minifest (Like MotionFest, but with fewer attendees and more valuable.)

The idea for this page came when I could no longer keep track of all the stories of how MotionFest benefited people I had been hearing. I started to try to remember them all when I bumped into Kenny Raskin 2 years after he came to MotionFest and he thanked me for the opportunity because at MotionFest he met Mark McGuire who booked Kenny to perform at a prestigious festival in China. Mark lives in Reno, Kenny lives in Boston. Then a few days later I was walking out of the Bindlestiff's theatre in NYC (I met the Bindlestiff at a very early MotionFest) when I bumped into Ann Weschinsky (who was at that time moving from Virginia to SF) but was on her way in to the theatre. I asked her what she was doing in NY and she said the she had met the Bindlestiffs at a MotionFest and they had hired her to work with them.

Those two stories and the many others i heard before and since have become some of my biggest joys from MotionFest. Todd Strong met Ted Lawrence at MotionFest. Ted then hired Todd (who lives on the west coast) to teach at his circus camp in Vermont. So many performers made more connections, more friends, and more money because they came to MotionFest (and now MiniFest) than I could have ever imagined. People still send me emails of thanks years later.

I met young magician Chad Juros at a gig I was doing in NJ. He came to the next MotionFest. Later, Chad needed emergency brain surgery. Going in, everyone knew he could lose the use of his fingers and hands if it didn't go well. Numerous possible complications could result in death. I emailed magician Joanie Spina who I had met at MotionFest. She contacted some of her Vegas contempories and Chad soon recieved numerous get well emails from some of the biggest names in the industry. Chad kept in touch with those celebrities, had a complete recovery and recently returned from an invited trip to Las Vegas where he met and performed with Lance Burton and Criss Angel. I could go on for hours.

David Magidson told me after he came to a MotionFest he got the courage and desire to finally fullfil a long standing dream of writing a full length solo theatrical show. In the 9 months since that MotionFest had ended and since I had last talked to him, he had finished the play and found a theatre to produce it in. I don't know how he did with it. You try to pull off something that ambitious. He may have lost his shirt, but I know if I call him and ask, he will tell me he is so happy he did it. And what new opportunities had came from it.

What about me? I am still a full time performer...

People ask me if I ended up getting gigs directly from my producing the Fests. I did get a few, but the real value in producing MotionFest and MiniFests for me are the friendships I have made with performers I most likely would never have met otherwise. In some cases, I have chosen to stay
in their homes with them when I travel and skip the free hotels that my gigs offer. The other windfall for me has been the new talent I have been able to book. Along with my performing, I love to get gigs for friends. I have booked close to one hundend different MotionFest attendes on gigs over the years. Some have made thousands from the gigs I have given them. I will provide names if anyone doesn't believe me.

MotionFest and especially MiniFest have improved my career in countless ways. We started it as way for experienced performers to work with experts in areas of their careers that they didn't easily have the time or resources to work on. We gathered those experts for them.

Motionfest was, far and away, the most valuable instruction I've ever received in performance. The quality of the workshops, and the attendees, was unsurpassed.

It's given me important friendships, invaluable networking opportunities and has lead to thousands of dollars in bookings as well as furthering my career immeasurably.

And you know what? Minifest is even better!

I am baffled by the quality of instructors at Motionfest and MiniFest. As a Magician , the opportunities provided by this intensive training is incredible.

In one week, I worked with Joane Spina(Spelling?), Robert Fitch, and Frisco Canyon. Joane was Copperfield's director for 12 years, Robert Fitch directed Copperfield a year before his first TV special and he also directed David Blaine's Television specials. Frisco Canyon was a movement specialist performing in Cirque De Soule.

Robert Fitch has been working with me since that time. He has helped reveal elements of the performance character I'm using and helped me to create a show that is theatre enhanced.

The responses from my audiences have gotten louder and louder. The quantity of repeat bookings has become faster and faster.

