Friday, March 2, 2018

What does it take to learn this stuff...

Let the adventure begin...


Hi. It's R. Crap Mariner.
I know, there was no Dance Police this week, I'm kinda worn out.

What was that whole "beginners toolkit" post about? Well, I've got an idea for an article for my column at Inara Pey's blog.

Look, I've been interviewing choreographers and venue directors for a while, and I think the interviews have been going well and letting the wider public know about upcoming events. Thanks to everyone who has allowed me to interview them, and if you've got a major event coming soon, drop me a line. We'll talk.

Things that I try to cover with every article is how people got their start... their inspirations... how they keep their communities together. However, one thing that's hard to capture is what it takes to put together an act...
  • The inspiration.
  • The tools.
  • The music.
  • The costumes.
  • The set.
  • The lighting.
  • The dances.
  • The timing.
  • The effects.
  • The eleventy billion particles.
  • and so on.
Yeah, I know. I said I'd never make an act. I'd never perform. I'm just a photographer, I'm just a podcaster, I'm just a writer...

Whine whine whine, blah blah blah.

You broke me... you broke me down. YOU BROKE ME DOWN!

So, I read the MetaHarper Tools documentation, blundered around for three weeks, asked a few questions here and there, and put together a draft of an act. It's about as newbie as an act can be. (But not eleventy billion particles.)

  • The lag.

(Oops. That was meant for the list, but... well, you know...)

I want to see the different directions this act could take, and also to get to know the different styles out there. What makes your act uniquely yours. What do you do that's uniquely you? So, I've already invited some choreographers and directors to offer their critiques and suggestions. Thank you to everyone who has suffered for my art and lent their expertise, advice, and experience.

But there's a lot of room in this kitchen, so when I'm told "Too Many Cooks!" I say "Not Enough Cooks!" More! More!

The most important rule is: do not hold back. My task is to listen, to learn, to improve, and to show people outside of the dance community that it's possible and it's fun and challenging. And this is not fishing for compliments or applause, because that just leads to confirmation bias.

Even if you don't think you have something to share, I think you do. Everyone has something, I've found.

I'll put out calls in the Dance Queens group chat when I'm looking for a panel to give me a paddlin'. And I'll be drafting an article with the journey up at Inara's site, because, I'm just a writer... (Whine whine whine, blah blah blah)