The Body Jerk

Blast from Our Pasts!

2011-01-23T17:44:00.004-05:00

Doing a scientific experiment with some crazy cool kids for PBS' Dragonfly TV!

Find other cool DragonflyTV episodes here!

2010-10-04T22:09:00.000-04:00

Witchy Stitch

2010-09-15T14:21:00.000-04:00

"an editorial of Gareth Pugh‘s oil-slick, sicker-than-ever Autumn 2010/Winter 2011 collection"

"Joie de Vivre," Gareth Pugh's A/W 2010 Collection (Directed by Ruth Hogben) from Original Psyn on Vimeo.

3OH!3 Music Video Shoot Los Angeles, CA

2010-08-24T11:04:00.001-04:00

Today was a day of firsts on the set of the newest 3OH!3 music video shoot, which I choreographed for and danced in. The director spoke with me two days ago and explained his highly creative and abstract concept. I told him that I could bring his vision for my section to fruition if I hired my own dancer. With production's approval, I of course hired Janelle Dote, a fellow performer in a burlesque company that I dance with regularly, The Lalas. I could think of no one else I'd rather spend a long day on set with. And I know Janelle is a professional that would not require an off-set rehearsal.

I can't reveal the the director's concept prior to the video actually being released of course. In the industry, you don't have to make me sign some impersonal, mistrusting confidentiality agreement for that. I've worked enough. I know how we do. So I'll keep my firsts ambiguous. Like: today was the first time on set that I was ever asked to dance worse. I'd like to say it was because I was so outstanding I was outshining the ensemble of dancers, but alas, that's not a first in today's story. Rather, the character the director wished Janelle and myself to portray actually would have not danced so well. So we were outshining our own characters, I guess you can say. In the same vein, I've also never been asked to not smile so much while dancing. If you know me, you might know it is hard to not smile while doing something that gives me such obvious joy.

This was the first time I've ever been asked to pull down my pants on set. Pull UP my pants; yes. I've been asked to cover more midrift, or thong straps or just go for the high waist look, but today, they needed my pants down. So that one was new.

Finally, I have shot two films this year where the director of photography wished to utilize one of those crazy tech fancy still cameras to shoot high definition film. Both, after seeing the footage, nixed the idea and went to high def video on the RED camera due to picture quality and cohesiveness. This was the first project I have ever worked on that was shot entirely on a still camera. As the steady rig passed over, I searched for eye line into the lens and saw only two still cameras. I felt like we were in a rehearsal! But there they both go: one taking actual stills and the other shooting high def video. I trust that everyone on the sets I work on any more is really an expert in their field and if they say this music video will be shoot on a still camera, then I say we will do it! But I've never seen a more pixelated playback, that's for sure. And I couldn't help but wonder, somewhere deep down; is this video intended exclusively for Youtube? What a crazy, changing world we live in.

Dance worse, smile less, pants down and entire music videos shot on a high def still camera. I can't believe the things I get to live through sometimes!

Um...Yes

2010-01-24T20:23:00.003-05:00

This one was so good I had to post this in the middle of watching it.
:)

Burning Room

2010-01-11T00:48:00.003-05:00

It is important for me to frequently remind myself that the beauty and the soul behind the art oftentimes has a direct correlation with suffering and feeling the bite of life. While I do not promote suffering for the sake of art, I do trust that acknowledgment of whatever may preexist will indefinitely lead to some serious risk taking, wide angle thinking and lo - something that will make people FEEL. They can always tell when your path is contrived.

I think a lot about leaving space - space for applause, space for engagement, space for a ripple, space for time to shift. Last night my mind wandered into the realm of trees and roots, fungus and the space betwixt them all - the magic, the subtle energies at play, the whisper of the ethereal...Today I leave space for the pain.

I came across this video today. Methinks it hits the nail on the head.

Never underestimate your truth. You wouldn't want to be a performer who cannot relate to their audience would you? This is what they tell me...You've got to find the attachment point.

D-Efeitos – Prólogo

2009-11-24T22:55:00.001-05:00

From Brazil with Love,

Superboy

2009-11-23T18:39:00.001-05:00

I can't lie - I've been a club kid for a loooong time. This cirque piece totally made me wet my pants. Now you too can feel the magic.

Super Boy - Cirque du Soleil from l.a. bean on Vimeo.

Flies, Dead Guys & Bloody Thighs

2009-11-12T16:31:00.002-05:00

Media from the EEB is now up at: http://mojodeville.wordpress.com/2009/10/29/zombie-kisses/

Zomburlesque

2009-10-11T19:40:00.004-04:00

I'll be performing at this event with some of the other Counter Culture Collective freaks...
With all this new age vaudeville floating around a gal wonders just what's in store for the art of the tease...

Ever see a dead girl drop it like it's hot?

What's Next for Dance? Hollywood, CA

2009-09-21T02:03:00.001-04:00

This, and Nine Inch Nails last tour took live performance and technology to a level I never considered could be achieved. We've been waiting for "what's next" after Cirque broke all the rules ten years ago. But it's been ten years and ... nothing.

Until now.

This is art.

.PLAYA FOOT.

2009-09-12T12:14:00.000-04:00

My feet are my meal ticket. Sure I could dance without ‘em – I once had an amazing mentor who could pull quadruple pirouettes on one leg…he only had ONE leg! But really, I don’t want be at that point unless I have to – yaddida?

Being at Burning Man is a slap in the foot. For us grounded bare-foot walkers, the intensely dry alkaline silt may feel good between our toes for a day or two but can lead to serious playa foot if left untended for longer. Playa Foot is an infirmity unique to the Black Rock Desert. It can most easily be compared to a chemical burn. Symptoms range from dry, cracked feet to intensely chapped, bleeding feet that hurt to walk on. Trust, this is not something you want to have during one of the most epic celebrations of the year.

While I frolicked barefoot most of the week without too much chafing, I did manage to catch a few unlucky buddies at what seemed like some pretty bummerific times. The on-site cure is easy; A little vinegar goes a long way. The magic however, is in the decompression/rejuvenation time you get to enjoy post-playa.

The burners at my co-op loved the baths I drew for them. Packed with yummy things found around the home, you too can de-playafy!

Post-Playa Soak

A hot bath is drawn with:

2 cups of vinegar

fresh mint leaves

arnica

a few drops of tea tree oil

fresh rosemary

epsom salt

** muddle all herbs before hand in order to release their full scents and capabilities**

And if you’re not into gettin’ all DIY for some reason – Mom sent me some amazing salts from the Landmade Co. a while back. While I haven’t been able to hunt much of anything down online the company can be contacted here.

This group organically grows or conscientiously collects the herbs they use in their products, they stay away from artificial components and works hard to help transform the mundane routine into rituals of health and healing. Can’t go wrong with that! I used the Arnica/MSM Therapeutic Mineral Salts and fell in love!

Happy Decompression!

Got a Date w/ Busdriver & Rosetta...

2009-08-27T23:31:00.002-04:00

Could life be any better?
MoJo will be rocking DC with Rosetta Stoned!!!
mojodeville.wordpress.com for more info soon!

The Lift & The Ground

2009-08-24T13:21:00.001-04:00

Our bodies tell us to groove every second of the day. A hand on the heart or a finger on the pulse instantly supplies you with a steady beat for which to tap your foot. We know that it all has something to do with electricity and “life-force” but there is still plenty of unknown magic out there just waiting to be discovered. Why are we even alive? Why do we breathe and love and feel? Why does the beat and the pulse exist so evenly, so rhythmically? Even more, these things work inside us without us having to think or volunteer any real effort at all. We are spoon-fed magic every moment…and all that is required of us is respect.

But what of the other “inside things” we don’t control? What about the simple truths our minds hold? Our subconscious?

I’ve been using dance as a tool for expression for longer than I can even officially remember. Before schooling, before performing professionally, before becoming cognizant of what I was doing. However, for the last decade I’ve been allowing myself to explore it further. How can dance be utilized as a tool for spirituality, meditation, trance and possession?

The prospect of intentionally dancing myself into a trance came about as I was beginning to question my Catholic upbringing. I shirked many a responsibility as an eager teen – lusting for Truth. I wanted to learn more about the alternative spiritual systems that had previously only been hinted to me and experience their magic. I eventually came to realize that the esotericism I sought was right under my nose, as a beautiful & stoic old woman – quite dear to me – began to disclose some of what she thought to be the secrets of the universe before her quiet death. I didn’t understand it all at the time but was elated to finally hear something. Her words were memorable enough to open many doors through the years, even after her death and so – I held on to them tightly.

The first time I felt I had enough knowledge and courage to attempt a spiritual dance encounter in a focused, deliberate manner I was struck by how both scared and liberated I felt. While dance was something I already practiced and excelled at, this was much different than a staged performance piece. This dance was for the spirits, the earth and all vibrations between. Not for an audience of commercially driven spectators. The magnitude of this hit me like a sack of bricks. There were no mirrors or spotlights here. Time to shed the ego.

A tough pill to swallow – even dancing alone surrounded only by my four walls and some candlelight turned me into a self-conscious, trembling mass. I was too open. I was too vulnerable. “What floating personality has entered me? Surely I’ve no idea where I am within space and time. Surely I’ve never moved this way before in my life.” It felt to me like holy communion. I had ingested, become and was suddenly dancing the message of some God-force, some spirit, some animal…I was awake and lucid and sweating; Writhing on the floor like some twitching beast. Ecstatic.

Something beautiful happens when you allow yourself to give up completely the 9 to 5, the final exams, the boyfriend/girlfriend drama, the stress and the suffering. When you pass into a rhythmic induced meditation and pass back out of it you are left with a mental clarity that I hold no doubt is a healing. You – the empty vessel – have allowed your physical being to work as both conduit and doorway to your own personal nirvana. Lifting you up – grounding you down.

Now as I study set and setting, prepare for my excursions into the next - I am beginning to understand how to shape my journies so that they may be productive experiences as much as they are freeing experiences. By setting my intentions at the start I can mold my dance into a focused meditation generating specific results. Primal instincts coming out and assisting me in my troubleshooting processes – giving me the outside perspective I need to work out life’s lifey-ness.

Sweet catharsis.

Post Jerk - Get Punk[d].

