Monday, December 31, 2012

Dance Videos 31 Dec 2012

Dance Videos and Pics


Hello Dancers!  Skyspinner here, bringing you dance videos and pics to inspire you and to share some of what is posted on YouTube and other video channels. Feel free to send me your favorites. Skyspinner.soulstar @ gmail dot com. Thanks are in order for Nottoo for starting and maintaining this blog, for all the great information for dancers! and Happy New Year to you all!


by eugrena  "Breeze"
3 dancers having some fun outdoors





by Mihoro Lauria "Ha-PT Dance Performers"
3 dancers, minimal set




by ChewieQuixote "Guerilla Burlesque"
solo dance performance to the song, Dreamweaver





by Skyspinner Soulstar
... and the searching reminded me of one of my own very early videos - an impromtu dance at a place I was exploring, seemed like a good spot for an expression of joy and energy!





Sunday, December 30, 2012

Broadway Our Way


Broadway Our Way 121230

VikkiLynn Caproni sent us this invitation ...

===============

Please join us for our MegaProduction of "Broadway Our Way". 
TODAY, Sunday, Dec 30

1 pm slt
@ Pine valley Theater

We think you will be impressed with the choreography and the set designs while enjoying the Tunes from some of the Broadway greats and also Movies.

We hope to see you there!

VikkiLynn Caproni
VL MegaProductions

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Henmations Offers Vogue Dances


Henmations Offers Vogue Dances 121229

Hendrik Schroeder sent this to the Henmations Group today ...

==================

NEW VOGUE DANCES RELEASED!
Sat, Dec 29 2012 3:31:09 PM PST


Enjoy lots of new unisex Vogue Dance Animations, with never seen dips and floor actions!

Raymation Offers Becky Stands


Raymation Offers Becky Stands 121229

Jayde Enoch sent this notice to the Raymation group today ...

================

MOB VEND AND MIDNIGHT MADNESS BOARDS
Sat, Dec 29 2012 1:31:38 PM PST


We now have a mob vend and a midnight madness board here at  Raymations .... come see if you can grab yourself a bargain.

Steamy Becky Stands and more bargains to come.

The more of you who click the board the lower the price.

Jayde

Raymations is Back in Business


Raymations is Back in Business 121229

Psyche Lunasea sent me the LM to the new Raymations store. I did not see an annoucement in the Raymation Group, so I didn't see that it's been back.


While I was there I met Jayde Enoch, the store manager. Here is our conversation:

[07:07:07] Jayde (jayde.enoch): hi notoo welcome
[07:07:20] Nottoo Wise: hi jayde :-)
[07:07:32] Jayde (jayde.enoch): if i can be of help let me know :)
[07:07:38] Nottoo Wise: are there any new dances?
[07:07:50] Jayde (jayde.enoch): not since we re opened
[07:07:56] Jayde (jayde.enoch): owain is making some in the new year
[07:08:15] Nottoo Wise: good im glad he is making more
[07:08:19] Jayde (jayde.enoch): was there anything in particular you were looking for?
[07:08:19] Nottoo Wise: when did u reopen
[07:08:30] Jayde (jayde.enoch): few days ago
[07:08:36] Jayde (jayde.enoch): so glad he decided to return
[07:08:40] Nottoo Wise: i didnt see a group announcement
[07:08:54] Jayde (jayde.enoch): we sent one out
[07:09:22] Jayde (jayde.enoch): are you a pro builder as well as a raymation member
[07:09:33] Nottoo Wise: oh i see it
[07:09:36] Nottoo Wise: sorry i missed it
[07:09:37] Jayde (jayde.enoch): smiles
[07:09:41] Jayde (jayde.enoch): its okay glad you came by
[07:09:58] Nottoo Wise: no i run a group called dance queens
[07:10:01] Nottoo Wise: all about dncing
[07:10:04] Nottoo Wise: owain is a member
[07:10:08] Jayde (jayde.enoch): oh rite
[07:10:18] Jayde (jayde.enoch): he is hoping to make some couples dances on mocap
[07:10:34] Nottoo Wise: wow thats good
[07:10:43] Nottoo Wise: may i put in our blog what u told me
[07:10:51] Jayde (jayde.enoch): yes sure
[07:10:54] Nottoo Wise: great
[07:10:56] Nottoo Wise: ty xxx
[07:11:00] Jayde (jayde.enoch): you are welcome

