Today was the first day of classes for most students at the U of S. For me it was the first day of class, since I only had one class. Wow, I totally forgot how hard it is to just sit and listen to someone for an hour at a time. I need to start wearing my focus hat... if such a thing only existed!
First day of class and I'm already behind in my reading - or at least I will be tomorrow!
Edit:
Oh! I almost forgot! Today when I was at the Admin building a girl working there recognized me. She said she'd seen me around a lot. The main reason why she recognizes me is that I look pretty much exactly the same as her friend Phaedra (not sure of the spelling). Now, when most people say you look just like so and so there might be a few features in common, but you don't really look that similar. I've actually met Phaedra once. She was in the audience at a dance performance once, and somebody introduced us. She was a little heavier than me, but she looked just like me! Unfortunately I was wearing a turban and had weird dance make-up on, so she couldn't really see it herself.
That's such a weird thing though - knowing there's someone out there who looks just like you. I wonder how old she is? I wonder what her life is like? It's hard to believe that someone who looks so much like me, isn't related to me. She should be my long lost twin. Hmmmmm.
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Sunday, September 04, 2005
I'm one hot doll!
If I was a paper doll, this is what I'd look like! Cool shoes, hey! (... I have way too much time on my hands.)
American Natural and Unnatural Disasters
American govenment officials have been commenting quite a bit about how the situation in New Orleans was really two back-to-back disasters, and that nothing like that had ever occurred before. Maybe not in their lifetime, but nearly a century ago there was the famous San Francisco earthquake. It was followed by a devastating fire, since extinguishing fires was hampered by water lines that had been broken during the earthquake.
Here are some numbers from back then (taken from a website by U.S. Geological Survey, Earthquake Hazards Program):
Dead - more than 3,000 (including the chief of fire departments - bad news that one)
Homeless - 225,000 from a total population of about 400,000
Buildings destroyed - over 28,000
Monetary loss - more than $400,000,000!!!!!!!
I've also found a first hand report of the earthquake written by Edith Weatherred. One paragraph in particular caught my eye, as it shows interesting similarities and differences to the situation in New Orleans right now:
To learn more about the earthquake, you could also read the official report from 1907. If you would like to look at pictures, I'd suggest this site.
Here are some numbers from back then (taken from a website by U.S. Geological Survey, Earthquake Hazards Program):
Dead - more than 3,000 (including the chief of fire departments - bad news that one)
Homeless - 225,000 from a total population of about 400,000
Buildings destroyed - over 28,000
Monetary loss - more than $400,000,000!!!!!!!
I've also found a first hand report of the earthquake written by Edith Weatherred. One paragraph in particular caught my eye, as it shows interesting similarities and differences to the situation in New Orleans right now:
There was hurrying to get together families and friends. Excitement ran high but people were gently one with the other as they crowded in the middle of the streets, each moment fully expecting the earth to again be set in motion. Faces appeared at windows calling for help. The wounded and dying fell by the way. Thousands crowded the open squares in the heart of the city. The scenes were appalling. Those fortunate enough to get together a few personal effects were piling them in heaps in the square. Beds were made for the wounded, and, before one could realize it, the National Guards, Federal soldiers, Red Cross Society and other good people were setting up tents and tenderly caring for the sick and the dead.It seems as though people were more cooperative in that crisis, but the horror of death and destruction was equal. Help, according to this account, was also accessible more quickly. My guess is that looting was largely prevented by this.
To learn more about the earthquake, you could also read the official report from 1907. If you would like to look at pictures, I'd suggest this site.
Saturday, September 03, 2005
A Dancing Day
It's always cool to run into one of my fans. This morning I was buying makeup at a warehouse sale and one of the cashiers asked if I was the girl who danced Meditation, Spiritualism, and Love. She remembered seeing me perform that at the Fringe (which would have been 4 or 5 years ago), and apparently really liked my dancing. Crazy.
Tonight we performed at a wedding in Borden. The bride is a woman who used to perform with us, but for the last couple years she's been busy operating the Sand Castle Ranch outside of Borden. The audience was quite good. It was easy to get them to come up and dance with us, and they even seemed to enjoy it! Very cool.