2009-08-18T18:52:00.002-04:00

Thanks to Miss Tonya Kay for introducing me to this. She posted this video on her forum at The Lonely Garden. Michael Clark is invincible I say. Perhaps my NYC punk days have got a stronger grip on my heart than I thought...but methinks the magic of this crossover art can hold its own. Check out the goods and let em simmer why don't ya?

2009-08-11T18:41:00.001-04:00

I Like Fosse

2009-08-11T18:32:00.001-04:00

DANCING THROUGH BOUNDARIES

2009-08-05T15:50:00.001-04:00

DANCING THROUGH BOUNDARIES
by Katharine Vigmostad

This paper was originally written for a course at The University of Iowa, entitled Theories of Dance and the Body. This course explored varying theories and points of view on physical embodiment, and how our understanding of corporeality affects the way we view, experience, and utilize dance.

Introduction

The human body is inherently restricted in its ability to perform actions – and each one unique in its degree of limitations. How do we, as dancers, performers, and choreographers, respect these boundaries while still pursuing an aesthetic goal? How do intricate power relationships play into and complicate this issue in the dance world? How do current dance training practices lend to the formation of a dancer’s identity, and how does this identity, in turn, inform dancers’ participation in and proliferation of these complex and often imbalanced power structures? I believe these issues to be salient, and in need of exploitation in the practice and performance of dance, for their consequences yield considerable authority in the making and treatment of dancers and their subsequent relationship with their chosen profession. The power relationships established in the dance world have dominating tendencies, often cross ethical boundaries, and are rarely addressed in dance classrooms or rehearsal settings. I hope to reveal some of the mechanics of the complex relationships set up between dance teachers/choreographers and dance students/dancers, in the hopes that the awareness of such issues is capable of beginning a process of transition, leading to a more democratic and holistic approach to the practice, making, and performance of this art form. I will draw support from articles written by dance scholars and will try to focus my writing on 20th century concert dance and movement modalities, and draw from my own experiences in these disciplines.

Forming a dancer’s identity

As I grew up with dance, it has been an integral part of my identity, and my identification process. My identity has always included the statement: “I am a dancer” – a statement that bleeds into the way I see and respond to my surroundings; I learn best through my kinesthetic sense, gaining insight and information through/from other’s bodies and their postures and movements. Andre Grau states that, “…identity is structured by otherness and vice versa…” and “is bound to the dynamics of interactions.” (Grau, 190-191). Our identity, then, is continuously being constructed through the reflection and/or deflection of difference. I think this is key in the development of a dancer’s identity in particular, because the body, being the form’s medium of expression, and a constant in the human experience, is so easily compared to others in the dance classroom and/or on stage. A dancer’s body must be trained, scrutinized, and controlled; body ideals are clearly stated by the visibility of such canonical statures in dance performances. Isabelle Ginot writes, “…contemporary dancers’ memories… have shown that one of the key guiding factors of their training is identity. The question is whether to succeed or not in ‘becoming a dancer,’ in conforming to the real or fictional images of this ‘being a dancer’ and its identity, perceived as both repressive and desirable.” (Ginot, p. 251 – 252) A dancer who does not “fit the mold” physically is aware of their potential to “succeed” in the contemporary dance world because of this factor. Comparison with other dancers is encouraged from the beginning, and this early cultivation of “what a dancer looks like” into the minds of young dancers becomes an integral part of their notion of self-worth and, subsequently, their identity. The objectification of a dancer comes from teachers and spectators as well. Susan Foster reveals the early ballet establishment’s role in promoting this behavior. Foster states, “Capitalist marketing strategies in the early nineteenth century supported and enhanced the objectified dancing body and the commodified female dancer. They pitted one ballerina against another in intensive, objectifying advertising campaigns.” (The ballerina’s phallic pointe, p. 6) These tactics to increase ballet’s popularity drove dance companies to create the image of drama and competition within the walls of their organization. Eventually, these stories manifested into reality, and competitive dynamics are still prevalent and a driving force in the field of dance.

Disciplining a dancer

A certain amount of masochism is built in to the training of a contemporary dancer. Pain is often explained as a sign of “growing” and “getting stronger”, and those who cannot endure it are not expected to go very far in the field; I can remember being reprimanded many times in pointe class for wanting to take my shoes off when my feet were numb and bleeding. It is no question that dance training, like all sports and physical training endeavors, is physically, mentally and emotionally challenging. But these extreme and coercive training methods from such a young age instill into the minds of dancers extensive amounts of competition and insecurity, which will eventually travel with them into the rest of their lives, both within and without the dance world. Dancers are often asked to perform movements which are potentially injurious to their bodies, and, because of their ingrained and debilitating work ethic, usually do not contest. The average professional dancer’s career is approximately 10 – 15 years (according to the few articles I could find on the subject) the majority of which end due to severe injury or prolonged overuse. For a dancer, jobs are few and far between. Choosing to not oblige a choreographer’s demands based on physical limit or moral/ethical belief is nearly impossible without serious consequence. Not only will this behavior most likely guarantee a dancer’s firing from their current job, but their reputation will also be soiled, preventing future jobs from manifesting. I think this perception of dance being “both repressive and desirable”, as Ginot points out, is a key factor in the cycle of power relations built up around the dance medium, and plays an important role in our understanding some of these central and multivalent power-dynamics present in the practice and making of dances.
The structure of dance training, in particular the study of Classical Ballet, seems to have developed from the disciplinary foundations set by institutions such as the military. The parallels are most apparent in the desire to control and dominate the body in the hopes to create a body that functions efficiently for the profit of the institution it serves. In Discipline and Punishment Michel Foucault writes about the evolution of institutionalized disciplines, and comments about the point in history when disciplinary modalities were becoming codified. Foucault explains, “What was then being formed was a policy of coercions that act upon the body, a calculated manipulation of its elements, its gestures, its behaviour... Discipline produces subjected and practiced bodies, ‘docile’ bodies. Discipline increases the forces of the body (in economic terms of utility) and diminishes the forces of the body (in political terms of obedience.)” (Docile Bodies, Foucault, p. 138) As the dance-pupil commits him or herself to the dance discipline their ability to conform to set standards grants them a certain amount of usability. It becomes the dance student’s goal to be desired by their teacher(s) and choreographers at large, and will most likely abandon their own needs/desires in order to achieve the other’s objectives. It is difficult for these cycles to be broken for many reasons. One may be that dance instructors and choreographers were taught in a similar way, and are propelling this mindset in the following generation through their classes and choreographic works. There is an expectation in most dance classrooms that the dance teacher – at least for the few hours that they are in charge – holds the power and should be respected to the point of tacit obedience from the pupil. This experience of self-repression becomes so ingrained in the student, that questioning the teacher’s knowledge of the subject becomes a taboo, and such questions of ethics (as far as I have seen in contemporary dance classes) are rarely raised. This paradigm then translates into the rehearsal process, where the choreographer’s will becomes the dancer’s mission and inspiration. It is a bizarre phenomenon that one day a dancer may suffer extreme physical pain, endure scrutinizing judgment based on their looks or lack of talent, yet they will still show up to a dance class or rehearsal the next day in an attempt to fulfill their own, and other’s projected, expectations/desires. The layers of power relationships in these classroom and rehearsal settings are extremely hard to understand and decipher, and I have only just touched the surface of such issues. A full disclosure of these relationships would certainly require an in-depth look into psychology, and other areas of pertinent human-dynamic research; nevertheless, I have tried to reveal something of these dynamics from my own experience in the field of dance.

Accepting the limits of corporeality

With the current acceptable dance training modality in place, it is clear that dancers are instructed and expected to apply techniques presented by the teacher without thought of its potential injury to their body. Sandra Fraleigh states, “Whether I like it or not, my particular embodiment and my images of its powers and limitations condition my general comportment in life... Not only is my body mine – but I belong to it. I experience myself as implicated by my body.” (Dance and the Lived Body, p. 17) Fraleigh continues by illuminating the downfalls of a dualistic approach to dancing, drawing insight from existential phenomenology in her pursuit to reveal the separation of mind and body in the language and mindset of contemporary dancers. I think that this dualism, which is prevalent in the entirety of the western paradigm, is detrimental to all power-based structures. In the dance world, this dualistic viewpoint lends to the promotion of controlling the body; the mind is viewed as the agency by which the body is moved and utilized. From this foundation, dance students are trained to objectify themselves in the learning process, leading to ignorance of the body’s functioning and inherent limits, and, therefore, unconsciously damaging themselves through their exertions.

I realize that I have painted a very grey image of a traditional dance career. I have not focused on beneficial aspects of concert dance, only so that I could raise and investigate salient issues in the dance field that are so oft overlooked. I am not interested in discouraging the progression and continuation of concert dance; quite the contrary, I hope only for betterment and prospering to occur in the field (a field in which I am an active participant.) I think that with consideration of our treatment and training of dancers, education in the areas of movement analysis, biomechanics and anatomy, the dance world has potential to bloom into a new and exciting era of movement exploration. Dancers could become relatively injury-free, self-sufficient in remaining so, and capable of pushing the envelope of movement potential. This is an idealized vision, but one that I believe is (and have seen living proof of) possible. I do not think that it is possible to completely avoid injury, pain, or discomfort on all fronts – accidents and disagreements always happen. But, the amount and degree to which one damages their body should and can be held at bay.

In my study of the human body, and its various ways of moving, I have progressed from Ballet to Improvisational dance, to Modern and Contemporary dance forms, to Yoga, and most recently the study of movement analysis - absorbed primarily by the Axis Syllabus (AS). Frey Faust, the main synthesizer of the AS and author of numerous dance articles on related topics, writes of he and the AS’s goals in an article titled The Pedagogical Thesis of the Axis Syllabus, “Consistent with the natural environment that produced us, nowhere in the human body is there any evidence of a straight line or flat surface. It follows then that the most logical way to train the body would be through non-linear, undulatory, tri-axial motion. We could consider this kind of movement as a neutral starting point for mechanical integrity and well-being.” (Faust, Pedagogical Thesis, (http://www.axissyllabus.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=105&Itemid=2) Faust, in his observation and experience of the body from various lenses of both dance and the sciences, has developed a method for training the body from a sensory, rather than aesthetic, orientation, with his student’s physical safety at the core of his endeavors. Using visual references, technical terms, and physical demonstration, Faust is able to lead his students through series of transition-specific movements, which allow joint-integrity to remain intact and a priority throughout the class. Giving weight to the salience of recognizing and honoring our inherent physical limits, the AS-ump reveals to its patient students a powerful movement logic that transforms preconceived limits into nurtured and choice opportunities, while remaining within physical safe-zone parameters. In this form of training the body each student is given the tools necessary to make movement choices based on knowledge of anatomy, biomechanics, and principles of applied physics – granting them both freedom and responsibility in their own safety and health. I believe this and similar methods of training the body could greatly benefit the contemporary dance world, providing students and teachers with practical solutions in their movement making decisions, as well as setting up clear priorities for each.

