
Courtesy Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe
Wanted: Kids between the ages of 11 and 14 who can follow directions.
I t takes not just one performer, but a whole village for Old Man Gloom to burn to the ground. Beyond the puppet himself, the big night wouldn’t be complete without Torchbearers and Gloomies to dance around the stage. The Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe, which organizes the event every year, welcomes a new group of Gloomies to become Zozobra’s minions at the end of August.
For those too young to play with fire as Torchbearer but who still want to participate in the event that draws thousands each year to the baseball field at Fort Marcy, the role of Gloomie is open for kids between the ages of 11 and 14. Out of those who apply and audition, 35 are generally chosen to perform. After that, the training process is fairly simple, Kiwanis member Angela Ortiz tells SFR.
Ortiz, who holds the weighty title of Gloomie department chairwoman, says the process is mainly about making sure Gloomies-to-be can follow directions. Beyond that, there’s some simple dance choreography, which changes every year, that they’ll perform on the big night. All in all, there are three two- to three-hour rehearsals before the real performance, and Kiwanis provides a costume for each kid—typically something that looks like a hooded ghost.
“It’s a very special opportunity that they will never forget,” Ortiz says.
For Maya Childs, who’s nearly 12, being a Gloomie last year was a mixture of nerves and excitement. “When everyone [in the crowd] was riled up, I was crying,” she says, “but once I got onstage I had no reason to be crying anymore.”
Now that she’s done it once, however, she admits the performance is not as scary as it looks, and she would definitely do it again. “You’re part of something really important and really cool,” says Childs, whose favorite part of the performance is being so close to Zozobra himself.
“I have kids that come back until they can’t do it anymore,” says Ortiz, who also works as a therapist and who says, for her, the most rewarding aspect is witnessing the kids’ enjoyment. “Their faces are so amazing when they get to the end [of the experience].”
Rookie Gloomies won’t be the only new faces at Zozobra. For four years, the role of head Torchbearer has been held by Matt Flores, whose father, mother, and older brother are all involved in the event. Torchbearers have one of the most important roles in the burning of Zozobra—representing good townspeople, they bring flaming torches to drive away the darkness and turn the Gloomies into children again. Flores started participating as a Gloomie when he was just 11 years old. Now 22, Flores is stepping down from Torchbearer to study for his license in pyrotechnics. He plans to help out at other events at Fort Marcy, as well as other locations around the US. Adan Gallegos, 19, is replacing him. Although not a member of the Flores family, Gallegos is no stranger to the Fort Marcy scene: He sang the national anthem for Zozobra in 2014.
With all of these new developments, this year’s burning of gloom is bound to be exciting. August 31 can’t come fast enough.
A private “pre-enactment” of the burning will take place the night of July 21 when Tio Coco, a figure organizers have dubbed Zozobra’s cousin, goes up in flames in an event for the National Governors Association conference and its guests. Ortiz won’t discuss that event, so it’s a safe bet it won’t include the tiny dancers.