THIS IS SAD
I haven't updated in half a month. And nothing has changed, tech-wise - still using the same declawed Hackintosh. Oh well, one day it shall be a real boy.
My Fatman Scoop promo video went over well with people. While I'm glad that others are now interested in having me make promo vids for them, I'm scared to death that I'm going to work my hands to the bone for no monetary compensation. I may start charging...
Soon, a new series of videos for UN1TE's community and public classes will be up and running on the UN1TE channel. I think I shall create a playlist of all the videos I cut for UN1TE, because many of them took a lot of work.
I attempted to start a dance class, but the studio is being dumb and not answering my voicemail messages anymore.
Tomorrow I have the day off work. Yay! What shall I do with myself??
Showing posts with label dance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dance. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
The news of life
Where to begin?
First, the dance news:
Went to the School of Contemporary Dancers today to audition for the Junior Professional Program. Discovered two things. 1: Not taking ballet for a year has taken its toll on me. 2: The JPP is a little too pricey for me at this time.
The coffee:
Had a cappucino (not decaf - I've been breaking the rules a bit lately) from the Fyxx on Albert. Those things are tiny! But I suppose that their size is more comparable to the traditional cappucino. It's Starbucks that tends to supersize things.
Also, bought a decaf coffee from Tim's. Guh-ross, watery. But it didn't make me ill like the regular stuff does, so hooray!
The tech:
Found a way to burn OGG files (the format all of my audio is in for Dance Manitoba) using Windows XP (my mom's computer). Very relieved - I was afraid that I'd have to re-export from all of my project files, or convert all the files to WAV or something. It's all thanks to my cousin Ken, who deserves to be mentioned in the blog for his assistance in all my computer issues lately (which have been many)
Got my new monitor from FutureShop. It's so pretty - I've got it hooked up to my laptop.
I think I've covered most of the relevant news. Life has slowed down a bit, but it's every bit as full of learning as during the school year. I love it!
First, the dance news:
Went to the School of Contemporary Dancers today to audition for the Junior Professional Program. Discovered two things. 1: Not taking ballet for a year has taken its toll on me. 2: The JPP is a little too pricey for me at this time.
The coffee:
Had a cappucino (not decaf - I've been breaking the rules a bit lately) from the Fyxx on Albert. Those things are tiny! But I suppose that their size is more comparable to the traditional cappucino. It's Starbucks that tends to supersize things.
Also, bought a decaf coffee from Tim's. Guh-ross, watery. But it didn't make me ill like the regular stuff does, so hooray!
The tech:
Found a way to burn OGG files (the format all of my audio is in for Dance Manitoba) using Windows XP (my mom's computer). Very relieved - I was afraid that I'd have to re-export from all of my project files, or convert all the files to WAV or something. It's all thanks to my cousin Ken, who deserves to be mentioned in the blog for his assistance in all my computer issues lately (which have been many)
Got my new monitor from FutureShop. It's so pretty - I've got it hooked up to my laptop.
I think I've covered most of the relevant news. Life has slowed down a bit, but it's every bit as full of learning as during the school year. I love it!
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Issues
"Issues" is the name of one of the recent UN1TE Dance Company sets. But I've been experiencing other issues today.
This isn't a tech blog. If the issues I was having were technical, I'd at least have some sort of solid faith that these problems could be solved. Instead, this is an emotional matter.
I've tried and tried to put my own artistic voice into my dance company, and I am constantly rejected. I'm at a point where I feel like giving up. I make sacrifices for the team, but some people don't recognize that. It's not that I don't understand the whole "for the good of the team" ethic, but I can't contribute to the team if I feel crushed by it. And the one person I thought would understand isn't helping - rather, she's part of the problem.
I'm being deliberately vague so as to not hurt anyone's feelings. The team is full of amazing people. I'm just in a bad position right now, and need a way to vent...
I wish I was a kid again and didn't have to deal with this shit.
