Dance/Science/Life: Ben Morris party, State budget crunch, Green card renewal

On 4/23 (Sat) the swing dance club was hosting WCS workshop by Ben Morris. Attracting dancers from Tulsa, Wichita, Kansas City, Dallas and Arkansas, the workshop and party was a big success.


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This week in the work site, we've had many budget-related discussions. This state is going through a budget crunch. They blame it on the crash in oil price and this state's dependency on oil industry and their money, but who knows?

I heard that budgets for state Universities would be halved in 2 years. It is not even funny. There are many memos and budget revisions.

Science is not a work that floats up in the air. It is a very budget-constrained business (unless you find yourself in highly prestigious positions such as the Howard Hughes research scholar and equivalents). Writing a grant is basically an attempt to obtain government contract to carry out research and make money for the lab and the University from out of state. Salary component is usually the biggest part in the budget. Although there are some differences from for-profit business, there are many similarities to any other small business. Money matters. 


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This month marks 5 months until my Green card expires 10 years after initial issue. So I began renewal paperwork. I am eligible to naturalize, and considering finance (401k, social security, etc), I may have passed the point of no return already. But I decided not to apply for American citizenship as long as my parent(s) live in Japan. They are my attachment to the country. Since Japan does not accept dual citizenship, I got to choose.

It is easy to produce proof of work for my line of work (science, medical research), because publication is a part of the work. I checked out my professional work in past 10 years, prepared CV, collected other papers and filed renewal application online. 

The renewal application process seems to be going smoothly. I initiated the process on 4/5, completed the file uploading and paid the fee on 4/7, and got biometric appointment on 4/25. I went to USCIS office to take biometrics on Monday (4/25). I do not think renewal will take too long.

[USCIS OKC office]

Science/Life: Mid April 2016

My student went through a training course for the lab work, and finally began to produce experimental results. That is very good.

Thanks to him doing lab work, I can focus on research in the office. This month I have been working on studying liver cancer genomics, and comparing the cancer profile with our lab results. Some interesting points are coming out. 


When I focus on one thing, the other things can be getting less attention. And usually to complete something, I need to focus, rather than juggling many things. Only completed thing counts.

Current intellectual focus should be the work on genomics. Complete it in this month, then I can move on.


Still, too much focus on something can get me off balance, and everyone needs a hobby or recreational time. This year I am not going to AACR annual meeting (4/16/2016-4/20/2016 in New Orleans). So I went to dance parties in the evenings over the weekend.

4/14 (Thu). Went to Oklahoma Dance Rush kickoff party (WCS/country).
4/15 (Fri).  Went to Stillwater for a Tango then Latin (Salsa, Bachata and Kizomba) party.
4/16 (Sat). Got tired and slept well.
4/17 (Sun). Went to Tulsa for a friend's Birthday milonga.

I guess I was dancing reasonably frequently.


Upcoming May should be the time to list up all the projects and prioritize. I am looking forward to initiate something new.

[4/15/2016]

Dance: How to look good in Tango: a primer

I was attending a milonga on Friday evening, and while watching others dance, I was thinking why some look better than others.

Evidently there are many factors, but to begin with, let's start with a few factors.


You can see the difference even when dancers are just-standing and are not even dancing yet. Some already look stronger when just standing.

The difference that you can see when they are not moving; it's the presence (or lack of). 

The presence can be determined by physical appearance (especially body type and posture) and by mental or spiritual attitude (confidence, mood they project). 

What they are doing while they are not dancing also is a part of the presence. Doing something relevant (e.g. listening to the music, looking at the partner, getting ready to dance) gives off a better impression than doing something non-relevant to the following dance (paying attention only to self, fixing clothes, looking at cell phone, waiving at someone else, looking like eager puppy, etc).

In other words, you can work on these; Body type, posture, attitude, and what you do before dance.



Next factor is what you do. It is a part of your knowledge about the dance. For now I skip discussing this in detail, because it will take longer than a blog entry.



Another factor is how you move. And it has a lot to do with correct body alignment and preparation for the motion.

As Tango being a stage dance with 100 years of history, it makes better sense to view Tango as a traditional dance, much like ballet or ballroom dance. A character of traditional dance is that there are established and aesthetically pleasing ways in the body usage in the dance. You want to learn that.

Tango is a smooth dance, and the lead-follow relies heavily on working with basic body structure, balancing with axis, and good alignment of parts of the body.

When you look at someone dancing Tango, you can see how good (or not) they are, and how well they move. The difference is often because of the body alignment. 

Body alignment shows whether the dancer has done necessary preparation (collect feet, pivot in such a way that next step is done straightforwardly instead of trying or twisting body in an uncomfortable-looking manner, or stretching the leg to form a nice-looking line, etc).

In other words, you got to pay attention to details and practice them until your body alignment is good. That is another workable factor.


In my view, a major part of "looking good in Tango" is not about psyched up and try hard, nor about whether you are "talented" or "feeling deeply" (there are plenty of awkward-looking dancers who feel deeply). Certainly, being young and pretty can give you an edge in the looks division, but above that, it is about built up skills, which are cultivated by painstaking repetition and drills. Tango is as sophisticated as ballet or boxing. It is an art.

Stage-level dancers are like musicians. Conveying good dance to others, not only with immediate partner (aka social dance), takes skills to project dance to the viewers. Visuals play an important role in it.

It is a misconception that throwing partner around is Stage Tango. Nope. Burning more calories does not necessarily make you look skilled.

Since it is an art, it is very workable. "Work" means that you need to know what to do, and do it many times enough for your body to remember and perform without your brain thinking.


It is this simple. 

It may be common sense to some. But common sense is not commonly practiced. You need to preach it.



I came across a video that shows good example of what I meant by "alignment". Check it out.

"Tango Instructional video. Boleos by Vanessa Gauch"

[Disclaimer: I have nothing to do with production of this video and all rights belong to the producer(s) of original. I put the link for the purpose of disseminating a good Tango instruction video.]

Dance: upcoming Oklahoma Dance Rush (4/14-17/2016)

Last Saturday I went to a one-hour Ballroom Waltz class taught by Lee and Marcy Harpe, followed by a Ballroom dance /Country/WCS party.

Lee and Marcy have been teaching Ballroom dance (and some other partner dances) in Oklahoma City for 35 years. They are excellent dancers and also excellent teachers. I saw their students won in Ballroom dance competitions. 

Sometimes the skills of teachers are evaluated through students' performances. ..Well, it may not always be true because not all students are meant to be champion-level dancers. But polishing some gifted students definitely takes skills.

A character of good dancers, especially for Ballroom dancers, is their smoothness in the motion and smooth feel of the body. When they dance smooth dance like Waltz with a less-experienced partner, the smoothness can be imparted on the partner. The dance as a couple traveling around the floor with higher speed and special sense of togetherness similar to flying (called body flight) can be achieved much easier with a good dancer. Marcy and her students all had very good body flight. Very comfortable. They are teaching their students impressively well.


They (Lee and Marcy, along with Beth Emerson and Mike Shoemake) will be hosting a Ballroom/Country western/swing/Hustle dance contest event, Oklahoma Dance Rush, next weekend (4/14-17/2016) in Oklahoma City.

http://www.oklahomadancerush.net/index.html

If you are around, check it out. They will have a free West coast swing/country western party on Thursday night  (4/14) at the Tower hotel.

[Oklahoma Dance Rush logo]