Tonight we performed at a wedding in Borden. The bride is a woman who used to perform with us, but for the last couple years she's been busy operating the Sand Castle Ranch outside of Borden. The audience was quite good. It was easy to get them to come up and dance with us, and they even seemed to enjoy it! Very cool.
Friday, September 02, 2005
New Orleans' blogs
I've spent several hours reading blogs written by some people from New Orleans.
I just wanted to share an entry from the first one I read Sept. 1 check it out here . Reading the comments section is pretty disturbing: for example, one guy is posting under the name David Duke (who was a white supremicist in the news something like 10-15 years ago).
Another one (this one was mentioned on CNN) is written by a guy who has locked himself up at work since before the hurricane hit. He used to be in the army, and he's really gotten into soldier mode. He just started it up on Aug. 26, something for his friends to read, and now there are people reading his blog from all over the world It's been very interesting to read. http://mgno.com/
Here are some pictures they've taken http://www.tampabusiness.com/directnic/
He is supplying live video feed from three different URLs (all the same footage). Sometimes it shows the city, other times it shows the people at his workplace:
http://old.mises.org:88/NO
http://old.mises.org:88/NO2
http://194.97.144.25/NewOrleans
I just wanted to share an entry from the first one I read Sept. 1 check it out here . Reading the comments section is pretty disturbing: for example, one guy is posting under the name David Duke (who was a white supremicist in the news something like 10-15 years ago).
Another one (this one was mentioned on CNN) is written by a guy who has locked himself up at work since before the hurricane hit. He used to be in the army, and he's really gotten into soldier mode. He just started it up on Aug. 26, something for his friends to read, and now there are people reading his blog from all over the world It's been very interesting to read. http://mgno.com/
Here are some pictures they've taken http://www.tampabusiness.com/directnic/
He is supplying live video feed from three different URLs (all the same footage). Sometimes it shows the city, other times it shows the people at his workplace:
http://old.mises.org:88/NO
http://old.mises.org:88/NO2
http://194.97.144.25/NewOrleans
Getting to know your friends
Welcome to the Summer 2005 edition of getting to know your friends. What you are supposed to do is copy this entire e-mail and paste it onto a new e-mail that you'll send. Change all the answers so they apply to you, and then send this to a whole bunch of people including the person who sent it to you. The theory is that you will learn a lot of little things about your friends and family, if you did not know them already. Don't forget to send it back!!!
1. First name: Lorianne
2. Were you named after anyone? I was creatively named after my great grandmother Laura, and we share the same initials (her maiden name was Errickson) . . . at least until she got married. I inherited a watch that used to be hers, but it was engraved after she was married. If I want those initials to fit, then I'll have to marry a guy whose last name starts with B and I'll also have to feel inclined to change my name.
3. Do you wish on stars? No, but I remember doing that as a kid, staring at the sky out my bedroom window. Brings back good memories.
4. When did you last cry? Last weekend, I think or a couple days before that - August 25ish.
5. Do you like your handwriting? no. I tend to print, and haven't used writing in years.
6. What is your favorite lunch meat? summer sausage?
7. What is your birth date? February 25, 1974
8. What is your most embarrassing CD? I got rid of all the CDs I didn't like last weekend, so I just own good music now!
9. If you were another person, would YOU be friends with yourself? Yes, and we'd have a great time.
10. Are you a daredevil? I am more likely to say crazy things to do than to actually do them.
11. Have you ever told a secret you swore not to tell?
Yes, but only to people who didn't know that person. You know, venting to people who could have no idea who the person was, it's safer.
12. Do looks matter? Somewhat, but I find myself much more attracted to behaviours.
13. How do you release anger? I go silent and fume.
14. Where is your second home? I guess that would be Jay's place. I mean, if he's going to be gone, someone may as well be living there! ;-)
15. Do you trust others too easily? No, probably the opposite.
16. What was your favorite toy as a child? Hmmm, my favourite stuffed toy was Pungee, some sort of weird knitted dog/bear/animal thing with a shirt and socks. His neck didn't have enough stuffing, so he looks pretty freaky with his head hanging down all floppy.
