The Great Lakes Area Contact Improv Enthusiast's Retreat (GLACIER) event is all about the dancing (and the community, of course) and I have not posted any pictures of contact improv dancing. This post will rectify that. It is difficult to convey just what contact improv is with a still photograph, though the gods know I have tried. There is so much movement, and such a lack of predictability, that getting that great dancer shot is elusive. Be that as it may, I try, so you can see.
Stefanie and Charles
There are more after the jump, so follow the link...
The dance is all about shared movement around a point of contact. That point (or points) of contact is highly variable. One moment it is arm-to-arm, then in a blink it is hip-to-back as the dancers use shared momentum and weight to create their dance in the moment.
Tamin and Dustin
When the studio is filled with dancers, the scene is more than passing strange to an observer. We use no music. The dancers use their own sense of rhythm and timing entirely in their moment. Some duets may be moving slowly, barely moving, while another may be whirling around the room.
Busy Studio
Tanja and Neil - Slow and Quiet
Contact improv is a very egalitarian form. There are no "Men's moves" and "Women's moves". Rather each dancer uses what s/he is capable of, offering a lift or accepting a ride. It is less about brute strength than about efficient use of momentum and structural support.
Thea supporting Michael
It is also quite normal for a duet to be two men or two women. Trios and other more complicated groupings are also likely. The form is physically very intimate, so strangers do not remain so for very long.
Davi and Dustin
Many people find the intimacy too much, and so do not enjoy the form. For those of us who crave touch, it is akin to a heavenly experience. After hours of hot, sweaty dancing, we often find ourselves collapsed into tangled masses we jokingly refer to as "puppy piles". It may not be for everyone, but it is certainly for me!
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
GLACIER Dancers
Monday, October 6, 2008
Outdoor Improv Score
One of the activities at the GLACIER event this weekend was an outdoor score. A score is a framework in which an improv performance is crafted. You can think of soccer in these terms. A soccer match is a specific structure with goals and boundaries, but virtually everything that happens, moment by moment, in any given game is improvised. "Soccer" is the score while the game is the performance. Anyway, the score for Saturday afternoon was for the group to focus on three things: Expansion, contraction, and flocking. Regardless of what the group was doing - the improv - they were to focus on those three things as a group. The end result was goofy and creative as you might guess. At unpredicable moments the entire group would be in close proximity (contraction) though not all doing the same thing. Routinely there were pockets of people all doing the same activity (flocking). And often the entire group was spread out into three or four groups separated by a hundred yards or more (expansion).
Though I participated, I also sometimes stood outside the score and took photos.
Three in the Leaves
There are a bunch more photos after the jump, so follow the link!
Not so many words because I want the photos to tell the story.
LogRhythm
I See You! - an example of flocking.
A definite moment of contraction
Expansion in process
Contact Improv on the Trail
Indulging the Senses
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Cold Start to a Hot Weekend
Friday night I left work and rode a motorcycle north to a tiny hamlet called Willard, Wisconsin. There really isn't much in Willard, but just outside of town is a place called the Christine Center. Their self described function is, "A Sanctuary for Spiritual Deepening and Global Transformation in the lineage of St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi, the Christine Center embraces persons of all spiritual paths in a natural Sanctuary." I believe them. However, I was not there for a spiritual retreat, per se, but rather for a contact improv dance retreat. More on that later.
The ride up there was going to be cold. The weather when I left Madison was OK at around 60 (F). I had my liner in my jacket, but knew that it would not be sufficient before my journey was over. I blasted up the Interstate to Black River Falls. There I was out of light and heat. I stopped for gas, swapped my sunglasses for regular glasses, and added a thick insulated shirt, a neck gaiter, and my wind/rain pants atop my kevlar riding pants. I also poured a hot cup of coffee in me and had a sandwich. Thus fortified, I headed north on Hwy. 12/22. The temperature was dropping faster than the setting sun. Only 25 miles later I had to stop and do a bunch of jumping jacks to warm up. I estimated the temperature was now in the mid to low 40's (F). I still had another 18-20 miles to go. The temperature continued to drop. By the time I arrived, I am pretty certain the temps were in the upper 30's. Brrr!
