Taking Advantage of the Web
These days the Internet is making the world more connected than ever before. Throughout my life I have lived in many different places so the Internet has always been an important way for me to keep in touch with close friends. Recently though, I decided to push my use of the Internet a little bit farther. Now I have a facebook page, a twitter (both private and public), and my own blog site. Don’t worry, the winger will still be the first place I put my blogs! If you are interested in following me in more places than just thewinger I have posted the information and websites below.
I send a big thanks to the World Wide Web for making the world a little bit more connected.
I hope one day soon I will find a way to use the connections I make through the internet for even more, one step at a time.
Playing For Change - Can art really change the world?
I’ve just stumbled upon an absolutely wonderful website for a movement called “Playing for Change”. The idea of the movement is simple, yet powerful.
“Playing for Change is a multimedia movement created to inspire, connect, and bring peace to the world through music. The idea for this project arose from a common belief that music has the power to break down boundaries and overcome distances between people. No matter whether people come from different geographic, political, economic, spiritual or ideological backgrounds, music has the universal power to transcend and unite us as one human race. And with this truth firmly fixed in our minds, we set out to share it with the world.”
As I watched their videos it reminded me how powerful the arts can be. One of the musicians speaks about how music can be a time for meditation and peace, I think it is exactly the same with dance. In today’s world it is easy to become lost in frivolous and unnecessary things, but it truly is time for change. I have been doing some studying of the teachings by Eckhart Tolle, of Buddhism, and at the moment I’m reading a book by the current Dalai Lama. I have finally felt that peace has entered my life and every moment is truly a gift. Dance is my form of meditation and through it I have found my own peace. The world around us seems to be filled with things that are falling apart, everything from our economy to the planet we live on. These outer problems are only a reflection of the inner conflicts so many of us feel day to day, but there is a way to find enlightenment and peace. During these times we must not forget how extremely powerful the arts can be to the human race. Dance, music, and many other art forms can bring a stillness and peace where we would least expect it. We can’t underestimate the importance and power of the arts at anytime, but especially not during the hard times. The way this movement is using music is a reminder that through art we all have the power to unite and spread peace.
http://www.playingforchange.com/
27 PACES:New sample audio of MPH featuring TxT
easter bunny in Dolores Park
Hello everyone.
(This is part of the 27 Paces project i was blogging about in earlier post.)
In our constant pursuit of Global domination (loved Pinky and the Brain) i decided that we venture into new yet familiar territories. MUSIC. With TAGsf producing our own music we would own the rights to all of our work. Much like Prince. I wanted us to go out and record audio from various people around San Francisco so that we can take the audio splice it up and add music over it. The results were way better than i had expected.
We had the perfect audio literally fall into our laps. I was out with one of my friends one day after work walking through the mission, heading towards Dolores Park. We were talking about the new music idea that i had so that i could get feedback from other people to see if it was a good idea or not. Once we arrived at Dolores we decided to kick it on the sidewalk towards the top of the park cause the grass was all wet and thats not cute when you get up, you know? Right as we sat down a homeless man came over towards us and asked us if he could sit with us even though the whole entire park was empty. That very moment Pat told me to get ready. I whipped out my handy Ipod Touch and went to the application italk so that i could record his audio. We offered the man some money, food and a couple smokes in exchange for him to talk into the mic. He was given no instruction or prompt. I told him to talk about anything and boy did he! This mans words were so articulate and clear with an amazing grasp of vocab. He spoke in a deep audible monotone voice. Not once did he stop and say “uhm or doy”. He was clear and crisp but still clearly cracked cause nothing he was saying added up. After recording 3 takes of 9 min or so we sat and chatted with Micheal Paul Henderson (the name he introduced himself to us) for a while before we split the scene. The next day i took the audio into the studio where it was cut up, spliced and layered before it was sent out to another guy in Atlanta who added music over the audio with my very specific instruction on tonality and structure.
