Like nothing else in the area!
The weekend of June 21 was one of the year's major events for me. Starting on Friday night and continuing later Saturday; the Freak Out is something very unique.
A combination of several areas, the main focus is being a family oriented event. This year featured two locations. Main stage was the PPL Plaza on 9th and Hamilton. With the Allentown BrewWorks having indoor shows, such as burlesque and comedy in the Silk Lounge. The other location was 4 blocks down Hamilton at the Schoen's building.
The Schoen's building was scheduled for a complete remodel. Fuse Art Infrastructure and Alternative Gallery took over for two days. This turned out to be one of the main attractions, especially on Friday night. When you walked in, the Industrial Art exhibit was the first thing you experienced. The placement of sculptures gave people time to stop at each one and take it in before moving on. The center pieces almost pointed to what was on the walls. The white wall color highlighted the art placed against it. There was a wall dedicated to the community. People could write a short message that became part of the exhibit.
The two sections worked great together by complimenting and contrasting the other. The Industrial section was more mellow with white walls and an abandoned building feel to it. The back section was alive and almost exploded with vibrant colors and styles! Street, abstract, modern were only a few examples of styles and genres present. There was a community wall here also. People were encouraged to draw something that became part of this exhibit as well.
Both Fuse Art Infrastructure and Alternative Gallery had great ideas. Turning the first floor of an abandoned building into something people could appreciate. The community walls and artists present added a high level of interactivity for anyone stopping by. Great Job and Congratulations to both!!!! Check out the photos:
http://avalleyandbeyond.weebly.com/allentown-freakout-fuse-and-alternative.html
Due to the schedule of events, it was almost impossible to experience everything. Now, I will take you back to the PPL Plaza area. Friday night, I missed a burlesque show and live music on main stage.
On Friday night, the Allentown Art Works had an exhibit opening featuring nude art from the upcoming calendar: Natura, Naked in Nature. This was not typical nude art / photography. The art portrayed human beings the way things started. People were in a forest and nude. You are almost, literally, taken back to when the human race began. In front of ArtWorks, another round of Art Wars was held. 4 artists competed in a live painting competition to advance to the next round. To cap off the night, on the side of a building was another surprise: The original Little Shop of Horrors was shown. I am talking about the black and white version.
http://avalleyandbeyond.weebly.com/allentown-freakout-friday-night.html
Saturday, had a lot happening. Lehigh Valley Roller Girls volunteered to hand out programs and answer questions. The exhibits continued at Schoen's building. The main stage was jumping with music, dancing, sideshow and fire dance. I caught part of Harley Newman's Sideshow. This was definitely not just for adults. His jokes and act was really enjoyed by the kids. Modern dance included the Mazzini Dance Collective. Belly Dancing? I caught the Aequinox Dance Collective doing an avant-garde belly dancing show. The music was modern and high energy! I do not want to forget a main attraction: The 2013 Miss FreakOut contest. Just like any "Miss _____" contest, contestants took the stage. Answered questions asked by judges. Performed in a talent segment. Sorry, no swimsuit / evening gown part here. Yes, there were two burlesque shows.
http://avalleyandbeyond.weebly.com/allentown-freakout-harley-newman--mazzini-dance.html
http://avalleyandbeyond.weebly.com/allentown-freakout-miss-freakout.html
http://avalleyandbeyond.weebly.com/allentown-freak-out-belly-dancing.html
The first one was for the over 18 crowd in BrewWorks' Silk Lounge. The second happened after nightfall on the main stage. Even though this one was a little less risque, I thought it was the better of the two. The show was more exotic and modern. The music was a high combination of passion and power. Now for the end and grand finale!!!!
