Pictured: Zoe Jakes, Mayuri Bhandari, Lyla June Johnston and Kellita Maloof
The Zero to Fierce festival is in full swing up in Arcata!
If you’re somehow not aware of the phenomenon, for 10 days each year Playhouse Arts fills the Arcata Playhouse stage with dozens of talented and adventurous women artists from both our community and beyond.
To shed some light on this year’s proceedings, KSLG’s Rhi Marie is back to chat with a handful the most-heralded upcoming performers who are scheduled to bring their talents to the Arcata Playhouse stage in the next couple days. Tune in below!
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(AUDIO) Mayuri Bhandari and Lyla June Johnston on KSLG
First up, a twofer: On Thursday evening, Mayuri Bhandari will perform her solo show The Anti Yogi, which calls out the “absurdities of western yoga culture” and exploitation of the spiritual practice. The show won two awards at the 2024 Hollywood Fringe Festival, including the Zephyr’s Zest Award and the Fringe Award for Dance and Physical Theatre.
On Friday, Lyla June Johnston and Cassandra May, a researcher with the Rou Dalagurr Food Sovereignty Lab & Traditional Ecological Knowledges Institute at Cal Poly Humboldt, will host a lunch box discussion on precolonial Indigenous land stewardship techniques and how these land management practices are applied today. A little later in the evening, Johnston will take it to the stage for a hip-hop and spoken word performance.
Click the player above to listen to Rhi Marie’s full interview with Bhandari and Johnston.
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Next up: Later on Thursday night, audiences have the opportunity to catch The Serpentine Storytellers, a show featuring movement artists “telling the universal stories of love, loss, life and death through dance, gesture and poetry.”
The show is headed up by Zoe Jakes, who began her belly dance journey in 2000 and quickly became a pioneer of the tribal fusion style. As a founding member of the electronic and world fusion group Beats Antique, Zoe not only composes music but also serves as the group’s lead dancer, captivating audiences with her mesmerizing performances. Her distinctive approach blends pop-and-lock isolations, jazz footwork, classical Indian dance, modern lines, and folk belly dance traditions. Beyond the stage, she is a dedicated teacher, creating an inclusive and playful training environment that welcomes dancers of all backgrounds.
In the interview above, Zoe talks about how she views her artistic journey as a river — constantly flowing, shifting, and evolving. For her, creativity is about embracing change rather than resisting it. She shared insights on how storytelling and dance are deeply intertwined in her work, expressing emotions and universal experiences beyond words.
Click the player above to tune in.
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(AUDIO) Kellita Maloof on KSLG
Finally: Looking forward to Sunday, Glory of Love is “a lovesong cabaret, infused with earnestness, whimsy and heart felt spontaneity.”
The piece is the vision performance artist Kellita Maloof. In the interview above, Rhi talks to Maloof about the importance of forming a deep connection between performer and audience and who she attempts to redefine the role of a showgirl to be more than just an entertainer. To Maloof, a true showgirl experiences an awakening and is someone who fearlessly reveals their essence, inviting others to do the same.
Tune in above.
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Wanna see what’s next in the Zero to Fierce lineup? Click here.
DJ Rhi Marie, at home in her KSLG studio in Old Town
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