Currently i am working with the track for a May performance here in San Francisco as well as for a filming with good ol Dr.Bacon. Its cool to be working with this particular piece of music cause the words stretch my imagination and im able to see new movement/visual ideas every time i listen to the music.
The track that you are about to listen to is not in its entirety or even its right order. I thought it would be cool to splice it up and highlight key words and phrases with some typography. YAY!
more pics, video and list of other collaborators coming sooner than later. Stay tuned folks:P
click on the link below for the music.
you can also track me on twitter @ http://twitter.com/btroubles
b
Launch of William Forsythe’s web project Synchronous Objects
Today i got a message in my Facebook account about the Launch of William Forsythe’s new web project Synchronous Objects and i just had to share this.
Here is more info about the project from an article in the NY Times.
More exciting is the launch of the website that explores the connection between choreography and technology.
here is the link to the site. You will need to install Adobe flash to view the site
http://synchronousobjects.osu.edu
Take a look around. Im personally fascinated with the mergence of technology and movement. I can tell that a lot of my free time will be spent wisely:)
William Forsythe's Eidos
b
High Fashion discounts - gilt.com!
Hey fellow Wingers!
Just thought I’d let everyone in on this really awesome website that I’ve been using for about half a year now. If you’re into fashion or anything, this exclusive members only website (you can only be invited from pre-existing members) that offers a new sale every day with prices that are ridiculously cheap! They are around 70% off the retail price, which makes them really affordable! It’s like paying for Gap and getting Oscar de la Renta. Now we’re talking designers like for women like:
Oscar de la Renta
Marc Jacobs
Carolina Herrera
Swarovski
Helmut Lang
Alexander McQueen
Just Cavalli
Vera Wang
Valentino
Michael Kors
Dolce & Gabbana
Kate Spade
just to name a few! And lucky for us guys, there is equally just as much great stuff with designers like:
Ralph Lauren - Black Label, Purple Label, etc
Marc Jacobs Men
Alexander McQueen Men
7 For All Mankind Men
John Varvatos
Diesel
Michael Kors Men
Y-3 Yohji Yamamoto
Dolce & Gabbana
Just a word of advice though, these sales are CRAZY - every day a few new sales start at 12PM eastern time, and if you plan to possibly get something, you better BE THERE at 12PM! Things start selling out within the first few minutes, and of course there is stuff left over, but who doesn’t want the best pick?
Be careful also, once you add the item to your basket, you only have 10 minutes to totally complete your check out. Once that 10 minutes is up, it’s likely that some other customer will buy it right out of your shopping cart! It’s happened to me, so be that crazy shopper and don’t let the other ones get the merchandise you want! Haha!
As a heads up, this upcoming week’s sales for women are:
Bally, Valentino Red, Valentino, Tony Burch, Tony Burch Shoes, Vera Wang, Abaete, Acne Jeans…
For the Men, it’s:
Spurr, John Varvatos, Philip Stein, Michael Kor’s, Ralph Lauren Purple Label…
Just as a reminder, men, if you purchase something that I wanted, I am going to hunt you down. Um.. men’s sale start at 12:30 (haha, just kidding). Women, you’re free to go 
Anyway, here is the invite if anyone would like to join, just click on the link.
http://www.gilt.com/invite/alexdwong
Enjoy!!!
27 PACES. You Decide!
The Entire List of 27
1.Shiny Metal Objects
2.Bind
3.Contort
4.ROYGBIV
5.Line Dancing
6.Tangled
7.Up
8.Identity/mask
9.Growth
10.Expression
11. Illuminated
12.old technologies
13.Disappear
14.whirlwind
15.Walking on Clouds
16.Explode
17.Decidophobia
18.Duplication
19.Nostalgic
20.Intergalactic
21.Delirious
22.Pulsate
23.Convulse
24.Divide
25.Pop Art
26.Lucid Dreams
27.letting Go
Phewie!
Done.
Have at it folks.
