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“Woman
is a beautiful, sexual creature. When a Woman is comfortable with her
taste for physical love, has the patience of enticement, the joy of conversation
and the ease of allowing whatever is to be, Woman gives the gift of enlightenment
to herself and her mate. For there is nothing more freeing, creative,
or inspiring for a lover, then pure pleasurable, exciting sex, with a
confident, intelligent, witty, charming, loving, hot, sensuous Woman.”
- Lady I! |
Lady I, the Goddess
of Love and Sexual Freedom, was conceived on a dark, new moon night in New
Orleans. Her mother a descendent of Marie LeVeau, the voodoo Priestess of
New Orleans, her father, a jazz musician, brought up in Chicago, by way
of Senegal, fell in love in a smoke filled club, full of music and gumbo.
She was brought into this world by the hands of her God-mother, M’Dear,
the resident mid-wife, while her father softly played “Satin Doll,”
in the room where she was birthed; her grandmother read cards, exclaiming
as the last one landed “Oh, Goddess, this girl is going to be hot.”
The psychic world, the art of the Courtesan, mixed with the intelligence
and savvy of an international business-man, the charm of a lady and the
nurturing of M’Dear, were the foundations Lady I grew up on.
She has traveled all over the world, living like a butterfly flitting from
Europe, to the huts of Bombay, to the jazz and foods of New Orleans, to
the oceans of Malibu, and cities in-between, having gone through many experiences
with the learning and teaching of sex. She is a verbal instructor and author
of the Courtesan’s ways guiding men and women to allowing their sexual
desires to live, to be free with who they are, to develop their minds and
creativity, compassion for themselves and others, to share joy wherever
they go, to live life in their true light and not their self-imposed darkness.
Lady I, illuminatress of the natural strength and sensuality of the vibrant
species…Woman, is Goddess of Love and Sexual Freedom; our 21st Century
Courtesan. |
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Iona Morris |
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Iona
was conceived in the back seat of a Chevy, on her parents’ first
date, and if it wasn’t for her father calling to say “Hi”
to her mother, as she was preparing to head out the door to a backwoods
doctor, Iona would have been aborted. Her parents could not live with
that happening. So, the angels rang a phone’s bell saving the life
of the seed the young lovers had planted. Her mother a minister’s
daughter, her father from a family of missionaries, Iona, coming close
to death before her life began, had an ordained destiny. So, born with
a veil over her face, in the state of Ohio, around 19 “a lady never
tells,” born of first drawn sexual, love blood; the purest and richest
of all, with a natural sexiness that oozes from the depth of her being,
with every breath she sighs, how could she not take on the teachings of
the Courtesan?
Iona
grew up in Los Angeles in her early years, before 10 and then finished
off in Beverly Hills, in the infamous 90210 zip code. She is the oldest
of three children; a guinea pig she calls it, because what worked or didn’t
work on her, (and they tried everything) her parents made sure to remember
for the next two they brought into this world. She is part of a small
elite group of Black Hollywood royalty. Her father was Greg Morris from
the ‘70’s hit series “Mission:Impossible;” playing
Barney Collier, the highly intelligent engineer; though, at home, her
father couldn’t even change a light bulb. Growing up in the world
of Hollywood and Beverly Hills, being one of very few Blacks wasn’t
easy. She remembers a time when two Beverly Hills patrol officers, questioned
her and her two younger siblings about where her parents worked, while
exploring their new neighborhood, Truesdale Estates, in the hills of Beverly
Hills; Iona was 10, her brother 9 and her sister 6. When Iona piped up
and answered they had just moved into the big house on the hill, the officers
didn’t believe her. Smugly they asked “Where does your father
work?” When Iona replied he’s on “Mission:Impossible,”
the police couldn’t get in their cars fast enough.
Iona never planned to be an actress. A writer, yes, a singer maybe, but
acting was not what she thought she’d do. Everyone else around her
always thought so, though. Not only was it because her father was one,
but Iona had one of those creative spirits that dictated she’d do
anything and everything that had to do with being on stage and in front
of a camera or behind.
So, she’s spent most of her creative career as a working actress;
a regular on the series “The Adventures of ARK” for the Discovery
Channel, she recurred on such shows as “Moesha,” “LAX,”
“The District,” “As The World Turns,” and “General
Hospital;” guested on “Star Trek:Voyager,” playing a
fabulous alien named Umalfi, “Martin,” “The Wayan Bros.,”
“Murder She Wrote,” “Hill St. Blues,” and on and
on. Iona’s won four theatre awards; was also nominated for an L.A.
Weekly Theatre Award for her one-woman show “For You” and
barely lost. (Well, that’s what they told her – smile)
Iona’s performed in many theatre productions from L.A. to New York
and regional theatres in-between. She’s also done a lot of voice
overs and cartoon work.
Her most famous and memorable voice…, she is the original voice
of Storm from the “X-Men” cartoon in the ‘80s; the really
good one. (smile)
In the last 7 years, Iona has picked up the directing bug; directing 15
shows. Her most memorable shows were directing a 21 person musical “Sheba”
which is going to New York and Blair Underwood’s one-man show entitled,
“IM4,” which she also co-wrote. |
“I
love the world of theatre. I love the process of creating something out
of nothing and guiding actors, my favorite people, to creating rich characters
and rich moments.” |
In
1995, Iona became frustrated with the business and in looking for something
to do; she created her first one person show. Little did she know that the
success of that one, would lead her to create two others, one in which she
portrays her famous father throughout the piece. Finding great joy in expressing
herself, Iona now teaches others how to create and perform solo shows. She
didn’t stop writing there, self-publishing her first book “Love,
Death & Rebirth.” Now, she is putting the finishing touches on
her new book out the end of February; a book of poetry and short stories
about one of her favorite subjects, sex.
