Ranting Details

Lazy Post of the Day. A Little Borat Jackson.

For those of you who haven't seen The Ali G Show, this preview might seem incredibly random and offensive. Even for those of you who have seen it, it probably STILL seems offensive.....and hilarious. I have heard that this is one of the most politically incorrect movies ever but this preview makes it look pretty outrageously funny. I am going to be away from the blog for a few days while I am in NC just to let everyone know. I will try to post when I get back, but since "Dance Off" starts that day, it might be a while! Sorry! And just one more for good measure. Had not watched this video in years but in my current Janet obsession I looked it up on YouTube. A much better video than anything thats out there now. Until later....

ReSpekt.

“Well, I got it!” A horrible cold that is; not much cause for excitement. My hectic schedule this week should have been foreshadowing enough that I was going to get sick. I always seem to get a cold at the most unfortunate times, like when I’m rehearsing for ABT, setting my first piece AND going to North Carolina this weekend. It’s just the perfect time to have a debilitating cold. As much as I didn’t want to, I decided today that it was probably better for me to stay home sick from work rather than go and keep pushing through it. I am worried about the fact that my piece isn’t quite ready more than anything else.

Last night my cold was going full force when I went to see the incredible Regina Spektor at Town Hall. I have been waiting for months for this show so you can imagine my frustration of having my head floating ten feet above my body. I did my best to stay focused, but David and I were both zoning after about an hour. As she took the stage she was so demure and dressed in a dowdy housewife floral print dress. Her humble demeanor and explosion of auburn hair completed the look with incredible success.

Any timid vibes she gave out before she started her set were completely annihilated the minute she took the piano. For those of you who don’t know the artist, I suggest you go out and buy her latest album as quickly as you can. She plays the piano with the precision of a classical pianist while still infusing it with pop music sensibilities. Her lyrics are both poetic and fun at the same time and you have never heard someone use their voice quite like she does.

(Pulling out the electric guitar. Fuzzy. In case you thought you were just having vision problems.)

At times she sat there accompanying herself by banging a drumstick on a wooden chair. Other times she kept the beat by pulsing her fingers on the microphone. She even picked up the electric guitar at one point. It was clear that this woman has a completely unique way of expressing herself that while clear on her CD’s is even more apparent in person. For a while she had a band come out and lend her a hand but in my opinion they took away from her. On her CD’s the balance of the band is better but in concert she is strongest when it’s just her and the piano. Her lyrics deserve to be heard clearly and with the band it was difficult.

What I love about Regina is the completely different approach she takes to songwriting. It’s rare these days for find a singer who leaves things a little open to interpretation. She doesn’t say things like “I’m A Slave For You” but at times she gets much more suggestive than that, just in a nuanced way. At the same time she writes catchy hooks that you want to sing along to.

The crowd last night was displaying typical concert behavior, shouting things like “I love you Regina!” “ Yay,” “I love your boobs (or boots?)” “Hooray,” and so on. My personal favorite was when amidst the shouts of song titles people wanted to hear, someone shouted “PLAY WHAT YOU WANT!” That sums up what I love about her, she seems to always play and create what she wants which consistently defies categorization.

Below you can listen to the song “On The Radio” which contains some of my favorite lyrics right now:
this is how it works
you're young until you're not
you love until you don't
you try until you can't
you laugh until you cry
you cry until you laugh
and everyone must breathe
until their dying breath

this is how it works
you peer inside yourself
you take the things you like
and try to love the things you took
and then you take that love you made
and stick it into some--
someone else's heart
pumping someone else's blood

Dance Off!

I have a had a few requests from people regarding the info of my choreographic debut next week so I thought I would just post it here. I have no idea what the rest of the program will be like, I only know that we are the lone ballet number. Should be an eclectic program and only about an hour long. Maybe I will see some of you there!

DANCE OFF!
at PS 122
October 3rd & 4th
8pm & 10pm both nights
Performance Space 122
150 First Ave. at E. 9th St.

