You T(oo)ube Can Do It!

The wonderful thing about the internet today is that it allows for the access of endless information. You can find the lyrics to any song, the best deals on airfare, people you knew in elementary school, even a satellite picture of your own house. Amazing. scary. and sometimes pathetic.

Since being created in 2005, YouTube has been on of the most successful sites in regards to displaying, sharing, and promoting professional and amateur videos. It's a vessel for those with a creative mind to get their talent (or sometimes lack there of) out into the world and become known for it. It's also a site where you can see a lot of crap. Yes, most of us keep our eyes out for the latest Dejan Tubic video or what Lady Gaga is about to affect the world with. But there is so much more within the dance world than just commericalized movement.

I typed the word "dance" into the Youtube search and was disappointed with the initial results.  Evolution of dance. That was from 5 years ago..snore. A flashmob for t-mobile (wish I had found Mberg's first one)..then that wedding dance we all know....
Alright, so then I decided to type in "modern dance".

Well if you're interested in learning about Modazz, press play below.

I certainly hope you enjoyed that. Well along with this interesting video, came several hundred studio/competition dances that many of us have watched from time to time. Some=amazing. Some=mediocre. It really is a matter of opinion, but either way, we're watching, right?

In regards to dance, the most appalling thing I've seen, something many of us dancers know of, is Expert Village. Poor dancing, poor "instruction", lots of false information. I refuse to even put an example of one of their videos on here because I will not advertise such a poor demonstration of movement. Youtube is free and unfortunately that leaves it open for a lot of bad material and promotion of inaccurate information, but with good education, we know what to avoid.

Through some digging, I found some videos that I find to be pretty brilliant. Some you've seen, some you may have not. Yep, there's a Beyonce video in there. What I want is for you to go searching. Look for inspiration. Create your own videos. Put your material out there. Someone will watch it :]

 

Dance, dance, dance!

If you're going to put your name all over it, then you have to own up to everything about it.

I was at my mall job yesterday-what was supposed to be a mid-shift. At a certain point in the day, my other coworker was supposed to come and he was the associate to close the store for the day. Well that point in the day came and passed with no sign of him and it was time for me to find out what the deal was.
me: Are you coming into work today?
him: what are you talking about?
me: you work from 2-6 close.
him: i didn't know. im in ac. i can't get there.
me: well ok then.

He proceeded to ask me to lie to my manager and tell him that he had called early on to let me know he couldn't make his shift and that I was ok with it. He must have been seriously hungover. Or just stupid. It's not my problem that he was irresponsible and did not want to deal with the consequences and it is not in my interest or the  interest of my company to let it go unnoticed.

After I moved on from my little rant, the situation made me think about how we as creating artists need to take responsibility for the art we put out into the world.

Rule #1:

If you have to apologize or make excuses for the work you produce, you have no business putting it out there.

You chose the music, the dancers, the costumes (in most cases), the lighting, the movement, and the issue at hand. If someone doesn't like your choice of accompaniment or what you decided to take a stance on, say thank you and move on. When you begin to doubt or apologize for something you have created or believe in, you let your work slip out of your hands and into the scrutiny of someone who may not really understand what they just witnessed. Take control, defend your work, OWN IT, no matter what someone else thinks...otherwise what the hell are you doing making dance?

Rule #2:

Never make a statement about a topic/situation/person for which you do not know all of the information regarding said topic/situation/person.

If you are going to create a piece revolving around something such as...I don't know, maybe, women's health care ;)...you better know everything about it. Yes my most successful piece has been about women's healthcare and it was because I looked up everything I could find about it. I looked up state and federal laws, youtube links to senator speeches, personal accounts, debates between democrats and republicans, future plans discussed with the president...the list goes on. That way I knew the many opinions on the subject and could make a sound and logical stance that I believed needed to be revealed and explored through movement. I was not only proud of what I created, but I could defend it because I knew all of the information.

Rule 3#

If something does not turn out the way you envisioned, do not blame outside factors.

As hard as we may try, not all of our work will be successful. (This still does not allow for excuses or apologies, see #1). Sometimes we run out of time or cannot figure out the best way to get our point of view across. It happens. This does not signify failure but rather demonstrates that there is always a way to improve upon a piece or the work that you do. Again, do not apologize for what you produce or make the excuse that you ran out of time-instead acknowledge that it is still a work in progress..and probably always will be. Also, never blame your dancers. You are the choreographer, it is your job to make sure you tell your dancers what they should be doing, when to do it, and why they are doing it. And if they're defiant or unable to do what you want, then you replace them. Remember, this is your creation. Take control.


And finally,

Rule #4:

As much as you think you have been the first to "create a step," chances are you're definitely NOT the first.

It's 2012. That fall to the knee thing? Yeah, been done for years. But it's ok!!! It's all about your intent (yep...see below)

But if you put in movement that you like or feels good-whatever-just make sure that your point of view/intent is made clear through that movement. Your dance might have a side leap and someone else's dance might have a side leap, but you must take responsibility of what that side leap means. That is how you make it yours. Don't get offended when someone does that weird thing with their hand just the way you've done it in a past piece. It has a whole different meaning behind it than yours did (hopefully). But remember if you see something you like and want to use it in your work, make sure you have your own intent...that is how you take responsibility of your work.

and just a life rule...show up on time and respect others. :]