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ENVIRONMENTAL
ENCROACHMENT 2 Letters of recommendation: Environmental Encroachment has performed at our first two festivals, and they never fail to entertain and inspire audiences of all ages with their irrepressible playfulness. Mike Smith and his band mates are consummate street performers, mixing raucous music with audacious theatrics (not to mention bunny ears and hula-hoops) to turn the world upside down and get everyone laughing and dancing. They have played virtually every type of venue, for every kind of occasion and audience, all across the country, and never pass up an opportunity to play for, and learn from, performers and audiences of all kinds. Kevin Leppmann ------- Environmental Encroachment has come to epitomize the Burning Man spirit at Chicago events. The band's unmistakable presence lifts every occasion in which they participate. They are accomplished musicians who take performance seriously, but they are also agitators who connect with everyone around them and convey energy and humor at every turn. They always come through for us, and they have become something of a civic treasure. They also have been pioneers in bringing the values of Burning Man off the playa and into communities. They have led 5 Halloween Parades in Chicago, led the annual Bunny Hop, and have provided marching and brass band services at events too numerous to mention- both within the Chicago Burning Man community and at other public occasions. They not only ramp up the energy, but they become musical ambassadors of a spirit that includes gifting, radical self-expression and radical inclusion. Their participation on the Playa is consistently notable, including at the Billion Bunny March. Whatever they are proposing will be with style, purpose and grace. I can think of no better group than Environmental Encroachment. Tom LaPorte
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