Theory in motion – choreographing boundaries

In our choreographic collaboration, my group discussed the various perspectives we each hold on the idea of “integrity” as dancers, and how we feel the dance world either supports or debilitates this quality in our own lives, and in the art form we both observe and interact with. We have discussed how we have been “marked” by different influences in our lives – dance teachers/choreographers; life experiences; friends; colleagues; schooling; belief systems; ancestry; and so on. I believe these markings play a definite role in one’s identity and particular manner of identification. I am curious about how I have been marked and how I, in turn, mark others. Our discussions have lead to a belief that you cannot always know how you are influencing those around you, and where or when other’s marks will show up in your own person. In our choreographic process, we extracted “essences” from the conversations we engaged in as a group, in order to produce movement from the core issues at hand. We chose to represent these markings with colored paint as a process of making visible the unconscious influences from the world around us. Throughout the piece we represent numerous influences/people for one another, and have endeavored to represent certain boundaries and our dance and genetic histories through movement vocabulary and interaction with the paint.

The way I engaged with our dance-concept was by using my writing/research as a springboard for movement exploration in terms of my viewpoint on integrity and the boundaries that I attempt to respect in my dancing. I wanted to show my position on the power relationships set up in dance classes/rehearsals between teacher/choreographer and dancer, and how these power structures’ inherent tendencies promote the abandonment of joint/structural integrity in dancers. The movement material I contributed to the piece was drawn from the defining of my physical body, and applying the paint in a way that illuminated these boundaries. I was also concerned with the boundaries around my body; further clarifying my parameters for self-preservation. My first markings come from two other dancers, and these marks are placed on the sides of my arms. I asked the dancers to mark me on my skin to emphasize the physical boundary of my body. Having others mark me in this way is both a signifier of the action others take in helping to define who I am, and also the ability to manipulate a dancer through projected ideas/ideals/aesthetic agendas. When marking myself with the paint, I place it right on the front of my chest. This action is a symbol of my desire to be upfront and clear with myself, and those I work with, in my communication of my beliefs/boundaries/comfort zones. I also mark the other dancers in this same way; deliberately encouraging a similar approach to communication and a rethinking of priorities. Towards the end of the dance, we all engage in a series of vigorous/sharp/harsh/exhaustive movements, which carry on in a series of permutations and shifting spatial arrangements. One by one, we eventually withdraw from the fervor, leaving one dancer to continue the cycle alone. An outside force is pushing the dancer in this motif – an imaginary choreographer has given her this movement, and she performs with full force and conviction. I imagine the movement itself representing violence towards the dancer from this outside force. Her boundaries are being entreated upon, yet she continues to dance. As the other dancers dissipate, she continues, now internalizing the previously external force of the choreographer’s demands. She pushes herself now, struggling to rise to the expectations of the choreographer. She eventually quits due to utter exhaustion, falling back into line with the remaining dancers. This section represents my past – my old habits of relating to and approaching dance. I was ignorant of my body’s needs, pushing/pulling/thrashing through my limits, wanting, at whatever cost to my well-being and physical structure, to please my teacher/choreographer, and to be rise above than my fellow dancers in terms of skill and desirability.

I believe there is a more conscious and healthy way to achieve aesthetic goals through dance – one that does not stress the importance of suffering or engage in violent communication in order to succeed. Sondra Fraleigh states that, “Human movement is the actualization, the realization, of embodiment. Movement cannot be considered as medium apart from an understanding that movement is body, not just something that the body accomplishes instrumentally as it is moved by some distinct, inner, and separable agency.” (Dance and the Lived Body, p. 13) As the current paradigm of dance continues to objectify the body in this way, progress towards body-conscious development cannot ensue. I hope that by bringing these issues to light it is possible to highlight and instigate the application of alternative ideas for, and methods of, training the body that engage a holistic approach to the body’s functioning and treatment of the individuals involved in the field of dance.

Bibliography
Dance, identity and identification processes in the postcolonial world, p. 190 - 191 … Andre Grau
Identity, the contemporary, and the dancers, p.251 - 252 … Isabelle Ginot
The ballerina’s phallic pointe, p. 6 … Susan Foster
Discipline and Punishment, p. 138 … Michel Foucault
The Pedagogical Thesis of the Axis Syllabus, http://www.axissyllabus.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=105&Itemid=2 … Frey Faust
Dance and the Lived Body, p. 17, p.13 … Sandra Fraleigh

Slumber Party!

2009-08-04T18:21:00.004-04:00

Check it - my lovely housemates have decided it be time to go big. BIG i say.

Ladies and gents, Cartesian Records & Counter Culture Collective present to you:

Complete with magic, sideshow, burlesque, oddity arts and wait...there's more!
Come jam with us. We'll be rockin all night long.

Circus Without Animals on the Tonight Show Thursday Hollywood, CA

2009-07-29T18:52:00.001-04:00

Cirque du Soliel spawned a circus revival when it hit the Vegas strip—aerialists, hand balancers, acrobats and clowns now populate not only the big top but music concerts, MTV videos and commercials as well. Yet a circus is authentic only if we are dazzled by a death-defying knife-throwing act. Jack Dagger and I keep this original circus art alive and will be doing so this Thursday on the Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien!

It's extra special to see a real knife-thrower perform. In this regard, Jack Dagger is truly one of a kind. And to top off this rare performance on NBC, Jack Dagger and I will be performing our deadly "Cucumber Cut." After Jack throws knives with Conan, he will slice a cucumber in half off of my arm (hopefully without injuring me in the process) as the grand finale. This stunt is something you won't see on the Vegas strip.

As you might remember, only two weeks ago I was featured on Showtime's Live Nude Comedy, cracking a flower out of my shaking assistant's mouth with my 5-foot bullwhip. The danger and thrills just don't stop! Support your favorite cruelty-free/non-animal circus act and watch Jack Dagger and me this Thursday!

Live Studio Audience: Backstage on Showtime shoot Hollywood, CA

2009-07-15T13:49:00.000-04:00

We were given one rehearsal on-stage—about 10 minutes on the actual set to mark dimensions, lights, camera angles and choreography. That's not much time to add a set of stairs into a dance number. In fact, 10 minutes is not a lot of time to rehearse at all. But we burlesque dancers are used to bringing in a solo act and putting it on within the context of a grand production. We're fast and we work well under pressure. 

I was somewhat experienced at "live studio audience" tapings prior to this one. I had spun fire with my stilt company, Stilt World, in NBC's America’s Got Talent semifinals. I stood as target girl for a knife thrower on the Game Show Network's I’ve Got a Secret. But it was usually just my fellow actors, assistant directors, grips, camera operators, crafties and the director on set with me. So this "live studio audience" taping of my Bullwhip Burlesque solo in high-definition for airing in the premiere episode of a new Showtime series inspired me to be at the top of my game.

Live Nude Comedy, hosted by American Pie's Shannon Elizabeth and featuring star comedian Andy Dick, pushes late-nite television boundaries while educating a nation of comedy-craving viewers on burlesque as a diverse art form—from the classic, pinup sweetheart to me, the edgy, skill-oriented geisha-meets-striptease badass.

We filmed in the lovely El Portal Theatre on Lankershim in North Hollywood. The comedians’ and burlesque dancers' dressing rooms were no more than fabric walls suspended on pole frames in the spooky theater basement. The dancers had two make-up artists on hand for support, though we did our own faces. They encouraged us to shy away from glitter on high-definition tape (looks like it's levitating over your skin). I didn't use glitter. I did use cruelty-free Alima mineral cosmetics—listed as vegan and testing safe in the Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database. I applied those with Aveda brushes, which I love because they have handles made of flax and recycled plastic and taklon (non-animal fiber) bristles in an organic cotton case. (I also prefer cruelty-free hair, but how do you assure/certify that?) By the way, Alima mineral cosmetics gives you free eyeshadow when you return your used plastic containers. Alima and Aveda cosmetics are two exceptionally progressive companies environmentally and their cosmetics hold up under hours of intense, hot set/stage lighting during long shoots. They can sculpt even the most complex burlesque make-up design, and don't make my skin bumpy or hurt my eyes when removed.

In the dressing room, chit-chatting about this and that, a dancer wanted to know what I was drinking. Most of the time this calls for a less-is-more kind of answer, but this dancer showed some genuine interest so I talked with her about kombucha, the home-fermented, pH balancing, life-process promoting and economical drink. Backstage I thought to myself how nice it was to be able to relate to her about my passion for feeling healthy. She got it, too. Things are changing and in my favor!

When I came off stage from my single rehearsal, the dancers watching playback from the dressing room voted me "most flawless body," which really made me chuckle because, from my angle, I was sitting among the most gorgeous women in Hollywood and they were telling this to me? I wanted to give them something nice in return—perhaps a raw fooder's performance secret. I said, "We all play up our assets in costuming. Some people have this and some people have that. I have nice muscle tone, so I don't try to push up or pop out too much. I rub raw coconut oil all over my body because it glistens and is more like fitness modeling, only very healthy since it’s a natural oil. I use Cocopura because it's light and silky with a sweet, fresh coconut-oil scent.

At the last minute, the choreographer, Frankie Anne, gave me the go-ahead to work a pre-approved audience "volunteer" into my whip routine. So this new addition to my act and I rehearsed backstage in very cramped quarters. The space was so small, I didn't dare actually crack my whip in there with all the C-cups flying and hair rollers boinging. I just explained to him what he should do to stay safe while I attempted to cut a flower out of his mouth without rehearsal in front of a screaming "live studio audience." Around us, the ladies stretched out to stay limber. The Bellydance Burlesque dancer breathed like the spirit of a dragon was clawing up her spine. We all prepare differently, but we all prepare.

