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Not far outside local borders, there lies a parallel galaxy. It has Masters, Jedis and Padawans and, on the dark side, Siths.
“My character is really a split personality. Her name is Feritus,” Phoenix Falkenrath, of Fifth Street and Snyder Avenue, said. “She really started as a voice in [Pherox Kuhn’s] head.”
Pherox Kuhn belongs to Dale Freed, Falkenrath’s live-in fiancé, and the duo’s intertwined characters are all part of the fantasy world created by PA Jedi — a Clifton Heights-based light saber stage combat group. The 17-member ensemble performs staged fight choreography throughout the tri-state area.
“We are about ready to celebrate our third year,” Freed, one of the group’s co-education directors, said. “I joined the Web site forums they had there as soon as I heard on the radio that they were starting the group. It was on the Preston and Steve show in the morning. And then I went to my first class in August 2007.”
Commuting the 20 minutes from their Pennsport one-bedroom apartment to the three-hour classes held in St. Stephen’s Church, the pair isn’t the only “Star Wars” enthusiasts to make the trek. Eight blocks south, at Fourth and Fitzgerald streets, Brenna D’Ambruoso and Jamie Carroll also pack up Friday nights and make the weekly drive.
“Both Jamie and I are of Master rank in the club. It’s a rank meaning that we’ve performed at quite a lot of events, we can both teach class and we’ve worked hard to promote the club,” D’Ambruoso, 26, said via e-mail. “I’m also co-education director, which means I work on creating the schedule for class every week and other people come to me when they want to learn something new.
“I’ve been doing research into more forms of stage combat — like staff or rapier — and trying to translate it into sabers.”
Working with an alphanumerical set of moves, the team creates sequences using polycarbonate light sabers they showcase at conventions and exhibitions monthly. The performances have graced the stages at Comic-Con and Too Many Games. This year’s schedule includes Star Wars Night with the Camden Riversharks in July and a spring trip to South Philly’s own Chickie’s & Pete’s.
“They approached us at GameX, which was another convention, and asked us if we would perform in their interactive gaming lounge, Play 2,” Cindy Dragish, a native of Fourth and Snyder, said of the 1526 Packer Ave. restaurant that opened a new gaming lounge last November.
Dragish is the public relations representative for the growing club, helping to recruit local interest and expand its reach.
“I saw a vision for the club. Personally, I knew it had the capability of becoming a much bigger, better club. I had faith in it,” Dragish, a former George Sharswood Elementary, 2300 S. Second St., and Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts, 901 S. Broad St., student, said. “We want to become much bigger and have a lot more performances and contribute more to charity.”
Though Dragish now lives in Aston, 20 years on the streets of Pennsport and frequenting the Snyder Avenue Congregational Church, 300 Snyder, left an indelible mark.
“I definitely miss the idea of when you walk out of your front door, you’ll always see someone you know. You don’t have that here,” the 30-year-old said of her. “I thought of South Philly as the best melting pot in the world … I loved living there because I was exposed to different cultures.”
The PA Jedi welcomes “Star Wars” diehards, novices and everyone in between. The club’s youngest member is 16 and the oldest is 51.
“I think the main draw of the class is that we do stage combat with light sabers,” Dragish said.
“We both got involved because we’re huge ‘Star Wars’ fans. I loved the concept of creating my own character and then actually putting on a performance,” D’Ambruoso said of Carroll and herself. “Anyone who enjoys ‘Star Wars’ should check us out.”
The 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Friday classes are $5 and open to all. Once a Padawan puts in the training, a more advanced student may recommend them for promotion. A knighting ceremony then takes place to move up the ranks.
Members are invited to create their own character, complete with backstory and motivations. The character then plays an integral role in the fight choreography.
“We all choreograph our own individual fights. There is a striking pattern in the letter and number system … but what it really boils down to is who is doing the fighting,” Falkenrath, 24, said. “We mix the characters into it. You ask yourself, ‘Would my character do this?’”
The real fun for most, however, comes when the lights go down and the light sabers come on.
“I’m basically a table dancer when it comes to that stuff,” Freed, 40, said of his joy with a live performance. “I love being in front of an audience.”
“We get people coming up to us at conventions asking ‘How did you do that?’ and they’re just in awe. It’s a great feeling,” D’Ambruoso, who has lived in South Philly for three years, said.
With all that membership has given them, the PA Jedis have committed to giving back. Recently, with firmer direction and Dragish wholeheartedly pushing them forward, the group has looked to their idol, the film franchise’s creator George Lucas, when honing in on a cause.
“I like that we’re working more with charity now. We’ve done the AIDS Walk before as a group, and that was fulfilling. I think having a … charity will be even more fulfilling, since we’ll be able to focus on it,” D’Ambruoso said.
The group has decided to donate proceeds from light saber sales and promotional ticket offers to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants wishes to terminally ill children.
“We are focusing on $2,000 in 2010 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation,” Dragish said.
As the PA Jedi’s current calendar year fills up, the group still is looking to share its positive energy with people interested in a new way to escape, get a workout or try something different. Just bring some imagination and an open mind — and remember to leave reality at the door.
“We’re an all-inclusive group for the most part,” Freed said, adding with a laugh, “It’s a really, really great way for geeks to get together!”
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