Go See Dancing People

Looking for some entertainment? Go see the DaVintage Code, Thursday (tomorrow) or Friday evening in Palo Alto.

I love how having a dance group with an unusually high number of physics and such PhDs means that the map location is given by GPS position of the front door.

Searching For Waltz Costumes?

By far the most common search terms leading to my blog are variations on waltz costumes, waltz outfits, and waltz dresses. This blog is currently the first search result returned by Google for waltz costumes, and strangely even for things like TurboTax depreciation. Unfortunately I don't think I am the world's expert on TurboTax depreciation. It must be by virtue of having a blogspot.com URL, leading to a high PageRank. Or maybe I'm just the only person weird enough to blog about it.

I'm guessing that most people looking for waltz costumes are looking for ballroom dance competition outfits, and you will find none of that here. Maybe it's just me, but most of the time when I see pictures and videos of ballroom dance competition outfits, the words "Why why why?" repeat in my head.

The kind of waltz costumes that might be found here are Big Poufy Victorian Dresses over at Lady M's.

Note to self regarding the picture of me waltzing in my big poufy Victorian dress, if I ever get well enough to perform again - Do not strain during fast waltzes in such a way as to create a double chin on a skinny person.

Just Surfing

Clicking on the strange searches that bring readers to your site to see what other results come up, can sometimes provide interesting reading.

This is an interesting article about the waltz ball season in Vienna: Waltz This Way. I want to see how people in Vienna really waltz, so I searched YouTube. I didn't find too much, but yes, it looks like how we waltz, not that ballroom stuff. Maybe I would find more if I search in German.

My blog has degenerated into an annotated bookmarks list, interspersed with rantings.

DL on YouTube

Apparently the West Coast Swing guy who I danced with a couple times at Starlite and who came to Big Dance last year after he asked about my dancing background (ie. why I can't dance with people at Starlite), has posted some videos of DL on YouTube.

I watched the Elana video. So I was remembering how during one of the Steps To Remember performances, the rose got stuck in M's hands. While he kept shaking the rose for what seemed like an eternity, I was thinking in my head, "Why is he not letting go of the rose?!" So I tried to yank it out without looking like it. Not working... Now thinking, "Uh oh. What are my options? Glare at him.. no.. really yank it out hard.. hm.. or change my mind and not take the rose.. uh, the music is going to start really soon.... Apparently his finger was stuck between the plastic branches of the stem, and luckily he managed to free it just in time.

Browsed YouTube some more and found this video of Steps To Remember and our middle school performance from DanceScientist. DanceScientist has apparently discovered YouTube and has a pretty popular site with a lot of dance videos! And some goldfish videos.

Meditation, Martial Arts, and Dance

A two-post day, because this is an interesting article about martial art as an expression of religion in Shaolin. There is one video of kung fu together with ballet.

There's no distinction, Polly said, between sitting meditation and what can happen while doing kung fu -- a meditation through dynamic movement, like yoga.

"If you're practicing Shaolin kung fu properly, it is a form of meditation," he said. "It's just fast and hard meditation, instead of slow or sitting. And that's why many of those moves seem so strange -- because they're actually moves that were developed for meditation purposes as well as self-defense and not purely self-defense purposes."

This reminds me of Zen and the Art of Waltzing. When I went looking for that article, I found this other article about dancing making you smarter. An interesting detail I saw was that "when brain cells die and synapses weaken with aging, our nouns go first, like names of people...." Interesting, kind of like the symptom of "difficulty word-finding" with Lyme disease or chronic fatigue syndrome.

The discussion about parallel-processing and exercising your brain connections also reminds me of this post, For Your Brain, over at Whistle Dance.

So this means that I'm going to continue doing the Tai Chi silk-reeling exercises that I learned, and go back to tai chi class and dancing as soon as is possible...

Please no dripping...

Memorable words from Big Dance. I was chatting with A DL alum whom I recently met, who has worked in China and has a business there. Qi comes up, introduces himself, and asks, "Is it true in China, when guys from here go back there, they have women dripping all over them? ...I mean, like literally d-r-i-p-p-i-n-g . . ."