17. What class in high school do you think was totally useless? none
18. Do you have a journal? Does this blog count?
19. Do you use sarcasm a lot? whatever....
20. Favorite movie(s). Monty Python movies, Princess Bride, Willow, Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Man with Two Brains, The Shawshank Redemption, Dead Again
21. What are your nicknames(acceptable)? Lori . . . I don't think I've had a nickname since high school
22. Would you bungee jump? No, the thought of jumping off of something and stopping seems jarring. Don't feel like doing that to my joints. I'm probably still a little afraid of heights too.
23. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? not usually
24. Do you think that you are strong? Yeah, but only because people tell me I am. It's mostly due to core body strength, so I can use my legs to power upper body movements.
25. What is your favorite ice cream flavor? not sure, something fruity
26. What size of shoe do you wear? 6 or 6 1/2
27. What are your favorite colors? green, orange, and purple
28. What is your least favorite thing about yourself? I wish I felt better about myself.
29. Who do you miss most? Probably Debbie. We got to know each other well only in the two weeks before she moved away. It's kind of like getting cheated out of having a really fabulous friend.
30. Do you want everyone you send this to to send it back? Sure, either e-mail it to me or leave a comment where I can find it
31. What color pants are you wearing? But I'm not wearing any pants... just kidding, darkish blue (jeans)
32. What are you listening to right now? CNN in the other room, and my neighbour's lawn mower
33. What was the last thing you ate? free pancakes and sausages
34. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? orange
35. What is the weather like right now? sunny and breezy
36. Last person you talked to on the phone? my boss, Mindy
37. The first thing you notice about the opposite sex? faces
38. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Yes, she's even shorter than me! :-p
39. Favorite Drink? water
40. Favorite sport? to watch: short track speed skating, to participate in: ultimate frisbee
41. Hair Color? blonde
42. Do you wear contacts? nope, hardly even need my glasses
43. Favorite Food? pizza
44. Last Movie You Watched? Adaptation (at least there's someone in the world who is at least as messed up as me)
45. Favorite Day of the Year: Any 25th day of the month, because I can countdown both Christmas and my birthday
46. Scary Movies or Happy Endings? Happy Endings
47. Summer or winter? Summer
48. Hugs or kisses? both please
49. What is Your Favorite Dessert? Key Lime pie is pretty good
50. Who is most likely to respond? loaded question - not answering
51. Who is least likely to respond? loaded question - not answering
52. Where Would You Want to Go on your Next Vacation? My dream vacation is a Mediterranean cruise.
53. What Books are you reading? The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle and Classics of Western Literature: Bloom County 1986-1989 (remember that comic strip? Very funny, and I enjoy the political commentary even 20 years later)
54. What's on your mouse pad? don't have one
55. What did you Watch Last Night on TV? CNN coverage of Hurricane Katrina (getting a little obsessed too, but it's so heartbreaking)
56. Favorite Smells? new leaves in spring, cookies baking in the oven
57. Rolling Stones or the Beatles? The Beatles
58. What's the furthest you've been away from home? Probably either southern Wisconsin or western Washington state
1. First name: Lorianne
2. Were you named after anyone? I was creatively named after my great grandmother Laura, and we share the same initials (her maiden name was Errickson) . . . at least until she got married. I inherited a watch that used to be hers, but it was engraved after she was married. If I want those initials to fit, then I'll have to marry a guy whose last name starts with B and I'll also have to feel inclined to change my name.
3. Do you wish on stars? No, but I remember doing that as a kid, staring at the sky out my bedroom window. Brings back good memories.
4. When did you last cry? Last weekend, I think or a couple days before that - August 25ish.
5. Do you like your handwriting? no. I tend to print, and haven't used writing in years.
6. What is your favorite lunch meat? summer sausage?
7. What is your birth date? February 25, 1974
8. What is your most embarrassing CD? I got rid of all the CDs I didn't like last weekend, so I just own good music now!
9. If you were another person, would YOU be friends with yourself? Yes, and we'd have a great time.
10. Are you a daredevil? I am more likely to say crazy things to do than to actually do them.
11. Have you ever told a secret you swore not to tell?
Yes, but only to people who didn't know that person. You know, venting to people who could have no idea who the person was, it's safer.