 

New SL Dance Videos and Photos 121229


New SL Dance Videos and Photos 121229

If you have never danced in a circle with a group of people, you are missing some fun. Федя Форточкин  made this circle dancing video called secondlife dance " Lindsey Stirling -- Shadows "


Dancing in SL comes in many ways including tribute bands like TheSisterofJoy's Sisters Of Joy - Second Life Blondie Tribute Band Concert


When you search for SL dance videos, you find a lot of non-dance videos. Normally I pass these by, but this one is both funny and sad ...

http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nbc-news/26396353#27421657

Robert Robillard gives us minimalist dancing in his SecondLife Toto Ysabel.


Apparently cannedheatmomolulu had a similar idea with her SECOND LIFE/Dance Animation Review - STUDIO 4D DANCE ANIMATIONS/221F #221F



I think you will like this one called "Dancing Queen" Second Life K-Pop Tribute  by InkuSoonkyu.


Another well-made video is JazEx SL's Second Life Tribute to Oh by Ciara.


Normally, I don't show slide show videos, but this one is pretty well done: Second Life - Dancing at Pacifique's Winter Wonderland by Eclair Martinek.


Send me the URLs of your videos and photos.

xxx
Nottoo
 

Friday, December 28, 2012

Invitation to a Party


Invitation to a Party 121227

Una Milena sent us this invitation ...

===================

                          
★* *★It's a New Year and a new beginning for Spirit Light Productions★* *★

You are cordially invited to celebrate with the cast and crew of
Spirit Light Productions
as we ring in the new year with a Pirate-themed party!
Sunday, 30 December, 2012  at 1PM SLT
                                                
The festivities will begin at 1PM with live music from one of SL's most popular guitarists/vocalists
AM QUAR!!
                                                                          
Afterwards, you'll be able to get a taste of what Spirit Light Productions is all about....DANCE!!
with a short presentation by the cast.....pirate style, of course ;)
                                       
DJ Mudge will then be playing your favourites and we'll all dance in the new year!!
There will be prizes for the best pirate costumes so wear your buccaneer best!!
                           
So come join us, bring your friends and help us celebrate a New Beginning!
                              
                               
GET INTO THE SPIRIT AND DANCE!


Landmark

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Hello Dancers. 
Nottoo wanted me to test out the bloger(help she has me locked in a closet and wont let me out till i write something)So i  am giving it a try..Testing fonts and things.Here are some of the topic i will be writing about.
 Dance related topics that i know so much about,...but fail to exercise . o.o
I want to start discussions,welcoming comments about dance and entertainment.
Share tips and tricks and basically try not to bore you to death. 
 So on that note i will end my test now and go look for Sexys and try on our cloths we just bought!
HOOOOOOOOO!
                                 Diawa B.

New SL Dance Videos and Photos for 121226


New SL Dance Videos and Photos 121226

feriha secan made a non-dance video that is worth seeing ... enjoy this one called second life YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2NJkrn1s1c

BizarreObscure takes us clubbing, which I always like, in NoRVid - Club Bizarre @ Demonland, Reliance (SecondLife, MMORPG, UCE, Demons of NoR)


If you like your clubbing with hardstyle, try Beuksteen's Secondlife - forbiden zone club : dj kai live


nada yass provides us a belly dancing show with her second life dance. Generally I prefer videos without the SL names showing and the SL controls hidden, plus the video with a more unique title, but here it is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVJ9X8AYz4o

Another belly dance is  ladyurbi's Belly dance das Ostentandas.


