(Photos by J. Maus/BikePortland)
It was one of those moments that will be talked about for years. Portland’s beloved mini-bike dance troupe, The Sprockettes, gave an emotionally charged and historic performance in front of a large, appreciative crowd at the Bike Fair on Saturday.
10 years ago the Sprockettes, a group of women who met while “zoobombing” the hills in Washington Park, started their amazing journey on the same pavement in Colonel Summers Park where they danced yesterday. All of the group’s founding members were in attendance. Former Sprockettes flew in from all over the country (Minneapolis, Richmond (VA), San Francisco, Oakland), leaving their jobs and families behind in order to rekindle old bonds formed over a shared love of bikes, dance, and community activism.
What began in 2004 as a way to make their mark among the other local bike groups in town, eventually became much more. Over the years The Sprockettes have garnered major media attention, gone on several national tours, and inspired other women in cities across the globe to form bike dance groups of their own.
Along the way they honed not just their moves, but also their mission; which is equal parts entertainment and empowerment. Run as a collective, the Sprockettes spread a message of positive self-image for all body types, while “offering an alternative to the dangerous mono-culture of what the ideal body type is; and promote female positive perspective that celebrates women’s empowerment.”
In other words; celebrate who you are, take control of your life, and have fun.
Saturday’s performance embodied those principles. It capped months of preparations, planning and practices. And it all came together beautifully.
Before the special anniversary performance, we were treated to an awesome set by the current Sprockettes…
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And then it was time for the veterans to show they’ve still got the moves…
Then all 28 Sprockettes came together for a performance of one of their classics, “Sexy on the inside”…
I’ve been so lucky to have been able to document these women for the past nine years. They’ve been a tremendous inspiration for me and my family and I’m so proud and excited for what they’ve been able to accomplish. Well done ladies!
And thank you for being so bad ass.
“S-P-R-O-C-K-E-T-T-E-S!”
— View our entire gallery of the performance on Flickr.