Did I mention that I was camping, in a tent?
Fortunately, the first person I ran into at the Center was my good friend Megan who suggested I share her tent, thus keeping us both warm. She told her wife that I was an "honorary girlfriend" for the night. Heh! Regardless, it was a good plan because I assure you, IT WAS COLD. Local sources said 25 degrees (F). When I awoke, I grabbed my camera and took an exploratory hike. The first thing I checked on was my bike:
Frosty Motorcycle
Click on the link to read the rest...
That is not how a motorcycle is supposed to look! Here's a couple more shots:
Rimed Tank Bag
Icy Seat
The rest of the grounds were pretty though:
Other Intrepid Campers
Christine Center's Frosty Field
Morning Sun Kisses the Frosty Grass
That morning sun made short work of the frost. By late morning it was warm enough to be outside in a t-shirt. One of the dance explorations we did later that day had us out in the woods, using the environment as part of the suggested dance score. My next post will explore that a bit further. Stay tuned!!
Thursday, October 2, 2008
The Elephant in the Room
People are pussy-footing around the topic of race in this presidential election. Here in Madison, it is surely possible to run into an otherwise solid Democrat who will not vote for Barack Obama because he is black (well, half-black). Possible, but rare. In other parts of the state, and country, it is far more likely. But we pretend it does not really work that way here in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave, right?
That is what makes this video of AFL-CIO's Richard Trumka so important. This video needs to go viral, needs to be seen by millions. Then, after those millions have seen it, they need to talk to their buddy, Joe or Jane Sixpack, and get this message to them. I don't think it is important how you feel about unions or the labor movement. This message is about race. Watch it:
Now, talk to people about it. Pass it on. Then vote. And as a parting thought, just recall that the McCain campaign inferred that Obama is the anti-Christ.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Got Pitchfork?
I posted a week or so ago about executives at the company I work for awarding themselves a nice, fat stock bonus while simultaneously telling the rank and file workers that we got no bonus because the company did not perform well. I think I am justified in my anger about that behavior. It seems though, that those opportunistic grabbers were mere pilot fish in the shark tank of corporate larceny. Follow the link below for the rest...
The title of this MoneyCentral blog says it all - "The Best Temp Gig In History". Read the whole thing, but the story in a nutshell is this: Alan Fishman, CEO of Washington Mutual, started three weeks ago with a signing bonus of $7.5 million. He is now technically unemployed because the company went under and is being gobbled up by JPMorgan Chase, so he got a severance payment of $11.6 million in cash. That is $19.1 million dollars for three weeks of work. Other executives also took fat severance payments. The shareholders? They get nothing. Nada. Zip. Washington Mutual stock is worthless. Shareholders got wiped out.
Are you mad yet?
Sharpen your pitchfork and ready a torch. There are McMansions that need torching.
UPDATE: Does this make you feel sorry for your local billionaire?
[Connecticut State Rep. Livvy] Floren, who represents some of the richest neighborhoods in America, said she is more concerned about the younger bankers with large mortgages and little children. She bumped into three people during the past week who are now unemployed — two from Lehman and one from the investment firm Bear Stearns. With no bonuses that they once relied on, the mid-level Wall Street workers will likely pull back from buying the fanciest cars and the largest boats.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Spires in the Fog
While I was in San Diego, CA, last weekend, I passed the local Mormon temple a number of times. It is a striking building and it would be difficult to not be intrigued by it.
San Diego Mormon Temple
It sits along Interstate 5 and is clearly visible for miles - when the coastal fog has burned off that is. The Wikipedia page explains that it was completed in 1993. It looks newer than that as the building and grounds are well tended. The lustrous white facade is white marble chips in plaster. I never got close to it in the sunlight but I imagine it looks great. HERE is a link to other photographer's images on Flickr.