http://avalleyandbeyond.weebly.com/allentown-freakout-burlesque.htmlhttps://www.facebook.com/HouseOfMinervaBurlesqueAndComedyTroupe?ref=ts&fref=ts
http://www.houseofminerva.com/pages/hom-burlesque-and-comedy-troupe
https://www.facebook.com/Houseofminerva
The Burning Hearts Fire & Light Theater ended the Freak Out with one hell of a show! I remembered the show from last year. This one easily topped it. Again, high power / modern music set the stage for the performers to do more than just juggle burning torches. Try hula hoops, chains and whips. I could not take my eyes off it and was almost beyond words at my reaction. The entire crowd cheered and clapped during and after the performance. There was not better way to bring this unique event to a conclusion.
http://avalleyandbeyond.weebly.com/allentown-freakout-burning-hearts.htmlhttp://avalleyandbeyond.weebly.com/allentown-freak-out-crowd-photos.html
Allen T. FreekOutz, Lehigh Valley Roller Girls, and everyone involved deserve a lot of credit. The Freak Out is a free event. What they pulled off this year, was a definite 2013 highlight for me. In both locations, people seriously enjoyed themselves. This was a perfect start to my 2013 summer!!!! A special thank you to the Allentown Police Department Bicycle Officers. You did a great job adding a feeling of extra security at the event. I want to note: there were no problems at the Freak Out. Thanks to Mother Nature for providing great weather!
Curious about anything I mentioned?
Lehigh Valley Rollergirls: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lehigh-Valley-Rollergirls/42872202556?ref=ts&fref=ts
Allentown ArtWorks: https://www.facebook.com/AllentownArtWorks?ref=ts&fref=ts
Allentown Brew Works: https://www.facebook.com/Allentown.Brew.Works?ref=ts&fref=ts
Mazzini Dance Collective: https://www.facebook.com/MazziniDanceCollective?ref=ts&fref=ts
Burning Hearts Fire & Light Theater: https://www.facebook.com/theburninghearts?ref=ts&fref=ts
Fuse Art Infrastructure: https://www.facebook.com/FuseArtAllentown?ref=ts&fref=ts
The Alternative Gallery: https://www.facebook.com/thealternativegallery?ref=ts&fref=ts
The Man who makes it possible, Allen T. FreekOutz: https://www.facebook.com/allentownfreakout?ref=ts&fref=ts
A combination of several areas, the main focus is being a family oriented event. This year featured two locations. Main stage was the PPL Plaza on 9th and Hamilton. With the Allentown BrewWorks having indoor shows, such as burlesque and comedy in the Silk Lounge. The other location was 4 blocks down Hamilton at the Schoen's building.
The Schoen's building was scheduled for a complete remodel. Fuse Art Infrastructure and Alternative Gallery took over for two days. This turned out to be one of the main attractions, especially on Friday night. When you walked in, the Industrial Art exhibit was the first thing you experienced. The placement of sculptures gave people time to stop at each one and take it in before moving on. The center pieces almost pointed to what was on the walls. The white wall color highlighted the art placed against it. There was a wall dedicated to the community. People could write a short message that became part of the exhibit.
The two sections worked great together by complimenting and contrasting the other. The Industrial section was more mellow with white walls and an abandoned building feel to it. The back section was alive and almost exploded with vibrant colors and styles! Street, abstract, modern were only a few examples of styles and genres present. There was a community wall here also. People were encouraged to draw something that became part of this exhibit as well.
Both Fuse Art Infrastructure and Alternative Gallery had great ideas. Turning the first floor of an abandoned building into something people could appreciate. The community walls and artists present added a high level of interactivity for anyone stopping by. Great Job and Congratulations to both!!!! Check out the photos:
http://avalleyandbeyond.weebly.com/allentown-freakout-fuse-and-alternative.html
Due to the schedule of events, it was almost impossible to experience everything. Now, I will take you back to the PPL Plaza area. Friday night, I missed a burlesque show and live music on main stage.