All my friends came to see the live taping, as well as my manager and some new fans—and wow, did the audience howl and hoot. (That's what I really miss when it's just me and the crew on set!) They hollered and I unzipped. I did have some unexpected prop malfunctions, but I figure that's something audiences actually like—to know I'm only human and we're all just having a good time. I'm a pro and I’ve learned to handle surprises like whips wrapping or traction slipping. But when it finally came time for my volunteer to kneel down in front of me, bless his geeky heart, he was trembling with nerves as I lined up to break the sound barrier in front of his face and crack a flower out of his mouth. Quivering comedian that he was, he reacted perfectly and was a hero at my feet.

After what proved to be a raucous, bigfunadventure of a performance, returning to the dressing room feeling all was right with the world, I found my coconut oil missing. The dancers yet to perform were rubbing it on each other—each glistening like water and smelling as if they’d had an intoxicating bath of coconut. As for having my belongings “stolen,” I really didn't mind. I didn't mind at all.

Watch Tonya Kay perform her Bullwhip Burlesque in the series premiere of Showtime's LIVE NUDE COMEDY this Thursday, July 16th, at midnight (Friday morning). This episode reairs on July 17th at 11pm and July 19th at 11:30pm. Also, watch for Tonya Kay's comic cover-issue in Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose this November.

To view additional photography, visit EcoHearth's Clean and Green Everyday online.

Summertime Clothes

2009-06-12T21:08:00.006-04:00

Good grace - there has been some major shyte going on.

Firstly, Outside of generally going insane - I've been in the market for some new sauce. Things were oh-so-sexy back in the big city. Not much room for glamour in the little town I'm currently in. But upon coming across a shady little fetish shoppe cleverly named Camouflage in our downtown district I grew nostalgic of days old where drag queens, neo-burlesque, foot fetish parties, dominas and various new-age vaudevillian and cirque performers took over 90% of my love, time and energy. It got me to thinking...why haven't I hosted anything out here yet? So pirates and pixies, I give to youHA! And if that weren't enough...Animal Collective just released their new music video for Summertime Clothes. Perfect timing...it was starting to get hot and lucky for you my birthday suit is in my summer wardrobe.

*wink*

This group is sick. The music is complex and exciting. The video showcases some really interesting motifs and uses dance as a springboard for aesthetic madness. A little wave for ya? A little pop? Some lock? Oh...what about hot balloon burlesque? Get down.

League of Extraordinary Dancers

2009-04-20T19:51:00.001-04:00

I Sweat Cherry Juice Originally Published with http://ecohearth.com on 04.04.09

2009-04-06T15:24:00.003-04:00

Signing autographs in a different time zone each week. Waking early to make small talk on morning radio. Snarling as a dirty, corset-wearing character in front of thousands of shrieking teenagers from a sold-out stage at Madison Square Garden. Sometimes even I think it's play. But it's my job.

I've been dancing professionally for 17 years. I was stretching splits at age seven. I was tapping time steps under my seat in kindergarten. I was counting crunches in the womb (or at least that's what mom said it felt like). And sometimes even I have to remind myself of the broken rib cartilage, torn hamstrings and transverse fasciae latae insertion tendonitis to remember that professional dance isn't all passion and play. It's a job. And it's a sport.

Read On ...

DIGG story

FOOL's GOLD

2009-03-30T18:47:00.002-04:00

So when you're bored and looking for some madness on April Fool's night...
Come kick it with Counter Culture Collective, the Dub Pirates, Little John and more at Fool's Gold! - A splendid affair...

SWOON is at it again!

2009-03-25T15:39:00.002-04:00

Ok...WHAT?
Pirate ships. Swimming cities.
She's on some next level biz yall...

Check it out here!

Spotlight on: Eric Van Uytven

2009-03-15T15:13:00.000-04:00

Belgian Artist Eric Van Uytven has got some pretty dope portraiture going on. Wish he had a site to refer to but sadly he's another artist lost to the etherspace.

If you're lucky, you can find his work around Belgium and certain big American cities...ahem...

If you love him - hit him up on Facebook...lol...he's got one of those.

We're Going Native!

2009-03-13T15:02:00.001-04:00

Counter Culture Collective will be reppin' it hard at
GO NATIVE pt 1: Descend-Dance on March 28th!

This event will raise funds for the Native Church's medicinal work, specifically the neurofeedback research demonstrating causality between medicinal use, improved brainwave patterns, and heightened mirror neuron activity in users.

The venue is an 1870s bordello complex built in front of the ancient Ohlone Indian gathering ground in Oakland.

Find us floating about the four rooms themed to the four elements!

Water: Island Natives (Maori) : Raw Foods, Absinthe Bar, Fresh Coconuts

Air: Cliff Natives (Anasazi) : Atrium : Chillout

Earth : Jungle Natives (Shipibo) : Giant Dream-Catcher hanging between balconies

Fire : Desert Natives (Pueblo) : Dub-Step Room

Mad Zach & R2 the Specialist doing a live set!

Fashion show, micro-massages, an absinthe bar, raw foods and more.

Be there.

MAD ZACH gets down!

2009-03-12T14:48:00.002-04:00

For all you lucky folk with access to a radio in the Santa Cruz area, Mad Zach will be performing a live set...cooking up the dank noms on KZSC 88.1 this Friday the 27th at around 7:30pm.

Be sure to tune in - this boy's got some super fresh beats for your ears!
Check out more about him at www.madzach.com! Why? Because he's one of the few peeps out there today helping to shape the live electronic music. He's got a killer collaborative effort going on with R2 the Specialist - another local Santa Cruzian - and has loads of bomb tracks available for free and for purchase here.

Movement Manifestation

2009-01-27T23:44:00.003-05:00

We're all just manifesting moves from a different time...
Crazy Legs introduces this badass clip - if ever you were wondering about the evolution of street movement...here you go!

Detours: An Experimental Dance Collaboration is pretty funky yall...
If anyone feels like throwing me a copy of their dvd I'd be the smiliest girl in town!

We're Coming...

2009-01-24T00:31:00.000-05:00

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.
- Theodore Roosevelt -

Roustabout (Bassnectar Remix) - Beats Antique

.Tribemates.

2009-01-22T20:22:00.002-05:00

Ladies and freaks, Zoe Jakes.
As a hip-hop dancer continually training myself in the realm of isolations and movement control - I definitely admire this woman and her ability to emote whilst hitting her marks!

Very excited to be able to meet and work with her soon!
Check out her vid!

And if you didn't get enough of the tribal b.i. - Rachel Brice is one to fawn over as well - currently teaching classes throughout Santa Cruz and beyond!

Knife Throwing on History Channel national television

2009-01-22T12:45:00.000-05:00

To all you weapon lovers, marksmen, and film stunt enthusiasts - do not miss this high definition feature!

Jack Dagger and I will appear on the History Channel on Sunday, January 25th at 8pm PST setting records and performing stunts WE didn't even know we could do!

Tune into More Extreme Marksmen Sunday, January 25 at 8PM PST.

The show is also scheduled to re-air on Monday, January 26 at 12:00AM, and I'm sure many times after that.

This is the stuff screen writers re-write their action scenes to feature - never seen before - no kidding!

Tell everyone you know ...

PS - you can receive automatic reminder alerts by subscribing to my iCal feed
PPS - to get you excited, more photos from the More Extreme Marksmen shoot by photographer John Leonetti are here

Dancing to Save the World

2009-01-21T20:04:00.003-05:00

This is an excerpt from "Entheogen" that was later altered in the DVD version.

Life is worth saving. Check it out.
www.entheogen.tv

Put your hands where?

2009-01-19T15:29:00.000-05:00

Did we all forget about this?
Hope not.

DinoRhymo

2009-01-17T15:20:00.002-05:00

Courtesy o' Kelly Peach.
yo, check it out.

pretty killer.

Rumi

2009-01-17T13:54:00.002-05:00

Dance, when you're broken open.
Dance, if you've torn the bandage off.
Dance in the middle of the fighting.
Dance in your blood.
Dance, when you're perfectly free.

--Jelaluddin Rumi (13th century)

Odbol.

2009-01-15T12:50:00.002-05:00

This young man is fantastic and my brain click clicks for him and all the other young engineers utilizing new technologies to enhance their performances...

I am in love.

I am in love with these lovers. Every day I encounter a new one - sometimes I'm the one reaching out, oftentimes they bring me into existence through an email or phone call - but boy am I glad to be able to make the connection.

Check out what this sorcerer manages to cook up with a couple Piezo mics and a sprinklin' of MIDI magick!

We're talking cyborg musician status, where the body acts as both instrument and player.
What you know about that?

Chick With A Whip

2009-01-01T14:22:00.002-05:00

Happy new year!!!

To my knowledge, I am the only chick in Hollywood doing professional level performance whips. A chick with a whip seems like a natural combination to me!

Here is my recent edit of some whip footage I threw together: precision cracking and cracking sequences. The two 4' nylon bull whips you see in the footage were made by Coyote Whips.

My bull whip burlesque act will be featured on Showtime's "Live Nude Comedy" series in summer of 2009. Yup, sometimes I'm a wild west arts kinda dancer, with knife throwing and whips (soon to be gun training and bow and arrow, too!). But sometimes the fetish, burlesque or circus venues know where whips fit best! On Showtime's "Live Nude Comedy" I will be featured in a 3 minute high-definition solo in true burlesque exposure. There are a few backstage Live Nude Comedy photos here.

Spiral Mint.

2008-12-30T21:43:00.004-05:00

COOL MINT FOR YOUR VIEWING PLEASURE
watch for sick execution of movement, unison, facial expressions...these kids are too badass.

CORNBREAD.

2008-12-29T23:42:00.002-05:00

Few folk know about CORNBREAD...and the lucky ones...they know of him as the godfather of graf. Check the vid. Share your brainpieces.

Spinnin' Sock Magic.

2008-12-27T22:29:00.002-05:00

Pretty much what we do in our spare time out here...
Pablo Hassan on the ones and twos coming at cha!

Yard Dogs Wants Who?!

2008-12-24T22:28:00.001-05:00

Sooo…things are happening at a reasonable rate. I’m in Cali now! Seems I’ve caused a bit of a stir amongst some fair Santa Cruzians. Seems I’ve caused some excitement farther down the rabbit hole as well, as folk far and wide have begun to bug me about when I would have the reel ready. The Yard Dogs Road Show recently contacted me as well - stating that they were holding auditions and haven’t ever done so in 9 years! Better get on it!