12. Do looks matter? Somewhat, but I find myself much more attracted to behaviours.
13. How do you release anger? I go silent and fume.
14. Where is your second home? I guess that would be Jay's place. I mean, if he's going to be gone, someone may as well be living there! ;-)
15. Do you trust others too easily? No, probably the opposite.
16. What was your favorite toy as a child? Hmmm, my favourite stuffed toy was Pungee, some sort of weird knitted dog/bear/animal thing with a shirt and socks. His neck didn't have enough stuffing, so he looks pretty freaky with his head hanging down all floppy.
17. What class in high school do you think was totally useless? none
18. Do you have a journal? Does this blog count?
19. Do you use sarcasm a lot? whatever....
20. Favorite movie(s). Monty Python movies, Princess Bride, Willow, Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Man with Two Brains, The Shawshank Redemption, Dead Again
21. What are your nicknames(acceptable)? Lori . . . I don't think I've had a nickname since high school
22. Would you bungee jump? No, the thought of jumping off of something and stopping seems jarring. Don't feel like doing that to my joints. I'm probably still a little afraid of heights too.
23. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? not usually
24. Do you think that you are strong? Yeah, but only because people tell me I am. It's mostly due to core body strength, so I can use my legs to power upper body movements.
25. What is your favorite ice cream flavor? not sure, something fruity
26. What size of shoe do you wear? 6 or 6 1/2
27. What are your favorite colors? green, orange, and purple
28. What is your least favorite thing about yourself? I wish I felt better about myself.
29. Who do you miss most? Probably Debbie. We got to know each other well only in the two weeks before she moved away. It's kind of like getting cheated out of having a really fabulous friend.
30. Do you want everyone you send this to to send it back? Sure, either e-mail it to me or leave a comment where I can find it
31. What color pants are you wearing? But I'm not wearing any pants... just kidding, darkish blue (jeans)
32. What are you listening to right now? CNN in the other room, and my neighbour's lawn mower
33. What was the last thing you ate? free pancakes and sausages
34. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? orange
35. What is the weather like right now? sunny and breezy
36. Last person you talked to on the phone? my boss, Mindy
37. The first thing you notice about the opposite sex? faces
38. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Yes, she's even shorter than me! :-p
39. Favorite Drink? water
40. Favorite sport? to watch: short track speed skating, to participate in: ultimate frisbee
41. Hair Color? blonde
42. Do you wear contacts? nope, hardly even need my glasses
43. Favorite Food? pizza
44. Last Movie You Watched? Adaptation (at least there's someone in the world who is at least as messed up as me)
45. Favorite Day of the Year: Any 25th day of the month, because I can countdown both Christmas and my birthday
46. Scary Movies or Happy Endings? Happy Endings
47. Summer or winter? Summer
48. Hugs or kisses? both please
49. What is Your Favorite Dessert? Key Lime pie is pretty good
50. Who is most likely to respond? loaded question - not answering
51. Who is least likely to respond? loaded question - not answering
52. Where Would You Want to Go on your Next Vacation? My dream vacation is a Mediterranean cruise.
53. What Books are you reading? The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle and Classics of Western Literature: Bloom County 1986-1989 (remember that comic strip? Very funny, and I enjoy the political commentary even 20 years later)
54. What's on your mouse pad? don't have one
55. What did you Watch Last Night on TV? CNN coverage of Hurricane Katrina (getting a little obsessed too, but it's so heartbreaking)
56. Favorite Smells? new leaves in spring, cookies baking in the oven
57. Rolling Stones or the Beatles? The Beatles
58. What's the furthest you've been away from home? Probably either southern Wisconsin or western Washington state
Cooties
On Sunday Saskatchewan celebrates its official 100th anniversary of provincedom. Today, however, there was a free pancake breakfast (with Saskatoon berry syrup!) in downtown Saskatoon featuring Premier Lorne Calvert and Prime Minister Paul Martin. When my mom and I arrived Paul Martin was just finishing his speech, then there were a bunch of unremarkable speeches by the other politicians who were present. The Premier got a cheap cheer by making some comment about the Roughriders. Ugh. The MC tried to introduce all these politicians like they were rock stars. It felt very superficial. I don't seem to have much enthusiasm about these sorts of things . . . particularly at 9 am I guess.
