A still more glorious dawn awaits...

With each passing year, I discover an incredible overlap between bellydance and geekitude. This pleaseth me greatly. :) So I am confident that a large cross section of you who visit this blog will appreciate the following video. It was sent to me via various methods earlier this year, and I have had it stuck in my head and heart ever since. It's autotuned Carl Sagan (feat. Stephen Hawking, even!), so for those of you not interested in either (autotuned music or science), you may not enjoy it much. But it made me cry when I first heard it and it still moves me incredibly every time I listen.

I grew up watching Cosmos with my family at home, and later on VHS in science class. Carl Sagan is at the top of my "if you could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, who would it be?" His combination of genius level intelligence, eloquent speaking skills, practical spirituality, childlike wonder, wry humor, respect for life, and passionate desire to understand that which is not yet understood is, to me, an incredibly evolved state of being which Mr. Sagan exemplified in his life* and work. This song is a lovely tribute to the man and his philosophies.



And while we're at it, you need to read "The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark" by Carl Sagan. An incredible read by one of the greatest thinkers in human history. http://www.amazon.com/Demon-Haunted-World-Science-Candle-Dark/dp/0345409469

(* To be clear, Sagan was still HUMAN, and I am aware of his personal relationship issues with his wives and family, but I am speaking of the public figure and his admirable qualities. I should hope I am more judged on the good I do publicly than the way I fuck up in private. :)

The digital Universe

This video is stunning. Shows the known Universe as we understand it today, through a combination of the most advance scientific resources we have available.


If you feel amazingly tiny and insignificant, and completely awed by the scope of human existence, raise your hand.
*raising hand*

Nightmare before Christmas as metaphor

Once upon a time there was a character named Jack Skellington.

Jack was very very good at Halloween. Everyone looked to him for leadership because he was so good at it.

As time went on, Jack became bored of Halloween. He kinda felt like everything that could be done had been done, and he really wanted to try something new to spice things up.

He stumbled upon a town which celebrated something called Christmas. "What's this?!" he exclaimed joyfully. It was something really different, and it looked fun and interesting. On the spot he decided to give that a try.

He took Christmas back to his friends, none of whom knew anything about Christmas. Jack himself really didn't know much except what he thought it should maybe look like a bit (from his brief visit to the town), and some general ideas about the traditions. Armed with this spare information, they set to work on their version of Christmas.

Renee's look at ATS

Today I stumbled across a tribal discussion on Bhuz from back in June which I missed (I was on vacation for my anniversary around that time), in which my co-director Renee was making some observations about tribal bellydance in the context of a discussion where another dancer asked about the difference between cabaret and tribal. I really enjoyed her perspective, and she is such an eloquent writer, I thought I would share.

The full discussion can be found HERE (must be a member to read, but Bhuz is a great resource--you SHOULD be a member and participate!).

From a technical perspective, everything done is tribal is geared towards enhancing and facilitating the group dynamic. Arms have fixed positions (frequently uplifted and away from the body) in relation to the corresponding hip and body movements because they are the primary cue mechanism. Formations are placed so that everyone can see the lead as well as be seen by the audience. There is not often a great deal of footwork or lateral traveling movements because you can't count on having the space to move an entire formation. Movements are kept simple and uncluttered to best emphasize the unsion of the dancers.

Organic Process: The Art of Seeing

All the way back in May, I was pondering the collision of modern media and the organic process of artistic creation. In that post I wrote:

"A sculpture or a painting--even a piece of music or a video--is not expected to change, and is appreciated for its unchanging beauty. It is it's solidity that is part of its appeal, in a way. We see the same piece over time, and instead of expecting it to change or adapt to us, our perspective adapts and changes. We see it (hear it, experience it) from different angles, in different lights, in a different environment, our attitudes change, our perceptions change; and we find that our appreciation deepens and becomes richer and more multi-faceted as we take the time to consider the piece from all these perspectives. The work to appreciate that art day-to-day is in our hands as the viewer."