The intensive training provides so much information that I am able to apply new things every show for more than a year after each Motionfest.

During the second Motionfest event I attended, I was still learning and beginning to apply information I had learned from a year before. The quality and quantity of information exceeded all of my expectations.

Magically,

Benjamin Corey Feinblum

My one man comedy sideshow, Swami Yomahmi, got it's start at Motionfest, and several of the most successful bits were workshopped there.

The Motionfest experience was invaluable, as well as a hell of a lot of fun.

In performance just last night in Philadelphia I had a "Motionfest Moment"- I used something I learned in a workshop to improv a bit. And as I looked into the audience I recognized several other performers I'd met at MF. My Motionfest experiences have not only contributed to my technical repertoire; the experience of interacting with other performers whom I might not normally meet or work with has been great too. I now feel a greater sense of the performing community.

With the performance critique at Motionfest, I was able to perfect my newest adult-themed juggling/variety act: The Condom Juggling Routine. I was hired to perform in an after hours event for April Fool's Day. The Condom Routine was perfect! And it works beautifully the drunker the audience is!!

I've been going to MotionFest since 2000. I have expanded my network, made friends, increased my bookings, reconnected with old friends, and oh yeah, become a far better performer through working with teachers and receiving critiques from colleagues and peers.

Minifest felt more concentrated than MotionFest. Fewer classes, but more depth.

It's like a working vacation, but with funny people.

MotionFest opened the door to a working relationship totally outside the field of performance. I now work as a writer for someone I would never have met had it not been for the MotionFest connection.

MiniFest was amazing. Scotty Meltzer's comedy workshop has been helping me write funny for the last seven months.

Minifest introduced us to an amazing community of performers who know how to make good entertainment even better! We learned a whole process for workshopping and fine-tuning our bizarre acrobatic-burlesque art- AND because of it we just won the Exotic World Best Burlesque Duo. Specifically one of our best acts- a duo trapeze number based on the Kama Sutra- was coached by Mary Kelly Rayel with character development assistance by Steven Lampredi- it's really the best work we've ever done!

Minifest afforded me the opportunity to approach what I do from different entertainment angles and modalities. Everyone had something to contribute. It helped me begin to conceive of new ways to mesh different varieties of fun, funny, entertaining styles to enhance what I do (which is still in development). And hot girls and crazy other things people were being nutty and doing.

I attended Motionfest in 2004 and Minifest in 2005. They were two of the most educational and career specific workshops I've ever attended. Outside of meeting lots of fun and talented people, Motion & Minifest really allowed me to take my show to the next level.

Within the past two years my career has taken me from being a theme park entertainer to currently having a full schedule working cruise lines and I believe the lessons learned at Motion/Minifest has helped facilitated that transition.

I'll be back again this year to soak in some more.

this is an unedited email I recieved Feb 19, 2005 from Steve:

Ciao Michael:
Just wanted to drop you an email to say "Thanks" again for Motionfest. I had a wonderful experience. Not only did this "old dog learn some new tricks" I also met and formed friendships that will continue for life. I just finished working with Karl Baumann last night at a "Cirque" themed corporate event. It was so cool to be able to work with him having already met/studied with him at Motionfest. I continue to reap residual effects of the Motionfest experience. I just thought that I'd share that with you, you being one of the organizers and all.

As you can see, I have also attached a photo of Karl and I backstage and I just happened to be wearing my Motionfest shirt. I hope that all is well with you and your family. Keep me in the loop if there is anything even resembling Motionfest is on the horizon. Attending is/was/continues to be one of the best professional decisions I have made.
Pasta La Vista....Baby!!!
Steve

Motionfest East 2004 was one of the most extraordinary experiences I've had since entering the performance world. I took chances and pushed myself and my body further than I ever thought I could and resulting a heightened confidence in my abilities. Kudos to the MF team and all of the folks that came out on the other side as friends.