conditional things

Brittle Woman
love withheld
time marches steadily
fast forward
alone
rigid
unyielding
nasty
mean
a crutch: idealism
dogma
time
wasted
love withheld
erodes
crumbles away
bits & pieces
a skeleton
remains

An artist can look at a pretty girl and see the old woman she will become. A better artist can look at an old woman and see the pretty girl she used to be. A great artist can look at an old woman, portray her exactly as she is... and force the viewer to see the pretty girl she used to be... more than that, he can make anyone with the sensitivity of an armadillo see that this lovely young girl is still alive, prisoned inside her ruined body.

--R. Heinlein via Jubal Harshaw, on 'La Belle Heaulmiere' by Rodin

Needless to say, for those of you who know me well... it's been a dark day with you know who. Our cycle continues, true to form. One day I'll finally grow apathetic - then what?

REHEARSAL FOOTAGE: Thriller

We are performing Thriller at the Gaylord tomorrow night... here's some ROUGH rehearsal footage, but it's fun!

We're Performing at Round House!!

Round House Theatre Presents



Contradiction Dance: An Exchange Between Life & Dance

Friday, November 7 and Saturday, November 8 at 8pm;
Sunday, November 9 at 3pm

TICKETS: $15 • Call 240.644.1100 or www.roundhousetheatre.org


Objects of Hope: Washington D.C.

Kelly Mayfield •Terence Nicholson • Kenneth Rascher • Arianna Ross • Chop Shop Studios
Joseph Nontanovan • Jasmine Artis • Shallom Johnson • Reggie Cole • Sylvana Sandoz

“I stood on my steps and watched the city burn, I was eight years old.”
For ages 12 and up.


www.roundhousetheatre.org • www.contradictiondance.com

More THRILLER & other stuff

We're buying backdrops and supplies for the show at Round House next week... For supplies, you should go to Utrecht in D.C. They have great supplies for those of you who engage in certain illegal paint activities in public spaces.

When I Grow Up, I Wanna Laugh Like This...

Shopping in ATL

Visiting Atlanta for the first time since I was 6 months old... yes, I was born here, but I have never been back...

My friend Alana (a regular visitor) took me to 5 points for some bargains... they have the dc equivalent of Mustard Seed, but much larger and much cooler:



And yes, the shoes above now belong to me...

Can you say 2 pairs of shoes, leg warmers, cool stripey knee sox, skinny low cut jeans, and a black super-fly sweater ALL FOR JUST $108.

Exactly.

Loving the ATL.

Freedom for real...

This is a RE-POST from a friend who just moved to Portugal to be with his soon to be wife...

Sic Semper Tyrannis!
Category: Life

So many of you have probably heard of the tyranny of European bureaucrats. The horror stories that come out of Italy are particularly severe, but now I have my own. On two occassions - trying to get my tax number and trying to file my wedding documents - I have basically been told by a bureaucrat to buzz off and failed. On both occassions, going to a different bureaucrat on a different day completely solved the problem and everything was fine. I was stymied by either pure ignorance, pure capriciousness, or both.

Actually, the tax business was likely ignorance. In the case of the wedding documents, I think the clerk was upset we made her work at 9am. You know, when her office opened.

I also recently discovered that apparently Freedom of Speech in this country does not extend to being a jerk. Insulting people verbally is a crime, complete with stiff penalties like going to jail, unless you can prove the insult is true. Imagine if calling a guy who cut out off in the sidewalk a disease ridden c*ckbite was treated as a case of slander. This all came up because of my "George W. Bush is a Punk Ass Chimp" shirt, which would get me up to 3 years for insulting a foreign dignitary.

Now, most of us are Americans. We were all raised with the notion that saying anything to anyone anywhere is our God-given Constitutional right. It is discovering that this sort of thing is not protected in Europe that makes me proud to be an American. We really are a freer people, in certain unique ways. You might lose your job or getting slugged for being a jackass, but in America, you do NOT go to jail for it.

HOTlanta

So far... it's rainy and ew. BUT, we're here and ready for some exploration of my birthplace!

more to come...

Kai's performing with Mini Shock (part of Culture Shock, DC) Can't wait!

In the Gazette!

Page 7 people!

thriller at st. marys college

So... it's that time of year again... here's my modern class dancing their beginning to The Thriller... more to come :)

in the lab...

rehearsal footage... enjoy!

The Orgasm of Life...

From my lululemon bag:

Children are the orgasm of life.
Just like you did not know what an orgasm was before you had one, nature does not let you know how great children are until you have them.

I agree.

The biggest impact of witnessing one of my closest friends give birth is knowing that I want another child... sooner than later. This is a profound shift - it will take a minute for me to catch up to the realization. Then what? EEK!

Pics from today:

Colin Powell Endorses Obama

BARACK THE VOTE!

POI CLASS ANYONE?

Be there. Visit contradictiondance.com for Location & to REGISTER!

