Victimized by the storm sweeping the Eastern seaboard this December, I grew weary, confined to the house as it snowed for a full 24 hours. I prayed that it would stop for we had a solid 18 inches in my suburban neighborhood. The warnings were not to leave the house unless absolutely necessary, but what a great time to see a movie…However the mall was closed, “What should I do?” a friend suggested “go outside and make a snow angel”. “You must think I’m some kid” I replied (and sometimes I am) but this was ridiculous. But I did. I figured in 18 inches of powdery soft snow my angel image would be distorted. Nevertheless, looking up at the sky catching flakes on my tongue, I simultaneously flapped my arms and legs as I expected to descend into the pillow-like accumulation. I felt a nudge behind me as I flapped harder trying to deepen my image. In the stillness of the falling snow, in a gentle whisper I heard “Child get up off of me”. I leapt to my feet, struggling to see what was beneath me. The voice again whispered in my ear “Don’t just stand there ‘chile help me up, I’ve got to spread my wings”. I reached for this image to lift it to its feet, just as a bright ray of sunshine peered through the clouds blinding my vision (you know very /sing: ah-ha/ godlike). It seemed like hours it took to lift her, as we conversed in the process. You know just like a mother: “Are you taking your vitamins”, “you betta save some money” on and on and on. It was nitefall when I finally sat up from struggling to get my angel to her feet. And there she stood six feet tall of glistening white snow my guardian angel “Venus Ice Water” aka Snowbamba Mama, she told me.
Rio de Janeiro Brasil, host of the 2016 Olympics. Deservedly so. I have nothing against America’s candidacy for the 2016 Olympics, and we could certainly use the tourist revenue to boost the economy, yet at the time, Brasil is more in need with much more to offer. Mixed Martial Arts, Capoeira, Swimming, Diving, Surfing, Hang Gliding, Cycling, Rock Climbing and throw in a few marathon Samba parties and you have a country resplendent in outdoor sports and activities. So book now, cause if you never been, you’ll never make the historic Olympic party in Brasil!
I received an email of this YouTube video with these beautiful young girls dancing, and for five minutes, my emotions shifted to an elated spiritual realm. The email was sent to me by a priest of the Yoruba tradition, so I deem this sharing as a blessing from a righteous power. The dancing of the goddess Yemaya/Yemanja is the transcended powers and energies of mother earth. It is in many ways homage or prayer to the sanctity of all living creatures belonging to the divine mother. The African Yoruba traditions have slightly changed in interpretation, as they migrated through slavery to Brazil, Haiti, Cuba and The Caribbean. The religious practices of Santeria, Voudoun, and Candomble, still serve the communities that practice it, in varying ways. In Brazil I learned the custom of entering the ocean that one must salute/request permission to go under the ocean water, the “skirt” of Yemanja.
Although by today’s youth generation, many of these customs appear to be “old wives tales” and are held secondary to popular belief. This brief video of well intended young girls, leads me to believe that our oral traditions are alive and well!
One of the most formidable dance/music styles to date in Brazil’s social scene is a style known as Baile Funk, a solo or group dance choreographed to popular music. YouTube has over a thousand amateur videos of dancing boys, girls, men, women and dance teams/crews performing choreography to radio’s charted top ten. “Crèu” performed by M.C. Crèu, is the most popular dance trend of summer ‘09. The silly lyrics are sexually suggestive as he raps in a guttural tonation to an electronic drum machine, five levels of movement (or sex). The dance itself consists of successive pelvic thrusts which start slowly, then speed up like a rapid fire machine gun, as he repeats the hook “Crèu” multiple times in succession. This trend is popularized by the youth culture in social competitions between male and female at clubs, house parties, street gatherings and staged performances. As a current stimulus to the already sexually explicit bikini Samba dancers, Crèu is usually performed by women scantily clothed, reminiscent of a strip club performance.
It has been eighteen years since the making of the feature film “Paris is burning” the documentary of the sometimes tragic New York City underground Vogue culture. Director Jennie Livingston, spent seven years exposing the thrown away gay/transgendered Black and Latino youth culture that would establish extended families (or Houses) and battle each other in “Balls” through various competitive categories for trophies, cash prizes and notoriety. This 80’s phenomenon was made mainstream by Pop artists Malcolm McLaren and Madonna who featured the Vogue-dance sensations of The Legendary Pepper LaBeija and now deceased Willi Ninja in their videos.
This season’s final four performances on S.Y.T.Y.C.D. were nothing less than amazing. Each contestant honed such a level of technique, strength and stamina far surpassing any stage presentation I have seen as yet. As many students claim to “want it” (dance for their passion), this group has certainly possessed a dance for their life/livelihood mentality. This speaks a lot to the 21st Century dancer. The cycled history of visible pure form has resurfaced. My prediction is for the dancing concept academia to take a back seat to the practicing technicians, as the view of the dancing body resorts back to pure form, technique and performance. Not at all to say that dance will not evolve, but just that the practice will require perfection in dance, sport, martial art and performance, not solely entertainment.
Sunday evening we lost 90 year old Merce Cunningham, another pioneer of the modern dance era. Cunningham was a founding father of the New York City school of modernist dance training along with Paul Taylor and Jerome Robbins. As a rebellion to traditional styles of Graham and Balanchine, he presented dance as theater, using pedestrian movement in city life, juxtaposed by sound accompaniment. His achievement was to have dance and music composed independently of each other showing dance as independent thought or “chance”. This has surged a new process in the modern dance genre by the succeeding talents of Mark Morris and Twyla Tharp to name a few. In part, we have Cunningham to thank for the abundant display of “dance as thought,” the “but” “what if?” theory; “de/re-contextualized” choreographic phenomenon coveted today on many University campuses.