SuoerPRProductions created a singing and dancing video called Diosa De Los Corazones - Zion & Lennox, Arcangel Rakim & Ken-Y, Lobo. I like the introdcution of the dancers in this one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Enodp4zDzGY

For something really different using animations, take a look at TheNanakurata's Nanakurata Nagy vs Karl Gotch, which is wrestling in Second Life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuH8s4OfAzc

That's it for today. If I missed your video or photo, send me the URL.

xxx
Nottoo

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

DANCE QUEENS - Reflections and Visions


DANCE QUEENS - Reflections and Visions 121225

The end of the year and beginning of the next is always a time for me to reflect a bit on what has happened and think about the vision of what I want to happen in the next year. Yummy's recent article on Milestones has spurred me to think about this a few days earlier than usual.

So, I first went back to last December and looked for what I wrote then. Nothing! Hahahaha. Well, maybe I am not as organized as I thought.

Next, I went through the list of DANCE QUEENS blog posts for 2012. You can see the titles by scrolling to the bottom of this page. As I write this there are 512 posts in 2012. So, I spent a little time reading the titles and a few of the articles.

Finally, I just thought about 2012 and what was in my mind and heart as significant.

From all this here is what I view as significant in 2012 in dancing and DANCE QUEENS (in no particular order):
  • COMMUNITY - On 120101 (January 1, 2012) there were 330 members in DANCE QUEENS. Right now there are 515 members. There is no advertising for DANCE QUEENS and we don't sell anything. Growth comes from word-of-mouth or people finding us through search or by chance. People stay because DANCE QUEENS adds value to their Second Life. DANCE QUEENS has a diversity that I am really proud of. Every kind of dance is represented and every level of skill. Most rewarding of all is I think in 2012 there has been a real growth in dancers talking and sharing with each other. Two of the concerns I have with the community aspect of DANCE QUEENS are that I feel we don't do enough to address the needs of special groups and beginning dancers, and there is too much turn-over in membership. When someone joins DANCE QUEENS her/his title is automatically set as Dance Queen. Occasionally, I go through the membership list and add the second title of Dance King to everyone. This is how I identify new members. I keep a monthly tally of total members and I can see that we are losing about one member for every two that join. This can only be because we are not meeting their needs. I don't know who the people are who leave and I don't know why.
     
  • INVOLVEMENT - When I started DANCE QUEENS in 2008, there were only two members, Riddle and me. Over the years I have been the leading force behind it with the exception of a few months in 2010 when I was in RL and Cheryl Nitely, Cilla Teebrook and Galilla Sinatra kept DANCE QUEENS alive. In 2012 I actively tried to get more involvement. One result of the success we are having with the Community aspect of dancing is the amount of effort necessary to support it. I realized that I could not do it all. I can't list all the names of people who have been involved in 2012. There are too many of you. Please accept my thanks for helping and my apologies if I don't single you out. There are a few people who have shown a lot of leadership by their involvement and I do want to mention them. Yummy ... writing a column is no easy task. Since June we have had nine columns by Yummy giving her view on dancing. I can see the popularity of different posts that are made and Yummy's always rate near the top. Psyche Lunasea ... database contributor, extraordinary dance blogger, bridge to the Japanese dance talent in SL and friend. Wow, what more can I say. Montana Ballard ... perseverance on an almost impossible task of trying to make the Dance Calendar work. It doesn't, but not for lack of trying. Hendrik Schroeder, Ramona Criss, Jariah Yuhara, Racheal Young, Bryndyn Burton ... yes the dance animation and equipment leaders. I often talk with them about their products and share ideas with them. I think the interaction between DANCE QUEENS members and the providers of what we use is the best it has ever been. The list goes on, but let me stop here. Involvement is up and I like it.
     
  • INNOVATION - A real surprise for me in 2012 was the large number of new dances. I thought we were about saturated with dances but wow was I wrong. Just as exciting has been the innovation in equipment with dance HUDs, the innovation in position and movement represented by newer and better control systems, the improvement in sim couples dances systems, and the innovation in dance performances. I differ in view from Yummy. I'm rarely bored when I see a dance performance and I still get excited by both the dancing and the showmanship. The Dance Festival V had some really great performances and venues for shows, burlesque and variety performances continue to thrive. I don't see a decline in interest in this side of dancing ... just the opposite.
     