Tickets $15 CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS!
or Call 212-352-3101

First Rough Run….

The video below is of Blaine and I's run today of my piece debuting at "Dance Off!" next week. It's still rough around the edges and there is one section in particular that is not ready. Regardless of whether everything is set or not, we have to start running it through because the show is less than a week away. After so much time off, the stamina is pretty down for everyone so we have to build it back up quickly! I am bi-polar about the piece right now. Sometimes I like parts of it and other times I think its a disaster; I guess that's the glory of creation!! The music is so difficult and layered that I feel as if it almost demands constant movement. Finding slow moments or phrasing in it has been difficult for me. As you might be able to tell. My favorite part of this video is the music heard from the other studio before we begin which is quickly interrupted by the harsh strings. Afterwards is pretty funny too with some great music and camera work by Ms. Marian Butler. Blaine and I even have synchronized roll-overs. Watch at your own risk. Now I just need to name it. Argh!

Random Musings….

You know you are exhausted when the subway stairs look like Mt. Everest. I am lucky enough to not have to ride the subway to work, therefore limiting my subway time usually to the weekends. Today though, in between rehearsals, I ran to get my haircut and had no idea sitting in a chair could be so exhausting! Usually a therapeutic time for me, I could barely form words today when talking to my amazing stylist Lisa at Dop Dop! I was just hoping she wouldn’t have to mop up my drool along with my shorn hair. Luckily I stayed awake but as I am sitting here typing this I just want to doze off.
That could only mean one thing….

WORK IS IN FULL SWING! I am constantly amazed and depressed at how quickly stamina flushes down the toilet. At peak form nearly two months ago, I hear everyone at work grumbling over the aches and pains that accompany the frenzied climb back to top form. Where does it go? The other day in the studio (where the above picture was taken) I was talking to David and Gillian about how little of the human brain we actually use. We tried to imagine a world where we used 70% of our brains and maybe that would be a place where mental stamina would trump physical fatigue. For not only am I feeling muscles that I forgot existed, but my brain seems to be close to forgetting my own name.

Of course the past three weeks have been especially insane for me, attempting to squeeze rehearsals for my choreographic debut in between ABT rehearsals. I’m a juggler with no coordination. The good news is that the piece is nearly done. The bad news is that so are my body and brain.

(Lara sets the mood for typical behavior on a break between rehearsals.)

My source of inspiration recently has been an incredible biography on Willem De Kooning but words are almost too much to handle after a long day of work. I look forward to having some time to sit down and focus on it soon, but is free time soon even a possibility?! Every artist needs inspiration but are we supposed to be able to squeeze that in too?

Part of what I love about City Center season is the chance to see so many different types of works going on at once. Attempting to choreograph is both blessed and cursed by this. It seems like all my ideas stem from what I was just rehearsing until I push past that and let my own ideas flow out. Back to that world with 70% brain use, maybe our ideas really would be endless. I have fallen victim to the belief that “everything has been done before.” While that’s not a true statement, it can be a disheartening thought.

So as I sit here whining about my predicament I want to apologize if the blog seems a little neglected recently. “After a long day at work (“The Comeback” Fans can complete that)” lifting my arms to type gets trumped by lifting the remote. More to come soon, I promise!

Songs YOU need to download. 9/26/06

It's that time again!!!! The happy day I get to force some music down your throats in a desperate attempt to spread my love of bands I am listening to right now. Look into my fuzzy eyes above and let me hypnotize you and push my opinion a little more.

"Lonely, Lonely"-Feist
This seems to be the CD I am burning for everyone recently and one that has had 100% success when converting people into fans. This CD hits all the moods and this song is beautiful in the changes it takes from beginning to end.

"Enjoy"-Janet Jackson
Okay, she's back (fully clothed...sometimes) and her new CD is pretty great. This song in particular is just fun old school Janet Jackson. Perfect for walking home from work, I would be stunned if you listen to it and don't smile. Check it out below.