This isn't a tech blog. If the issues I was having were technical, I'd at least have some sort of solid faith that these problems could be solved. Instead, this is an emotional matter.
I've tried and tried to put my own artistic voice into my dance company, and I am constantly rejected. I'm at a point where I feel like giving up. I make sacrifices for the team, but some people don't recognize that. It's not that I don't understand the whole "for the good of the team" ethic, but I can't contribute to the team if I feel crushed by it. And the one person I thought would understand isn't helping - rather, she's part of the problem.
I'm being deliberately vague so as to not hurt anyone's feelings. The team is full of amazing people. I'm just in a bad position right now, and need a way to vent...
I wish I was a kid again and didn't have to deal with this shit.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Five down...
... and eight to go. That's right, it's been five days since Manitoba Dance Festival started, and I've had no life since then.
It's been pretty fun so far. The adjudicators are all awesome, very different people, and I'm glad that I get the chance to hang out with them. And I've found a renewed love for ballet and a fresh interest in modern. In short, I'm antsy to get in the studio and choreograph, teach, etc... And that's basically what's going to happen this summer.
There are a few things that have really disturbed me so far in Festival, though. First off, on day one or two I witnessed a girl struggle to smile on stage. It was adjudication time, when dancers no longer have to perform and merely stand politely on stage while their dances are commented on. This particular girl continued to perform in this casual setting, and it freaked me out. She would smile the biggest, falsest smile in the world and stare relentlessly at the adjudicator in a sort of contrived admiration. Every few seconds, she would stop smiling to lick her lips, readjust her facial expression, and start again. It was like clockwork, and it looked EXHAUSTING and FAKE and altogether very very wrong.
Another bizarre thing I saw was a girl who could not control her head on stage. She would dance and her head would just flop around on her shoulders, but it seemed that she thought that this looked good, and she would milk it by doing it with a smile. Where she got this idea from, I don't want to know. But it was frustrating to see a very clean group look messy because one member decided to emulate a bobble-head doll.
There were also the usual "amateur" mistakes that stuck out to me. One girl stopped dancing a few times to fix a costume piece on her hand, and struggled to get back on track. The thing is, this girl was 10 or 11 years old, and not in a novice category! Did their teacher never say anything about costumes? Then there were the dancers who chewed gum on stage. These people were noobs, for sure.
I need to get some sleep now - early morning tomorrow. Hooray.
It's been pretty fun so far. The adjudicators are all awesome, very different people, and I'm glad that I get the chance to hang out with them. And I've found a renewed love for ballet and a fresh interest in modern. In short, I'm antsy to get in the studio and choreograph, teach, etc... And that's basically what's going to happen this summer.
There are a few things that have really disturbed me so far in Festival, though. First off, on day one or two I witnessed a girl struggle to smile on stage. It was adjudication time, when dancers no longer have to perform and merely stand politely on stage while their dances are commented on. This particular girl continued to perform in this casual setting, and it freaked me out. She would smile the biggest, falsest smile in the world and stare relentlessly at the adjudicator in a sort of contrived admiration. Every few seconds, she would stop smiling to lick her lips, readjust her facial expression, and start again. It was like clockwork, and it looked EXHAUSTING and FAKE and altogether very very wrong.
Another bizarre thing I saw was a girl who could not control her head on stage. She would dance and her head would just flop around on her shoulders, but it seemed that she thought that this looked good, and she would milk it by doing it with a smile. Where she got this idea from, I don't want to know. But it was frustrating to see a very clean group look messy because one member decided to emulate a bobble-head doll.
There were also the usual "amateur" mistakes that stuck out to me. One girl stopped dancing a few times to fix a costume piece on her hand, and struggled to get back on track. The thing is, this girl was 10 or 11 years old, and not in a novice category! Did their teacher never say anything about costumes? Then there were the dancers who chewed gum on stage. These people were noobs, for sure.
I need to get some sleep now - early morning tomorrow. Hooray.
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