What really struck me as I looked at it was that it indicated just how much money the Mormon church must have right now, and they are spending it on beautiful edifices. As compared to other Christian churches built in the last 50 or so years, this is pretty impressive. Certainly Lakewood church in Houston is bigger, but it seems more like a football stadium than a temple. The Solid Rock church in Ohio goes big with the "Planet of the Apes" -like statue, but it is not nearly so beautiful. Contemporary churches feel like a corporate office.
Something about this tendency towards humdrum houses of worship nagged at me, and I could not pin it down. After all, since I am not a Christian, why do I care what their houses of worship look like? I found an article that captures some of what was bothering me. Like me, the author "has a nagging intuition that symbolism, mystery, cultural depth, spirituality, and beauty are all somehow connected." That may explain why most of my communing with the Divine occurs outdoors, enmeshed with the natural world. Well, that and the fact that neoPagans do not build houses of worship.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Totemic Swan
I follow a different spiritual path than the Catholic religion in which I was raised. I now consider myself Pagan, with an understanding that God/s cannot be stuffed into little, clearly defined roles (where it just happens to look like Charlton Heston). Among the things I have experienced along my path is a bit of shamanistic exploration, which was a challenging thing for me. I learned that my body/mind does not shut down/open up well with laying-quiet-while-drummers-drum. The whole shamanic journey experience escaped me for a half year or more. Then I accidentally discovered that I could get to that ready-state through ecstatic dance. I learned that if I exhausted my body then my mind was free to roam into other realms. So for my first successful journey, having worn my physical self out, I went seeking my spirit guide, my totem animal. I knew I was on a real sort of experience when I met that guide. Had I been consciously choosing my totem animal, there is no doubt it would have been some big cat - lion or tiger, lynx, jaguar or some such. No, the animal who did show up on my journey - complete with the psychic equivalent of the blaring of trumpets - was Swan.
Swan
Swan? WTF? What do I know about Swan? Nothing. So I had to continue the shamanic experience to learn what Swan was all about. I assure you, I never would have chosen swan had I been making the choice. However, Swan has had a profound and relevant influence on my life. Wild...
Swan, preening
So this weekend I was being a temporary bachelor at a wedding in San Diego, and lo and behold, there were a couple of swans, with a cygnet, to remind me that (among other things) Swan is a teacher to remind me of loving sexual relations. So there I am, 2000 miles from home, and all I think about is missing Reena, my dear partner. There it is, my friends. The perfect reminder for me about what my delightful relationship with Reena is all about. So many people seem to want to get away from their partners, have a chance to be wild or whatever, and for me the time away just means that I miss my playmate, my best friend. Spirit guide indeed.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Scandalmongering
It seems the National Enquirer's expose of John Edwards extra-marital affair was just a warmup for the main event.
They have a new shocker today.
I first got an inkling of this a couple of weeks ago, while reading an Alaskan blog - Mudflats - where I was trying to learn something, anything about her. There was this blurb:
"And of course, the ultimate vetting team, The National Enquirer, is already here. Who knows, they may have even been here first. We don’t know. They work in mysterious ways. After the Edwards debacle, in which the Enquirer scooped the entire Main Stream Media, and gave themselves a peculiar sort of political ‘cred’, people will be listening closely to what they have to say. These are the folks who have no hesitation getting down in the dirt and asking all those questions that make the main stream media, and most bloggers cringe. It’s hard to draw the line between what’s off-limits and what can be used legitimately to illustrate judgment, and decision making ability. To the Enquirer, nothing is off-limits. They will be busy people… "
And THIS on September 5th, just a week after McCain selected her:
"Two days ago, Todd’s ex-business partner filed an emergency motion to have his divorce papers sealed. Yesterday the motion was DENIED."
