Saturday evening my two very best friends in the world and I attended Big Moves Bay Area’s “Go Big or Go Home.”
I have to admit, straight off the bat, this was an emotional roller coaster for me. To be attending a fat friendly event?! So exciting! So I was a tad nervous but completely stoked to go. I wanted to also start off with one of the Big Fat Summer Challenges and did so by wearing a strapless maxi dress. I am not sure if this counts as two of the challenges or not, so I’ll probably pull out another maxi dress later on this month. I wanted to look good so that I would feel confident and more truly myself. And I did! I felt great!
We had a little bit of a hard time finding the venue (Chabot College Little Theater), but once we did it was no problem. We whisked through the doors and to our seats promptly. In fact the seats were OMZ-SO-COMFORTABLE!!!
The show began with The Fat Fly Girls performing “The Fat Song” to the tune of “The Jets Song” from “West Side Story.” This is when my emotions started to go all topsy-turvy! These incredibly beautiful FAT women, dressed adorably perfect for the setting in 50’s-like attire, singing about being FAT! OMZ! I got chills, I laughed, I welled-up!

Then the ever fabulous Kirk Willett, the evening’s MC came out and delighted us all with his humor, outfit, fat talk and just great personality overall! The evening’s event was organized to celebrate Big Moves Bay Area’s 10th birthday! Kirk later dazzled us with a touch of his own dancing. His outift? Oh man, so lovely! Full Egyptian chic! We’re talking a bare chest & belly (shown with great pride and beauty I might add) with a white skirt and gold lame` belt, black and blue eye make-up and a lovely blue “Dress Size 3” head wrap! He introduced the next performer, Vicadonia who performed, “Fame” from the film “Fame.” I loved her! It was a drag show-esque endeavor with just the right amount of kitsch & humor.

Next up were the amazingly talented belly dancers “Raks Africa” and can I just tell you, while they were on stage, I couldn’t stop smiling! They seemed to be having the time of their lives and I felt it to my very core! My cheeks hurt after! Ha! To see these lovely large ladies rocking and shaking and swaying and just DANCING! Oh my gosh, you guys?! Incredible! They held us all in their hands as we were riveted to our seats taking in this gorgeous spectacle!

Next was another performance by The Fat Fly Girls who performed a dance number to a couple of Morphine tunes. I loved every moment, too!
Then Kitty Von Quim performed solo and wowed everyone there! She came out one side of the stage and then turned around abruptly, allowing this gorgeous and unexpected dragon tail to flip out dramatically and dazzle us with it’s sparkliness! Mid-way through her number, a couple of people threw little airplanes at her which she quickly destroyed/devoured and growled at them all the while. It was FAN-FUCKING-TASTIC!  I hadn’t read the program too intently before the show, so the Godzilla theme had escaped me until that moment and I squealed with joy! She finished her number with a sassy striptease and I now envy her guts and her costume!
Next was another lovely performance by The Fat Fly Girls. I love them so much! I wanna be like them when I grow up, y’all!
During intermission we popped outside to get some fresh air, walk around and take pics. My friend J has this great camera that always get the best shots and since I just got my camera and am not yet comfortable with it I was relived that he brought his fancy wonder along. While J took a pic of me and one of me and my friend P, we wanted one with all three of us. So he asked a woman nearby if she wouldn’t mind taking it for us. Not only was she just sweet & funny, but she also used to be a professional portrait photographer! What are the chances?! So she had us pose a couple of different ways and we were laughing and cracking jokes the whole time! And her pics were fab! Thanks Carol!

My “granny” impression:

The second act opened with The Fay Fly Girls in full-on Go-Go regalia for the tune “These boots were made for walking” and they did more than that! They rocked my socks!
Next, Vicadonia wowed us with a performance of Patti Labelle’s live version of “Over The Rainbow” and we were dying, it was so funny & good!
Then…Then! These three lovely ladies came out for a Bollywood style number that left us all wanting more, more, more!!! Picture three ladies, two quite slender and one in the middle fat and fabulous. All three smiled during their performance, mind you, but not like the gal in the center. She freakin’ shined! She is probably close to my size and I was just in awe of her talent and passion for dance. My friend J and I have vowed to take a Bollywood class! And the music? Fantastic!
The Fat Fly Girls returned for a fun performance featuring adorable monkey costumes (which I LOVED so much I am considering trying my hand at sewing again).
Another spectacular performance by Raks Africa, more smiles, and my cheeks were in gorgeous pain from smiling back. I love those ladies! They make belly dancing look so effortless and fun!
Then the effervescent Marilyn Wann (author of “Fat? So!”) came out and lead us through “Fat Libs.” Just like you’d imagine, it’s mad libs, but FAT! Then we all sang the result to the tune of “Bingo was his name-o” and laughed our collective asses right the hell off!
After Marilyn’s fun exercise there was a performance by “Rubenesque Burlesque” which started out sad and made me uncomfortable (totally the point). There were four gals in gym shorts and t-shirts that said “fat camp” on them with a very skinny “instructor” leading them through awful 80’s “sweatin’ to the oldies” moves while the fat gals were growing angrier by the moment. Then the “instructor” walked around assessing the girls and grabbing their fat. Finally the music changes and Marilyn Manson’s “Beautioful People” begins to play and next thing you know the fat gals are ripping the “instructor” apart and devouring her appendages with an evil glee. They then proceeded to dance like nobody’s business and strip to little more than pasties & panties…I was in awe of them! Their performance gave that song such a new perspective for me. Ha!
Kirk came back out before the last performance and told us a story of when he was little and saw the Rockettes with his dad. It was such a sweet story, I totally got all misty eyed, you guys! Ha!
Lastly, The Fat Fly Girls danced to “Pump it Up” by Elvis Costello and well, what can I say? I wished for a third act! I never wanted that show to end! Ever! It was so good!
After the show there was birthday cake in the lobby for all to enjoy, mix & mingle. And we did! I was complimented a few times on our way out to the lobby for my hair and my dress and well, I had so many compliments to return since everyone I encountered was so fucking lovely!

I have to admit that Marilyn Wann was part of the reason I had wanted to attend that night. I had been corresponding with her through facebook since last summer. We had intended to meet up at last years’ “Cupcakes & Muffintops” (sort of a fat used clothing thrift for charity) and missed each other. I arrived too early, she much later and thus we’ve never met in person. So my friends and I waited for her just outside the lobby. But she never came out. I asked my new BFF Carol if she’d seen her and she hadn’t, but did go look for her. To no avail. Marilyn had left the building. And so she is now, to me and my bestest friends, Elvis! In all of her glittery splendor! Ha!
All in all, this was an incredible night. It left me with such strength and pride. It left me thinking about my own fat activism of general public fatness. It left me wanting to fucking dance, yo! I had been looking casually for a space I could rent so I could dance on my own, privately. But seeing these amazing women on stage without worrying about jiggly bits and belly rolls? Inspiring! This was a mind altering/life changing show for me.

And my big fat summer challenge #1:

Some info: www.bigmoves.org/bayarea.html check it out and attend a rehearsal if you can. Beginner friendly/All levels are welcome!
Also, Cupcakes & Muffintops will be held Saturday, August 28th at the Humanist Hall 390 27th St. Oakland, CA to donate clothing, contact: matilda@bigmoves.org or cindy@bigmoves.org proceeds benefit the programs of Big Moves & NOLOSE.
And please check out my friend J’s blog: www.theactorvist.com for his take on the evening’s event as well as other fabulous local art & theater reviews and information.