B
27 PACES, be part of the movement
Hello everyone,
Hope all is well. There is a lot going on with me as i piece together things for a new project. Without spoiling all of the fun I must say that this will be the biggest, freshest, cleanest, next level joint that TAGsf has done thus far. Smooth, agile, cat-like, and buttery are a few words i would use to describe this upcoming project. The collaborators are a diverse group of some of my favorite artists.
With that being said i can’t move forward on new movement until i settle down on one theme. My problem is not a lack of ideas either. What do you call someone who has the exact opposite of writers block? Whatever it’s called that’s me. I have been walking/showering like a mad man(i always get my best ideas in the shower or walking). There is not one idea that i love. My little black NoteBook is my constant travel companion. Nothing has hit me and i don’t have time to wait for “divine inspiration” so i’ve decided to flip the flow.
Starting this Saturday through Monday i will be posting 9 words each day until we hit the magic number 27. All of the words are coming directly from my NoteBook so you will be working with concepts that i have been tossing around. The following week we will take the top 3 words and narrow it down to one. The magic word YOU decide on will be my source material to get started on new joints(movement).
TAGsf is opening up the doors so YOU the reader can be directly involved in the creative process. Dont forget, i can’t move forward without knowing where im going. You guys and gals get to chart the course. All you have to do is leave a comment about what word you like in the comment box while I get to put my feet up for second:)
Over the next few months until May i will be posting more details about the project and collaborators. I put a few surprises in the mix so stay tuned.
Chance Procedure?
I think so:P
B
More on Berliner
Digital Concert Hall rendering
I tried to post this the day of Berliner Philharmoniker’s live-streamed concert, but I ran out of time. Anyhow, here is a little run-down of the live show a few days after the fact:
At the start of the show they presented this image (above), which is how they have been representing the Digital Concert Hall’s “Any Place, Any Time” concept.
Do they have internet connections in the mountains? This image and the accompanying copy makes me feel like I should be able to experience the concert in this picturesque setting if I desired, but my guess is that that may not be possible just yet… at least not until they start streaming to mobile phones. Either way, it looks pretty cool.
The house is filling up… And so the concert begins…
Sir Simon Rattle
The conductor for the evening, Sir Simon Rattle, and others (including a cellist from the orchestra who said the desire for the concert hall came from the players) discuss the concept of the Digital Concert Hall and thank their sponsors.
This went on for quite a while, in the middle of the concert, but the length was partially attributable to the fact that everything was said in both German and then English.
I wonder if they will get into subtitles eventually… what about the people watching from Japan?
Robots!
Box camera with robotic camera controls… got to play with ones like these at NAB last year. Really amazing stuff.
Unfortunately on faster pans, the image became a bit jerky, but not sure if that was related to the robotics or the video compression for the stream. Something to be considered when shooting something other than seated musicians.
The audience
Evidently the Berliner Philharmoniker often enjoys sold-out shows, which means there are people who want to go, but can’t, purely because they can’t fit in the theater. Now they can! (Kind of).
All in all, the concert was nicely shot, the picture quality was great (I was on Time-Warner Cable’s RoadRunner service) and the sound was very nice too (sound was streamed wirelessly to our airport, which was connected to a good amplifier with two small B&W speakers.). Definitely worth the 5 euros, and there really is something extra exciting about viewing the performance live - particularly one that is so far away.
What I wonder about is continued interest in the visual element, when we’re talking about a symphony orchestra. Without feeling a personal connection to the musicians or the conductor, the excitement and novelty of seeing classical musicians playing their instruments in HD could most likely wear off a bit over the course of many performances. I would venture to say that the most costly and complicated part of this presentation is the visual element (for both the presenter and the viewer), but the most essential and important part of this performance is the sound. If the visuals aren’t as engaging after seeing a few concerts, then why would an audience continue to choose video over a pure (and potentially less compressed, as it is not carrying video) audio stream? (Dont’ get me wrong, I am in full support of putting the audience right in the theater, both aurally and visually, I’m just asking the question.)
