Fame or Famine

June 27th, 2008

It’s Never Too Late to Dance

Milia comments: I’m 18 turning 19 and I feel so behind in dancing. I do know I’m not up to date in movements nor technique. But you will see me again - from today on I will practice, practice, and practice.
I feel that - it warms my heart, actually. At age 18 I started on […]

By Gray -- 0 comments

June 21st, 2008

Guest Blogger Steve Eley on Improv Comedy

Here’s the last donated blog from Steve Eley, creator of the Escape Pod Podcast (among others). I asked him to contribute not because of his expertise in the arts, but because I know he can tell a story. As you will see here…

Being asked by Gray to write a guest post on this blog was […]

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June 19th, 2008

The Phoenix Performing Arts: A Tongan Cultural Gem

Reading about the genesis of the Phoenix Performing Arts group in Tonga is incredible, and inspirational. Founded by Siosiua Tofua’ipangai and Shiara Astle, both were dancers (Siua an ethnic dancer, Shiara ballet) who had been injured and unable to continue in their chosen disciplines.
Adapt & Overcome
In spite of being bound to a wheelchair, Siua succeeded […]

By Gray -- 0 comments

June 2nd, 2008

Can It Be? Legally Blonde is Better Than SYTYCD?

I’ve been very interested in learning some of the behind-the-scenes aspects of everybody’s favorite reality dance competition, So You Think You Can Dance. I think it was getting Arielle’s perspective that got me interested. But something is rotten in the state of etc…
So You Thought You Could Dance?
Like me, the TV Grapevine had a personal […]

By Gray -- 1 comment

May 25th, 2008

Revolutionary Reading: Ratmansky and Acosta

A couple of fascinating literary works have come out - one journalistic, one autobiographical - that serve to really highlight how much the world has moved on from the days of Rudolph Nureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov leaping over airport turnstiles to defect to the land of the free and the home of the brave.
Alexei Ratmansky
In […]

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May 22nd, 2008

So You Think You Can Dance: Local Version

I had the distinct pleasure recently of dining at the Med Hookah lounge in Madison, WI, which aside from having great Mediterranean food also feature middle eastern dancers (aka bellydancers, though some don’t like that term).
Those Who Can, Teach
One of the performers there is Arielle, a teacher at the Madison Multicultural Dance Center with Mona […]

By Gray -- 4 comments

May 19th, 2008

I hope my kids are as nice as Faye Wright

“Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I’m…” Always loved that Beatles song. And I confess, with four daughters, I’m pretty confident at least one of them will care for me when I’m 64. Or 80, for that matter, which is how old Faye Wright’s mother is now.
And the star of […]

By Gray -- 0 comments

May 12th, 2008

Dancing about War pt. 2: Singing Myself a Lullabye

John Henry was a self-described “performing artist/educator” who realized he was dying of AIDS and decided to turn his preparation for death into a performance piece. With the collaborative help of Douglas Rosenberg and Ellen Bromberg, a dance/technology piece was born.
A large part of that piece dealt with John Henry’s experiences as a combat soldier […]

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April 13th, 2008

The Pleasure of Planned Performance

“Embrace what frightens you. Get some new experiences.”
– Adam Carolla, Dancing with the Stars
Over the weekend I’ve been in Fort Lauderdale as part of a performing arts  seminar. Part of it was myself and others doing some Japanese-based performance art, something like a cross between butoh and kabuki and a post-modern aesthetic. There were other […]

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January 17th, 2008

A Talent Whines

This is just a little bit of a personal peeve: I recently applied to perform at an art show (which I will not deign to connect with here via URL). It was a fairly easy application process, sending a short email description along with some sites where my performances could be seen.
I didn’t get […]

By Gray -- 0 comments