by Steve Desroches
It was the middle of winter in Provincetown when Madison Orange sat down to write a list of goals. A little over 10 years ago, this was her first winter in Provincetown, one she describes as “magical.” And she adds that anyone who really knows, and loves Provincetown, comes to realize that winter is where “the magic really is.” She was living in a house with a bunch of friends while the owners were away in Puerto Vallarta, and the peace and natural beauty of Provincetown at that time of year opened Orange’s mind to the possibilities that lay before her as she looked out into the steely grey of Provincetown Harbor. She’d been in Provincetown for several summers prior, wowing crowds strolling Commercial Street as she dazzled with elaborate LED hula hoop routines, or on certain occasions, ones on fire. She was filled with a sense of optimism, wonder, and excitement. And when she put pen to paper to write a stream of consciousness list of things she wanted to manifest in her life, this is what came out: 1) Form a hula hoop dance group. 2) Become a full-time DJ. 3) Produce music. 4) Fall in love.
“I made that list of goals and I’ve accomplished every one of them,” says Orange from her home in Los Angeles. “I have a hula hoop dance group with 32 dancers I book all over Los Angeles, all over California. I’m a professional DJ. I produce music. And I did fall in love, but had my heart broken. But oh well. But all the other stuff? It all started in Provincetown.”
A native of Southern California’s Inland Empire, when Orange was 18 she was trying to decide what to do and where to go, both in life and geographically. It was time to see the world. And that’s when a gay couple who were friends and neighbors with her mom told Orange of Provincetown. As she listened to tales of this wild, mystical place on the tip of Cape Cod she couldn’t shake the vision that had developed in her mind’s eye. Already a talented dancer and a whiz with the hula hoop, the couple told her she could perform on the street as Provincetown was home to a robust busking culture, something that she was unfamiliar with. Taking her creative talents to the masses in that way had never occurred to her before. So Orange packed up eager for adventure and arrived in Provincetown for the summer of 2008.
Life on the Cape tip was everything she dreamed it would be. Even at that young age, Orange was a seasoned participant of Burning Man, the annual week-long festival of the arts and radical self-expression in Black Rock City, Nevada. She felt elements of that sense of freedom and individuality in Provincetown. And she did quickly become a fixture on Commercial Street with her hula hoops flashing various colors. She loved it, except for when people would leave their kids to watch her as they shopped or drank. And there were the occasional obnoxious comments from some. But for the most part it all felt thrilling. She also got a job at Toys of Eros, which as a young woman felt freeing as she was gaining a confidence about herself and her sexuality. In hindsight she says she should have probably followed the “cool kids” and earned “real money” waiting tables or tending bar. However, she wouldn’t change a thing. Things were happening for her, and each day seemed to present an ever-expanding universe.
“I have so many memories, but really one of the biggest and best was winning Showgirls; it meant the world to me,” says Orange. “Having a whole room full of people clapping and cheering for you is a big deal. That they would all be so supportive of a young woman in town was just such a big deal.”
The affirmation from the crowds at Showgirls was one thing. But it was individual care that often meant the most, and that first came from Ellie, the late, beloved street performer who came to Provincetown to live her dreams as she traveled Commercial Street pulling her Bose system behind her. Ellie became a bit of an Earth mother for Orange in Provincetown, giving her moral support and always making sure she looked her best before hitting the stage at Showgirls. And then more and more people in town began to reach out to Orange, including DJ Maryalice, the legendary musical force at the Boatslip’s tea dance for the past several decades. She invited Orange to perform at a special Girl Splash event, which Orange used as an event to not just perform as herself, but to assemble a troupe which she named GoGo Hoop Dance Stars, which planted the seed for her current music and performance company BO$$ANGELES. They were a huge hit. And now, much like her hula hoops, things have come full circle as Orange is coming back to Provincetown for the first time in 12 years to DJ and perform at two parties at Red Room this Girl Splash.
“Well, I am so excited to be coming to Red Room and going back…going home to Provincetown,” says Orange. “Provincetown gave me a place and room to explore and try all kinds of things out. It helped me develop a sense of confidence. Now, I book work all over the world, for myself and others, and can do so with a sense of confidence. All of that began for me in Provincetown.”
DJ Madison Orange will be at Red Room, 258 Commercial St., Friday, July 26 and Saturday, July 27 starting at 10 p.m. For more information visit redroom.club.