One thing I missed (which could also help make the case for viewing full video over audio) was any kind of special or additional content for the remote audience. I love when The Met shows you additional material on what you are about to see, before the show starts. You’re getting people even more excited for the show, even more prepared to enjoy it and connect with it… People may not seek out this kind of bonus material on your show on their own (no matter how much you try to make it available), but while the show is streaming, you have an eager and attentive audience and the ability to present valuable entertainment that might help them form a deeper relationship with and knowledge of your organization, your artists, your art form, and of course the performance they are about to experience. I’m intimately aware of many of the challenges and production resources required to create and broadcast this type of material, but I hope they (and future media streamers) will continue to find ways of incorporating some of these extra elements. Update: Looks like they are starting to build up this kind of material, which can be found on their main website here. Would love to see this content more easily accessible from the Digital Concert Hall site (maybe it’s there, I just can’t seem to find it).
And finally, at the end, an ad for Sir Simon Rattle’s CD of the Brahms work which was just performed. Assuming this was something negotiated with EMI for the ability to stream the work and/or Sir Simon Rattle’s performance of it?
Kudos to the Berliner Philharmoniker for venturing into this new territory (hooray!), and to their sponsors for supporting the project and therefore facilitating my remote viewing of the lovely concert!
Digital Concert Hall at the Berliner Philharmoniker
Berlin Philharmonic - live
While everyone else on the internet is liveblogging the Apple Keynote speech at MacWorld, I thought I’d follow that example a bit by giving you updates of a slightly different nature…
Today is the first live internet-streamed concert by the Berlin Philharmonic via their new Digital Concert Hall. You can purchase a “ticket” to single live performances, or purchase a season pass, which gives access to all live concerts, as well as their archive of past concerts.
The Berliner Philharmoniker's Digital Concert Hall site
This is the future, or at the very least a component of it. Take the physical barriers of getting to a theater away, give global on-demand access via the internet, give access to a wealth of supporting content, bring people across the world together through a shared experience…
To those who wonder how this access might effect live performances… maybe it helps to think about sports broadcasts. Does that broad accessibility decrease or increase attendance of live games? Does it positively or negatively effect the spectators’ attachment to the sport? Is there is a sport you follow or enjoy? How would your connection and/or commitment to that sport be effected if you could not watch games at home, or follow them via radio, internet, etc.?
Have you had other experiences viewing something remotely that you would also attend in person (or would like to, or are at least curious about)? Met Opera broadcasts? The live 2008 Democratic and Republican National Conventions? Streaming conferences? Misnomer Dance Theater’s live performance via uStream for example? What was your experience?
This is still a very new area, with lots of aspects still to be worked out and discovered, but it’s very exciting to see it unfold!
Dance Bloggers Community Site
A screen shot of the Dance Bloggers website.
Love what you read and see here on The Winger and curious about what else exists in the dance blogosphere? I felt that way after I started blogging last year. As I started finding more blogs about dance, I wanted an easy way to follow them, discover new dance blogs, and connect with other dance bloggers. I brought these issues to my partner Tal, and out of our conversations, a new site was born: www.DanceBloggers.com
Dance Bloggers is an aggregator for dance blogs, meaning it collects teasers of posts from participating dance blogs (including The Winger, my blog Dance In Israel, and fellow Winger Taylor Gordon’s blog Off Center). If you click on an excerpt, it will redirect you to the original blog so that you can read the whole post, leave comments, and explore the rest of that blog’s content. Right now the site has over 47 participating blogs, and it’s still growing!
The screen shot above highlights a few ways to make the most out of Dance Bloggers:
-You can subscribe to receive a daily e-mail with teasers from participating blogs’ posts.
-You can become a friend of Dance Bloggers, “friend” other people, and write on the wall - just like on Facebook.
-If you have a dance blog of your own, you can also add it to the site’s directory.
Also, we just added a Google Custom Search so that you can search all of the participating blogs for specific content. Want to see who else is writing about that performance, company, or choreographer? It’s now all at your fingertips. Enjoy!
