Archive for blogs
February 19, 2008 at 6:15 am · Filed under dance, injuries, blogs, writing, wingers, magazines, marketing, TAYLOR, kristin sloan, bloggers
(LINKS UPDATED 2/20 SO THEY ACTUALLY WORK! HAHA SORRY ABOUT THAT)
Hi Wingers!
Life has certainly been keeping me busy since my last post about graduating from college, and there’s lots to catch up on (performing, teaching a bit, internship, writing…). But instead of focusing on that (which you can read about in my other blog) I wanted to write about an event tonight hosted by movmnt magazine.
Movmnt is a quarterly dance lifestyle magazine that just came out with it’s spring 2008 issue. The Winger was featured in their last issue, and in this new one there’s an article I wrote about injuries, featuring The Winger’s own Kristin Sloan. First of all, if you haven’t seen the magazine you need to get a copy of it…and I’m not just saying that because I write for them. It’s really a fresh take on the dance world that most other dance writing out there doesn’t offer.
THAT being said, tonight the magazine hosted another blogger get-together similar to the one that Cedar Lake Dance had last month. This time we were able to sit down and actual have some serious conversations about dance, publicity, pop culture, and so much more.
Readers, you should know that all of these bloggers you follow are really incredible people with unique perspectives, who all deeply care about dance on a level that I have personally never experienced before to such a degree. It’s different than being in a room full of dancers, or full of just dance enthusiasts. We all come from different places and have our own ideas, and to share them with each other and on blogs like The Winger really does something for the dance world (in my opinion!).
Tomorrow or someday really soon I promise to post details of our (fascinating) conversation and conclusions we came up with, but for now here’s a basic rundown of my experience at the get-together.
I ran into Evan of Dancing Perfectly Free in the elevator on the way up to the movmnt office, and when we got there we were welcomed by David, Editor and Publisher, some of his magazine staff, and Doug . A stack of sandwiches and multiple diet cokes awaited us, with chips and snacks added to make us feel at home. It’s funny because even though we all see each other in person once in a while (and only since the Cedar Lake event), we all have a sense of what’s going on with each other that we don’t really even need to ask, “So how are you?” Haha we read each other’s blogs and it’s such an amusing connection. Sometimes when I blog I think, who on earth actually reads this. It’s nice to hear that people actually do!
Anyways, multiple other bloggers filtered in within the next half an hour, including Tonya and fellow Wingers Tony & Brian (visiting from San Francisco). After munching and marveling over each other’s real life personas versus blogging personalities (haha), we got down to business.
The nearly 2 hour long conversation went everywhere from what influence do bloggers really have on the dance world, to what dance companies are/aren’t doing to modernize themselves through publicity, to social networks and the fame culture, to where is the blogosphere headed in the future (any thoughts on any of this, please comment!). Everyone raised some very interesting points and sparked some great debate/dialogue. It’s really inspiring being surrounded by people who care so much about dance…I was fascinated by each person at the table.
After saying goodbye and walking away with another copy of the new issue, I took the subway uptown with Evan and we continued the conversation for the whole ride, discussing the issues already raised and bringing up other things we forgot to mention. Now that I’m home and thinking it over I realize there is so much to be discussed and we’ve only touched the tip of it. I hope we have more get-togethers like this regularly in the future, and it would be great to hear from blog readers about some of the issues mentioned above.
More details from our conversation and photo(s) to come soon, but big thanks to movmnt for hosting the get-together. If you get a chance, head to Barnes & Noble and pick up the new issue to see my article and lots of other interesting dance writing!
Recent Posts by taylor gordon
December 6, 2007 at 9:58 pm · Filed under dance, blogs, directors, germany, new york city, director, modern dance, choreography, contemporary dance, arts, KRISTIN O, staatstheater kassel
There began a small investigation here in Kassel about the origin of an idea. Johannes Wieland, Director and Choreographer of the Tanztheater in Kassel built his version of “Le Sacre du Printemps” around seven human-sized tanks, each filled with at least 500 Liters of lukewarm water. The idea stemmed from a piece he created and premiered in New York City (2001) called “Tomorrow;” which has become one of Johannes’ signature works. In our rendition of “Sacre,” water ends up converting the entire opera house stage into a slippery sea comprised of splashed water, buckets full of water and quite literally, hair loads of tossed water.
