Bones and Lilies - Flowjo Family Circus w/ Crystal Bright & the Silver Hands (Carrboro, NC, 3/2/12)

I was really looking forward to this show. I'm a new fan of Crystal Bright and the Silver Hands, and LOVE their new album, Muses and Bones . Having seen them only once live, my immediate impression was that (among many other influences) they have a circus-like feel. So it only seemed natural that they would explore this connection.

And they have! Bones and Lilies was an abstract play, performance art piece, and -- well -- circus! All set to songs performed live by Crystal Bright and the Silver Hands!

The Flowjo Family Circus is a troupe based at Flowjo, a little enclave of hoops, yoga, acrobatics, and such off Main St in Carrboro. Apparently, they had only dress-rehearsed this with the band once (CB & the SH are based in Greensboro). But the members of Flowjo were given free reign to come up with routines to accompany the songs, and they did a great job. The CD Muses and Bones has themes of struggle, death, rebirth, and redemption running throughout it, and so did the show Bones and Lilies.

There was belly-, hoop-, and other forms of dance, high-flying acrobats, juggling, and stilt-walking. It all worked very organically with the music. Crystal and the band stayed pretty low-profile and let the circus take center stage. In the end, the symbolism was that of a Phoenix rising, and the show moved outside to a fitting performance of fire-spinning. It was very ethereal, thanks in part to what was a very misty night.

I'll let the photos say the rest.