Technomania Circus Kicks Off Club Xanth written version from March 2001 isssue of Expresso Magazine Fusion of nighclub, surrealist techno-circus-cabaret-that-plays-with-fire just the thing for cutting edge the home grown culture. by Kate Reifers         Is isn't anywhere that you can see such a wide range of talent and see so much fire in one show. It also isn't anywhere that youth under the age of 21 can have an amusement filled evening. Club Xanth, an all ages club, serves soda and candy like a movie theater and allows an outlet for a crowd who can't go to the bars.        "Hear ye, hear ye, come one, come all from near and far by flying bus or floating car, from the farthest galaxy or the nearest star, prepare to enter as you are - demented, frantic or bizarre. Enter the Technomania Circus - where circus meets techno and plays with fire."       Club Xanth (4225 30th St off El cajon Blvd) hosted this fabulous array of talent on Friday, the 23rd of February.  "It's where you can let your hair down whether you 16 or 65" said fire performer Iain Gunn. A majoirty of the performances were done to techno beats that included live drums and an occasional saxophone. This circus combined masks illuminated by black lights, whips, glow sticks, stilts, dance and lot of fire. Humor and audience participation are a must.      The show opened with the announcement of the Circus' intentions. "So we play around and provoke you, push your buttons, prod and stroke you. We invite you to invoke your technomaniac inside."  Technomania Circus has a different type of clown. Half of the group came out in animal costumes with their masks illuminated by black light as they crept and crawled through the crowd.      After the opening there was a series of fire acts. Teena Diggs and Matthew Ramos were two that worked with fire like you would  with glow sticks attached to a string. A comedy troupe from Encinitas, The Unusual Suspects, also performed.  At one point they even had a Dali elephant on stilts. Robert and Kim Dante, professional bull whip crackers, put out candles and cut cards using bullwhips.     In the middle of the show, two performers dressed as cops came in screaming "This is a rave, we know what happens at a rave, we're closing you down !!" The M.C. Bruce aka Manboy, informed them this wasn't a rave.  "This is an organized event and you don't have a permit" they retorted.  Bruce asked the audience "Are we organized?" and everyone responded "No !" The highlight of the show was the invisible Techno Man. Dressed in a glowing costume he removed his clothing one by one until he disappeared leaving only his glowing cowboy hat.       The fare to see the show cost $10, however for $12 you got front row seating and noisemakers.  The majority of the performers make the annual trip to The Burning Man and also give lessons on their special talents. Their next show will be on April 7th at the San Diego Center for Moving Arts (3255 5th Ave at Spruce, Hillcrest).      Because of the new Entertainment Ordinance the club has to pay outrageous fees to keep the venue open for youth. It has a majority of techno music and two dance rooms and is open Thursday from 9pm to 2am. Monthly the club offers a night called Native State. Usually beginning with guided meditation or group yoga to get everyone who attends connected; then, music, dance and drums beating until the club closes. The crowd at Technomania Circus ranged from 18 to 45.