Book/Science: "The Other Brain" and "The Emperor of All Maladies; a biography of cancer"

It is Summertime for many. How about reading a decent science book? I have two recommendations.

[The book cover]

"The Other Brain" (2011) by Douglas Fields 

People may think brain is a chunk of neurons, all electrically wired up, which is an equivalent of circuit board in computer.

It is not. 

Brain is made of living cells including neurons. But about half of brain is made of non-neuron cells called glial cells. Historically, the glial cells have been ignored or neglected for a long time, and neuroscientists began to identify their roles in 2000's and 2010's.

This book is about the glial cells and highlights newfound important roles glial cells play in the brain. The author introduces the non-neuron part of brain. Hence, the title "The Other Brain".

There have been a few newer development in the field since 2011 (like, updated glia/neuron ratio estimate in 2016), but the book is quite decent read. If you are interested in viewpoint of neuroscientist, or in brain (which still is quite mysterious organ), go ahead and read it.




"The Emperor of All Maladies; a biography of cancer" (2011) by Siddhartha Mukherjee

I do cancer research, and studied molecular biology, genetics, biochemistry, cell biology, and cancer biology for my profession. But I learned a lot from this "biography of cancer".

The book covers historical aspects of human-cancer interactions. There are many gruesome, medical horror stories, as well as stories on cancer politics that tell how contemporary cancer research and medical practices came into being.

Yet, we know that the horror still continues. 

In truth, many people get involved in cancer by knowing a patient or being a patient. That is a terrible part of the truth. 

A little better aspect is that, unlike old days, atmospheres have shifted to more "open" side in dealing with cancer. Cancer is no longer a stigmatizing disease that should stay in closet or anything (I hope).

Personally, this book gave me an updated perspective on what I am doing. The subject cancer is close, professionally. We do have many of these drugs appear in this book (cisplatin, bleomycin, etoposide, taxol, etc) in our freezer for lab experiments. 


To general readers, this book should be a great educational read. Entertaining, even. The book received 2011 Pulitzer Prize. No wonder.


PBS made a documentary series on this (2015) (which I have not watched). They say that cancer immunotherapy, which was not included in the 2011 book, was in the newer documentaries. Maybe I should watch it, too.

Dance: upcoming on 6/21-23 in Dallas; 2nd. TEN HOURS TANGO INTENSIVE 2019. by Hugo Patyn and Celina Rotundo

Upcoming this weekend (6/21-23/2019) in Dallas is 2nd. TEN HOURS TANGO INTENSIVE 2019. by Hugo Patyn and Celina Rotundo.

For people who don't know, Hugo and Celina are professional Stage Argentine Tango dancers. They have appeared in many Broadway-style Tango shows, as well as invited to many Tango festivals to perform and to teach (an example is NOLA Tango Festival in New Orleans this past weekend). In other words, they are THE Tango dancers when general people think of professional Tango dancers. They are from Buenos Aires and currently live in Dallas.

We invited them to OKC in 2013, and that's how I first met them. Their dances were real deal. When I watch dances, I never lie to myself, always telling myself the honest impressions, from ho-hum, meh, amusing, not good enough, etc, to "wow, that was great". They were awe-inspiring "wow, that was great", completely deserving theater shows that we pay to watch for. And I got to tell you, such dancers are rare.

They are going to have this 10 hour Tango intensive, limited to 20 couples (they say they'll rotate. No partner is required). There are only few opening as of today.

They let me know about the intensive on 5/23, about a month ago. Since this event is looking good, I was considering having a mini-vacation weekend for this. But this late May-June has been just quite busy for me, due to some seasonal events and ongoing projects. After all, I'm going to forgo this one and aim for the next (shrug). I'll go to some local parties this weekend instead.

People seek different things from a Tango event/festival. One is classes from decent (and new) instructors to improve your dance, which can be a learning opportunity for all. Even for advanced dancers or teachers, classes can provide an opportunity to learn how other instructors teach a subject. Another is, of course, milonga/party with new people. The other is watching demonstrations and shows by professionals for entertainment. Then, travel opportunity for different location like regular vacation; shopping for fancy dance clothes and shoes; making memories; or making new friends, etc.etc.

This upcoming event has it all; intensive/classes, a milonga, demos/shows, and (if you are from outside of Dallas) travel and relocation. There will be out-of-towners, too.

So, here I recommend this event to all serious Tango dancers around. Please contact Hugo and Celina if interested.