Which is a perfect segue to the new show she is working on with the talented
and beautiful Lola Love and Mariann Aalda. The show is entitled “Herotique-aahh...,”
a sexy celebration of sex, with an underlying tone of supporting women to
be all they want to be in and out of the bedroom. Together they are The
Three Blacque Chix. Iona plays the character Lady I, the Goddess of Love
and Sexual Freedom. Not one to mince words, when she was asked why she was
interested in playing this character, she responded:
“I am attracted to Lady I because she is hot, confident, nurturing,
grounded, intelligent, saucy, spiritual, sexy, sensuous, sexual, exciting.
All those delicious things that make a complete Sex Goddess; Lady I is.
She challenges me to become freer, more daring, naughty and loving at the
same time; something that has not always been easy for me, within the great
sex I was having. But, when I look back on an experience I had in 5th grade,
I realize, “Of course, Lady I was my destiny.”
“When I was 10 years old, my 5th grade teacher gave us the assignment
to read Siddhartha. There I met my first Courtesan. She was magnificent.
She made the book for me. I was inspired by her intellect, pride and class,
grace and fierceness, compassion and strength, wisdom and mystery and yes,
the Courtesan’s knowledge of how to love, how to appreciate love and
how to make love. You see, the Courtesan is not all about love making or
sex, if you will. She shares her life’s education with her students
and companions, primarily male, to enlighten and evolve them to their highest
good, but there are other things even a Courtesan keeps to herself, because
the mystery of the female should always be the journey of discovery for
a man. I loved that! To me, these were and are admirable attributes. Now,
I knew nothing of sex at this early age of 10, I just knew a good life when
I saw one and the Courtesan’s beautiful home, clothes, life of travel
and role as an instructor of love and complete enjoyer of pleasure, exited
me.
“As an adult woman, reading about the Courtesan, no matter what culture
she exists in, because of her intelligence, she might be an author of books,
political enthusiast, advisor to those in high government positions, her
charm and humor is legendary, she had friendships with Kings and Queens
and was a liver of open sexual pleasure, to inspire the spirit. All these
things compiled together created the total woman. And, why not teach a man
how to make love? Isn’t that the most beautiful thing in the world?
Love? Courtesans, historically, have been very important to societies and
being that everyone needs a job, why not this one?
I love sex; have for a long time, but I wasn’t always free in my expressions
or verbal to my men about it. I had good sex, but if there was a fantasy
I wanted to try or just something different in the relationship, I would
often keep my mouth shut.
When I was in high school, my father gave my brother and me the book “All
You Ever Wanted To Know About Sex But Were Afraid To Ask” to read.
He felt that we were getting to that age, where we should know about these
things. Well, it was just coincidental that about 7 months later, my long
time boyfriend and I had sex for the first time (I hadn’t even started
reading the book, yet) and my parents had always told me that when I started
having sex, I should come to them so they could take me to the doctor and
make sure I was protected from getting pregnant. Well, after the second
time my boyfriend and I “did it,” I told my parents. And, true
to their word, they didn’t give me any crap about it; my mother actually
cried because I trusted them. Mom took me to the doctor that week and I
got the infamous IUD-Copper 7. Nothing could have been more painful. But,
it worked. My father was very cool about it while I told him. But, for the
next month, every where he went, he took me with him. “Iona, let’s
go get the car washed,” “Iona, come on with me to the store.”
Every chance meeting in the hallway at home was an opportunity to talk about
relationships and to inquire as to what I was doing with the boyfriend.
He even took away the “All You Ever Wanted To Know…” book,
telling me ‘A woman should never know more about sex then her man.’
I couldn’t believe it. And, trust me, that statement stayed in my
mind for years. It kept me from mentioning anything I thought might be exciting
and new to men I’d make love with for fear they’d get mad because
“I knew more.” Well,…
“I got brave in college with a young man I really loved and wore a
little nighty for him, only to have him get mad at me and say, ‘You’re
sexy enough without that. Take it off!’ The walls closed in, my throat
shut down, my heart stopped, I thought everyone in the world heard him.
I was beyond embarrassed. Years later I met a couple of men who complained
I liked sex too much and called me a freak, like it was a bad thing. Shame
is what I felt. So, now I definitely wouldn’t share my intimate fantasies
with any man and to do something out of the ordinary?... Never! It scared
me to be on the receiving end of sexual disapproval. |
“As
I have searched my life for understanding of myself, clarity and enlightenment,
sexual openness and freedom followed” |
“As
I have gained courage in stepping out to express more of who I am, I also
found that was happening in the bedroom. Sex was becoming more fun and far
more interesting. There were still times where I’d take two steps
forward and a funky comment from a lover would send me 4 steps back, but
I set out on a journey to live my life authentically and that included everything.
So, I’d wipe my tears and keep on steppin’. Maybe go into a
shell and not say a word for a few years and come back out when I was ready,
to express myself further, continue with therapy, read self-help books and
write and write in my diary. I started attracting kinder and more experienced
and more experimentally fun men. I also wouldn’t put up with bad behavior
and in my best interest, if I found a man who did not treat me like the
princess, and jewel I was and am he’d kindly get the boot. And, look,
at this age, 40 “a woman never tells,” what have I got to lose?
“So, the character, Lady I, is my alter ego. She allows me to go past
where I am and to exercise those “freaky” muscles with joy.
“I am honored to play her, to share the stage with two magnificent,
sexy women, Lady M, Mariann Aalda and Lady L, Lola Love. From their shared
life experiences and together with the brilliance and support of our characters
Lady I, Lady M and Lady L, I am free!” |
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