Last night I skipped the World Naked Bike Ride for the Busycle. Yes, the Busycle. It is the invention by some artists from Boston. A fifteen person, pedal-powered vehicle. I got to try it out a couple times. Sitting on rummaged office chairs, with my feet on bike pedals, "Go!" shouts the driver and cyclists down the line, and we start peddling, and the bus starts going. The Busycle is a revamped van, with only the wheels, gears, and steering wheel in tact. The cooperation of 14 pairs of legs make the wheels turn. As we go we stop traffic (literally because we are a huge van, making wide turns, and going very slow). Sitting in the cyclist seat, I got to wave to the passersby, and make the spectacle even more exciting. In fact, Angie and I began choreographing upper body actions to match the rhythm of our legs.

The creators of the Busycle noticed that when they took it around Boston, no matter which neighborhood, a crowd would form of curious and excited people. When the Busycle stopped, the individuals met and talked and shared stories. The Busycle is a catalyst for conversation and community. And so during this U.S. tour, the Busycle rides end in storytelling. It is storytelling without any rules, just a blanket and a microphone. When a person felt like she had a story, she sat on the blanket and shared. Really simple. It was amazing to see people feel comfortable and share a piece of their history, themselves. (It was also interesting to hear the background information one must reveal in order to tell a clear story to a group of strangers.) Mostly the stories were funny, about awkward encounters with the police, nature, and foreign lands. I shared a story about the late master tap dancer Buster Brown, followed by my rendition of his soft shoe dance, a story of its own.

While we were on the Busycle we were interconnected, literally through chains and gears. The Busycle wouldn't move if we didn't work together. And the Busycle is a physical manifestation of our society at whole. Combining the Busycle with storytelling allowed us, as individuals, to make these connections and see the commonality among each other. The Busycle tour will expand these connections by sharing our stories with the next towns they visit and ultimately making a documentary of this whole experiment.

Check out their website for more information and tour dates. The Busycle may be coming to a neighborhood near you. yeah!