EXPANDING HORIZONS

Me and a small group of European travelers at Lands End San Francisco

Among many performing highlights of 2015, I have had the pleasure to expand my minimal private life and host many international travelers in my home AKA Velocity Circus headquarters. Occasionally a visitor of great talent shows up and of course – I put them to work in one of our productions!

There are far too many fascinating and meaningful encounters to note; however each varied guest, disparate traveler and distinct person with whom I have encountered and shared time has changed and inspired me for the better. Overall, through the cultural exchange, both my and their horizons have forever expanded.

I have recently had a repeat guest named Alvise who is an Industrial designer from Venice, Italy.
He is working on project in San Francisco designing fabric and garments that will be produced by means of 3D printing.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, I still work making costumes by hand, stitch-by-stitch.

Alvise and I are opposites in every aspect of life, yet have forged a true friendship during his short visit here.  
 
Based on his experience in my home, with my arts crew, and witnessing my ever-changing, always-adapting philosophy, he wrote this very special “review” which deeply resonated with me and that I choose to share with any readers here:

“Sometimes you listen to a song or you read a sentence or do whatever, and this thing changes you. 
I did change somehow every time I've been in Greg's house of happiness. 
Touring his world gave me the kind of dream-like feeling that I had watching Lynch's Muholland Drive, everything has the right to be in his own form and position, the whole picture though is imperceptible or subject to interpretation. 
Gregangelo literally can't stop putting himself in the position of changing continuously because this is a truly curious and eclectic man, and since changing yourself changes the way you see at things around you, he is experiencing the place he created himself each time differently. That's why he won't be able to explain himself the whole pattern if you are lucky enough to be invited in this incredible place. And believe me if you are, you want to go. 
He is talented, funny, unpredictable, and a good friend now for me in the city, amazing careful host, and it’s a true honor for me to have a look into his life and meet the nice people he is surrounded by. Thanks Greg. Sorry for this cheesy reference, but you are a very special man.”

 
-Alvise Rizzo
Veneto Italy

Alvise is a rare and special man who stands out among my many guests. 


He is expansive in his thinking, active and adaptable in his philosophies, very present and sincere, playful and unafraid, and is as interesting himself as he is interested in the world around him. 


Overall I find Alvise to be a gentle and unassumingly inspiring man with a magnetic and comforting presence. 


I look forward to continuing to meet new friends, share meaningful time eye-to-eye with people in the real world and find new inspiration from folks whether they are just passing through, or here to stay…

Gregangelo
Artistic Director
Velocity Arts & Entertainment
Velocity Circus
San Francisco
415 664-0095
www.gregangelo.com
velocitysf@prodigy.net

FOLSOM STREET FAIR 2015

Velocity Circus’ pride is to provide meaningful family, community and corporate entertainment to the world.  However, once in a while, I feel it is important to bring our shining brand of artistry to an adult themed audience… in this case San Francisco’s:  The Folsom Street Fair which publicly celebrates BDSM and other sexual fetishes.

Velocity Circus Ensemble characters personifying sexual kinks from left to right:
“Pan-Sexual, Snow-Baller, Ms GG Bridges , Ring Master Bator, Pet my Pussy , Golden Showers, Fudge-Packer, and Salad-Tosser” “

After being professionally photographed for a book about the festival, here is a brief interview:

Thank-you for coming to our outdoor studio at The Folsom Street Fair on September 27, 2015, and for allowing us to make this image.

We are preparing a book on The Fair.  We need text, context, content, to make the book rich, interesting, worth reading, (over and above the photos).  Would you please help us by sending us your responses to these questions?

1.  Why do go to The Folsom Street Fair?
 
As artistic director of Velocity Circus: To provide a contrasting, meaningful, provocative, outlandish spectacle and well humored installation in order to entertain the many non-BDSM voyeuristic guests, as well as the full-on BDSM guests alike, in a safe, non violent, interactive fashion.

Let’s face it- if you interact with most of the Folsom fair booths- you are going to get hurt!

This year’s install titled “Ring Master Bator and The Kinks” personified popular sex terms, kinks and fetishes as if from the un-knowing imagination and innocence of youth.

If you say “Fudge Packer”, “Salad Tossing”, “Pearl Necklace”, “Rainbow Kiss”, “Pan”, “Golden Showers” to a kid- what do they imagine?
 
