Rodeo Vision by Amy Sigil
I grew up on a cattle ranch, Angus to be specific. 40acres, 3 ponds, herd of cattle, 2 dogs, 4 cats, rounds of rattlesnake, 1 pig, 4 motorcycles, 1 boat, 3 pickup trucks and 4 horses.
Biscuit. The 15 hand tall brown Quarter Horse. I was 7 years old when my Dad convinced my mother to purchase a mother-daughter Horse combo that were for sale close to the ranch. Flying Star Ranch…my memories are coming back, I forgot that part. My mother worked full time and my Dad was a pilot so he was away on planes for most of my life. Minus a few years when he was laid off and played janitor at my school (my favorite years.) So Biscuit, the daughter of the team at 6 months old, and I had 40 acres and absolutely no chaperone from 7 to 16 years old when I left home. Let the ruckus begin…
She bit me, kicked me, ran me thru fences, into trees, stepped on me and tried to drown me in the pond on a daily basis. After years of abuse she was my best friend and I don’t blame her, we grew up together. These memories are some of the most fulfilling golden nuggets still left bouncing around in my mind. One more story before I get to business.
Biscuit was dark brown and pretty much invisible at night except for the white diamond on her forehead…I almost typed foreheart…awwwww. So school was about a 45 minute drive from the ranch, in “town”, and it got dark early in the winter. By the time I got home from school and then basketball practice, it was late and dark most everyday. I would park my truck at the house and then take my motorcycle down the hill to feed the animals. Here’s where Biscuit comes in. I parked the motorcycle around the corner of the barn and would walk to the hay barn. As soon a I opened the hay door, I would hear it. Biscuit, who I hardly thought was starving after grazing 40 acres on her own free will, would run to the barn. I mean run. I would hear the hooves, but I couldn’t see her. Remember? Dark brown, dark dark brown. She would get closer and closer and the sound of her pounding hooves and heaving breath was incredibly intimidating. She was huge! And I would stand by the door cowering. Just waiting for her to plow right thru me. But she never did. She would stop just in front me, just in front of me. Nostrils flared, ears back and eyes wide open. Wild and completely in control.
This my friends was the inspiration.
The Rodeo Summary
Spend the day on the Ranch! This is a one-time only epic event hosted by UNMATA and Brad Dosland of Taboo Media. Powered by Hot Pot Studios and supported by countless guest artists and die hard fans.
The venue! The Rodeo will be located at Long Branch Ranch, a ghost town recreation complete with small town, mercantile, saloon and a ton more I cant remember. It’s amazing. I mean really. For serious people… it’s perfect.
The event opens at 11am on Saturday August 8th, 2009. Please arrive between 11am and 1pm. Lunch begins at 1pm with outdoor dining and entertainment. From 2-4pm you have the run of the ranch! Game stations, western dance lessons, whip lessons and surprise entertainment will be scattered throughout the town. Bring some extra cash for horseback riding too. At 420pm the stables will open. You will have the opportunity to walk thru and watch the handlers prepare the human horses for the Rodeo. The stables will be open from 420 to 5pm, At 6pm meet at the coral for the Rodeo showcase. The Rodeo showcase will run for one hour from 6-7pm. This showcase includes dance performances by UNMATA, Verbatim, Street Team, Hot Pot Studio and Suhaila Salimpour. Dinner starts at 730pm with outdoor dining and entertainment. 9pm the Saloon opens! All night drinking, gambling and general mayhem! Roulette wheels too! 1030pm the Evening show will begin in the Town Hall across from the Saloon. Featuring Dahlia, Kami Liddle, The Old Ladies, Origin Tribal, The Boiler Bar, Janice Solimeno, Kristen Dosland and The Indigo! Then back to the Saloon to finish out the evening with surprise entertainment and more drinking and gambling! The evening runs until 2am and then we gotta go! Um……..
Please come. I’ve dreamed about this for years. It could quite possibly be one of the biggest things I do artistically in my life. I would love to share it with you. Check out www.unmata.com for tickets. See you at The Rodeo!
Much Luv, Amy Sigil
Home at last!
). Isabella and I had a blast with memories like the Opera in Italy, Flamenco in Spain, a Moroccan Hammam in Belgium, and great beaches in France. I don’t buy “things” but I do buy activities and memories.
It is so perfect that this year “Aida” was the featured opera at La Scala Theater in Milan. I had promised Isabella that I would take her to the opera while in Milan, and so we were delighted that this grand classic was the highlight. Tickets were sold out in 15 minutes – but I would be damned if I wasn’t getting this kid to this opera. Fortunately for us, Olivia put us in a 5 star hotel and we were able to get tickets through them. So off we went to this amazing and historic site for a night at the opera. Dressing up was fun and we had a “mother/daughter” date which is one of our favorite things to do.
At times, people watching was more entertaining than the opera itself. The shoes, shoes, shoes, shoes…… help me. It is hard enough seeing these fantastic women in the most incredible shoes just walking along the streets each day. Or my favorite – seeing a woman on a Vespa (motor bike) in a hot little Italian outfit with 3 inch Italian zebra print shoes to match the zebra print helmut. But their “going out to the opera” shoes were even better! Can you believe that???? Good thing my suitcase was already full.
We walked to the opera from our hotel on the same stones that so many famous and historic people had done before. And there we were, at La Scala Opera House walking in with our not so great shoes but full of enthusiasm. We were sitting in the front of our cabinet and had a nice view of the theater. After people watching for a little while longer, the conductor came out and we as an audience paid our respects. The lights went low and Isabella and I held hands and the first note was struck.
We both got chills during the performance – the production was grand with at least 100 people on stage at times. The costumes, the lighting, the music, the sets……. flawless. The story line was a classic – one man, two women, a lot of drama. Nothing too unique, but the music was something that was a memory of my soul. The performers were brilliant and very much earned the right to grace that historic stage.
During one of the intermissions we went into the lounge and looked at photos of all the famous productions that artists that had performed at La Scala. Domingo, Pavarotti, Callas, and many more. I was in awe. I only wish we had this level of artistry in Belly Dance.
When the night was over we went back to our hotel for some Raspberry Moose to end the evening. When we get home I will make sure to play the sound track from Aida for Isabella when she wakes up for school in hopes that she will live with this memory forever. Or maybe she will just remember all the fabulous shoes. Either way it made an impact.