Earth DescenDance OurStory

Ourstory

" Humble Beginnings "

It was the summer of 2004 when Kris, Bronwynn and their young daughter Nalua left the Bay Area, California to find greener grass in sunny Oregon (Greener grass they found, but sun, not so much). They started off living in Elmira , Oregon on a sweet home nestled in the country side just under a mile from the popular Country Fair site in Veneta , Oregon . It was Country Fair where the young family witnessed the overwhelming magic of what this part of the world has to offer. Only knowing a hand full of people in the area at that time, Kris, Bronwynn and Nalua set out into the mobs of like minded people blending right in but slightly showing the fresh look of virgin Fair goers. They knew from the moment they drove their orange VW bus into the parking lot that they were home. Three days had gone by and 2004 Oregon Country Fair was ending. While loading up the VW to head home Kris and Bronwynn turn to each other and both say at the same time, “We have to do this every year”.

And so they did……. Kris and Bronwynn were making friends from people at Fair to people from the daily jobs they worked. One of their key connections was meeting Nate Stuart the summer of 2005 gaining many more friends and families along the way. Nate and kris first started playing around with sticks and swinging poi, next thing they knew they were experimenting with fire.

Another connection was with Shawn and Rachel Johnson. The Johnson couple introduced Kris to another fire dancer. That person introduced him to another and then another and so on. Soon there were well established fire groups popping up that Kris and Bronwynn found through the local fire network. The wheels in Kris' head started turning and the collected dust of years past found its way out of his head as he came up with an idea to dance with fire as he did several years ago. Not just to play but performing on stage.

This is where it all started to heat up. Kris and Bronwynn both decided and agreed to start a fire group. After thinking long and hard on group names Kris was blessed with the name “Earth DescenDance”, a name that describes how they both look at the world. “Earth because, well, we are living on this planet and her name is commonly known as Earth. The name DescenDance was chosen because as individuals we each bring our own cultures and blend them all into one finding ourselves on common ground”.

After establishing the group name, Kris and Bronwynn invited Nate and Rachel to officially be involved in the group. From there they started routine building to various music tracks. It took just a matter of weeks when they started dancing for friends and families under the “Earth DescenDance” name . From there it escalated to small paid gigs that helped make a name for the young start up group.

Less than a year later the 2006 Oregon Country Fair was right around the corner. Earth DescenDance recruited 5 more performers and was accepted into the Friday Night Show. For Earth DescenDance it felt so good to be on stage expressing their passion for performing and to receive back ten fold from the audience. That evening the Earth DescenDance entity came alive!

The rest is yet to be told!