This collection of papers, photos, LP records and three dimensional items represents the personal collectionof the performance artist Robert Legorreta also known as Cyclona. (The remainder of his papers are at the ONE NATIONAL GAY AND LESBIAN ARCHIVE of Los Angeles) Items of special interest include Cyclona's scrapbook and LP collection. **Please note: accents have been removed to facilitate the use of all web browsers

THE FIRE OF LIFE - EL FUEGO DE LA VIDA As a child Robert Legorreta, also known as Cyclona, recalls seeing Elvis's television debut whetting his youthful appetite for provocative entertainment. He also remembers the hit novelty song, "The Monster Mash" and how that song transformed Halloween from an innocent candy and costume holiday for children into a subversive teenage rite of passage. Since that time, he has been a performance artist and provocateur. In the guise of a Pagliacci-like clown, inspired by the subversion of The Monster Mash, and the sexuality of rock music, he laces his performances with subliminal and overt messages about race, gender and identity. Born September 15, 1952 in El Paso Texas, his family soon moved to East Los Angles in hopes of finding a better life. He attended Belvedere Elementary, Griffith Junior High and Garfield High School, the later was also attended by the founding member of the rock group Los Lobos as well as the artists Gronk and Mundo. By the late 1960s Legorreta had become interested in what he felt was an aesthetic of hippie androgyny. He and his friend, the artist Mundo began to provoke some of the residents of East Los Angeles by parading down Whittier Boulevard in daring drag costumes. These provocations came to the attention of the playwright Gronk, later artisit who had written a play, "Cockroaches Have No Friends." In it there was a part calling for a transvestite named "Cyclona." Robert Legorreta became Cyclona, improvising the part, imbuing it with life, and, conversely, imbuing Legorreta with the persona he would identify as since that time. Cyclona describes himself as a live art artist, bringing art to life. Although his performances can be interpreted as a cross dresser's show, Cyclona does not identify as a transvestite and does not dress as a woman. He notes that he drapes himself in fabrics and paints himself with exaggerated makeup. He challenges the audience to question their perceptions of gender representation and stereotypes, as Cyclona says: "I am perception, perceive me as you will."

50 linear feet

Publication Rights For research only, all reproductions by permission only.