"Bastard"-Ben Folds
Inspiration for the title of one of my blogs down below, this is a great song about the realities of growing older.

"She's My Man"-Scissor Sisters
"Paul McCartney"-Scissor Sisters
Perhaps the CD I have been most eagerly anticipating recently, I just got it and its full of some good but not great songs. For those of you who don't know the "Sisters", you should. Immediately. Download their debut CD and then pick up the brand new "Ta Dah" album. While not QUITE up to the level of the first CD its still just the perfect pump me up music. Although some of my favorite music is stuff that I disliked the first couple of times so I might worship this album by the end of the week.
SCISSOR SISTERS MY SPACE!

"When You Were Young"-The Killers
Just got their new CD and actually listening to it as I write. Another completely irresistible group this is my current "crunches" song at the gym. I know you were dying to know that.

Until next time......

Life as "Science."

Fall is always exciting because it means that the craptastic movies of the summer are over! Finally previews that you have been seeing all summer are beginning to materialize and expectations are either met or crushed. One movie that I have been waiting for for quite some time is “The Science of Sleep,” which I saw today. My expectations were neither met nor crushed but instead I left feeling a little indifferent towards it.

Written and directed by Michel Gondry (of “Eternal Sunshine” fame) the movie is a trippy look into how different people perceive and distort reality. The main character waltzes in and out of his dreams and real life until he can’t quite seem to keep them straight. It’s a visually pleasing film and I love the kind of “imperfect” camera work that Gondry brings to his movies. Unfortunately, that imperfection translates to the entire movie this time and at moments it seems like a confusing mess. Even in that confusion though, the performances of Gael Garcia Bernal and Charlotte Gainsbourg are charming enough to keep you interested.

It ends up being an interesting look at how our mind can play tricks on us and the comfort that living in a dreamland can bring you. Free of inhibitions in dreams, people are able to enact their wildest fantasies, confront their fears, and lose themselves. Those wild fantasies are often handled in a fun animated fashion throughout the movie, which adds to both the excitement and the confusion. Like “Eternal Sunshine” the ideas of being able to alter things comes up a lot and what the affect on our lives would be were we able to.

It’s always refreshing to see a movie where the love stories aren’t handled in a cookie-cutter manner. It never hurts to reiterate the fact that life is NOT a movie but this movie comes close to realistically portraying what real life friendships/love interests are like. Embracing the imperfections of life can be difficult but when forced to wake up and face them it allows a sense of freedom.

To me this is more of an interesting “art-project” than a brilliant film but it is sure to spark conversation with whomever you go with. After a summer full of “Superman,” and “Mission Impossible,” conversation after a movie might feel foreign but that’s not always a bad thing.

"Times" Not Quite "Movin"….Yet.

Last night I had one of my “mini” dreams come true; I had the chance to attend the dress rehearsal of the new Twyla Tharp musical “The Times They Are A Changin’.” Having been a Broadway fanatic since watching my first Sondheim show when I was about 4 (think my parents had any suspicions?) I always thought it would be awesome to be in the crowd for a show before it actually opened. So the other day when my friend Ryan offered me a ticket, I jumped at the chance. Rushing up from work, I was amazed at the huge line of people waiting to get into the theater. It was a who’s who of both Broadway and dance world faces and my excitement just grew.

I saw “Movin Out,” Twyla’s previous show, early in its run and was completely blown away. She had taken Broadway dance to a whole new level and maintained the Broadway “sensibilities” at the same time. The good and bad news about “Times,” is that it is no “Movin Out.” At least not yet.

