Archive - Mar 2006

Previous: Another Gathering Moment

I'm backstage preparing for the last section of Rites. This involves having to be covered head-to-toe in clay and, having just gotten off stage from the fire section, usually there's not that much time to do it. I'm also conscious that SS has even less time to prepare since he has to have a shower to clean off all the red paint that's put on him in the previous section so I try to get "ochred up" as quick as I can to get out of his way...

... though it would be preferable if I put on my costume first...

... picture one dancer, the odd one out, running around in only a jockstrap. Pretty...

Tags: Dance, Bangarra, The Australian Ballet, Gathering.

Update: the Ground Force moment continued to be re-lived throughout the day, much to the chagrin of the protagonist.

MoJ2006

This mix was probably finished about three weeks ago but I've only just recently decided that this would be the final version. It's just that in that time I've tried to make changes to the mix but ended up not liking it so undid them. The main problem was when I mixed the Pussycat Dolls with Freeform Five: it sounds interesting only for a short time then I get bored. But I really wanted to have a *new* song in there (I started the mix a few weeks before Madonna released her new single, complete with remixes, in Australia but the mix took so long the remix has since been flogged to death) and there was nothing decent to fill it in. I had tried to fit Vandalism's Never Say Never but it didn't really mix into New Order well and I really wanted to keep those tracks in.

The New Order Jetstream section is a bit much but I especially like the Richard X remix of the track though I think for the general listener it may be too much. Also, it's a bit odd but I really like the ending, it goes on some crazy tangent and ends up with a mad rocking bouncy-breaks of a tune. It can't all sound like a night out at the Xchange! Probably my favourite moment was when Gloria turns the beat around and knocks Dannii out of the picture. I mean, what's up with her laying her voice over random instrumental club tracks anyway? The only problem is that I've played that section to death and I'm a bit over it now.

In fact, that's the big problem. I've spent so much time on the mix, and I've listened to it to death on my iPod to make sure it sounds okay, that I've just gotten sick of it. It's only just been finished and I'm over it already.

PT likes it, though. He's the only other person to have heard the mix.

Anyway, here's the tracklisting:

1. Kelly Clarkson vs Depeche Mode vs Rex The Dog - Since U Been Gahan (DJ Earworm mashup)
2. Coldplay - Speed of Sound (C-64 Remix)
3. Madonna - Sorry (Pet Shop Boys Maxi Mix)
4. Dannii Minogue & The Soul Seekers - Perfection
5. Gloria Estefan - Turn The Beat Around
6. Missy Elliott - Lose Control (Jacques Lu Cont Mix)
7. Black Eyed Peas vs Armand Van Helden - When My Lumps Go Down
8. Mylo - Muscle Car (Freeform Five Remix)
9. Mylo - Muscle Car (Sander Kleinenberg Pace Car Mix)
10. Freeform Five - No More Conversations
11. Rogue Traders - Watching You (James Ash's Club Mix)
12. Pussycat Dolls ft Will I Am vs Freeform Five - Beeeaaoowwp
13. New Order - Jetstream (Jacques Lu Cont Remix)
14. New Order - Jetstream (Richard X Remix)
15. Tiga - You Gonna Want Me
16. Gorillaz - Dirty Harry
17. The Prodigy - Out Of Space (Audio Bullys Remix)
18. Pendulum ft The Freestylers - Fasten Your Seatbelt
19. Ordinary Boys vs The Freestylers - Boys Will B-Boys (Dunproofin' Mashup)

Tags: Mix, dance music, CD cover, Ministry Of Jhuny.

Her nickname is Ground Force. Often times during technique classes or rehearsals we will find her crashing to the floor having lost her balance. It's a testament to her commitment to the dance that she will push herself to the limit and sometimes more. Sometimes it's thrilling to watching. Most times it's just plain funny.

Even when it happens in performance...

One second she's misjudged her distance from RL, almost sending her poor partner to the floor. Being slightly confused she trips up on her dress, falls over, rolls over her back and straight back into the choreography at exactly the correct time.

Legendary performance!

Tags: Dance, Bangarra, The Australian Ballet, Gathering, Ground Force, Falling Over.

Usually the dancers of the AB have quite specific requirements for their hair, particularly the women, and it’s usually up and out of their face. So to be able to wear their hair out for Amalgamate must be liberating on some level. And the women all have great hair so why not? Free-flowing hair can sometimes get in the way, especially mine; it’s in desperate need of a good trim so I slicked it back out of my face. Revelation: I could actually see my partner!