I smile.

What I’d like to know from you all - who may know the yard dogs…what were your gut feelings watching their stage performance for the first time? what did you feel they were missing if anything? Do you have any ideas that might be helpful in the way of attacking this footage knowing their current aesthetic and standards?

We all know I can bust a move - but I’d like to be smart in my approach. I think I have a good chance, been emailing them for a bit now…Kind of cool that this would be the first ever “audition” for their group in their 9 years of existence!

Zach, I know you volunteered to help - Smurf too…I’m down for HD quality - it’ll prob set me apart from whoever else they’ve invited…I dunno…ideas? Hit me on my 2way ya heard?!

Queen of Pin-ups Dead...

2008-12-20T19:33:00.000-05:00

Farewell Bettie! You've inspired so many!

The Making Of Music Video Tokyo, Japan

2008-12-05T20:17:00.001-05:00

This "making of" footage just came out of a music video I shot in Tokyo for Namie Amuro, Japanese pop sensation.

Five Los Angeles based dancers were hired to compliment the ten local hires and Japanese crew and choreographers. I couldn't understand a word on set!

One of the choregraphers, Yasko, choreographed the little tap dance section you will see in the final video. Yasko was an amazing hoofer - and that's coming from an amazing hoofer, so ... believe me when I say it was an honor to work with her.

Patricia Field was the costume designer. You might know her work on Sex in the City. She also has a line of shoe designs manufactured by Payless shoes currently, which I shot the commercial for. This industry is getting more and more cozy.

Ironically, I had just visited Japan the year prior to see Nine Inch Nails play Chiba Marine Stadium. To my delight, the Namie Amuro "New Look" video was filmed in the exact same location.

Another first on set, which you won't see mentioned in this "making of" music video, was a sit down strike the LA dancers staged. The work format just isn't the same in Japan. I mean, I thought film and television shoots were long in Hollywood, but we were on our 20th hour and well ... the US dancers could see that we were no where near done and well ... we needed another day's pay for this. Honestly, we needed two more days pay - like double triple over time or something. The Japanese production crew was extremely respectful and gave us cash on the spot. But they worked us long hours! In the US, I hate to say it, but we wouldn't have had to sit down for another day's pay, but on the other hand, we would have been shouted at kindy pushy like the entire shoot - which definitely never happened in Tokyo:-)

Oh, and before the make up artists did make up, they massaged our face. For a long time. Now that was brilliant!

Enjoy the "making of" Namie Amuro's New Look music video:

Who's that tall girl?

A precarious situation with tights.

First day of rehearsals:

What to do at hour 19 on a 24 hour shoot:

Yes, that's how you were born sweetie...

2008-12-01T16:23:00.000-05:00

The MILKMAN - loveable, blueheaded freak!
The Counter Culture Collective's bendy heartthrob...check this cutie out!

Smokin' Hot.

2008-11-30T21:02:00.004-05:00

YO! I just got aholda'dis..yaddida? Seems Cali is doing a number on my speech...but not my judgment. Is it just me or is Michael Dirt a total hottie? And talented to boot! Hooray! Oddity artists unite!

Little Superstar

2008-11-30T20:55:00.002-05:00

The Scoop.

Moj, what would you call what he's doing here? Waving? Gliding?

+FLY+

2008-11-24T17:21:00.003-05:00

The other night was pretty unreal and there were a few moments where I could not tell if I was alive on Earth or Heaven or Sandy Otherwhere. I grabbed Katie by the hand and said "wanna fly?"

Afterwards, she exclaimed that she felt like she was breathing for the first time and flung her arms out like she was receiving some great hug from God[dess]. This made me happy.

AcroYoga is what I guess is the new BIG thing.
I see alot of this at clubs like LOVE (NYC) and at Burning Man. Pretty much wherever contact improv jammers, hippies, and yoga folk gather. I was slightly interested and then my friend Niko kind of just up and pulled me in! I can't say how addictive this stretch is...on too many levels.

Ultimately it's a combination of acrobatics, yoga and thai massage. It involves two people, a base and a flyer - carefully and attentively going through various poses that test their trust, core strength, flexibility and partner flow. Super similar to adagio - it's fun stuff...check out this vid!

Things Get Stewy

2008-11-19T20:33:00.004-05:00

For such a tiny little hole in the wall - Santa Cruz throws down hard on the art tip.
In my short time here, I've already encountered some of the best graffiti I've ever seen - cave parties - bike porn and let's not forget...the TEAM PAUL SWEET ART PARTY on the 5th! yay!!!!

It's amazing what happens when people get all stewy and condensed. I feel like getting down with some of the local artists in a big way is in order....SO

I plan on getting a very special person to collaborate with me in a live art/bodypaint/ uv reactive dance-splosion for the upcoming shindig. shhh...don't tell nobody.

I guess photos and such to come!

Where I'll be on the 22nd.

2008-11-17T18:35:00.002-05:00

SF Hip Hop DanceFest Master Classes!

flawless dance company

The 10th anniversary San Francisco Hip Hop DanceFest is proud to offer two amazing master classes taught by some of the visiting performing artists!

The first class is taught by Flawless Dance Company Popin Pete
from London and the second class is taught by of the Electric Boogaloos. Here is the info-

SF Hip Hop DanceFest Master Classes
Saturday Nov 22nd
1-4pm (Flawless at 1pm/Popin Pete at 2:30pm)
City Dance Studios 10 colton street, San Francisco, CA
$20 for 1 class / $28 for both

To register-
ADVANCE-send check made out to "SF Hip Hop DanceFest" and mail to PO Box 411492 San Francisco, CA 94141
OR
Register the day of the classes at the door

Old Friends Doing New Things.

2008-11-16T14:48:00.001-05:00

Ladies and gentlemen...Eric Negron.

Puppeting Ography

2008-11-03T10:55:00.002-05:00

Technology and the human body cohorts again!

This is brilliant choreography. I can not help but wonder what dance the entire body could do without conscious thought with this technology. IF we could survive this type of stimulation full body!

Tonya Kay
http://tonyakay.com

Because Halloween is all year long...

2008-11-01T15:05:00.003-04:00

and breakdancing marionette skeletons are awesome...

Holding out for a hero.

2008-11-01T14:46:00.004-04:00

Miss Tressa Gold of the Counter Culture Collective recently did some dancing for the Miss Gay America contest. Details are unbeknowst to me - as she's been off the grid for a little while...but lucky her! All of us here send her our love and yo - if you've never seen a drag contest...here you go! Definitely not something to be missed.

This is Miss Tandi Iman Dupri performing for the crown at the 2001 Miss Black America. Unfortunately she did not win the title at this drag event - and passed away shortly after due to AIDS related complications (according to the mass media). Sure glad I found the footage. Enjoy.

Above Below the Register

2008-11-01T14:38:00.003-04:00

Check out this Inca princess from Peru. In her heyday, she recorded an astonishingly wide vocal range of more than four octaves, from B₂ to C♯₇ and could hit notes in both the low baritone and upper coloratura register.

I've been on this kick for a minute...asking "what makes me an artist?" "what makes someone a singer?" DEFINE define DEFINE. I sing - but am I singer if I don't persue it as much as say...the dance?

A special person told me - as long as you're putting yourself completely into what you're doing - as long as it's got soul...it's yours - your art - your craft. well, it was said much more articulately and eloquently than that...but you get the gist.

just hit play already.

+Midnight Madness+

2008-10-27T12:14:00.001-04:00

Because the Milkman is a slow man...lol.
It was mentioned that this should without a doubt go on the blog. Here you are - enjoy.

Paz, Amor, and Unity

2008-10-18T23:31:00.003-04:00

So -- maybe I'm a bit of a raver ... or a rager for that matter -- but really, it will always be all about the PEACE-LOVE-UNITY-RESPECT...{PLUR} for you cool kids. Check out my fellas from NYC, England, France and Germany get down...international freestyle champions of the new world. Peep it:

say hello to some old steez - say hello to some new steez.

+Rosetta Stoned+

2008-10-13T16:00:00.001-04:00

Yo, had to let you folks know...
My boys Rosetta Stoned - definitely members of the tribe when it comes to the "alternative hip-hop" scene...If you're near, check out their groove. I promise you won't regret it.

[The Outsiders Open/Zevs Gets Loose]

2008-10-13T11:58:00.002-04:00

HE BODY JERK finds spirituality in nyc hip-hop dance. hip-hop dance can become something viable too. nyc hip-hop dance can be taken back. nyc hip-hop dance can be a method of radical communication. nyc hip-hop dance can be therapeutic. nyc hip-hop dance can make your soul light up. dance is my religion. I am a hip-hop dance activist. You can be an nyc hip-hop dance activist too. We use dance as a mode of radical communication. Like urban gypsies, we flood the streets, sampling culture . nyc Hip-Hop was born of soul and sample. Become an nyc hip-hop dance student. Become an nyc hip-hop dance educator. Become an nyc hip-hop dance activist. hip-hop urban gypsy. hip-hop dance evolution. revolution. ]

::HERSTORY - thought you knew electronic music?::

2008-10-02T14:57:00.005-04:00

Say hello to my little friend.

Daphne Oram (1925-2003) was a woman of many skills. What she was known best for, however, is that she was a pioneer in the electronic music game and a sound engineer at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.

She developed a workshop surrounding ideas pertaining to experimental production and soundtrack composition. Ever hear of Oramics? Well yes sweeties, that was allllll her.
This lovely human created a system of converting drawings on 35mm film into sound textures. Check out samples of her her music here.

From The Guardian:
Oram was one of the first British composers to produce electronic sound, a pioneer of what became "musique concrete" – music made with sounds recorded on tape, the ancestor of today's electronic music. Her story makes for fascinating reading. She was born in 1925 when Britain was between two world wars. She was extremely bright, and studied music and electronics – unusual at the time not only because electronics was an exciting new industry, but also because it was a man's world.

GET EM GIRLS.

I'm particularly interested in this yummy bunny because of the sudden uprise of the dubstep movement. Let's see how many female musical experimentalists I can get my hands on in the next month. Ready...set...go!

