hey all

i'm a theatre artist/designer based in toronto, with a grand idea about getting a group of people together on a regular basis to do what i call a parade of fools. i would like this to have elements of commedia in it, as well as circus, modern dance, and hardcore "performance art".

so there would be performers/dancers dressed up in otherworldy & stylized costumes, clowns, and stylized characters (not necessarily from the commedia stock, but with that kind of comedic grotesque absurdity). there would be stiltwalkers, musicians (like a marching band, they would wear their instruments). i picture this troupe roaming and doing contact improv & purely improvised dance. then they would be able to stop and have little "scenes" where two or more performers would play; i am interested here in engaging in oral and physical, BUT nonverbal play. so no text & no language, but sound and movement. i see this as being a way for each performer to express something truthful from inside, something that can't come out in the restricted form of textual dialogue.

this idea came from seeing the white procession at burning man in 04, at dawn by the temple, where two of them were playing... one with a parrot puppet and the other with an umbrella, both of them creating music via beatboxing & vocally/physically improv'ing together.

does anyone get what i'm talking about? can anyone suggest how to use commedia dell'arte or circus (and specifically clown) characters, style, or history to make this idea happen? does anyone already have this idea or have a group actually doing it?

cheers, thanks,
amira