Huh... I'm thinking to myself. I thought the gender ratio would be in favor of women not dripping. More wonderings... is this so with Chinese Americans, or white guys, or Chinese returnees, or all?

So the topic goes on to the "corrupting" nature of being an expat in China. Ugh, images of weird high-class places where women come up to talk to guys, sit on their laps, and they can fondle them. What?! If I went to China now, would I still get phone calls in the 5-star hotels every night from women who hang up at the sound of a female voice saying "Hello"?

So I wanted to know what it would be like for a female "expat" engineer instead of male business-type person. Apparently, it's not corrupting for females. Okay then.

The topic also touched upon the lack of culture and art, except perhaps in a little enclave in Beijing. Not my image of Shanghai... it should be the New York City of China. So this is all coming from one expat's viewpoint.

And the notion that being an expat is conducive to "romance." Expats just find each other, get together, and then separate. The term Casa Blanca was used. I saw that movie once, and I don't get it. Is it like a surreal world people live in when they live in a foreign country?

One odd person who had lived here for many years told me once that American money was like fake money, like Monopoly money. Huh? Just because it's a different look and a different environment? And after so many years, like one-third of his lifetime? Okay so I've never lived long term in another country, but I've traveled quite a bit and never have I thought of anything during my trips as fake, including money, and especially people. Interestingly, I got the feeling that relationships were also these dream-like surreal love affairs in this wonderland.

Dude. America is real. China is real. Everything is real. I would consider any place one lives (for more than a year) to be home.

***

Anyway, so in other news... Big Dance yesterday. The guy from Starlite who asked me for 5 dances in a row both times I went to Starlite actually did show up to see our performance and dance. Converting, or at least introducing more people from "ballroom" to "social" and "vintage" dance would be a wonderful thing. As it is now, sadly the other day I was thinking, gee, there are really only about a dozen guys (in the world) who know how to lead the type of dancing that we do at a high level of skill and artistry. And only about half of those whose personalities are more comfortably compatible.

I don't think the undergrads who asked me to dance knew I'm probably about ten years older then they are. Dancing with the newbies is quite fun.

A beautiful waltz

This song was in my head a few days ago, and it happened to be the couple's first dance at the wedding tonight. I'd pick it for my song too. I heard both the bride and groom were crying after the ceremony, and he looked like he was nearly going to cry after the dance as well. I could have cried watching them dance to this song. So this is true love.... There's a poem they had read during the ceremony that I'll have to find and reprint here as well.

Annie's Song

You fill up my senses
Like a night in the forest
Like the mountains in springtime
Like a walk in the rain
Like a storm in the desert
Like a sleepy blue ocean
You fill up my senses
Come fill me again
Come let me love you
Let me give my life to you
Let me drown in your laughter
Let me die in your arms
Let me lay down beside you
Let me always be with you
Come let me love you
Come love me again
Let me give my life to you
Come let me love you
Come love me again
You fill up my senses
Like a night in the forest
Like the mountains in springtime
Like a walk in the rain
Like a storm in the desert
Like a sleepy blue ocean
You fill up my senses
Come fill me again

by John Denver

Blues

I just watched the first six episodes of Sex in the City.

A man's intelligence really is inversely proportional to the size of his hands. Granted there's some genetics involved, I don't think it's actually because of the amount of manual labor one does, but of how one does it. Ie. intelligently or in a brute way that makes one's hands humongous.

I went blues dancing last Friday. The afterthought was disappointing. The more I thought about it the less it seemed to be blues dancing. It was entirely different from the real blues lesson I had down in Sunnyvale. The clincher that "blues dancing is anything you want it to be" by the love-fest woman. Is that what she says of tango too? If anything were anything one wanted it to be, why would it even have a name, specifically... blues? Do you really experience freedom?

Not all people need to dance ultra close to complete strangers and dance blues "because they want to be close to someone." Do you really experience closeness? Frankly, that's sad. It's fake. And that's it, it felt like an evening of fake blues. Dance close to someone you know and love. Or dance to make a beautiful dance.