Beginner Poi Workshop
October 16, 2008
Thursday 8:00-9:00 PM with Ben Drexler
Ages: Teen (12+) and Adult


Fire Dancing Safety Workshop
October 23, 2008
Thursday 8:00-9:00 PM with Lou Valentine
Ages: Teen and Adult


Intermediate Poi Class
Take your poi spinning to the next level! This underground dance art is becoming an international phenomenon—learn the tools you’ll need to spin like the pros. Students will go beyond the basic geometry of poi to learn in-depth techniques for performance and practice that will allow them to explore true freedom of motion with their poi. Practice poi will be available, but students are asked to wear movement attire.

6 week class: 11/6-12/18
Thursdays 8:00-9:00 PM with Ben Drexler
Ages: Teen (12 +) and Adult

Who's Who:

Ben Drexler is a native of Boulder, Colorado and has only lived in Washington, DC for a few months. He began his performance career as a touring musician before moving out east to find fame and fortune in human rights activism with the Genocide Intervention Network. He thought he was uncoordinated most of his life until he picked up poi and hasn’t been able to put them down since. He is completely self-taught in poi, rope dart, hoop, and meteor hammer, but that hasn’t stopped him from performing in fire shows all over the country and sharing a stage with some of the modern greats of object manipulation and juggling. When he isn’t working or devouring books on physics, he performs regularly with the Playa Del Fuego Fire Conclave, Dance Afire, and New York Sparkworks. He doesn’t sleep much.

In 1975 Lou Valentine was born into the loving arms of the US Marine Corps and spent the next 24 years breaking free of its grasp. While abroad he was introduced to an amazing variety of movement and object manipulation arts that to this day inform and drive his passion. Nothing prepared him for the absolute fascination and obsession he would experience when introduced to the fire dance arts at a small music festival in the heart of Kansas in 1999. Over the years he has become adept at the spectrum of common fire tools, breathing, eating and flame contact. Though the tools were fascinating it is the fire dance that fuels his passion for the practice. When he moved to the DC area in 2004 Lou took the stage name Loup-de-Lou and began performing with the River City Burners out of Richmond Va, The Philadelphia Experiment in PA and Playa Del Feugo Conclave at home here in the District. Recognizing that there was a need for dance in the local fire performance scene he kick started a collaborative effort that has come to known as Dance Afire in Takoma Park Md. Together with this fine crew of fire professionals Lou hopes to spread the safe practice of fire dance and eventually take over the world.

Be there. Visit contradictiondance.com for Location & to REGISTER!

Safe Space

photo copyright enoch chan photography

This week in class, I had a former student rush in and ask if she could just watch class for a little while. My insta-reaction was simple: of course. She proceeded to burst into tears, explain that she was having a terribly shitty day, and that she just wanted to watch for a bit.

It was a heartfelt moment that made so many other (difficult ones) worth it.

The moment has passed for her, I'm sure. But for me, it will linger. She could have gone anywhere, but she chose dance. She chose movement,the studio, and people moving together as a community as her safe place. In her time of need, she chose to be around dance.

I will cherish that moment.

Round House Theatre presents.... US!!!!

Round House Theatre presents

Contradiction Dance: An Exchange Between Life and Dance

By Contradiction Dance
With Kelly Mayfield, Terence Nicholson, Kenneth Rascher, Arianna Ross, and Chop Shop Studios
Friday, November 7 and Saturday, November 8 at 8pm;
Sunday, November 9 at 3pm

Objects of Hope: Washington D.C. “I stood on my steps and watched the city burn, I was eight years old.” Historical events from 1968-2008 guide and frame a journey from the race riots 40 years ago to the socio-economic divide of today. As our present state of being is a result of past experiences, the past becomes storyteller and guide through a journey about the complex relationships between the many people who call D.C. home. For ages 12 and up.

Contradiction Dance is where theatre, dance, and pop culture meet. The company makes dances that report on, reflect, and question the world in which we live. Nurtured on the belief that artists and audience members communicate in a dialogue through the chosen medium, Contradiction Dance fosters discussion, reflection, and change through live performance and dance education. Contradiction Dance blends several dance forms (modern, hip-hop, tap, and jazz) with aspects of storytelling and theater. This mix allows the company to create an exchange between art and life for audiences, performers, and collaborators. In August 2007, Contradiction Dance began “Objects of Hope,” an on-going project examining our personal objects of hope, both literal and figurative, through movement, music, poetry and visual art. Learn more about them at contradictiondance.com.

TICKETS: $15 ($12 for Round House subscribers, senior citizens, patrons under 25, and groups of 10 or more)*. Call 240.644.1100 or click here.

A Different Drum Moves Inside!

Starting Thursday, October 9, A Different Drum moves inside

Join us Thursdays at Contradiction Dance @ Echo Park!

5-6pm: Kids Beat - Circle for children of all ages
6-8pm: Open Drum Circle

$5 per person

Where: 7014 Westmoreland Ave, Contradiction Dance @ Echo Park

visit www.contradictiondance.com for more info!

http://contradictiondance.wordpress.com/workshops-events/

in the lab

In the studio... again. :) Met with T today about the music... he's the BEST. 5 rings arts. That's the business.

makin' dances

Been 'in the lab' quite a bit... here's a snippet from today: copykat