Push Combo

Choreography: Jae Lee, SMC

After class with no music. Excuse the teacher talking :)

Firsts

I've decided to dedicate this post to some of my "firsts" :)

here is my first (and only) completed painting :) haha I don't enjoy using any wet medium, so it was very much like pulling teeth to get me to complete this, but the long hours of torture paid off with the result :) This acrylic was done for my design and color class at BYU-Idaho in April 2008

This is my first "intense" drawing haha - I've drawn my whole life but this was the first project that I put many hours of rendering into. It was for my life drawing class Jr year of high school. The assignment was to do a portrait on a grid and eliminate some of the squares in a pleasing way. This graphite drawing is based off of a picture I took of my aunt, Lila Stuteville at the wedding of my aunt and uncle Jenalyn and Darren Sullivan in 2005.

The following are some of my first self portraits taken in March 2007. I found through this project that self portraits are really fun to do :) They each have an artistic meaning and reflection of myself.

I unfortunately don't have the video of my first dance I choreographed (when I was eight years old) on the computer, but here is a teaser of a duet that J. Ramos and I choreographed together in December 2009. It gets cut off so you'll have to wait for the finished version :)

Here are some photos from my first "real" tournament (not a youth tournament). I was pretty nervous about it, but it turned out ok. I competed in kata. Western States Nov 2007.

Mas dancin

Hola! here is another of me doing choreography by Jae Lee at SMC in nov/dec 2009. I plan to soon post some of my own choreo so stay tooned :) LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Split Sides Response

Well if you have not heard of the late Merce Cunningham, he is a modern choreographer known for many things, especially "Chance Dance." This is where you let chance rule your work. I just watched Split Sides 46 followed by 45 - a work with music by Sigur Ros and Radiohead. You can check out a description of Split Sides here:
http://www.merce.org/thecompany_r-splitsides.html

I was disappointed. Yes, there was awesome choreography and yes there was beautiful music, but they did not go together. I am now of the firm opinion that music that supports the choreography is so much more powerful than music that happens to be playing. Of course it is fun to play and do the same phrase of choreography to all kinds of songs and be surprised by the sporadic times that they actually coordinate together, but it is so much more beautiful and powerful to see dancers and music appear to be doing the same thing at the same time. That is what moves me. Split Sides also helped me confirm that when I choreograph without music, it is better to compose music for it than to leave it silent. Silence is however, a beautiful choreographic tool when used with purpose. Ah yes, Purpose. A beautiful eternal concept. This is why pieces that happen to have music playing with them do not succeed - because the music has no purpose. (Unless of course you have a purpose for your music not having a purpose; in which case you succeed because, you still have a purpose :)

In short, music is powerful. I hope to use it well.

And now, an amazing example of dancers and music appearing to do the same thing. One of my absolute favorites:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uk_WhBWJQzk

Nederlands Dans Theater
"Falling Angels"
Choreography: Jiri Kylian
music: Steve Reich

Dancin'!

ok, as promised, here is a video of me dancing. Choreography: Jae Lee. SMC. Don't mind the girl running out of the way at the beginning :) I think my favorite part of this combo is the leg-swing-thing at the end :) And the fall at the beginning :) Nov or Dec 2009. oh ya, I'm on the left wearing all black :)

p.s. There will be more to come :)

Trying to get rid of stiff writting

So I'm currently trying to write a paper for my ballet class and I feel like I sound so Boring! I'm writting about this incredible experience I had to be able to be on stage in the wings while the Joffrey Ballet performed Cinderella!!! Who does that happen to??? SO Amazing!!! Agh. So cool. But I'm writting this for a college course so I can't write "awesome" and "rad" hahaha....or can I? I'm not gonna lie - I really want to. I've already made a "bold" move by choosing to write the paper in first person but I can't seem to write freely at the moment - I feel too constricted and it really doesn't sound like me at all. I want to write the paper more like a journal entry - GASP! That's IT! I'll write it like a journal entry!!! I'll even write "Dearest Journal" at the beginning! How brilliant. What do you guys think? College Ballet professor will enjoy? I think so :)

hmmm...I don't have any pictures of this event.... so here is a picture of me at Alvera Street in downtown LA :)

Greetings!

After being rather obssessed with other people's blogs I have finally been ispired to join as well :) I'm excited! Hope you guys are too :) LOVE YOU!!! :)