We brought that contrasting innocence to light in the embodiment of each one of our interactive characters at this festival of extreme adult debauchery.

“Pan-Sexual”

 2.  What does your Folsom Street Fair persona say about you?

It is who I am as a professional artist and provocateur. 

 3.  Does your FSF persona reflect the “real” you?

Yes, indeed

4.  How old are you, and what do you do for a living?

I am 49 and am an artist, entertainer, and artistic director of San Francisco based Gregangelo & Velocity Circus/ Arts & Entertainment.

5.  How does the FSF role-playing fit into the rest of your life.

It is a public professional living!

6.  Who are you, really?

A very caring and truly liberated man who enjoys allowing and even provoking out the true, honest self of everyone I encounter. I love to see people succeed in all aspects of their life and desires.

7. Can you tell us about your sex life, your sexuality and sexual activity?

What sex life?!I am everyone’s “Dad” and no ones “Daddy”.

So far, I have been very lucky to have had a handful of solid sexual relationships- each different, earnest, and fluidly changing sexual identities throughout my life.

I do not identify with my sexuality as my power, but rather my power is the ability to bring meaningful and connecting wonderment into the world.

When the very rare and palpable electrical current of true sexual connection strikes- I succumb. But it is indeed a scarce and treasured occurrence.

    8.    Anything else pertinent that you think those who will read the book will find interesting?

 I am a native San Franciscan who has seen, embraced, and adapted to the many phenomenal changes which happen in this magical and welcoming city.

 Thank you for taking the time to do this; your comments and insights will make the book even more fascinating than it is already.

 Beverly Ornstein
Schatz Ornstein Studio 

All in a days work!

“Rainbow Kiss” (look it up!)

Gregangelo
Artistic Director
Velocity Arts & Entertainment
Velocity Circus
San Francisco
415 664-0095
www.gregangelo.com
velocitysf@prodigy.net
 

Reality pleasantly disguised as illusion

 

 

"Yes, I have tricks in my pocket, yes I have things up my sleeve. But I am the opposite of a magician. A magician gives you illusions that appear to be real. I give you reality pleasantly disguised as illusion"

 

-Tennessee Williams

The Glass Menagerie 

 

 

Gregangelo
Artistic Director
Velocity Arts & Entertainment
Velocity Circus
San Francisco
415 664-0095
www.gregangelo.com
velocitysf@prodigy.net

CULTURAL ENCOUNTERS

I recently traveled to Venice and Paris with my partner, had an inspiring good time and really immersed into the arts & culture.

As soon as we returned back to San Francisco, my partner, Emmanuel looked at me and exclaimed (in his beautiful French accent):
“You are a very high maintenance man and I can not take care of all of your needs …and I am so thankful to everyone you work with who does!

So here is a note of gratitude I wrote to the culturally diverse team who took great care of the Velocity business while I was away and who each in their own unique way does in fact take care of “My needs”:

I have been catching up and resting a bit since I returned from my journey and just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for a job spectacularly well done while I was away.

I did not realize it took 30+ extraordinary people to take care of “my needs”. I suppose that is rather high maintenance???
More needs to come soon! In return, I will do my best to take care or yours.

And beyond the work, the friendship and trust I forge with each of you is so very valuable.
After all of the great care and extraordinary detail you each put into accomplishing every project, returning really does feel like a new chapter in our company.
Now don’t screw up! LEAVE THAT UP TO ME.

I also wanted to share this cultural encounter and positive ‘review ‘below which I came home to. It is written by a young traveler who I hosted in my home/business before I left.
His words really moved me and are a reflection of who each of you inspire me to be…and what I hammer over your heads to be!

We should all take the time to be so eloquent with one another.

Adam Roker, Chicago, IL, United States

Stayed with Gregangelo – Positive

Gregangelo (say the whole name, he's more than just a Greg) was an amazing host. His house is a character within itself and there is more than enough to see. Gregangelo is a funny, outspoken, self assured, glorious example of letting your soul guide your life with purpose. I got to see a rehearsal for one of his upcoming performances and it's clear that he is a lightning rod of creativity for all artists around him. He sees the best in people and does what he can to bring it out. Spending time conversing and learning with him was the highlight of my trip. I used to think that I was too weird for words. He helped me realize I was too weird for the confines of MY world and to enjoy it. He is a friend for life and I can't wait to see him in the future. You'd be doing yourself a great disservice to not get to meet him!

