Motion Theory, “Student-Athletes Go Pro”

Motion Theory’s ads show effectively communicate the fact that student NCAA athletes are still students and will pursue non-athletic professions after graduation.

http://motiontheory.wiredrive.com//l/p/?presentation=61861706af2f177c5022714f1887f148 – via Doug Fox’s twitter feed. (Plug!) http://twitter.com/dougfox (Sorry there was no cute embed option, but I could figure that out later.)

I’m really impressed by the computer graphics, and the skinning of the students as they step in and out of bounds in the second video, and in the first, I’m impressed by the way the students bodies were isolated into still and active parts.

Be A Kid Again

I’m in charge of implementing a WordPress blog as a CMS at work, so I’ve been looking into various WordPress themes and site designs. Today, I came across DesignDisease.com. Not only do they have great themes, I also find their example of “An ordered list” wonderful, and I’m glad that I do in fact own (and wear) red gym shoes.

Be A Kid Again
http://designdisease.com/preview/dilectio

    Do a cartwheel. (I have been known to do this randomly in ballet class.)
    Sing into your hairbrush.
    Walk barefoot in wet grass.
    Play a song you like really loud, over and over.
    Dot all your “i”’s with smiley faces.
    Read the funnies. Throw the rest of the paper away.
    Dunk your cookies. (Still do this with my Maria cookies.)
    Play a game where you make up the rules as you go along.
    Step carefully over sidewalk cracks.
    Change into some play clothes.
    Try to get someone to trade you a better sandwich.
    Eat ice cream for breakfast.
    Kiss a frog, just in case.
    Blow the wrapper off a straw.
    Have someone read you a story.
    Find some pretty stones and save them.
    Wear your favorite shirt with your favorite pants even if they don’t match.
    Take a running jump over a big puddle. (Yeah, I sometimes do this, too, but it’s usually over snow.)
    Get someone to buy you something you really don’t need.
    Hide your vegetables under your napkin.
    Stay up past your bedtime. (I do this about every night!)
    Eat dessert first.
    Fuss a little, then take a nap.
    Wear red gym shoes. (I’ve got red Pumas!)
    Put way too much sugar on your cereal.
    Make cool screeching noises every time you turn a corner.
    Giggle a lot for no reason.
    Give yourself a gold star for everything you do today.

What makes a (dance) community?

Now that I’ve moved to New York City, I find myself again dipping my toes into dance classes and yoga. No ballet just yet, but I’m already on a dance email list for my samba class. I’ve also attended a dance-animation program in Brooklyn, and am simply keeping up to date on dance-related activities. (One cannot have too much dance, right?)

At one time, I had no trouble at all saying that I was an active member of the dance community. Now, I’m not so sure. I wonder what makes one part of a community? Is it becoming a core producer, such as a dance artist, or is it simply one who affects the community in some way? I think the internet has helped more people become involved in the dance community who would not otherwise have been members, but I wonder if there are still degrees of community membership. Since I find myself thinking about the growing use of the internet within the context of dance, I’m thinking that this will be a vein of inquiry for me in the near future. (At least I hope so.)

Perhaps I should start by interviewing “well known” dance bloggers about their adoption of the internet publishing?

Mary Lum’s “Edge Conditions”

Art follows NYC life…

“When walking or driving in the city it is sometimes possible to detect the poetic subconscious of the place, the thing we cannot see but can only occasionally access through feeling. The sharp attention required for this experience comes from extensive looking (for nothing in particular), walking without distraction but implicitly always distracted.” —Mary Lum

Plodding to the subway, trying not to spill the coffee in one hand all over my coat and at the same time maneuvering my shoulder so that my tote bag full of books doesn’t slide down my arm, gazing with a mixture of envy and disgust at the brand new demonic black-brick apartment complexes going up on Union Avenue that I will never be able to afford, glancing at a peeling concert poster, leaping over dog shit, wondering when, if ever spring will come, smelling the exhaust and wondering if it’s more polluted here or in LA….

http://www.bombsiteblog.com/

Hip to the Game: Dance World vs. Music Industry, The Battle for Hip Hop’s Legacy

From Movmnt.com, an article on how hip-hop dance has finally become it’s own cultural icon.

In its origins, hip-hop was largely a subculture and a form of style and expression developed by urban minorities. But now it has become part of the mainstream. Street talk, dress, and music have all become an undeniable influence on American culture. In 2003, the Oxford English dictionary added “phat,” “jiggy,” ”dope,” and “breakbeat” to the online updates of its dictionary. Slang terms like “bling” and “baby mama” are now so colloquial you can hear them on the news. Clothing trends like tracksuits and hoodies are no longer limited to rappers’ gear, but are worn by everyone. Hip-hop style has become so prevalent that Jay-Z has his own clothing label, 50 Cent his own shoe line, and Diddy his own fragrance—and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

http://www.movmnt.com/monsters-of-hip-hop_002624.html