  • RECOGNITION - The idea of recognition is something I have thought a lot about in 2012. DANCE QUEENS is about sharing and not winners and losers, so it took me a long time to get comfortable with the idea of the DANCE QUEENS Dance Awards for 2012. The event will be in 2013, but the recognition is for 2012 and the thinking I have done about it is over 2012. I am really trying hard to make these awards special and respected. I know there is recognition among different groups of dancers, different venues, different suppliers, but the Cutie I hope will be the ultimate recognition for dancing since it is for and from the whole community.
     
  • FUN - Dancing continues to be fun and it is found in so many different ways. Maybe it is dancing in a club and being recognized as a good dancer. I had a talk today with a DANCE QUEENS member about how much fun she has just leading people at a beach club she goes to. Her know-how has been increased through DANCE QUEENS and she gets a lot of fun and respect from her dancing. I could see the enthusiasm in Halfpint Raymaker a while back when she was playing with the idea of mirrors ... she was having fun with dancing. Pia Klaar's video of Nossa dancing is another result of fun with dancing as a part of it. Dancing gives us fun in so any different ways and I think each person experiences it uniquely. I never would have imagined writing a blog about dancing, but it's fun for me.
Rereading what I just wrote gives me kind of a strange feeling. There is no substance in terms of dances, shows, equipment ... the tangible things in our virtual world. But, I think I've covered the important part of dancing in 2012 ... the feelings it gives.

Now to 2013 and my vision ... maybe my dreams or nightmares. Hahhah.

I think we are on the edge of a significant change in dancing in SL. I am in the position that I get to hear about many of the new things that are coming and one in particular I believe will change the face of dancing. Racheal Young is working on a version of the Barre HUD that will allow one avatar to control multiple groups of avatars to dance different dance sequences. I wasn't around when dance HUDs were introduced that allowed you to invite someone else to dance, but I think that was a major change for SL dancing. I feel this change which should occur in late January, will have the same impact. WOW ... I can imagine this affecting not just shows but also club dancing.

It may spur the development of additional equipment and I think even more dances. I can even imagine the end of sim-wide dance systems like the INTAN, TIS Hybrid or Henmations Club Control. This is exciting and will happen soon.

More people will dance and I like that. I plan to start making dance sequences that will include two or more dancers. You probably will too.

I plan to increase my efforts to get more involvement in DANCE QUEENS by members who are interested in this. DANCE QUEENS is in one way my baby and I want so much for it to continue growing and meeting the needs of dancers, but it takes a toll on me. I don't get to dance as much as I want either in clubs or in shows. I am torn between developing a plan to get the DANCE QUEENS group to take over running of the group through elected leaders and wanting to control every aspect of what the group does. Hahahaah ... it's a baby that has grown up. So, I expect I will be loosening my reins a lot this next year.

I also want to put more effort into beginning dancers and special interest groups. When I look at the articles from 2012 about dancing and take out the ones about new dances or shows, the posts tend to be quite advanced and technical. What fun is that for a new dancer? I don't want to lose these useful articles, but I want more articles for people at a less experienced level.

Yes, there will be a Dance Festival VI probably in July or August. I hope The Cutie awards are a big success and lead to more documentation of dancing and a continuation of the Cutie Awards for a long time.

So, that's about it ... Reflection and Vision.

xxx
Nottoo
 

SEmotion Christmas Gift


SEmotion Christmas Gift 121225

Marie Sims sent this to the SEmotion Group today ...

=================

We wish you a happy holidays!
Tue, Dec 25 2012 3:17:32 AM PST


Merry Christmas!

Beautiful dream comes true...

For all our customers we have a limited time group gift! This Christmas we've prepared 4 couple animations from different SEmotion couple poseballs packs! Enjoy it! Please wear your tag and come to store!

