A fiery orange and red paper-mach?(c) dragon, in New Orleans style, trailed after a dozen performers: mimes, a marionette and two entertainers on three-foot tall stilts all dancing to the tunes of the marching band.
The stilt walkers had a little trouble fitting through the doorway, however, as this parade took place inside.
Panjandrum, a group of roving entertainers, combined stilt-walking, pantomime and groovy music to delight the audience Saturday night at Trimania, a rocking party and fundraiser to benefit Just Buffalo Literary Center, Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center and the Buffalo Arts Studio.
Held on all six floors of the Tri-Main Building on Main Street, this multifaceted event was the first of its kind in the Buffalo area, bringing lovers of art, literature and music into its galleries.
Students mingled with artists and members of the community at poetry readings, while musicians viewed works of art on each of the three floors of galleries in the building.
Stacey Kurtz, senior illustration major, thought the diversity of the crowd was one of the most interesting effects of this cross-cultural celebration, adding that this could only take place in Western New York.
"Only at Trimania. Angst-ridden goth princesses, high class spoon-up-their-nose Buffalo art critics and everyone in between were locking paws in an art-driven Hands Across America," Kurtz said.
The throngs of people who attended Saturday night's event were treated not only to poetry and the art on display in both Hallwalls' and Buffalo Arts Studio's galleries, but to musical performances by groups from every genre imaginable, including reggae, jazz, punk, rock and rap.
Krakatoa, a five-member band that played at last year's Artists and Models show at Hallwalls, traveled from Brooklyn once again to join the ranks of the Buffalo arts movement.
A primarily instrumental group with solid foundations in classical music, Krakatoa adds splashes of color to the sounds of the two lead violins with the rock-driven drum beats and solid bass and keyboard grooves.
In a sound that blends jazz and rock with a dash of punk and a sprinkle of folk, Glendon Jones, the electric violinist, was reluctant to commit to a specific genre that encompassed the band's musical complexity, and explained the most general term he could give Krakatoa's sound was "post-rock."
Dave Brown and Val Opielski, violinist and keyboardist respectively, were particularly excited about helping out the three organizations involved in Trimania.
"I think it's fantastic that so many people in the community are coming together to support the Buffalo arts movement," Brown said.
Other performances included a juggling duo by two brothers originally from Maine called Two: High Energy Juggling.
Jason and Matthew Tardy, ages 22 and 20, performed to a captivated crowd outside Hallwalls' Black and Blue Theater, stunning spectators with death-defying feats such as juggling razor sharp knives while blindfolded.
Claiming they actually wanted to be rock stars, but lacked the musical ability, Jason said the brothers went into juggling instead. Their "extreme" form of juggling mixed choreographed dance with gravity-defying juggling, tossing up to eight objects between the brothers.
Two, who perform at high schools and festivals across the country, had an idealistic approach to achieving their dream. They chalk up their success to hard work and determination, with little regard for monetary compensation.
"We love what we're doing, and that's what's important," Jason said.
The Poetry Slam, held at the conclusion of the night, packed people into the small room designated for the event. Though the "all-out poetry smackdown" began nearly 45 minutes late, the crowd jammed into the tiny room to catch some of the energy exuded by Buffalo's finest poets.
In an exciting display of literary wonder, several poets recited fast-paced pieces that brought the crowd to such exhilaration that members of the audience shouted and clapped along with the slammers.
The fundraiser, which was expected to draw between 2,000 and 3,000 people, hoped to raise at least $5,000 for each organization involved.
The crowd appeared to understand that this was the preliminary attempt at a collaboration of similar scope and caliber.
Ilysa Lederkramer, a senior computer art major, thought it was a good first attempt, and that the problems such as lack of space for performers would be remedied the next time around.
"It was ambitious of them to try something like this in the first place," Lederkaramer said.