As always it is a business doing pleasure with you all.

Gratefully,

Gregangelo
Artistic Director
Velocity Arts & Entertainment
Velocity Circus
San Francisco
415 664-0095
www.gregangelo.com
velocitysf@prodigy.net

San Francisco Christmas

Just want to share with you the uniquely San Francisco Christmas I experienced:
Slumbering nightly in the shadow of Coit tower at my partner’s urban condo, I am usually awakened at dusk by the soothing sound of foghorns on the nearby SF Bay, or sometimes by the loud, but delightful squawks of the Parrots of Telegraph hill. Well, on Christmas Eve, I was woken up at 4:30 am to the sound of thrashing garbage trucks (those guys wanted to get home to their families) which triggered several crazy street people to wake up and soon a screaming fight on the street just below the window ensued!
 

So much for sleeping in on a Holiday, so I decided to start early on my routine of skating across The City back to my home and studio on the Pacific Ocean side of the city.

On my way the usual adventure over the ever-changing urban landscape began. I happen to have a great rapport and even respect for many of the city’s homeless, as I encounter them and sometimes even converse and interact with them daily. They are a prominent presence in the fabric of the city.  I have even been confused for being a homeless man as I hunch over to take off my skates on city benches usually surrounded by several grocery bags after visiting a few farmers markets on my path home. One time, while in this hunched over seated position, a homeless man offered me food! I guess it is time to start wearing nicer street clothes.  This particular day, I encountered several colorful local street folks and exchanged the routine sometimes crass, sometimes comical, sometimes profound words and glances as I whizzed by their turfs on my skate home. One charismatic man who was soliciting $, caught me at a standstill at a stoplight and put on a lame puppet show for me with an ugly, smelly sock puppet covered with who knows what. I told him I was not impressed and asked him for a dollar for my perseverance.
 He actually gave me a buck…I promptly returned it.

I continued on my skate past the LGBTQI (still not sure exactly what the I means) center on Market Street and struggled through a thick crowd of protesters stopping all traffic and chanting “Black Lives Matter!!!

Than I proceeded on to my bank branch which was oddly surrounded with police. Turns out they just got held up at gunpoint.
There goes the cash bonus I was going to give everyone for Christmas!

I finally made it home and decided to wind down my hyper self after the mornings thrills and venture back out to take a yoga class.
So I checked the schedule for the next class time…it was an all men’s naked yoga class.

I love this city.
Hope your New Year and beyond is inspiring and brings all you desire…

Gregangelo
Artistic Director
Velocity Arts & Entertainment
Velocity Circus
San Francisco
415 664-0095
www.gregangelo.com
velocitysf@prodigy.net

Connectivity

During a misty San Francisco summer twilight of what also turned out to be the final eve of my mom’s life, I was awakened at 4 am by feverish dreams. I dreamt I was in my studio with several artists and we were in a great hurry to paint several unglazed ceramic monkeys. I was leading the production line and really cracking the whip to have the monkeys finished on time, which was at that moment. We were quickly passing them along to one another completing their glazing and than a ringing alarm went off in the studio signifying we were done.

At that same moment, my bedroom phone rang. I awoke from the subconscious, but realistic work-dream, to the full consciousness of the room around me. I did not answer the phone, as I knew what the news was. My mom had passed. I brushed my teeth, got dressed, than listened to my VM. The first message was from my mom earlier that day, aggravated and confirming that I had sent over a housekeeper, who she had requested. She ended with her typical farewell “I love you”. There was a breathy rattle in her voice.  I deleted it knowing it was the last time I would hear her voice. The second was from my brother saying to call.  So I called and he confirmed what I already knew- she had just died, and he was with her body at her home. I asked him not to move her body, he agreed, and I went rite over.
When I saw where she had laid down to die, I intuitively knew her process and why she was where she was in her home and I was comforted that she had passed exactly how she envisioned and desired- alone in her own perfectly organized environment. The housekeeper did well!

I wanted to see what she saw while she was transitioning, so I quickly laid down write next to her and followed the gaze of her eyes, which were still wide open.
She was staring directly at 3 ceramic monkeys which were prominently posed in the classic hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil positions.
Those 3 monkeys now live in my home.

We are all connected…

Gregangelo
Artistic Director
Velocity Arts & Entertainment
Velocity Circus
San Francisco
415 664-0095
www.gregangelo.com
velocitysf@prodigy.net