Period Costumes

In addition to reflecting a historical period we portray in our dances, each dress reflects on the period of one's own life when we created the dress.

Victoria does a wonderful job of creating dresses to fit the person. Last year, early on, I had the idea of making a RagTime dress out of a sari. But when I met with her, I mentioned other ideas, not even mentioning that idea. She just responded with something to the effect of this other pattern would look great made from a sari. And that was exactly the idea and pattern I had been thinking of, but was not bold enough to state. Telepathy? A sixth sense?

This year, again early on, I had a concept of what I wanted, but not a good picture. How to weave a chi pao image into a 1930s evening gown. She drew a design that actually incorporated the elements I had been trying to put together, but couldn't picture by myself. One afternoon, I met her at Thai Silks to look at fabric. We tried to match fabric to the brocades that I had selected. After I saw her experiment with a different brocade, another brocade with that pattern in a different color caught my eye. She said that this was the one she had actually had in mind first when I told her my idea. A change from dragons or dragonflies. "Mint green" with lavender swans.

Soul

My roommate had the Soul of the Tango playing as we drove to and from auditions. I started to think more about illusions, why the instructor last year kept repeating that it's an illusion, it's an illusion. Listening to the music, on the surface, the melody seems to be moving fast, with a lot of embellishments. But listening, I was hearing the slower movement, stillness, actually silence.

Silence when there is sound. Silent music.

Last year I learned that the movements are like this, still, calm, centered. On the surface, people can focus on the embellishments and flash. Listening to the music while not dancing, I could then see it in the music.

The music has such a deep sorrow, although sometimes sounding very lively. It seems that two people could be dancing so close together, yet possibly be so alone.

Sorrow, yet beautiful. And does beauty bring happiness.

Yo-Yo Ma on the cello fits this as the sound of his cello is distinct. He plays emotions, not just music.

Seeing people dance empty tango is somewhat disturbing.

Hm, a nonsensical blog entry because of staying up too late for post-auditions meeting?

Follow

I went back to Friday Night Waltz tonight for the first time since about a half year ago. I intended to get back into following mode, to relate the dancing experience to harmonious relationships in the rest of life. If life were like dancing, it would be bliss.

Joining a performing group has at times corrupted my previously pure following state. Backleading and self-dancing creeps in during choreographies. The only way to experience the true freedom of following is to go out social dancing and not know what to expect. "Welcome chance intrusions."

There were several very good dances. My favorite of the night was a sway-ey waltz. When you trust the lead, the dancing becomes much more free and flowing. The level of trust varies by person, and also can vary through a single dance. As a follow, when you are able to listen with your whole mind and body, you can follow anything and be perfectly balanced with your partner.

I managed to "almost" enjoy dancing with the guy that everybody hated dancing with. "Trust" was not so much the important factor in this setting as "self-preservation." My ability to protect my fingers and wrists from being broken off, and keep myself from falling face to the floor, from dangerous leads, allowed me to follow the lead, and make a somewhat enjoyable dance. And then one would be able to see the unique good things this dancer has to offer. However, a good lead would be aware of and care about how his partner feels, and lead accordingly.

To be able to follow anything and anyone, and make it an enjoyable dance, is a fun challenge and experience. Although it's much more enjoyable to dance with those you really trust....

Afterwards, I went along with some Stanford dancey people to the CheeseCake Factory. They are going to be half my age soon. I did manage to recruit some people to audition.

It's probably not a coincidence that it is in the dancing community where I see the best matched couples who are partners in life. So far my dance life and social life are separate. Maybe I like it this way. Dancing is a metaphor for life, but if dancing were my life, I'd be missing out on a lot. Make life a dance.

Ragtime

Ladies' Evening Dress for the Ragtime Era. 1910-1920

"Fashionable gown styles varied from year to year during the 1910's. At the beginning of the decade styles were rather columnar, with long skirts that fell quite straight. By 1913-14 the skirts are elaborately draped and quite fanciful. In the middle of the decade, during 1915-16, the skirts developed an A line silhouette. By the end of the decade the skirt silhouette was once again fairly straight."

