshop at some point, and fire performing at night.

Check out http://portlandburners.tribe.net/ or http://www.burningmanportland.com/index.php for more information as plans develop.

October 13 & 14, 8pm
October 15, 7pm
October 19-21, 8pm
October 22, 2 & 7pm
Performance Works NorthWest, 4626 SE 67th, near Foster Rd.
Adults, $10, kids $7
Reservations/Info: 971.219.5781

I will be helping out my hilarious and wonderful friends pull off this show, so come support your local clowns. I may even get to play a unicorn!!!

Saturday, October 7
6PM Doors, 7PM Showtime
Bagdad Theater, 3702 SE Hawthorne
$6, All Ages

Indigo and I have been selected to perform in the Mercury's Pizzaz! talent show. While they won't let us do fire in the theater (who cares about that movie screen anyway?), they will give us a little mood lighting for our glow toys. Apparently, louder cheers from the crowd win over the judges, so we're counting on you to come be as rowdy as we know you are! Plus, there's beer and pizza. What's not to love?

Friday, October 6, 9 pm
Eugene, OR

I know I put this on last month's schedule, but they had construction issues and decided to reschedule. So, once again: Join Indigo and I for more flaming acrobatic dance, and check out the link for a virtual tour of the lovely courtyard we will perform in.

September 15-17
Laytonville, CA

Outer Spiral is back at it for our last festival of the year. Join us at this camp out Celebration for World Peace and Unity, set amidst a beautiful old growth oak forest, featuring 5 Stages of Entertainment uniting Jamband, World, Conscious Lyricism, Electronica, Reggae and Folk.

The highlight of the Earthdance International event is a synchronized dance floor link-up, when the specially created song, “The Prayer for Peace” is played at every event across the world at exactly the same time. Morning in Australia, sunrise over the Himalayas, midnight in London, afternoon in California - the universal prayer is a powerful moment that unifies our intention for a peaceful world.

“Give Peace a Dance”

Sept. 2
Black Rock City, NV

No, I will not be going to Burning Man this year. Michelle Suess has been an excellent shin this year, and has truly made the Oregon Conclave a state-wide effort. Bring me back a bunch of playa dust and stories of adventures, and I'll see you when you get back.

August 25-September 4
Oregon State Fairgrounds, Salem, OR
$4-$9 at the gate, less if tickets are purchased in advance

Flamebuoyant Productions teams up with the Oregon Country Fair to add a little flair and excitement to the State Fair this year. We'll be putting on workshops, performing with fire and lots, lots more. The fire show is inspired by Asian music and movement with Yoji Hall, Draco, Jen Knipling and me. Come by and say hello if you're not out burning a man in a desert somewhere.

August 9-14 Salmo River Ranch in Salmo, BC, Canada

From the website:

Artistic and musical talent, imaginative costumes and remarkable individuals fuel the vibe of Shambhala, sowing the seeds of inspiration in a safe haven where nature and artistic expression entwine. Shambhala is a journey, an adventure, a life altering experience, and not least, a place to just let loose and dance, dance, dance.

With six originally-themed stages built to showcase world-class DJ's, bands, MC's, and other live entertainment, this is the crucible of artistry and musical mayhem. This is the zenith of modern underground entertainment. This is Shambhala...

Outer Spiral will be vending, dancing and enjoying the vibe of the beach and at this festival in the Kootenay Mountain range.

July 17-23
Oregon Convention Center

This year, the IJA decided to bring the best of international juggling to us! Come on down for one of the shows, or join us for a whole week of throwing, flinging, spinning and balancing various objects. Look for Flamebuoyant performing in Portland's showcase, as well as in the Toys of Light show. I will also be teaching a workshop or 2, and hanging out throughout the week.

shireen and Indigo at Pasha Restaurant

Saturday, July 15, 11:15pm
19 NW 5th Ave.
$5 at the door

Join Indigo and I at this wonderful Middle Eastern restaurant and nightclub in Old Town for a night of hookahs, fire and belly dancing.

A Midsummer Night Masquerade
a fundraiser for Siren Nation

Saturday, July 15, 9pm
Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison
$8 in costume, $10 without

The night's festivities will include fire spinning by Flamebuoyant Productions, live multi-instrumentalist electronica by Sugar Shortwave, DJ Saffronica spinning groovy dance tunes and a special appearance by Jen Folker of Dahlia.

July 7-9
Veneta, OR

Once again, Kricket, Indigo and I will be performing with the Girl Circus on W.C. Fields stage at 6pm on Friday, and at 2 in the afternoon on Saturday and Sunday. The 3 of us will be performing trapeze and partner balancing, and Indigo and I will perform a new flaming balancing act, so come check out the show (with live music!).

If you've got a pass, look for Indigo and me in the fire show on Friday night-- we'll be debuting our new poi act. If not, you can usually find me spinning poi in Chela Mela Meadow during the day. Come by and spin a little!

June 29-July 2
Plumas Fairgrounds, Quincy, CA

Flamebuoyant Productions returns to High Sierra for more music, poi workshops and fire performances than you can shake a stick at! I'll be doing poi workshops Friday-Sunday 6-7pm as well as performing on Thursday and Sunday nights for the late night shows.

Has been cancelled!

These weekly non-fire spin jams were hosted by Squirrel who will be moving to Seattle in October. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Squirrel for providing a wonderful (while under-used) resource to the Portland movement community through the Concordia Spin Jams. We will miss him. Good luck, Squirrel!