Best wishes,
Marie Sims

The Limits of Dance HUD Capacity


The Limits of Dance HUD Capacity 121225

I had a problem with a "stack heap collision" two times in the past few days with my Barre HUD. I thought about why this might have happened and found a fix to the problem, but  I thought that I should talk to the Barre creator, Racheal Young, about the problem and get her input. Racheal is always there with rapid customer service and I have included her response (with her permission). The discussion gets quite technical, but the practical effect is that I think I am finding the limits of how many dances you can put in one HUD and still have something that you can easily use.

Here are the notes:

NOTTOO'S NOTE TO RACHEAL

Hi Rach,

Let me describe a problem that is happening with my Barre 3.02 and what I think the cause is. I've found a solution, but would like to know if I have identified the cause and your ideas to find a better fix.

THE PROBLEM

The same problem has happened two times. I wasn't sure the first time whether I had done something incorrect or not, but I knew the second time that I was following normal procedures.

When I make sequences I do it either with dances already in my HUD or by adding new dances to my HUD. As you know I probably have more dances in my Barre HUD than anyone else in SL. The first time I experienced the problem I edited the HUD while wearing it. I have 6 notecards in my HUD right now and I added a sequence to one of the notecards that I call Med-Mod. To edit my HUD requires about 10 minutes for the contents to load because of the large number of dances in the HUD. To add a sequence while wearing the HUD I have a notecard with the same name in my inventory and make the changes there. Then, when the HUD contents are visible, I open the Med-Mod notecard in the HUD and copy and paste from the inventory notecard to the contents of the HUD notecard. I then save the HUD notecard. Since I keep a list of dances not in sequences in my HUD, I then again edit my HUD and wait 10 minutes for the contents to show and change the HUD notecard I call 94 Ordered by copying and pasting from my inventory version of it. In this case I am removing dances from the notecard. Once the 94 ordered notecard is saved, I close the editing window and reload the two notecards Med-Mod and 94 Inventory in that order. The first time I did it with the Barre 3.02 I got a stack heap collision error message when loading the 94 Inventory notecard. I verified that the HUD had loaded the revised 94 Inventory notecard, but found that the 10 buttons for dancing did not function.

To make the HUD work I had to reset all the scripts in the HUD using the Build menu. It took about 10 minutes to edit my HUD contents to be able to reset the HUD. Then I had to reload the six notecards.

Today I experienced the same problem doing a similar action. In this case I rezzed my HUD on the ground and added 6 new dances. I then added a sequence to my Fast Notecard using the copy and paste process from my inventory version of the Fast notecard. Once I saved the HUD version of the Notecard, I closed the editing window, wore the HUD and reloaded the Fast notecard. That is where I again got a stack heap collision. I solved the problem the same way.

WHAT IS HAPPENING

I think what is happening is that the size of the HUD contents is slowing down the HUD's ability to process the revised notecards. Since it takes 10 minutes to open the HUD contents for me, I suspect there is some process that requires 10 minutes for the HUD to be able to properly read the revised notecard. Since I load the revised notecard in fewer than 10 minutes after saving it, the HUD receives a stack heap collision. So, the next time I will wait the 10 minutes after saving the last notecard changed before loading any of them.

Unfortunately the process of resetting the HUD has caused the Tool button not to work so I can't give you an exact count of the number of animations I have in the HUD.

LIMITS OF HUDS

I have read about the limits on HUDs in terms of script processing and number of dances. I think this problem of loading dances and changing notecards may be the real limiting factor on how many dances you can have in a HUD. I estimate that I have 6000 animations. To make the simplest change in my HUD of adding a dance and changing a notecard now takes me about 45 minutes. I think that I am getting to the practical limit of what the Barre or any HUD can contain.

xxx
Nottoo


RACHEAL'S RESPONSE

Hi Nottoo,

The "Heap Stack" issue is a memory issue. I suspect that it is having to do with a MONO weakness in dealing with memory relating to LSL. Barre does ask LSL to perform as advertised from what Lindens describe as "proper usage". I can't even begin to tell you how many times I have had to do some bizarre hack because of something odd in LSL. Even after clearing a variable you have to wait for the server to catch up in some cases. But once again... the dance community pushes the limits of LSL in so many areas. It is sad to say this is commonly why many dance HUDs never evolve beyond their first few versions.

