Bumbershoot Connection

With this clue, we wanted to talk about the amazing dance performances that have highlighted Bumbershoot Festivals in the past. In particular, we wanted to mention the work of two local greats, Merce Cunningham and the Pacific Northwest Ballet. Both Cunningham’s company and the PNB have honored the Bumbershoot stage with their work.

Clue Theme: Square

We begin this clue with a little bit of a non sequitur, namely Bob Dylan, whose song Mr. Tambourine Man we appropriate both because of the dancing motif (‘to dance beneath the diamond sky with one hand waving free’) in his lyric and because he is this year’s marquee Bumbershoot headliner. In clue 4 (Triangle) we used the word ‘shape’ and again we use this word to clearly specify what we are looking for this time. The Cornish trailblazer is Merce Cunningham whose dance, ‘Squaregame’ is performed in ankle socks and sweatpants. The third line refers to the PNB’s performance of George Balanchine’s ‘Square Dance’ at Bumbershoot. We also chose the word trailblazer as a reference to ‘pioneer’ but also ‘foundational’ a term that could be read either as a reference to the historic Pioneer Square location or as a red herring to the Denny Triangle based on the earlier clue.