Ladies' and Gentlmen's Evening Dress for the Ragtime Era: 1910-1920

"Evening Gowns of the 1910's

Ladies' evening dress of this era often consist of a high-waisted gown (though the waist placement varys somewhat from high to natural to low waisted styles throughout the decade), usually in soft fabric such as chiffon or lightweight satin, often ornamented with elaborate lace, silk brocades or beadwork and draped asymmetrically. The long skirt should have enough fullness for dancing.

Skirts often would be made in many layers with elaborately draped overskirts in lightweight materials in various types of silk or lace. Skirts are usually draped in such a way that the rather full skirt falls in a fairly narrow silhouette but because of the nature of the draping great freedom of movement is possible. Colors can be pastels or jewel tones, with contrasting, striking color combinations as well as subtle tone on tone combinations."

The Tides of Change: Twenty Years of Fashion, 1900-1920: McCall's Magazine: November 1912

Attire for Ragtime Events

"Fashions of this period were strongly influenced by the exotic colors and fabrics of the Orient."

Orientalism in Dress: Edwardian Fashion/Titanic Era 4: 1910s Fashion History

Titanic & 'Teens

Timeline of Costume History: 20th Century Western Costume: 1910-1920
Books on 20th Century Costume

Engagements

At the last FNW I went to in August, I heard about two more engagements. One DL couple, and another dance couple, one of whom is in DL. M said that all the women in DL get engaged within two years of joining. Well... then it looks like I have one more year to go.... Uh huh.

Well, that FNW was pretty hot and sweaty. I didn't even bother going to this month's. I will return in the cooler months.

Altered State of Mind

More on waltz and raves.

Richard Powers' Zen and the Art of Waltzing

***

Update: Here's the archived page on waltz and raves.

And if the waltz were to become a rave? This original idea has become the trademark of a company, Nicolas Musin's abcdancecompany from Austria, which has for a number of years invited young artists to create short choreographies on the theme of the waltz, thereby creating a sort of library of this dance from the 19th century to the present day. The piece to be presented in Venice, the last volume of the series in the version of Nina Kripas and Claudi Bombardo under the direction of Nicolas Musin, performs the traditional waltz in the manner of one of the most typical expressions of youth culture, the rave. There is a strange affinity, says Nicolas Musin, between the waltz - this sort of "dice game between two adults who are by turns master and object of the other", in which it is necessary to reach a "complementariness in order to be able to spin to the point of dizziness and achieve that altered state of a single consciousness through two bodies" - and the tribal rituality of rave's techno dance.

Waltzing and Raves

Big Dance... An all night dance party, the mood altering effects of particular dances especially waltzes, and an atmosphere I'll imagine has similarities to a rave since I've never been to one. And of course, in all of the Jammixes, Friday Night Waltzes, and other dance events, there is the song which has become known as the "trance waltz," Nara (clip).

This film festival Web site actually makes a connection between the Viennese waltz party culture of the 19th century in Austria and the modern rave culture of the 1990s.

More than a few people have commented that waltzing or music in waltz time makes them happy. I even came across some mention of a study with gerbils being exposed to waltz music making their serotonin levels rise.

Waltzing is kind of like a drug, but without any negative health effects.

Superdance

A few nice waltzes of the night:

Jessica Andrews
I Bring It To You
clip

I blinded B with my hair during underarm turns, but hey, the guys keep leading them....

Jessica Andrews
Helplessly, Hopelessly, Recklessly
clip

I don't think this was actually played but Jessica Andrews has this other waltz which I almost thought was the same one, since what are the chances of hearing two new waltzes by the same singer? They're both nice but kind of so-so.

Shrek
Dana Glover
It Is You (I Have Loved)
clip

I'm not sure if this was the song, but W let me lead part of it. Though he was following moves I didn't realize I was leading....

Faith Hill
Cry
clip

A Walk To Remember
Mandy Moore
Only Hope
clip

More hair blinding and dizzying waltz at 3am, before being convinced to stay for the dance film clips, which was very good. The Beauty and the Beast clip got the most laughs.

And at some point, a nice hustle with a stranger, where the hustle arms came out. Dancing late into the wee hours before morning is a different sensation.