After our premiere, a writer for the “Süd Deutscher” Newspaper wrote a positive review of the work but inferred that Johannes “copied” a piece by Sasha Waltz, a famous European choreographer whose company is based in Berlin. The reviewer attributed the originality of the tank idea to Ms. Waltz and her work “Dido and Aeneas,” which premiered in 2005. Chronologically, the tanks of water appeared first in Johannes’ “Tomorrow” nearly eight years ago. The writer of the review failed to research Johannes’ repertory and made a false claim based on her performance-going experience.
So, where did the idea of tanks of water on a stage originate? And does it matter? Can ideas really be claimed? It seems to me (and several of my colleagues with whom I’ve spoken much with about this issue) that both choreographers found reason to use the same not-so-commonly-used prop as tools to achieve separate visions. And perhaps tanks of water have been used on stage in several other occasions, perhaps prior to both of the aforementioned pieces.
Which brings me to another issue: the writing of a review. What is going on? I was taught to write as objectively as possible when reviewing performance art, and though I did not go to Journalism school, isn’t the point of it all to educate the public? How can we expect the public to gain an interest in dance if we make assumptions without researching the facts we claim or telling the public what “I” like and “I” think about the work. Thank goodness for blogs…
Recent Posts by kristin osler
August 20, 2007 at 8:09 pm · Filed under blogs, SUSAN, wingers, california, blogging
| 
| Susan Kim
(Erm… well. Not quite the title I was looking for, but we’ll just go with the flow this time.)
Perhaps with a similar enthusiasm but in, most definitely, a far less (and absolutely un-)Marxist way, I met up with two very good friends of this site–Jennifer and Art–to have dinner and dessert this past Saturday.
What a fun time! It was such a pleasure to spend time and chat with two people who share the same passions and interests that I hold so close to my own heart. For those who might not know, both Art and Jennifer are well-established bloggers themselves: Art shares his thoughts on (the very aptly named) Art’s Place and Jennifer collects hers on (the just as appropriately titled) nyc musings & random thoughts as well as on Saturday Matinee.
At the rate we were going, our conversation/s could very well have gone on forever into the night (and beyond?). Between the three of us, we covered everything from ballet to musical theatre to work to schools to critics to travel.
Eventually, though, we had to go our separate ways. We’ve tentative plans to meet up again. If any others in the local (Southern California) area are interested in joining us, please let us know. The more, the merrier.
Recent Posts by susan kim
July 9, 2007 at 3:59 pm · Filed under dance, blogs, candice thompson, CANDICE, design, LOLAstretch, charity, blogging
Posted by Candice Thompson
Hey Wingers! I have been out of town and thus away from my computer and blogging in general, though I am about to conquer mobile phone blogging soon. But I have been working diligently on a new project for the last month that I am extremely excited about………The First Annual LOLAstretch Design Lab!
The LOLAstretch Design Lab is a twelve-week design challenge for one young designer to create a new leotard under my direction, with all profits going to charity!
LOLAstretch has selected Erica Sabatini, who is also a professional dancer with Carolina Ballet, to be the first young designer to participate in the LOLAstretch Design Lab. The program will guide Erica step-by-step through the process of designing a leotard through observing and working directly with me, as well as teach Erica about many aspects of running an emerging design business. Erica will catalogue her trials and tribulations, thoughts and insights in a twice-weekly blog at myspace.com/lolastretch. The LOLAstretch Design Lab will culminate in Erica’s new leotard being launched on LOLAstretch.com by the end of summer 2007.
Erica has chosen LUNGevity, a lung cancer research and support organization, to be the recipient of 100% her leotard’s profits. Recently, Erica lost her father to lung cancer, and she is a cancer survivor herself. LUNGevity Foundation is the nation’s leading private provider of research funding for lung cancer, the number one cancer killer. Partnering with the foremost physicians and research scientists in the world, the Foundation’s goal is to save the lives of the 213,000 Americans newly diagnosed with lung cancer each year.
LOLAstretch embraces this opportunity to facilitate and develop a unique design and support this cause that is near and dear to Erica’s heart. I hope you all enjoy reading her blog too!