So...no mainstream media coverage yet, so consider it all rumor and inuendo at this time. But dang, there is a LOT of legal risk for the Enquirer to run this story if they are not certain they have the facts to back it up. I am curious to see when DRUDGE covers it. All I can say at this time is, Nice vetting job, McCain!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
A Ray of Hope
Good news!
A Ray of Hope
My friend has finally showed a strong sign of improvement in this first-of-many battles back to health. As of tonight, he was moved out of the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) and back into an ordinary hospital room. He is still a long way from ready to go home, but he was awake, generally alert (who the heck knows what medicines and pain killers are streaming through his system?), and able to carry on a bit of conversation. He was tracking the conversation, and making all the usual leaps of cognition, so it seems he came through the worst part intact.
There is a long road ahead for him, but at least now there is a light.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Many Things at the Farmer's Market
There are many things available at the Farmer's Market. Some of them are edible.
Kale at the Market
A Plethora of Peppers
Though that's not all that is there to tempt you...follow the link for the rest of the post!
There are so many things of beauty at the Market that catch they eye and encourage you to part with your money. There are fresh flowers,
Particolor Mums
decorative and/or edible ensembles,
Pumpkins on a Rope
armies of sweet bear hunny,
Hunny
artists and musicians busking for tips,
Seth, Chalk Artist
unusual finds like this Ginko leaf. Why was it there? How did six or eight leaves end up in a pile on the sidewalk where there are no Ginkos around? I may never know...
Ginko Leaf
and, who can overlook the beautiful sales people who smile so brightly at you whether you buy from them or not? Thousands of people causing non-stop distraction and commerce, and nearly all the workers at the market are happy and enthusiastic, clearly delighted to be there.
Who Will Buy This Wonderful Feeling?
What a great way to start off a Saturday!
Cloister Meets the Willy Street Fair
I took my sister, the sister, to the Willy Street Fair today. And while it is true she is not cloistered, it is also true that she does not experience the likes of the Willy Street Fair too often. I am pretty sure there was a bit of culture shock.
Sister sister
She met a few of my friends and acquaintances there...Follow the link for the rogues gallery!
She met Megan, dear Megan...
and Rich...
and Luv...
and Angela...
and Kim (Megan's costumenal twin)
and Linda,
and Lisa.
There were more. Lots more. To see the rest, check out my Flickr Site album! There WILL be more photos posted to that set as the days go by also.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
World Music Festival at the Terrace
Friday night was another of those perfect nights at the UW Memorial Union Terrace. The weather was perfect, a balmy 70 degrees (F) and calm, with the mosquitos gone after the recent cold snaps. The World Music Festival is going on, and the music was interesting and, of course, free. The Terrace was packed.
World Music Festival at the Terrace
I was only mildly interested in the first performers we heard, but the second group, Dya Singh (India), was quite good.
Performers at the World Music Festival
We stayed longer than we anticipate in part because of the music, and in part because we ran into friend after friend and lingered to talk. My visiting sister likes to turn in early, so we left the Terrace, and en route to the car I placed a phone order for a fetaliscious pizza from the Glass Nickel. Yum! Another perfect Friday night in Madison.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
My Friend is Sick
Der Junge ist Krank
I have a friend in the hospital. No accident, he is just very sick. I struggle with the feeling of powerlessness when faced with a situation that you just cannot fix. There is nothing I can do now except visit him and let him know I - and the rest of his friends - care about him and want him to get better. What makes it so hard is the knowledge that once they get him back on his feet, there is no guarantee that his condition will not return and put him back there again, or worse.
For myself, I have to turn to the wisdom of Mother Goose:
For every ailment under the sun
There is a remedy, or there is none;
If there be one, try to find it;
If there be none, never mind it.
That seems like a much earlier, secular version of the Serenity Prayer, which would be an obvious choice of words in this circumstance, but less suitable as neither of us is particularly religious.
I will do what I can do (offer support), and not fret about what I cannot do (heal him).
UPDATE: I just learned that his condition has worsened, and they moved him back to the ICU. Rats.
