The Trouble With Aztecs-A new one act comedic play by Kali's Hourglass

The Trouble With Aztecs-A new one act comedic play by Kali's Hourglass will be presented at Carnevale of Creatures on Febuary 11th, 2011 at "The Sons of Herrman Hall" in Dallas.  The play will include a very abbreviated real traditional Aztec invocation of the six directions, a "Permisso" dance and the first half of the traditional (500 year old) White Eagle Dance which Ramon and Radha learned during their years studying and performing with the traditional "Grupo Estandarte" Ollin Tonatzin in Dallas, Texas led by Itzcoa and Graciela Solorio in the lineage of Natividad Reyna.   Like all their comedies it's basis derives from current conflicts in the steampunk subculture, but exaggerated to a comedic degree.  In this case the stereotypical English Victorian "Naturalist" who styles himself a "Chrono-anthropologist" (time traveler that studies human cultures), while well meaning, is blissfuly ignorant of the full majesty and civilization of the Aztec people whom he views, like all those of his day (who did not consider them simply barbaric obstacles to progress) as so called "Noble Savages".  This is actually in keeping with historical views in the Victorian Era as well as the complaint that some Steampunk members take the whole Victorian Imperialism too far suggesting leanings toward "white supremacy sympathies".  That is exactly why he is directed to play the character this way, albeit a rather sympathetic version of the arrogant gentleman of his time.  That, and the dances themselves have some basis in fact, but at that point we steer wildly off course into the realm of fictional myth, legend, and space and time traveling Mayans and Aztecs, mostly for the purpose of making it work as a comedy that pokes fun at the English superiority of the day.  To learn more-come see the show!

[Editor's note: the stage situation was so poor at Carnevale of Creatures for a dance performance (lots of power cords and amps on stage) and the audience had such poor visibility of the floor in front of the stage that for this and other reasons the first public performance of this comedic short play will be inserted into the Multicultural Ensembles Panel by Kali's Hourglass at the upcoming All-Con in Addison, Texas.  It will be used as a practical example of how multicultural ensembles can be created without damaging a traditional historical outfit, how they can be used in Steampunk performance art, and as fertile ground for discussion about possible need for editing of scripts to account for cultural concerns even in the usually uncensored realm of comedy.]