On Friday night, the Allentown Art Works had an exhibit opening featuring nude art from the upcoming calendar: Natura, Naked in Nature. This was not typical nude art / photography. The art portrayed human beings the way things started. People were in a forest and nude. You are almost, literally, taken back to when the human race began. In front of ArtWorks, another round of Art Wars was held. 4 artists competed in a live painting competition to advance to the next round. To cap off the night, on the side of a building was another surprise: The original Little Shop of Horrors was shown. I am talking about the black and white version.
http://avalleyandbeyond.weebly.com/allentown-freakout-friday-night.html
Saturday, had a lot happening. Lehigh Valley Roller Girls volunteered to hand out programs and answer questions. The exhibits continued at Schoen's building. The main stage was jumping with music, dancing, sideshow and fire dance. I caught part of Harley Newman's Sideshow. This was definitely not just for adults. His jokes and act was really enjoyed by the kids. Modern dance included the Mazzini Dance Collective. Belly Dancing? I caught the Aequinox Dance Collective doing an avant-garde belly dancing show. The music was modern and high energy! I do not want to forget a main attraction: The 2013 Miss FreakOut contest. Just like any "Miss _____" contest, contestants took the stage. Answered questions asked by judges. Performed in a talent segment. Sorry, no swimsuit / evening gown part here. Yes, there were two burlesque shows.
http://avalleyandbeyond.weebly.com/allentown-freakout-harley-newman--mazzini-dance.html
http://avalleyandbeyond.weebly.com/allentown-freakout-miss-freakout.html
http://avalleyandbeyond.weebly.com/allentown-freak-out-belly-dancing.html
The first one was for the over 18 crowd in BrewWorks' Silk Lounge. The second happened after nightfall on the main stage. Even though this one was a little less risque, I thought it was the better of the two. The show was more exotic and modern. The music was a high combination of passion and power. Now for the end and grand finale!!!!
http://avalleyandbeyond.weebly.com/allentown-freakout-burlesque.htmlhttps://www.facebook.com/HouseOfMinervaBurlesqueAndComedyTroupe?ref=ts&fref=ts
http://www.houseofminerva.com/pages/hom-burlesque-and-comedy-troupe
https://www.facebook.com/Houseofminerva
The Burning Hearts Fire & Light Theater ended the Freak Out with one hell of a show! I remembered the show from last year. This one easily topped it. Again, high power / modern music set the stage for the performers to do more than just juggle burning torches. Try hula hoops, chains and whips. I could not take my eyes off it and was almost beyond words at my reaction. The entire crowd cheered and clapped during and after the performance. There was not better way to bring this unique event to a conclusion.
http://avalleyandbeyond.weebly.com/allentown-freakout-burning-hearts.htmlhttp://avalleyandbeyond.weebly.com/allentown-freak-out-crowd-photos.html
Allen T. FreekOutz, Lehigh Valley Roller Girls, and everyone involved deserve a lot of credit. The Freak Out is a free event. What they pulled off this year, was a definite 2013 highlight for me. In both locations, people seriously enjoyed themselves. This was a perfect start to my 2013 summer!!!! A special thank you to the Allentown Police Department Bicycle Officers. You did a great job adding a feeling of extra security at the event. I want to note: there were no problems at the Freak Out. Thanks to Mother Nature for providing great weather!
Curious about anything I mentioned?
Lehigh Valley Rollergirls: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lehigh-Valley-Rollergirls/42872202556?ref=ts&fref=ts
Allentown ArtWorks: https://www.facebook.com/AllentownArtWorks?ref=ts&fref=ts
Allentown Brew Works: https://www.facebook.com/Allentown.Brew.Works?ref=ts&fref=ts
Mazzini Dance Collective: https://www.facebook.com/MazziniDanceCollective?ref=ts&fref=ts
Burning Hearts Fire & Light Theater: https://www.facebook.com/theburninghearts?ref=ts&fref=ts
Fuse Art Infrastructure: https://www.facebook.com/FuseArtAllentown?ref=ts&fref=ts
The Alternative Gallery: https://www.facebook.com/thealternativegallery?ref=ts&fref=ts
The Man who makes it possible, Allen T. FreekOutz: https://www.facebook.com/allentownfreakout?ref=ts&fref=ts