I smell collaboration...
well, I always smell collaboration. lol.
:)THE BODY JERK finds spirituality in nyc hip-hop dance. hip-hop dance can become something viable too. nyc hip-hop dance can be taken back. nyc hip-hop dance can be a method of radical communication. nyc hip-hop dance can be therapeutic. nyc hip-hop dance can make your soul light up. dance is my religion. I am a hip-hop dance activist. You can be an nyc hip-hop dance activist too. We use dance as a mode of radical communication. Like urban gypsies, we flood the streets, sampling culture . nyc Hip-Hop was born of soul and sample. Become an nyc hip-hop dance student. Become an nyc hip-hop dance educator. Become an nyc hip-hop dance activist. hip-hop urban gypsy. hip-hop dance evolution. revolution. ] [counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective]

{Challenge Your Peers}

2008-09-27T08:48:00.002-04:00

To all the creatives sitting around waiting for art to strike them...
Here's to you.

Get up and do it like us hip-hoppers do it...battles are a way to flex your skills, teach something, learn something AND get inspired...

Why do we do it?
TO GET DOPE.

not because we're scared of looking like an arse. : )

Here are some artists in Brooklyn who are using this technique to create large scale, dynamic painted works.
Say hello to my little friends:
Melissa Brown and MOMO

Espeis "June" from MOMO on Vimeo.

[:Risky Business:]

2008-09-25T20:43:00.005-04:00

A history lesson for you folks today but first -- I send my deepest apologies for the disappointing flow of content. I've been in a bit of a rut inside and out and just trying to live and breathe and be. But now, now my fingers feel nimble and frisky they tappa tappa on this here keyboard to bring to YOU [whomever you may be] a history lesson.

The art of BURLESQUE landed upon America's lap in the late 1860's by a troupe called Lydia Thompson and her British Blondes. The British troupe spoofed traditional theatrical productions and did a lot of exciting things like gender role reversal portrayal and prancing around in skimpy lil' costumes.

Since then, it has taken on the characteristics of vaudeville, comedy, cabaret and striptease to evolve into the wackyness it is today.

The mid 1990s birthed the burlesque revival! Led by bad mama jamas Ami Goodheart [NY] and Michelle Carr [LA], troupes across the country began incorporating burlesque aesthetics into their performances.

TODAY -- we've got folks like the Indigo , Yard Dogs Road Show and Tease-o-Rama mixing things up with their curation of complex/dynamic performing environments/vibrations. Moreover, they focus on the comedy, the tease and the aesthetic as opposed to the strip...so to speak.

Well...all this to say -

LISTEN MOFOS...BURLESQUE DANCERS/GO-GO DANCERS AREN'T SEX WORKERS!!!!
[well, maybe some are - but that's only because their parents have wronged them...]
It's an art. Don't get it twisted.

anyway, there are artists out there who are constantly trying to tweak and grow this American folk art -- and know what? -- they're being bombarded with ultimatums and sexy propositions. A few dumb ones accept to get the gig and it spreads like wildfire.

It is YOUR social responsibility as an artist to set the standards within your industry. You can't ask for change unless you start changing your responses...even if it means being poor and without gigs...
Skanks.

<*sigh* the plight of the artist...>

=AfterBurn=

2008-09-17T17:43:00.003-04:00

I came home from the west coast and cried.

I wiped my face on my scarf and *ahem* cough, playadust. lol.

If there is one thing that I'm feeling right now, it's that things have changed inside and now it's time to run outside and see where I can make the pieces fit. BM is just as much Babylon for me as the "real world" is in many ways...but what I got from it was this overwhelming urge to reevaluate what it means to love, share and be an artist.

I want to be BIG do BIG and not just that...but proactive - right now, all the time...all nows and tomorrows and next days. I want to move and keep moving and moving and shit-last time I checked, that's what my job description was made for.

I'd like to get in touch with some folks in the ny burner communities to see what's what in the way of set design and traveling in style...
*whoodewhoo!*

Photos from the burn coming soon.

[:USPS:]

2008-08-22T17:47:00.002-04:00

Dear Sir - please remit payment for all of the lessons you have received from the School of Life.

~It's All Abouts The Voltage Sirs~

2008-08-17T11:43:00.004-04:00

There's something interesting that happens when you step foot in a grove or redwood forest after spending your entire life stuck in a whirlwind of smog, tall tall skyscrapers, and parks inhabited solely by hobos. Something interesting happens when you give yourself time - to do what? Doesn't really matter...Time to bike, time to romp in nature, time to sleep - to sweat - to dance.

I thought I was close to hitting that moment where I would just walk away from performance forever. While there are things going for me on all levels, I felt as if there was NO TIME for training, for experimenting, or for even loving my craft. Truth is - there is NO TIME...but you have to give yourself the time to work on making things come to fruition...because there is no time. If that makes sense...No time to sit on arses. No time to wait. You see, it all depends on the context in which you speak.

I am in the hills of Santa Cruz. I have had the most delicious burrito/salsa bar combo ever. I've been riding a :MoJo: style tweaked/freaked/technicolorized custom bike (yes, complete with hot pink duct tape accents - thanks Agler). I've ridden that bike miles and miles. I've smoked a whole bunch. Gotten my headspace nice and spread out and churning and WAIT - I think I've met one of the most productive stoners of all time...an amazing musician, stencilist, conversationalist, human....CODA!!! (finally, I come in contact with the other half of all those amazing beats from the Mad Zach/Coda combo sampler.)

Yep, things are really going swimmingly out here. But most importantly I've given myself the time to really fall back in love with my arts. This trip marks the beginning of the rest of my life. I have no job to return to once I get home, I've no fears, no obligations...I've allowed myself to stretch and breathe and be and lo - I'm really feeling like...dizzy...spinny...with possibility.

I realized last night that I was sleeping waaay more than partying once out here. And then it hit me - sometimes, though the city is great and will swallow you and teach you and give you orgasms big as nature itself -- sometimes, you need space and peace of mind.
Everyone's been talking about this recession that's around and about - as ole' :Milkman: said -- it's a recession of peace of mind. So--

I've decided to be mindful and give myself that peace.
Thus far, my body thanks me. My soul thanks me. My heart...well, it waits for its other pieces to gently land next to it in a field, on a hill, or in a tent somewheres...but yo - all that soon come.

Folks, this is important. And if you've thought that this was a ramble thus far...well, it was. But if you are to leave your monitor with anything from this - know -
YOU MUST GIVE YOURSELF THE TIME, SPACE, AND LOVE NEEDED TO MAKE PROGRESS. PROGRESS DOESN'T JUST HAPPEN. SOMETIMES...RUNNING AWAY IS REALLY RUNNING TO.

Moreover, when you find yourself hitting that moment...when you're like..."AH-HA!" and the electric bitch comes out...remember - it's all about the voltage.

{:LovEvolve:}

{:Who's Gonna Save My Soul?:}

2008-08-09T12:27:00.006-04:00

Collabo by: Gnarles Barkley/Chris Milk

BTW - hey dude. I understand.

[inter]ACT.

2008-08-09T11:18:00.006-04:00

I have been going through a rather tumultuous time of the heart.
It seems the universe would like to test my limits, my compassion for humans, my spiritual awareness...But yo - never underestimate the lessons learned during the hurricane and tumult. While I have every reason to focus on the beings and doings and feelings, I've been trying to focus more on the growth and the magic that has been coming out of the situation.

I was told by an old lover - there are folks who go to art school - learn to make what people want to see; Learn to fit themselves in a box and put their art on a canvas - hang it up, make it look real pretty in a gallery with shiny white walls and philanthropists jerking eachother off while they say words like FIVE THOUSAND and TWENTY TWO HUNDRED...

and there are folks who feel the burning and churning in their gut; see the need for change and social reform, can't help but create because if they don't they will die.

That said, I've got a lot of weight on my shoulders right now to effectively create the way I was meant to - I've been slacking and I've been inspired - too inspired, I'd say...to the point where it's distracting because I can't sort my inspiration out into neat little piles...or even big sloppy piles...

I saw {::this::} video today. What Tom14 is doing in Barcelona touched my spirit in a way that yea, it's been touched before - but wow....MONSTER ULTRA STATUS...like BAM - I'm hit and I'm hit hard.

He approaches his painting and music the way I need to be approaching my crafts more. I share his views - but holy cow...this man is about being spontaneous and proactive.

The Counter Culture Collective aims to do the same with their dancing. I'm excited to see how far down the rabbit hole this project will take me...

WATCH. LISTEN. BREATHE. FEEL. LEARN. BE. DO. [inter]ACT.[counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective]

Flag Dance

2008-08-01T11:18:00.002-04:00

I haven't seen flag dance hit the mass media too often. Which totally surprises me with a prop containing such fullness of expression ... I learned flagging with NYC's http://axisdanz.com . Director, George Jagatic combines this beautiful artform with modern dance in his company. As much as I enjoy performing flags on screen or the big stage, I'm sort of glad it's remained street - I have no problem finding flagging in the clubs.

Here's a video short of me spinning on tour with Panic At The Disco:

[Climb a Poetree...]

2008-07-28T13:42:00.010-04:00

Alixa & Naima :
These beautiful ladies have really been inspiring me as of late. Their site describes them as poets moonlighting as performance artists. I have yet to meet them - but all I've ever heard of them has been good. And really, if they've got the mojo to inspire long distance style...might be a force to watch closely.

Multi-talented, these ladies are killing it on the poetry front, the bookbinding front, the mural painting front, the screen printing front, the miracle making front...I guess I could go on and on - but you should really go check out their kick ass site - which, by the way, they also did themselves.

{:CLICK:}

And while you're there...buy some of their wearable designs and maybe a CD or two of their verb magic. [counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective]

::You Don't Need Technics ... You Need Techniques::

2008-07-24T08:50:00.003-04:00

HA! Totally stole the title from the ffff@ lab - cuz it was good...and cuz...really you should stop reading and watch this funky sh!t.
[BODY JERK finds spirituality in nyc hip-hop dance. hip-hop dance can become something viable too. nyc hip-hop dance can be taken back. nyc hip-hop dance can be a method of radical communication. nyc hip-hop dance can be therapeutic. nyc hip-hop dance can make your soul light up. dance is my religion. I am a hip-hop dance activist. You can be an nyc hip-hop dance activist too. We use dance as a mode of radical communication. Like urban gypsies, we flood the streets, sampling culture . nyc Hip-Hop was born of soul and sample. Become an nyc hip-hop dance student. Become an nyc hip-hop dance educator. Become an nyc hip-hop dance activist. hip-hop urban gypsy. hip-hop dance evolution. revolution. ]

+SWOON+

2008-07-23T08:53:00.003-04:00

Swoon is an amazing female street artist from NYC who specializes in life-size wheatpasate prints and paper cutouts of figures. She's been a staple in this city for over 6 years! Covering some of the ugliest places with intricately designed, colorful works. Check out an installation she did a bit ago...and boy oh boy - be on the look out for her newest project. I've been hearing whispers about the magnitude of this one...but don't worry girl, I won't tell.