Erica Sabatini on one of her first design challenge projects which required a trip to Home Depot for chalkboard paint.
Erica at the cutting table, working on the pattern for her leotard design, in the LOLAstretch design studio.
For more on LUNGevity, please visit www.LUNGevity.org.
To read Erica’s Blog, please visit www.myspace.com/lolastretch.
Recent Posts by candice thompson
June 3, 2007 at 2:56 pm · Filed under SLOAN, blogs, architecture, art, blogging, geoff manaugh, bldgblog, stroefront for art and architecture, dance conference
Posted by Kristin Sloan
Last night while Doug and I were walking around the Nolita/Soho area, we came across the closing party for Postopolis. Postopolis was a five day event, held at the unique space belonging to the Storefront for Art and Architecture, that explored the effect of blogging on architectural topics, as well as what the possibilities for this medium could be in the future. There were discussions with various heavy-hitters in the field, followed by the after-party with DJ /rupture on closing night.
The Storefront for Art and Architecture Website has a great record of the event, with video clips and photos here.
LVHRD’s blog went to see Geoff Manaugh of BLDGBLOG speak. Click here for their full report…
“‘If I were to stop writing BLDGBLOG,’ Geoff said, ‘I’d be surprised if a year later anyone knew what it was.”
He emphasized the inherent ephemerality of blogs, saying that you’d still use a book on Middle East urban architecture written in 2002 for research, but a blog post on the same topic in even 2005 might as well be dust in the wind. No one wants to link to things more than a year old.”
So true. Unfortunately Doug and I missed the meaty part of this event. By the time we were walking by people were just hanging out drinking Heineken and listening to DJ /rupture. But, it got me thinking.
Perhaps this is something we should think about putting together for the dance community?
A few of us dance bloggers have already met up, both planned and unplanned, but maybe we should put something real together, where everyone is invited, and there is more of an open-discussion/symposium feel. Hmmm.
Recent Posts by kristin sloan
March 9, 2007 at 7:24 pm · Filed under SLOAN, injuries, blogs, websites, doctors, physical therapy, critics, artsjournal, ny times
Posted by Sloan
Photo by Victor
Hey. I’m sorry if I’ve left you feeling a bit neglected lately. Really, I am. It’s not that I don’t care about you. I’ve just been busier than usual, and you know how hyper-focused I can get sometimes. I promise I’ll make it up to you…
Just kidding. Even though I haven’t been posting much recently, it’s been so fun to read the posts from our other contributors. You guys are so awesome! I love learning about new things from all of you!
I’ve been busy working on something new, which you’ll find out about soon. Meanwhile, working hard at physical therapy. Had a good day today. Actually got to do an exercise that looked something like ballet, and it didn’t hurt! Yay!
One of the many torture devices tools at West Side Dance Physical Therapy to help get my hip back on track.
One thing I would like to share is my frustration about the worker’s compensation doctor I saw recently. (Every so often they send you to one of their doctors for a check in. The last one I saw was very thorough and helpful. This one, not so much.) I don’t think this new doctor even asked how I was feeling. Just asked for dates of surgeries, if I was doing physical therapy, if I still needed physical therapy. Yes, and yes.
Then I got my report back, which included minor factual errors such as… Motor vehicle accident in 2001, MRI of left knee, MRI of right knee. Hmmm. I must be really bad off, since I don’t remember ANY of that ever happening to me. Ugh.
I don’t mean to give the doctor or the workers compensation team a hard time. I am so fortunate to have it, and fortunate that it functions as well as it does. It’s just hard when your health is your complete focus, and you want nothing but to get better and return to dancing, and the people and organizations you’re trusting are focused on so many people’s health all at once. It’s bound to get messed up from time to time. Maybe not the biggest deal to them, but it’s always a huge deal to the patient. Guess that’s why you’re always your own best advocate when it comes to this kind of stuff.
In the mean time, there’s been some interesting conversation going on over at Foot in Mouth, the ArtsJournal blog of Apollinaire Scherr, about dance critics at the New York Times. Even a post devoted to a comment by our friend Tonya!
Recent Posts by kristin sloan
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