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AGAINST A BACKDROP of provocative video and slide projected images, and punctuated by a soundscape ranging from nature itself to melodic sounds and the pulsing rhythms of Brazilian Samba, Afro-Cuban drums and Kulintang, Marcella “Mars” Pabros-Clark* will take the audience through one woman’s personal journey: to reclaim her body’s own healing power.

THE FIRST INSTALLMENT OF "HEALING MARS", Marcella's current work in progress, premiered at THE ARMORY ART GALLERY in Pasadena, California on May 12 and was very well received. "...her multimedia solo performance transformed the traumas, pains, revelations and mundane realities...into movements, sounds and images embracing the audience's own emotional intellectual and physical struggles...Ms. Pabros-Clark turns her struggles into a life-affirming universality, devoid of frivolous judgementalism, generously outgoing yet intellectually rigorous..." - Richard Amromin, Artistic Director, NewTown Arts. "This work is a theatrical treat--a delicious meal of visuals, movement, sound, video, audience participation and story..." - Kristina Wong, Solo Performer, Writer, Culture Jammer. View video-clip of excerpts under Movies section of this page.

MARCELLA PABROS-CLARK* is a performance artist/actor/dancer who over 16 years ago began experiencing excruciating pain in her neck, shoulder, hands and feet to the point she could barely walk, let alone dance. She was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis, a crippling autoimmune disorder. At that time her Western medical practitioners told her she would probably have to have surgery in order to get movement back into her frozen right shoulder and would need to take a number of drugs in order to keep the inflammation and pain she experienced under control.

SINCE NOTHING THEY SUGGESTED WOULD CURE HER of her disease and in fact, many of the drugs they wished to prescribe have a variety of possible injurious side effects, that same year she decided to do her own research into the probable causes of her body’s “dis-ease” and to find a way to encourage her body to heal itself.

SHE MADE DISCOVERIES about herself: emotionally, physically and spiritually. She immediately sought help from rheumatologists, acupuncturists, herbalists, yoga instructors, chiropractors, a Santeria priest, a variety of “self-healing” books and made some major changes in her life. She found her stress points and came to understand her body’s food sensitivities. She changed jobs, made a few adjustments to her diet, left her boyfriend and looked forward to a new life. Within a little over a year, she was able to regain full movement in her shoulder and was free of pain in her neck and feet. The disease was put into remission for over 13 years.

HOWEVER, TWO YEARS AGO she began experiencing a setback and is currently in another cycle of pain and inflammation, mostly in her right hand. Since her current HMO doesn’t allow for the “alternative” health therapies that helped to heal her in the past and she is unable to afford the treatments herself, she reluctantly consulted with a health plan-approved rheumatologist. The physician suggested she begin treatment with one of the new drugs that are being marketed today, which in effect suppresses the body's immune system. She declined and kept looking. A consultation with a new-age body worker suggested she was not properly channeling her Kundalini energy and needed to start dancing again.

WILL RETURNING TO HER ETHNIC DANCE ROOTS HELP TO CURE HER? Will her prayers be answered? Will she finally have to abandon her love of good wine? Will she find a good group of holistic practitioners who are well versed in both Eastern and Western therapies that don’t charge Beverly Hills prices? In addition to being entertaining, this piece is a way for Marcella to document her progress and to encourage others who choose to follow more holistic approaches to healing themselves.

*For more on artist, check out www.myspace.com/marcellapabrosclark Also, go to www.healingmars.com

Dancers, musicians, actors, other artists (performance and/or other mediums/disciplines) who may be interested in collaborating.

In addition: holistic healers and health practitions (i.e. yoga instructors, martial arts masters, rheumatologists, chiropractors, homeopathic practitioners, acupuncturists, herbalist, etc.) who are truly interested in working with individuals to discover the cause of their body's dis-ease and helping them to recover.