Swoon Brings Juarez to Chelsea from Scribe Media on Vimeo.counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective]

--Creep Face--

2008-07-22T23:06:00.005-04:00

LOL...
vid of me freestyling about two years ago for the Hip-Hop Dance Conservatory. Quite contained if you ask me...but adorable nonetheless...as I tend to be...HA!
CLICK.[counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective]

[The Art of the Exchange] PART I

2008-07-22T17:03:00.008-04:00

I was, for a very long time, involved with an amazing bunch of enthused dancers and sorcerers who believed that it was their job to train the world to fall under a new standard of dance. While their training mechanisms were interesting and highly effective, they fell victim to a couple of illnesses - mainly ego and greed and the game of the big ole' H word...HIERARCHY.
This was more than dancer bootcamp folks, this was the full on war...a war against individualism and creativity. Somehow, dance stepped out of the picture and structure and bureaucracy was all that was left - well...for me at least.

One day I sat down, thought to myself - hey, I've seen this before.
In 1984, Orwell portrays a state in which government monitors and controls every aspect of human life to the extent that even having a disloyal thought is against the law. The controlling force kept a boot on the neck of its followers by means of:
psychological manipulation
physical control
control of information and history
and acceptable language/terminology used...

sound familiar?

seems some folk don't read between the lines...or read lines at all!
But me and a choice few - we broke free...in baby steps - because though maybe what these happy folk were into was right for them - it surely was not right for me, my soul, and my moral compass. During my slow breakaway process I received an email stating this "...because of your fear of subjugation and constant disdain for authority in many forms, your words often turn to or can be interpreted as obfuscation, inveigling and downright disrespect."
WAIT.
WHAT?
The happy dissenter should shut up...because her words might be misinterpreted?

Well...it's been a while since this has all gone down. And I've been thinking of my words carefully so as not to mince. And then I thought,
WAIT.
There's a fellow - who can articulate much better than I.

And here's what he said:
"The hierarchical principle is the magic spell that has blocked the path of men in their historical struggles for freedom. NO REVOLUTION WILL BE WORTHY OF THE NAME IF IT DOES NOT INVOLVE, AT THE VERY LEAST, THE RADICAL ELIMINATION OF ALL HIERARCHY."

The "revolution" I was previously engaged in - seems now to me to be a farce. A means of gaining and gaining and controlling and winning and gaining and making big names and getting billboards and performing for ClearChannel and hey - I'm on MTV and gaining and controlling and yes yes yes I'm master, you're below me, you know nothing.

Maybe a bit of a rant - but a valid one. Ask the dancers in NYC and elsewhere who either 1) are now disgusted by the thought of the dance or 2) are pushing past their bad taste to create something completely in opposition to what they've experienced and endured.

I own no bad blood - but I am determined to fuck the system...right up it's tight little ass.

The dance comes from an insane hunger to give - to show - to extend the tumultuous mass of emotions to an audience so that one might elicit response and ponderance.
We really shouldn't waste time with bitterness...(you should know this - my dearest Hindi gal)

My therapy? GIVE.

Dancers, are you hurt? GIVE.
This exchange that we've turned our art into - this exchange that has become a play on commercialism and ladder climbing and colored shirts and ranks and $44 tickets has determined the prestige of the giver.

But no - because, how many "famous" modern day dancers are there? You watch the music videos and really, how many dancers can you recognize by name? Who's really getting the shine here outside of the ones who consistently teach or work for big name studios such as Broadway Dance Center or Steps?

'Forced out of the sectors dominated by economic imperatives, this exchange can easily find itself reincarnated in values such as hospitality, friendship, and love.' Teaching to teach. Performing to perform. Free skill shares in the park at night!
GIVE PEOPLE GIVE!

Grow balls big enough to kill the market that this has turned into - and if that is too scary for you - grow balls big enough to change it.

LovEvolve.[BODY JERK finds spirituality in nyc dance. hip-hop dance can become something viable too. nyc hip-hop dance can be taken back. nyc hip-hop dance can be a method of radical communication. nyc hip-hop dance can be therapeutic. nyc hip-hop dance can make your soul light up. dance is my religion. I am a hip-hop dance activist. You can be an nyc hip-hop dance activist too. We use dance as a mode of radical communication. Like urban gypsies, we flood the streets, sampling culture . nyc Hip-Hop was born of soul and sample. Become an nyc hip-hop dance student. Become an nyc hip-hop dance educator. Become an nyc hip-hop dance activist. hip-hop urban gypsy. hip-hop dance evolution. revolution. ]

::WanderLust::

2008-07-18T20:50:00.002-04:00

A beautiful human showed this to me for the first time last week.
Watch and love.
Wanderlust from yoichi on Vimeo.[counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective]

+What's Moving+

2008-07-18T20:29:00.005-04:00

Albert Hoffman 1906-2008.

A bit late...but since I've been thinking so hard about the great spiritual escape and the Rapture...and its correlation to dance and movement theory - how the mind can bend and warp and put you in a trance-like state, if only you make yourself susceptible to it...I thought of Mr. Albert Hoffman and not for nothing - the man was surely on to something.
I won't get into details now or gush gush gush...but do the research. Make your connections. Find your rapture. Turn on, tune in, drop out - as a great man once said. What moves you?
BBC News
[counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective]

--Merry Blues--

2008-07-16T07:51:00.006-04:00

So, I know I just finished praising the work of intergalactically known dance troupe Pilobolus (their vid remains below) - but you know, things change. Sometimes more rapidly than you'd expect.

Though I cried tears of joy and awe after watching Symbiosis for the first time, yesterday I saw them live and in the flesh - and let me state for the record that there were no onions around - no scorpions in my seat - no tear gas or pinches...Last night I also cried a little.

Last night I had the deepest feeling that the dance world was being quickly raped. Again, more rapidly than I had ever expected. Last night...I felt like the Illuminati really did exist. I mean, surely someone has to be the man[m3n] behind the curtain when it comes to those cool [D4ng3r] parties in Brooklyn and those over the top pilates and wellness centers on the L.E.S.
Someone's in charge of the sexy not so hidden hidden bars in the village...and SOMEBODY - is definitely in charge of getting the shmucks at the Joyce theater to charge $44 per ticket for a bunch of "dancers" to play circus and shadow puppets worse than a 5th grade mom and pop recital.

I remember being originally attracted to the group after seeing various videos of their shadow witchery from the Oscars. I watched what they did for the TED convention. It all seemed so genuine and focused. After this show...I really get the inkling that there are some very athletic folk out there riding the big strong wave that is reputation. Sloppy really - and sloppy business of even pretending the show meant something. I left at intermission.

Seriously, what happened to quality of movement? Seriously, what happened to having a deep concern for performance caliber and integrity? You're what? Dancers? No no...you're money makers...money chasers.
What a fucking racket.
ZEITGEIST.BODY JERK nyc hip-hop dance can become something viable too. nyc hip-hop dance can be taken back. nyc hip-hop dance can be a method of radical communication. nyc hip-hop dance can be therapeutic. nyc hip-hop dance can make your soul light up. dance is my religion. I am a dance activist. You can be a dance activist too in the nyc hip-hop dance spheres. Open your eyes and spit out radical forms of communication. Where are all the nyc hip-hop dance activists?BODY JERK ]

[As Soon As It Became Popular-I Lost Interest]

2008-07-10T08:22:00.001-04:00

Martha Cooper speaks on being one of the first to document Hip-Hop roots from a non-commercial angle.Many thanks to CurrentTV for the vid!

[BODY JERK nyc hip-hop dance can become something viable too. nyc hip-hop dance can be taken back. nyc hip-hop dance can be a method of radical communication. nyc hip-hop dance can be therapeutic. nyc hip-hop dance can make your soul light up. dance is my religion. I am a hip-hop dance activist. You can be an nyc hip-hop dance activist too. We use dance as a mode of radical communication. Like urban gypsies, we flood the streets, sampling culture . nyc Hip-Hop was born of soul and sample. Become an nyc hip-hop dance student. Become an nyc hip-hop dance educator. Become an nyc hip-hop dance activist. BODY JERK]

::Bali::

2008-07-09T12:38:00.004-04:00

[hip-hop dance hip-hop dance hip-hop dance hip-hop dance hip-hop dance revolutionary revolutionary revolutionary revolutionary revolutionary revolutionary entertainment entertainment entertainment entertainment entertainment evolve evolve evolve evolve evolve evolve evolve nyc nyc nyc nyc nyc nyc nyc nyc nyc evolution evolution evolution evolution evolution art art art art art art art counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counter culture collective counterculturecollective.org counterculturecollective.org counterculturecollective.org counterculturecollective.org counterculturecollective.org counterculturecollective.org counterculturecollective.org counterculturecollective.org counterculturecollective.org counterculturecollective.org counterculturecollective.org counterculturecollective.org counterculturecollective.org counterculturecollective.org counterculturecollective.org]

+Piercing Is the Most Important Part+

2008-07-09T10:44:00.013-04:00

So..as a starving artist you find yourself working jobs of the menial, ridiculous, and - if you're lucky - amazingly unique nature. I've been a waitress at many a burrito stand and coffee shop, worked both the sales and sweatshop sides of an "alternative" retail chain, sold gastric bypass products over the phone, and taught tiny tots to silver sneakers how to ... shake their groove thang.

