Dance: Argentine Tango showcase 2 (7/28, 29/2017)

As in the last entry, this past weekend (7/28,29) we went to Dallas and participated in Tango performance group's showcase at the Latino Cultural Center.

There were total 38 dancers listed. Backstage, they were very friendly. I tried to watch the rehearsals and shows as much as possible, both from the audience's seat and from side stage. Obviously a lot of work went in to the production. Much praise and thanks to the teachers/producers George and Jairelbhi.

Hugo and Celina were on the US tour, but they came back to Dallas temporarily and provided advice and feedback to the students and overall production. We benefited greatly from their inputs, too. Much appreciated.

Following are some photos from our group number with "Lo Que Vendra". This choreo will be retiring, so I put the photos here for the record and sentiment's sake.

[Kira, Hiro, Martha, David]

There are  many small things that you'd never know unless you experience the stage dance.

For example,

# Floor will be sticky

Most theater floors are not hardwood dance floor. It is made of something similar to rubberized concrete or vinyl to withstand weights of equipment, and is sticky and "slower" to dance on. Theaters use fog machine, which is basically blowing out vapor/mist/fog. That makes the floor humid and even stickier. If you are used to ballroom hardwood floor that allows you to pivot and slide easily and move fast, you'll need serious readjustment.

Instead of skimming the floor as Tango textbook would say, you'd have to subtly lift your foot to step (or really "walk") to exactly where you want to step.

Using masking tape on the soles can help to lessen stickiness.


# But don't ever blame the floor

The sticky floor happens to everyone on stage. Your next step or pivot can get stuck. But do not ever acknowledge it. Indicating "Sorry, it was the floor" to the audience is the lamest thing you can do while dancing on stage. Keep dancing. 


# Confidence and attitude

Chances are, most audiences don't notice small snugs. Especially in a group number, each audience is looking at a different couple at a time. Besides, most audiences do not know the original choreography and how it is supposed to look "correctly". They will take the dance as is. Confidence can cover up much and add some on stage.


 .........

Well, I can go on. But I'll write about them in some other place. There are many more that would help dancers if they knew. Such knowledge may help audience as well to appreciate the stage dance in a finer manner.

It was interesting. Thank you for fellow OKC dancers David, Martha, and Kira.

Dance: Argentine Tango students showcase 7/28, 29 (upcoming)

As the final part of Tango formation choreography project by David and Martha Wells, they made an arrangement to present it as guests, with 20+ Dallas dancers in Latino Cultural Center in Dallas, a good sized theater in a stage setting. 

One of our couples will be out for his bar exam in this week, so it will be two couple choreo.

Link to the Facebook event page

This evening we had a brief checkup for our routines. That went fine, too.

Next thing for me is to drive to Dallas on Friday afternoon, get to the theater, meet and greet, dress, rehearse, and dance it in the evening show from 8PM. 

There will be two shows, Friday and Saturday (also 8PM).

Some people would feel nervous for stage dance. But this is also a numbers game that you'd get used to.


Dance routine is called "routine" because it is practiced and rehearsed many times and is performed consistently. Actually, consistency is a major difference between professionals and non-professionals.


I heard the Dallas dancers have done their work and their rehearsals on last Sunday were good. I'm looking forward to sharing the stage floor with them and dance on upcoming 7/28 and 7/29.


Event announcement **********************************

George and Jairelbhi (Studio 22 Dallas) presents the Argentine Tango Performance Group, more than 20 people performing what they love to do.

Group Performance
Solo Performance
Ladies Performance
Leaders Performance
and more...

There will be social dancing at the Foyer prior to the Showcase

Friday JULY 28 and Saturday JULY 29, 2017
7pm- AT Social dance at the foyer
8pm - Showcase

Price; $10 General Admission
For tickets contact us at evolutiontango@mac.com
or Roberto Furlong/Mimi Furlong at 469-939-4140

location:
Latino Cultural Center
2600 Live Oaks Street
Dallas, Texas

To buy tickets online you can go to:

http://www.evolutiontango.com/studentshowcase.htm

(For tickets online there is a $2 transition fee)

If you have any questions please contact us at evolutiontango@mac.com or 469-939-4120

Science: Newer technologies and science

Yesterday, today, and tomorrow, there is a seminar series for a new technique in genomics. 


The other group in our University won a grant to implement the technique. Thanks to them, the technique will be available to us. The company reps are providing technical and implementation seminars. I wanted to know what exactly the technique can do, and what we can do with it. 


The technique has been around for a few years, so we will not be an innovator. But using the relatively new technique at an appropriate place in our research should be enough to place us as an early adapter (or early majority, depending on how we use it).

New technologies are tools that allow us to do what we couldn't. They can make breakthroughs in science. It is important to keep an eye on them.


Thanks to the seminar series, I get how the technique works, and how to use the kit and equipment. I'll save the technical details, but the technique would allow us to analyze cancer and other cells in as much details as previous techniques, while requiring much fewer cells. It should be useful to our research.



Next important thing is the price. I got to consider some blunt questions like, "How much will it cost to use the technique? How can we use the technique to obtain the information that would solve our research question? Will the payoff justify the cost?"


We may want to romanticize science. But science is an act of human that involves money and price tags after all, and all bottom line thinking apply.


In my observation, people who "just do it" tend to win, though.


Highest regard usually goes to someone who creates something that helps many people. In terms of science, that something can be a new useful substance like a new medicine, a new idea that change our ways of thinking, or a tool that helps well beings of many. I should remind myself of this big picture more often.

Life: Anindo Chatterjee Tabla concert (7/9/2017)

My home internet was down for a few days. Cable guy said there was squirrel chews and water damage in the cable box. Civilization is so fragile against mother nature.


Today I went to a Tabla (classic Indian hand drums) concert held in the UCO Jazz Lab nearby.

I got the ticket from the director of the Center for Cancer Chemoprevention and Drug Development, who is Indian. I was uncertain about the type of music presented, but showed up out of curiosity.


It turned out, the concert was played by two classical Indian musicians, the Tabla master Anindo Chatterjee and Shri Pankaj Mishra, a rising star player of Sarengi (an Indian strings instrument).

In the duo setting, one was playing percussion/drums and another playing strings. In many compositions, the strings provided a repeating theme, and the Tabla added different interpretations (or play) to the theme. It was fitting that the concert was at the Jazz lab. It was an interactive and interpretative music.


The Tabla was simply AMAZING. Even for me who is not familiar with the Tabla instrument, it was clear that he is a world class virtuoso. For example, he was able to imitate spoken phrases by the hand drums, and could fit the phrases with the accompanying strings. Imagine a rapper, and he is rapping with his hand drums. Crazy skills.




After the show, my clapping hands felt terribly inadequate. 



Funny thing about percussion shows is that they make me feel like hit/slap/drum/pat/tap something. They are contagious. My cat may have to endure the strange effect until it wears off in a day or two.


Link to the musician's website