Pre-Parade, Oct 21st

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I've been up all night with my students, helping to finish the tree demon lantern puppets. As dawn breaks, the last bit of paint detailing is completed so that they are ready to be loaded onto the trucks going to Neihu. The puppets seem very fragile, and we worry as they are loaded onto the trucks, but they all make it through the trip unscathed. We take a chartered bus to Neihu Community College, the parade site and other workshop area. We get lunch and Jennie and I give each other knee massages. It's very hot and humid. The teacher and students who will carry the Taipei 101 dragon show up and I meet with them to help assemble it. I connect each of the panels and wings with rubber ties, stapled into the cardboard. We are in a section of the athletic field, in the full sun, and it seems to take forever. I have to break away a few minutes before finishing; to find some shade and avoid heat stroke! We finish just in time, and I scramble to the front of the parade to start taking pictures!

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Photos

Workshop Space
A lonely mask peers sorrowfully admidst the debris.

Tree Demon Lantern Puppet
Closeup of one of the lantern puppets.

As Dawn Breaks
As dawn breaks most of my students are still working on the puppets.

Load In
All of the large puppets are being loaded onto trucks to be driven to Neihu. Here we see the Manatee, Dinosaur, Owl and Tree Puppets all being squished together. Remarkably, all were fine.

Load In 2
Here's the view from the other side!

Sheep Cycle
This bicycle puppet was started yesterday! Made by "Jack", one of the cooks at the Tree Cafe.

Tomas
Hooked on parades!

Lion at Neihui
A young artist applies yellow paint to a large lion float.

Wind Sculpture
As these guys were untarping the equipment, the wind animated the tarp.

Dragon 1
Assembling the Taipei 101 Dragon

Dragon 2
With panels and wings in place!

Dinosaur
Assembling the dinosaur.

Centipede
The centipede ensemble prepares to march.