Fortunately, I've been recently lucky enough to fall into working as a pseudo-personal assistant for whom most would consider a madman. Pompous and intense and quite possibly a secret genius a la' Hagbard Celine of the Illuminatus Trilogy - my employer has for the past few months rambled at great length of mystics, 2012, and meaning -- not the meaning of life, no - he could never be so cliche - but MEANING; the meaning of a look or gesture, the significance attached to a symbol or network, and all the muddled and not-so-muddled in-betweens. He mentioned something to me quite some time ago about a Lakota Indian ritual he was preparing himself for. He was brief and I assumed it was for the purposes of secrecy and reverence. Maybe it was. However, I'd soon come to find my research on dance practices and their connection to the "ALL ONE" or ever-evolving, interconnecting spirit self quickly hurtling towards the details he originally failed to extend to me.
Wikipedia describes the Sun Dance Ritual: "The Sun Dance is a ceremony practiced by a number of Native Americans. Each tribe has its own distinct rituals and methods of performing the dance, but many of the ceremonies have features in common, including dancing, singing, praying, drumming, the experience of visions, fasting, and in some cases piercing of the chest or back. Most notable for early Western observers was the piercing many young men endure as part of the ritual.
Frederick Schwatka wrote about a Sioux Sun Dance he witnessed in the late 1800s:
Each one of the young men presented himself to a medicine-man, who took between his thumb and forefinger a fold of the loose skin of the breast—and then ran a very narrow-bladed or sharp knife through the skin—a stronger skewer of bone, about the size of a carpenter's pencil was inserted. This was tied to a long skin rope fastened, at its other extremity, to the top of the sun-pole in the center of the arena. The whole object of the devotee is to break loose from these fetters. To liberate himself he must tear the skewers through the skin, a horrible task that even with the most resolute may require many hours of torture.
In fact, the object of being pierced is to sacrifice one's self to the Great Spirit, and to pray while connected to the Tree of Life, a direct connection to the Great Spirit. Breaking from the piercing is done in one moment, as the man runs backwards from the tree at a time specified by the leader of the dance. A common explanation, in context with the intent of the dancer, is that a flesh offering, or piercing, is given as part of prayer and offering for the improvement of one's family and community..."
Put that in your peace pipe and smoke it! I'm wondering right now - where the magic has gone...and moreover, are there folks in NYC currently out there - actively trying to find it? I know Santa Cruz is home of Dance Church.
{:CLICK HERE:}
If anyone is aware of anything going on on the East Coast that is similar - please, come out, come out cave dwellers! Let me know! [BODY JERK finds spirituality in nyc dance. hip-hop dance can become something viable too. nyc hip-hop dance can be taken back. nyc hip-hop dance can be a method of radical communication. nyc hip-hop dance can be therapeutic. nyc hip-hop dance can make your soul light up. dance is my religion. I am a hip-hop dance activist. You can be an nyc hip-hop dance activist too. We use dance as a mode of radical communication. Like urban gypsies, we flood the streets, sampling culture . nyc Hip-Hop was born of soul and sample. Become an nyc hip-hop dance student. Become an nyc hip-hop dance educator. Become an nyc hip-hop dance activist. hip-hop urban gypsy. hip-hop dance evolution. revolution. ]

--Symbiosis--

2008-07-09T08:13:00.005-04:00

"Pilobolus dance company members Otis Cook and Jennifer Macavinta perform the sensuous duet "Symbiosis." Does it trace the birth of a human relationship, or the co-evolution of a pair of symbiotic species?"
[BODY JERKnyc thoughtful dance hip-hop counter culture collective radical communication.nyc thoughtful dance hip-hop counter culture collective radical communication.nyc thoughtful dance hip-hop counter culture collective radical communication.nyc thoughtful dance hip-hop counter culture collective radical nyc thoughtful dance hip-hop counter culture collective radical communication.BODY JERK]

[And I had no idea it'd get this sticky...]

2008-07-07T13:08:00.011-04:00

:[Meme]:

“…consists of any unit of cultural information, such as a practice or idea, that gets transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one mind to another. Examples include thoughts, ideas, theories, practices, habits, songs, dances and moods.

Meme-theorists contend that memes evolve by natural selection (similarly to Darwinian biological evolution) through the processes of variation, mutation, competition, and inheritance influencing an individual entity's reproductive success. So with memes, some ideas will propagate less successfully and become extinct, while others will survive, spread, and, for better or for worse, mutate.”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What makes everyone want to wear those Palestinian scarves?

Why are we all running around like maniacs, trying to make sure that we’re wearing the freshest kicks when all we’re doing is going to a dance class where they’ll be scuffed?

Who told everyone that rump shakin’ videos weren’t degrading and kind of tacky? … Cuz last time I checked…well…you know me well enough…

Memes.

These little buggers get around like viruses – infecting folk through speech and thought and media.

It seems to me that successful idea dissemination is measured by its acceptance by the many – lo, nobody gives a crap about those things that are accepted by the few.

Sad and honest truth – no matter what scene you’re in or how “underground” you think you are.

We have seen over and over that how widely accepted an idea is does not necessarily have a direct correlation to its value - amazing works and valid ideas are oftentimes lost in the cracks while the painfully average and ridiculous are generally accepted as being the best thing since Ipod earbuds.

It is through this that we’ve done a really fine job of landing ourselves in a pit – culturally speaking. Our music is over processed, our art is uninspired, and our dance? Well, let’s just look at what “they” are calling dance these days…CLICK

I dunno…maybe my distaste stems from the fact that I’m horribly jealous – or maybe I’m just not an “ass man.” In any case, where are the folks who are determined to bring art back? Our world is shattering around us like many, many eggs on a Halloween night.

Disgusting. Sticky…and jeez – the rank stench that it’s giving off is intolerable.

I know you’re out there lurking in your little coffee shops and slaving away in your studios…But these times you see - are getting desperate. It’s time to show your face.

In an information driven society – sticks and stones break no bones. Our thoughts and dreams are weapons of the realest nature…But only if we utilize them as such. The only way we can save our respective art forms – dethrone current ideologies and break existing stereotypes…is to get up and rock – and roll too for that matter.

I know for me – this means utilizing dance more as a form of radical communication. Oh boy oh boy are there tricks up these sleeves...

[BODY JERK hip-hop dance can become something viable too. nyc hip-hop dance can be taken back. nyc hip-hop dance can be a method of radical communication. nyc hip-hop dance can be therapeutic. nyc hip-hop dance can make your soul light up. dance is my religion. I am a hip-hop dance activist. You can be an nyc hip-hop dance activist too. We use dance as a mode of radical communication. Like urban gypsies, we flood the streets, sampling culture . nyc Hip-Hop was born of soul and sample. Become an nyc hip-hop dance student. Become an nyc hip-hop dance educator. Become an nyc hip-hop dance activist. BODY JERK ]

::Gl[iTch]::

2008-06-29T01:43:00.007-04:00

[BODY JERK nyc hip-hop dance can become something viable too. nyc hip-hop dance can be taken back. nyc hip-hop dance can be a method of radical communication. nyc hip-hop dance can be therapeutic. nyc hip-hop dance can make your soul light up. dance is my religion. I am a hip-hop dance activist. You can be an nyc hip-hop dance activist too. We use dance as a mode of radical communication. Like urban gypsies, we flood the streets, sampling culture . nyc Hip-Hop was born of soul and sample. Become an nyc hip-hop dance student. Become an nyc hip-hop dance educator. Become an nyc hip-hop dance activist. BODY JERK]

+This Means Rapture+

2008-06-29T01:10:00.017-04:00

“Creativity is the source of novelty and of the growth and development of nature: ‘creativity' is the universal of universals characterizing ultimate matter of fact. It is that ultimate principle by which the many, which are the universe disjunctively, become the one actual occasion, which is the universe conjunctively. It lies in the nature of things that the many enter into complex unity.”

-- Alfred North Whitehead (1929)

Weird headspace.

We all sit here on this shelf in Santa’s Workshop. Little dolls made of plastic and glass – toy soldiers and beasts and Slinkies that find it way easier to walk down steps than up. We all sit here knowing – fully, that we own this power to compose magic and craft fantasy; and yet – I cannot help but feel slightly dusty. Been sitting on the shelf for way too long. And why are we all waiting to be picked up and bought anyway?

I am dancer. I am movement artist. I am motivator and risk taker and rump shaker.

Recently come to the realization that being completely submissive to your craft also means being proactive and submitting yourself to the insanity that ensues when you do not devote the amount of time you should to exercising heart and mind and soul – to pushing for evolution and revolution of self through self – and to allowing yourself to ride through love and hate and sadness for your translative process.

The plight of the artist – we call it.

Well, let it be known that today calls for a new type of movement.

Should many jump on board – call it the People’s Movement.

Should few – call it my spiritual conviction.

Came across some interesting stuff today written by an interesting human. Preview his book, “Ecstatic Naturalism: signs of the world” here.

Mr. Corrington put the jello in my head best by stating:

“the ecstatic release of energy need not be joyous. Indeed, in most cases it is not. The concept of ecstasy denotes self-transcendence and the move outward from a point of origin. “

What it really comes down to you see– is throwing the fear away...Being honest with yourself about your willingness as an artist to extend yourself past your notions of comfort, space, time and circumstance. I know that at least for me – that sort of honesty only manifests itself in the scariest of headspaces. Maybe I just haven’t learned to properly release yet…

Semiotic theory is typically restricted to a heavy focus on human forms of signification. Now, what Robert Corrington did, which is interesting to me – is delve into the semiotics of nature itself. I’d like to think of this in the context of my art – my dance, my painting, my daily meditation…

He situates the divide between “nature naturing” and “nature nurtured” within the context of classical and American pragmatism and insists that all signs - visually represented or otherwise – “participate in larger orders of meaning that are natural and religious.”

In a nutshell – “Meanings embodied in nature point beyond nature to the mystery inherent in positioned codes and signs.” So get the “F” up and go catch you some rapture! Trust, it’ll be good for you.

Focus right now for me revolves around living and regarding my art – all of my arts – as spiritual encounters. Each piece of choreography a spell to be learned, perfected and cast. Each step outdoors a sermon to be preached - as I slowly break myself out of the trap of specializing in a particular genre, or locking myself in a room in an attempt to achieve quality of movement…or even the trap of losing sight of my self worth.

Freedom.[BODY JERK nyc hip-hop dance can become something viable too. nyc hip-hop dance can be taken back. nyc hip-hop dance can be a method of radical communication. nyc hip-hop dance can be therapeutic. nyc hip-hop dance can make your soul light up. dance is my religion. I am a dance activist. You can be a dance activist too in the nyc hip-hop dance spheres. Open your eyes and spit out radical forms of communication. Where are all the nyc hip-hop dance activists?BODY JERK ]