When I mentioned to a friend that I was going to see Twyla’s new Bob Dylan show, his response was a cynical “Oh is that what she is doing now? Who’s next, Phil Collins?” Trying to explain to someone who hasn’t seen “Movin’ Out” how it transcended being a Billy Joel revue is difficult. In my opinion though, Joel’s music was sung similarly to how it was originally done when used in the musical. Bob Dylan’s music is not at all the same. There is something that just doesn’t gel with me when hearing songs like “Blowin In The Wind” done as a full Broadway choral number.

Seeing as this was not even a first preview, there is over a month to fix things and the show occasionally has great moments. The cast is superb but I cannot imagine how they will survive. Twyla’s choreography for this show is once again innovative for the ideas of what Broadway dance is. She incorporates amazing tumbling aspects that don’t seem pointless (or human for that matter) and add a certain amount of suspension in the midst of her choreography. At a certain point though, the tumbling becomes a bit monotonous.

My biggest problem with the show is that I really just had no idea what was going on. I understood that it was at a circus, but it seemed more like a series of vignettes rather than a full story. Twyla has demonstrated what a great storyteller she is with her work in “Movin Out,” where I followed and got emotionally attached to the characters. Bob Dylan is a much better storyteller than Billy Joel, but I don’t know if it was because many of the lyrics were lost or that the songs don’t aid themselves to being connected as well, however I was just plain confused.

Twyla is a known perfectionist so I have no doubts that this show will improve greatly over the next month. Even though I am not crazy about the arrangements of the Dylan songs, Michael Arden,“Woman with the most insane 6-pack ever” and “Peg Leg Circus Leader?” sing them well. Sorry, no Playbill’s were handed out. On top of the great performers, the set design is interesting and there are numbers where things really work. There is a trampoline strip across the orchestra pit and the back of the stage that is utilized well, but overall I think I just wanted a little more dance.

Lazy Post of the Day. Simple vs. Seizure.

"The More You Know, You Know You Don’t Know Shit." -Ben Folds

I am sitting looking at this old photo right now and realized that I have a little over a week before high school comes rushing back to me. Since I moved to the city I have only had the chance to go back and visit NCSA twice. Part of the problem with going to a boarding school is that for the majority of peoples families aren't located there, so visiting becomes problematic. I knew as I hugged my friends goodbye outside of the dorms on graduation day that it would probably be the last time we were all in the same place. Over the past few years some have come to visit, either on their own or with companies, but the majority are merely friends on MySpace now. Oh what the world has come to!

There are conflicting feelings inside of me; I feel guilty being excited to be going to NC when the reason I am going is so upsetting. Melissa Hayden’s passing still hasn’t quite sunken in yet and I know that seeing the halls without her presence is going to be startling. Even when she didn’t sound like Darth Vader, with her humming respirator that popped up once every year or so, you knew she was there. Without getting too much into her passing, I just realize more and more how different the school must be.

When I went back in Studio Company to dance, things were more or less the same from when I had departed. There were old friends but the setting was different. The school that I had grown up with was being bulldozed to make way for new buildings developing all over the place. As my life was rushing forward so was the school. Foolish of me to think that it could never change. When I came back the following year, most of the faces were new but there was still such a comfort. Looking onto this picture I chuckle (yes, I use that word) at the worries I thought I had then. Going into total clichéd territory now, it’s funny how high school drama has NOTHING on the drama afterwards. Or is that just what time does to drama, makes it all seem miniscule in hindsight?

Suddenly I feel like things have come full circle and that same fear that I had leaving NCSA mirrors the fear I have of returning. How have we all changed? It has only been three years but when we have stretched out to different corners of the country, who knows what we have all turned into. Seeing as NCSA doesn’t really have “reunions” in the typical sense of the word, this memorial weekend is going to be the closest thing I probably will ever get to a high school reunion. I have a feeling I am going to be bi-polar the whole weekend. Elated at the prospect of seeing everyone, but dealing with the reality of Ms. Hayden being gone. Change is a frustrating concept but sometimes it just has to be dealt with head on. (Cue NBC’s “The More You Know” music now.)