Anyway, on his way out Paul Martin passed by the line where I was waiting for pancakes, so I got to shake his hand. Later on Brad Trost (a local member of parliament) also shook my hand. Now I feel all covered in politician cooties. I hope it's not infectious.
Anyway, on his way out Paul Martin passed by the line where I was waiting for pancakes, so I got to shake his hand. Later on Brad Trost (a local member of parliament) also shook my hand. Now I feel all covered in politician cooties. I hope it's not infectious.
Sunday, August 28, 2005
Steps towards something beautiful
In a previous post I think I alluded to some beautiful, gorgeous, wonderful, amazing fabric that I've had sitting in my closet for about 5 years. It's been waiting to be a costume for quite some time, and I've been making plans for it during the last couple weeks. Today I had an opportunity to ask some dancers their opinions about how best to make a skirt to fit my vision, and now I feel fairly confident that I can finish it before school starts. Then I will be able do some work on the belt and bra here and there when I decide I have time for it - yay! I imagine the big push on this project will occur around Christmas time. Right now I have an idea for how I want the bra straps to go, but I'm not sure about the shape of the belt at all. The belt will probably be narrow, and will have to do up in the middle of the front or the back, because of how I want the fringe to hang from it. I want loopy fringe for this costume, similar to something like the below costumes on eBay. I already have a necklace pattern that is nice and loopy to match!
Tonight I found a website that teaches you how to make your own skirt pattern. It can be found here. This would be a starting point for me to adapt from. I'm not sure I want to put a zipper in the waistband (I've never sewn one in before), and if I do I might put it in the side instead of the back, just to make it easier to get into the costume. I have plans to put at least one triangular insert into the hemline to add fullness to the skirt in the back
This is an exciting step for me! Sometimes I'm too afraid of wrecking something really nice that I don't end up actually making anything. I feel well on my way now, though, so I don't think that's likely to happen.
Tonight I found a website that teaches you how to make your own skirt pattern. It can be found here. This would be a starting point for me to adapt from. I'm not sure I want to put a zipper in the waistband (I've never sewn one in before), and if I do I might put it in the side instead of the back, just to make it easier to get into the costume. I have plans to put at least one triangular insert into the hemline to add fullness to the skirt in the back
This is an exciting step for me! Sometimes I'm too afraid of wrecking something really nice that I don't end up actually making anything. I feel well on my way now, though, so I don't think that's likely to happen.
How grammatically correct I am
You are a MASTER of the English language!
Huzzah. While your English is not exactly
perfect, you are still more grammatically
correct than just about every American. Others
admire the way you speak and could learn a lot
from listening to you. Still, there is always
room for improvement...
How grammatically correct are you? (Revised with answer key)
brought to you by Quizilla
Saturday, August 20, 2005
Gazal research begins
Well, I've just spent a little time looking into the meaning of Gazal, that song I so desperately want to dance to. Looking at the liner notes of the Essam Rashad CD containing this song, I see that Gazal is explained as "Poetic Song." I have heard of Ghazals before, but don't really know much about them. I decided to look it up in Wikipedia. The article there is pretty much impossible to comprehend, but there are a couple of wonderful links at the end. I totally recommend them to anyone interested in poetry.
The Ghazal: An Inevitable Unity by Jenny Burdge
That Bastard Ghazal by Andy Weaver
It's a little odd how Ghazal means literally "speaking with women" in Arabic, and means "the last meloncholic cry of deer cornered by hunters" in Farsi and Urdu. I can't help but think that really says something about communication between the sexes!
It seems like such an interesting poetic form. It's sort of exciting to think of writing a poem that can have couplets so thematically different from one another. Is there a way to interpret this in dance form? Hmmmmmmmmm...
The Ghazal: An Inevitable Unity by Jenny Burdge
That Bastard Ghazal by Andy Weaver
It's a little odd how Ghazal means literally "speaking with women" in Arabic, and means "the last meloncholic cry of deer cornered by hunters" in Farsi and Urdu. I can't help but think that really says something about communication between the sexes!
