The Secret Lives Of Dancers

Over the years I’ve worked with many dance companies, producing and marketing seasons from ballet to modern dance. One of the things I always wanted to do but could not (so far) was create an end of season annual report that not only covered operations and finances but also covered the year from the point of view of the various creative and technical departments, showing a glimpse of the hard work it takes to create a season of dance. 

Dancers train like Olympic athletes, with none of the endorsements and all of the injuries. They have the musicality of the best classically trained musicians. They can perform complex space-time computiations in their minds while contorting their bodies, to the beat. And then when they get on stage they can move you with extraordinary expresions of joy or sorrow. 

A side anecdote: while working for Ballet Hispanico, I watched and heard endless rehearsals for a particular piece. I had heard the choreographer explain the very moving scene, heard the music over and over and over for days on end, watched the dancers work at mastering and perfecting the moves. In essence I felt like I knew the routine as well as an outsider could. Then on opening night, after all the commotion of starting a new season, I finally sat down in the theater next to my colleagues and when this particular section started I found myself crying almost uncontrollably, surrounded by other company staff that were also crying, the audience was crying. The dancers had taken something that I had seen completely deconstructed and analyzed and were able to strip away all of it and instead infuse the performance with profound humanity and beauty.

It is becuase of this love of dance and the complexities of creating dance that I am excited about two ventures started by two major international ballet companies. 

The Australian Ballet, Australia’s national ballet company, is profiling a year in the life of two of the company’s dancers, senior artist Amy Harris and corps de ballet dancer Jake Mangakahia. The ten-part web series begins in January as the company returns from the Christmas break and prepares for the year ahead. Part 1 is below. Subscribe on YouTube to see the following 9 parts as they are released through the year. 

(via couriermail.com.au & YouTube)

New Zealand’s TV3 has just concluded the second season of The Secret Lives of Dancers, a prime time show that goes behind the scenes at the Royal New Zealand Ballet. Though video of the show is hard to find if you can get your hands on it you should check it out. The second season focused on famous New York dancer Ethan Stiefel becoming their new Artistic Director, with all the interesting cultural juxtapositions that implies, as the company stages their biggest production so far. It is compelling television to watch how the lives of the dancers affect the productions, and how some dancers make it and some do not despite all the hard work.  

Think of all of the work that you do, all the design, all the technology, all the user interactions and constant pushing forward, dancers do that and more. They could be your source of inspiration, your source of entertainment, they could spark your next great idea. You really should go see live dance. 

Dancers In Slow Motion

Let’s begin the week with some beautiful dancing slowed down. Two very different dance styles, one filmmaking technique, so we can see in detail what dancers can do with their bodies.

(via Curiosity Counts)

Marina Kanno and Giacomo Bevilaqua from Staatsballett Berlin perform several jumps captured in slow motion at 1000 frames per second.

(via Kottke.org)

Which of course reminds me of David Michalek’s Slow Dancing installation. If you think these are impressive, you should see dancers projected in HD on the sides of buildings. I had an opportunity to see the installation at Lincoln Center a few years ago. It was amazing to witness  a sea of people basically having picnics around the Lincoln Center fountain watching the projections late into the night. Do yourself a favor, find a dance theater near you and go see a live dance performance. 

Copyright David Michalek http://www.slowdancingfilms.com

A Book Is Born

I’ve always loved printing and binding. Long before I loved technology I loved printing postcards, season brochures for arts organizations, program books for performing arts events. There is something about the feel of paper, the smell of ink and the subtle imperfections that indicate a printed piece was assembled by hand. 

Let us end the week with a beautiful video by Glen Milner for The Daily Telegraph, shot at Smith-Settle Printers, Leeds, England.

A short vignette of a book being created using traditional printing methods. For the Daily Telegraph. Shot at Smith-Settle Printers, Leeds, England. The book being printed is Suzanne St Albans’ 'Mango and Mimosa' published as part of the Slightly Foxed series. Shot, Directed & Edited by Glen Milner

(via The New Yorker)

Art In The Era Of The Internet: The Impact of Kickstarter, Creative Commons & Creators Project

The internet has intensified connections between people across the planet. In this episode we take a look at the impact of this new interconnectivity on the art world. Traditional funding models are dissolving, new forms of expressing ownership have arisen to accomodate for remix culture, and artists are finding ways to connect physical art experiences and traditions to the internet.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I am loving what PBS is doing with their online series. And here is episode two of the second season of Off Book. 

The internet has intensified connections between people across the planet. In this episode they take a look at the impact of this new interconnectivity on the art world. Traditional funding models are dissolving, new forms of expressing ownership have arisen to accomodate for remix culture, and artists are finding ways to connect physical art experiences and traditions to the internet. In the digital era, the experience of art from the perspective of the artist and the art audience is shifting rapidly, and bringing more people into the creative process. 

Featuring:

Yancey Strickler, Co-Founder of Kickstarter
Lawrence Lessig, Co-Founder of Creative Commons
Ciel Hunter, Creative Director of Creators Project
Julia Kaganskiy, Editor of Creators Project

Previously:

Animated GIFs: The Birth of a Medium
Off Book Series One: The Complete Series

The PBS Renaissance, Mario Bros. and Surrealist Art

It would be easy to think that when I say PBS is having a renaissance that I mean the recent success of tv shows like Downton Abbey and Sherlock. Yes, Downton Abbey had better ratings than many cable darlings, including Mad Men and the truly clever modernization of Sherlock Holmes has led to CBS launching their own version of the Holmes stories, with Lucy Lui cast in the role of Watson for a twist. 

But the renaissance I am talking about is how PBS has embraced the internet. For more than a year PBS.org has been the home to some fantastically produced online-only programming that enhances the vision and mission of the tv channel exploring relevant cultural and technological themes and ideas in ways that would not necessarily make sense on the tv channel. 

Until the end of the month they are hosting the PBS Online Film Festival. They have already produced a season of Off Book, an original series that expands on the definition of art, and have released the first episode of the second season. Recently they launched the Idea Channel, a new show that examines the connections between pop culture, technology and art. Watch the premiere episode below: 

We all know who the Mario Brothers are but have you ever stepped back and tried looking at those games from a fresh perspective? Like you've never seen or heard of them before? They're bananas! There are armored turtles who stand on their hind legs and steal princesses!

We all know who the Mario Brothers are but have you ever stepped back and tried looking at those games from a fresh perspective? Like you’ve never seen or heard of them before? Pause for a second and don’t think about the gameplay you remember fondly. Think about it. There are armored turtles who stand on their hind legs and steal princesses. There are bullets with faces. Mario Bros is not just a game or nostalgic memories of playing with friends, Mario Bros is surreal art at its best. Surreal art you can play. 

Hosted by Mike Rugnetta
Made by Kornhaber Brown 

(Thank you Lisa Romagnoli for the introduction to the series.)