Meet Jenny (pixie) Oeleis | Arts Caravan’s Creator and Lead Instigator: Fire cabaret performer and fire eater, Fire and flow performer.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jenny (pixie) Oeleis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jenny (Pixie), how did you come up with the idea for your business?
I go by Pixie please. So Pixie aka Jenny Oeleis

I have always been attracted to performance and circus culture from a young age. Arts Caravan began as a spark of a young fire performer after being introduced to the Burning Man culture as a 19 year old in my first year at art school (RMCAD). As I was growing into the performance world a growing affinity for clowning and character acts began to mix with fire performance. This was accelerated when I moved to Portland Oregon to help my friend start a visual art and circus school. While living in Portland I was inundated with an amazing variety of circus and street performance. I was invited into the magical world of Rose City Vaudeville mostly in support positions like ticket collector, sign painter, and front of house barker. I helped them convert and run a corner lot theater, “The Vagabond Theater’ where we had a scaffold stage backed by a big red English double decker bus for the backstage and ran sheets through the chain link fence surrounding the lot for privacy. This experience was amazingly educational and mind expanding! We were unfortunately unable to find a building for our school but when I returned to Colorado I knew that the specific niche of vaudeville style performance was where I was meant to be. I thought to myself “Forget a venue!’ Venues are plentiful. They need to be activated! Why not create a mobile, malleable and ever changing education and performance option! Arts Caravan was born!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Arts Caravan and my performance are all possible because I’ve had a clear vision, been able to communicate that vision, and have found people to believe in that vision. It’s not easy but it’s important to have strong standards for what you want to present and share with the world. These can be adaptable and evolve over time but don’t compromise when it comes to your core values. It may take awhile to find the right space for your art but just keep believing, sharing, communicating and being passionate and you will find your community.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
It would depend on the friend and what events were happening but…
Drive up to Guanella pass for some mountain peeping or hiking
Soak in some hotsprings. Cottonwood, Hooper Pool, or anything on the way.
My fav cidery Waldschänke or Stem
Dancing at Beacon or Mockingbird, The Junkyard Social Club or wherever friends are playing
Street tacos at los Carboncitos, Mestizos, or a food truck
catch some live music wherever my friends are playing
go on or lead a group cruiser ride around town or in Boulder
Check out some art in 40 West, Gallery 1261, Sideshow Gallery or where friends are showing

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Maquette Reeverts
Maquette was my first fire leader when I started performing in 2004. She taught me how to spin fire poi and started my first performance group ‘Synge’ where we developed costuming and makeup technique. Years later she invited me into her circus world with ‘Rose City Vaudeville’. Without her teaching, mentoring, and friendship I wouldn’t be the performer I am today.

Website: https://artscaravan.org

Instagram: ziapixieartscaravan

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artscaravan/

Youtube: @artscaravan9417

Image Credits
Photos 2, 3, 6 Scott Burke
Photo 4 Martha Wirth
Photo 5 Nightclub Bizaar
Photo 7 I Live in Beauty