(The following story was written by Debbie Matson of Bread and Roses after a performance for The Cedars Textile Arts Center in San Rafael for developmentally disabled adults.)
Every so often a show comes along that is really something special, and this was one of those. There was a rock n’ roll dance party going on at The Cedars Textile Arts Center yesterday, and I am honored to have been the host for this show. It might just be my favorite show in the 11 years I have been a host at Bread & Roses.
Vanilla Extract is an excellent band that played groovy 60’s music and was so happy to be performing. The place was rocking with crowd favorites such as Secret Agent Man, Gloria, Time is on My Side, Sunshine of Your Love, and Jumping Jack Flash, among others. The entire band was enthusiastic and energetic, but Joe the singer really put on quite a show. He shared the mic with members of the audience many times, and slid down on his knees to belt out some powerful Rolling Stones lyrics.
There were so many highlights I witnessed throughout the sing-along, hand-clapping performance. There were beautiful couples slow dancing and excited to introduce me to their boyfriend or girlfriend, and to tell me how much they loved each other. There were the people that were so excited to be right up front feeding off the energy from the band. There was a lovely woman just to the right of the band that rocked back and forth the entire time, and who knew the words to each and every song that was played. Her smile was infectious.
Almost everyone wanted to shake my hand, know my name, and introduce themselves, and tell me a little bit about them. There was lots of hugging and an enormous feeling of love and joy in the room. Mid-way through the performance, I was asked to dance with a woman in the crowd, and I happily jumped into the middle of the dance scene. Before I knew it, I was handed off to numerous people who wanted to spin me and hold my hands. And there were countless high 5’s with me, with the band and with each other. A staff member told me that there were folks dancing that never usually get up out of their chairs. That is some powerful energy!
At that end of the show, there was a small rush to the band to get autographs. A few people even asked me for mine! The reciprocal joy was felt by everyone in that room.
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