It seems like such an interesting poetic form. It's sort of exciting to think of writing a poem that can have couplets so thematically different from one another. Is there a way to interpret this in dance form? Hmmmmmmmmm...
Friday, August 19, 2005
Brain Explosion
(Just to get this out of the way) Mmmmmmm, raspberry pie.
Now that that's over with . . .
I have had a lot of really good experiences lately. They weren't all happy, fun experiences, but I feel positively impacted by them.
Tonight I went to see the movie Sabah at the Broadway Theatre. It's a Canadian movie about an Arab-Canadian woman whose family became even more traditionally Muslim after they moved to Canada. Sabah turns 40 at the beginning of the movie and starts to take some risks. Some really wonderful changes happened in her life, and her family's as well. There was lots of belly dancing in it (along the line of Arab women's social dance, not belly dance club performances). There was dancing all through the end credits. It was really inspiring to see a woman take risks, and find love and a new identity and happiness. The movie was so good I almost cried! To read more about the story click here. It was interesting to see Roula Said mentioned in the credits. She was the belly dance instructor, wrote and performed some of the music, and acted as well. She is a singer in the group Doula.
Last weekend one of my favourite bands played at Lydia's - The Plaid Tongued Devils. They had a vehicle problem on Friday night, and we left at 1:00 and didn't get to see them perform. On Saturday a big bunch of friends went out and saw the show. It was a lot of fun. And a cute drunk guy hit on me all night! That was a treat! Usually I feel so invisible and uninteresting. It was really awesome to get some attention. We never hooked up (couldn't find him at the end of the night), but I like to think that somewhere out there in Saskatoon there's a guy talking about the hot girl he met at Lydia's, wondering if he'll ever see her again! Maybe this is a sign that non-drunk, young (as opposed to the drunk 40+ year olds who hit on me), cute guys could possibly be interested in me too. We'll have to see if I take any risks to meet someone new at the next show they play here . . .
A few weeks ago I went to watch DancEgypt perform at the Billy Tent (at Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan). Just as I was walking up to the tent and before I could see anything, I heard them playing one of my favourite songs, Gazal by Essam Rashad. For years I have been wanting to make a choreography to that song. It evokes so many strong emotions in me, and I think it could be a really powerful performance piece. In April I was telling my friend Debbie about this song, and how I had recently decided I probably wasn't a mature enough dancer to express what I wanted to with it. Fast forward to me walking up to the tent to see a much less experienced dancer performing to this song. My heart sank and I felt practically sick. I have been too intimidated by the song and the emotion of it all to even make this choreography, and here is someone dancing to my music!!! I can't even say if they danced well, because my attention was drawn so strongly inside of me. I've been thinking about this a lot ever since, contemplating what to do to make this happen. Some of the ideas I've had so far:
Now that that's over with . . .
I have had a lot of really good experiences lately. They weren't all happy, fun experiences, but I feel positively impacted by them.
Tonight I went to see the movie Sabah at the Broadway Theatre. It's a Canadian movie about an Arab-Canadian woman whose family became even more traditionally Muslim after they moved to Canada. Sabah turns 40 at the beginning of the movie and starts to take some risks. Some really wonderful changes happened in her life, and her family's as well. There was lots of belly dancing in it (along the line of Arab women's social dance, not belly dance club performances). There was dancing all through the end credits. It was really inspiring to see a woman take risks, and find love and a new identity and happiness. The movie was so good I almost cried! To read more about the story click here. It was interesting to see Roula Said mentioned in the credits. She was the belly dance instructor, wrote and performed some of the music, and acted as well. She is a singer in the group Doula.
Last weekend one of my favourite bands played at Lydia's - The Plaid Tongued Devils. They had a vehicle problem on Friday night, and we left at 1:00 and didn't get to see them perform. On Saturday a big bunch of friends went out and saw the show. It was a lot of fun. And a cute drunk guy hit on me all night! That was a treat! Usually I feel so invisible and uninteresting. It was really awesome to get some attention. We never hooked up (couldn't find him at the end of the night), but I like to think that somewhere out there in Saskatoon there's a guy talking about the hot girl he met at Lydia's, wondering if he'll ever see her again! Maybe this is a sign that non-drunk, young (as opposed to the drunk 40+ year olds who hit on me), cute guys could possibly be interested in me too. We'll have to see if I take any risks to meet someone new at the next show they play here . . .