Registration page link.

https://hugoandcelinaevents.com/?fbclid=IwAR0MnlTF6-eH2bK_4Lu-CiBNbyoyVzbTEPG6vL07PmWmmCSUQLQTavcQeLQ

Dance: iDance showcase (6/8/19), upcoming workshops for Argentine Tango in OKC (6/14-16/19)

It has been a little hectic, as ending of school year and all. 

On 6/8/2019, there was iDance studio showcase, in which some friends were performing. So I went. 

I switch my ways to watch dancing. I may choose critical mode, when I want to study a video, incorporate a better version and overall to improve how I dance. I may also choose just-have-fun mode, watching dancing without any nitpicking on my side. I usually elect the latter, the "just-have-fun mode", in watching live performances. It is far nicer for everyone including myself.

I do not mean that the show was bad or anything. I did enjoy the show. Probably I was smiling all the time.

There were guest performers. Salsa/Latin instructor from Houston, Leonilee Vargas Cordero, who was giving Latin dance workshops over the weekend, and Rodrigo RM and Monica Alarcón Cabrera of Zona de Tango (http://zonadetango.com/), who are going to teach Argentine Tango in upcoming Oklahoma Tango weekend (6/14-16/2019).


Leonilee's solo performance reminded me of importance of athleticism in dance. When you move like a dancer, we recognize you as a dancer. It is most straightforward way to stand out, or declare yourself, as a dancer. It is that simple. 

Surely she was standing out in following Latin social dance floor. She was very agile in social dancing.

Later I heard that she made her workshop participants work hard, even in beginner class. Somehow that made me laugh. Dance can show the dancer's philosophy, I guess.


I had never seen Rodrigo and Monica dance before, so I was curious. They did not use stage moves like lifts, jumps or drops, thus seemed to be Salon style dancers. On stage Rodrigo was physically taller. It was a couple of some height difference. Yet Monica had quick feet and good stretch in her strides, positioning herself in exactly where she should be. Good salon dancers can demonstrate that Argentine Tango can be a dynamic dance, unlike slow moving dance that we see in congested milonga. They showed Argentine Tango with flowing energy, and I liked that.


Here is their Argentine Tango workshop notice for 6/14-16/2019 weekend. Check it out.

Facebook event Link: https://www.facebook.com/events/274733320115057/

Dance: Two ideals in dancing; Marionette and water

Bluntly put, there are dancers who look good. And there are dancers who don't.

Usage of your body plays a major part of it.

Here is a hint for improving your body usage; mind "Marionette and water". They represent two ideals for dancers.

"Marionette"

Think of a marionette. The doll, often with wire-frame body, hanging midair by strings connected to joints.

It looks extremely relaxed (of course). Hanging in the air, it apparently defies gravity. It will also respond to a pull of a string fast. It has a structure (body frame), which can be used for partner dances.

Ballet dancers may have heard of this ideal. Michael Jackson's moves were very close to those of a marionette. 

When we watch someone dance, we recognize the lines the body creates. We can make judgement on the body's shapes and motions instantaneously by tracing select points on the body (guess that is how human brains work, much like we recognize emoji-face with only two dots and a line). 

Motion capture technology uses the same principle by placing sensors on major joints and other places on the moving body. By tracing the movements of the sensor dots, the technology recreates human movements.

Competitive ballroom dancers tend to be long-limbed, their heads held up-high, showing the lines long and clean. They attempt to appeal to your innate motion capture technology. When your lines are bent, short, or otherwise off, it will be recognized as an unfavorable trait.


So, if you want to improve the look of your dance as a dancer, be conscious about how your joints and lines are aligned and moving, using mirror, picture, and/or video. It helps.


"Water"

"Move like water." This has been preached among martial artists, including Bruce Lee. "Watery-smooth" is an actual word to praise great dancers.

Water represents fluidity and smoothness in dancing. Fluid and smooth dancers look good.

Human body is 60-70% water. Each body part carries its own weight, and moving it can be sensed as a sensation.

To achieve fluidity and smoothness, yes, flexibility of your body is important. 

Also, mindfulness, an appearance that your body's movement and your intent are matching exactly, is critical. Placing a part of your body in exactly where you want it to be, is an indispensable part of training as a dancer. And it can be achieved by being mindful about your body sensation and connecting it with exact placement.

Dancers need to work on placement of your body parts in order to create "water-like" movements. If you are a musician, say, a pianist, a misplaced finger immediately gives you a feedback with wrong sound. Dancing does not work that way, unless you work with a mirror. 


This essay entry is a draft. I want to elaborate this "Marionette and water" concept more elsewhere, so that more dancers can use it. Learning patterns is one thing. Moving well is another.



Weather people are forecasting a stormy weather, possibly with tornadoes, tomorrow. Let's see how it goes.