On Saturday morning, PK (from the AB) came in to warm-up class with his hair braided which was subsequently tidied up by ST. I think he wanted to try something different and it looked pretty crazy on stage for the matinee. Then RR got ST to do her hair for the night show, and PK had since undone his and was sporting a kind of short blonde afro. AK had his hair cut and RP (in a kind of role-reversal) had hers up in a messy bun. I was as slick as before (though it’s usually a messy by the finale) and the rest of the Bangarra girls were wearing their out and wild. It was a free-for-all in the hair department and the subsequent on-stage mood was electric. It was amazing and the audience responded really well, clapping at every opportunity before leaving a stunned silence at the end of Grant’s final song.

Let your hair down indeed!

Tags: Dance, Bangarra, The Australian Ballet, hair.

"I'm not sitting next to him, I'm a woman. Or am I?"

Tags: Melbourne, trams, Windsor, Crazy People.

Closing Ceremony Fireworks 15
Originally uploaded by Jhuny.

In the end there was no Ms Minogue and we had to make do with John Farnham back from retirement once again. The best thing about the Closing Ceremony was the Bollywood at the 'G, so much colour and movement and pretty people.

It's a bit of a shame that it's all ending, though. It was great to see the city so alive and packed full of people the last couple of weeks. Who cares that sometimes it takes twenty minutes to cross a bridge or that blue-shirted well-meaners yell at you to "Keep to the left!" I wasn't in Sydney for the Olympics but this was pretty good. If only I wasn't so busy with the show I could have gone to more events. Like the Big Top. Or Bollywood in the park.

At the very least I god some great pictures with my new camera and tripod.

Tags: Commonwealth Games, Melbourne2006, Fireworks, MCG, Closing Ceremony.

You're just too good to be true...
Can't take my eyes off you!

I love the fact that you can access the internet from a Gaybar. What will they think of next? Anyway, I'm pretty drunk, they're playing pretty gay tunes, all us dancers are having a gay old time. I'm pretty exhausted from the show, though, so may go home soon. Meanwhile, the show is going well, everyone's experimenting with their hair for the show, it's all pretty exciting.

None of this makes any sense and it's not supposed to. Have fun!

Previous: A slice of blog

More athletes need to blog. The next couple provide some insight into the world of elite swimming:

SwimSean - Life Around Swimming
I'm learning now that my moods can be very volatile. Some days I love my swimming and can't wait to get to the pool, then the next day I'll be looking for any excuse not to go.

Owen Morgan
Looking back I possibly just needed to relax and let it flow a bit more. Plenty more in the tank I fear...

Hmm... I was hoping to find a few more blogs. Oh well... moving on...

daily dancer
My dancing inspirations are characters like Napoleon Dynamite, who are geeks like myself, but don't let that stop them from sharing their passions for dancing.

I'm a bit partial to the odd bit of daggy dancing myself! To think that someone felt the need to post one daggy dance every couple of days or so is funny. You just have to appreciate the commitment to express geekiness through dance.

Camera Toss (The Blog)
Basic tossing tips: 1. Be careful - Yes it sounds obvious...

No shit! Anyway, some of the pictures that emerge look quite interesting. Certainly some are intriguing enough to make you wonder just how the photographer managed to create some of the patterns. But probably most intriguing thing is the idea that someone would endanger a handful of expensive technology for a pretty picture. If you have questionable hand-eye co-ordination I would suggest you not try this at home and let others do the work.

www.BrandonFlyte.com
When I showed my Marine Biology class the film [Brokeback High], the snuggle scene --which I might add was very tastefully done-- was left in. Apparently the administration thought that this was a big enough violation to warrant an expulsion. Only, it’s not being called an expulsion.

Quite articulate for a straight boy. Even more compelling is the fight he's having with the school administration, the local media... Is this all a crap publicity stunt to further his career in filmmaking? As Brandon says in his blog, we'll see where this goes.

Tags: Commonwealth Games, daggy, dance, photos, gay, Brokeback High, blogs.

Managed to score a couple of tickets to the rehearsal of the Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony. Was initially worried that I would not be able to take in my digital camera, considering the media bans that have been imposed, but was delighted that the ban only extended to “professional quality” cameras. Having never been in the ‘G, it was quite spectacular to finally see it, it’s such an awesome and expansive venue; I don’t remember being this impressed when I first saw Sydney’s Telstra Stadium.

Anyway, the show was entertaining enough: lots of colour and movement. But from Bay Q5, all the way up on level four, the performers were so far away. Even the tram-with-wings looked like a small token on some board game. The dancers from the Australian Ballet were also featured but it was impossible to distinguish them but they looked pretty; the crazy big tutus looked cool. But what was with the duck? And the backyard cricket was a bit of a non-event. Nevertheless I enthusiastically yelled the names of all the previous host cities when the audience was directed to and I even sang the national anthem loudly and proudly (nice to hear the second verse, too!)

Here's some lovely pictures. Hush-hush, though, it's all a secret!

tags: Commonwealth Games, Melbourne, Melbourne2006, Opening Ceremony, Australian Ballet.