A few weeks ago I went to watch DancEgypt perform at the Billy Tent (at Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan). Just as I was walking up to the tent and before I could see anything, I heard them playing one of my favourite songs, Gazal by Essam Rashad. For years I have been wanting to make a choreography to that song. It evokes so many strong emotions in me, and I think it could be a really powerful performance piece. In April I was telling my friend Debbie about this song, and how I had recently decided I probably wasn't a mature enough dancer to express what I wanted to with it. Fast forward to me walking up to the tent to see a much less experienced dancer performing to this song. My heart sank and I felt practically sick. I have been too intimidated by the song and the emotion of it all to even make this choreography, and here is someone dancing to my music!!! I can't even say if they danced well, because my attention was drawn so strongly inside of me. I've been thinking about this a lot ever since, contemplating what to do to make this happen. Some of the ideas I've had so far:
- Contact a modern dance choreographer and get them to help me map out the feeling and rough stage positioning for the song. This would be a framework for me to build a choreography off of. I'm thinking of taking this step because I want this to be a very expressive piece, and I'd like to take it a step up from what I've done with previously choreographed work.
- I've noticed that if I listen to the song over and over again, I sort of get paralyzed and can't plan. I was thinking that if I listened to the song once then videotaped myself dancing to it once, I would probably do some interesting interpretation while not being overwhelmed by it. Do this enough times over a couple of months and I would be sure to have several lovely moves ready to put into a choreography.
- Give myself some time. If this is such an important piece of music for me, then the creative process deserves some time to be savoured. Initially I was thinking of performing this at Medicomania, but that only gives me a couple months. I think that's why I didn't work on it last year.
This choreography obsession has gotten me thinking of working on a dance costume I've also wanted to make for years. I have pretty much all the materials to make it, and in the last week or so I've bought more beads and a bra for it. The fabric has such beautiful colours in it, but it has a striped pattern in it. I think I would like some help designing and cutting out the skirt, because I haven't worked with fabric with such a large pattern in it before.
So, as you can see, my brain has been pretty much been wanting to explode for a while. At least it's out now, and didn't make a big mess everywhere.
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Selling . . . selling . . .
I've decided to sell some of my costuming and jewellery stuff. Here are some pictures of a necklace, bracelet, and earrings I would like to sell. I'm asking $15.
Ensemble
Necklace
Bracelet and pierced earrings
Ensemble
Necklace
Bracelet and pierced earrings
Thursday, August 11, 2005
Fringe Busking
So, my dance group is planning on busking again this weekend - Friday and Saturday evening. We'll be meeting near the Living Room at 7 pm, and will probably put on 2-3 half hour busking sets. I can't guarantee definite performance times, because that sort of depends on when everyone shows up, other street performers, etc.
Hope you can come see us!
Hope you can come see us!
Family Reunion Article
Here's an article about a family reunion near Westby, Wisconsin that I wasn't able to go to this year. I have been to at least 4 of the reunions from this branch of my family tree. (My mom's, mom's, dad's dad was Anton Benrud.)
Benrud Family Reunion: A family reunion like no other in the region
Benrud Family Reunion: A family reunion like no other in the region
Thursday, August 04, 2005
The Fringe is coming! The Fringe is coming!
Another year, another Fringe festival. This year, as well as busking, my dance group will be back on the indoor stage (for the first time in a decade). We will be performing a half hour show in Venue 9, the Cosmo Senior Centre. Admission $3.
Our show times are:
Fri. Aug. 5, 9 pm
Sat. Aug. 6, 9 pm
Sun. Aug. 7, 7:30 pm
Wed. Aug. 10, 6 pm
Hope you can come!
Our show times are:
Fri. Aug. 5, 9 pm
Sat. Aug. 6, 9 pm
Sun. Aug. 7, 7:30 pm
Wed. Aug. 10, 6 pm
Hope you can come!
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