Barre 3.03 does have a new paging method for dealing with memory. I have not been able to force a "stack collision" with this version in all my testing. I won't say it is rock solid but I will say it uses better methods for dealing with HUGE amounts of memory. (*Nottoo you fit in this category. LOL)

From what you are describing to me it does sound like you have reached a hardware/user saturation limitation. As far as a "FIX" I don't think there is one, maybe work a around.
Populating an Inventory list of an object does take time to load from the server. It has to collect the data from the SL database and dump the list of inventory items into the editor every time you edit your object with new contents. For large object inventories this can take a very long time depending on demand on the SL database, Intranet, local region server traffic, server memory manipulation and finally the end users own Internet. All of these have an impact on how quickly the list populates to the editor. At some point the list can grow to large to be usable. This saturation point is not only a hardware issue but also a usability perspective of the end user.  I have often wondered where this point is. There is not a definitive line in the sand.

In the end to add any animation and confirm SL has loaded them (this includes all objects) you need to open the edit window, repopulate the list and verify it is in the list. LSL does have the ability to tell you that something has been dropped into your HUD. It can tell you that you added a new animation but once again there is a flaw with this ability since it reports locally and not by pinging the SL database to verify it is there. This can give you misleading results. Picking up an object at the wrong time may mean that it never really made it to the SL database since the object information needs to sync up the SL database information. Unfortunately this is something that many scriptwriters that use this method are not aware of. It can lead to failures and missing animations if not managed correctly. SL has been known to drop SQL queries and this is the core of the issue.

At some point the end user has to determine need over usability due to SL limitations. As most of us would love to have 1 million animation at a click of a button, you have to ask yourself is it really needed? When asked this question most users just laugh. I tend to hear they use maybe use 300 animations regularly and the rest are just specialty. As far as me personally, I like to have more then 300 at my fingertips, so I can appreciate the need for large inventories of animations and being able to manage them.

Barre 3.03 has taken a new approach to the saturation issue. Although not all issues with inventory can be dealt with by script improvements, there are some here intended to help. The new REC web interface allows for some internal manipulations of data in the HUDs databases. This is in early stages of development and if it is found to be useful I will expand on the concept.

As far as Barre 3.02 I have pause any "FIXES" on that version due to 3.03 being so close to release. I do have plans on splitting version soon. You will see a club based version of Barre as well as the show version that 3.03 is heading toward. I do have some surprising twists in the works.

Huggies!
Rach

Monday, December 24, 2012

Modifying Anims in a HUD


Modifying Anims in a HUD 121224

I was cleaning out my inventory of animations that I had not yet put in my Barre dance HUD when I came across a series of anims from Sinse that seemed to be only arm movements. I had purchased most of the Sinse AOs and in two of them, the Lovely Female and the Cheerily Female, there were these arm moving anims all with the name starting with zArm ... I used the Develop menu on my Firestorm viewer then clicked on Avatar and Animation Info to confirm that the anims are priority 4 anims. Next, I started a dance with my Barre HUD, then opened one of the zArm anims from inventory. Indeed, it changed the dance by moving just the arms.

I have talked about the concept of modifying anims previously and even made a simple modifying anim; however, this is the first time I have seen a MOCAP dance maker make modifying anims. I put on one of the HUDs from Since and looked to see how it works.


The HUD loads on the center top of the screen. In the pic I have activated only the arm feature. The HUD is the first I have seen that allows you to dance and run a modifying anim at the same time. Of course you can do this with two HUDs or just one HUD and opening a dance from your inventory, but this is an innovation.

The Sinse HUD is clearly not a category IV HUD and I do not recommend it as a replacement for any category IV HUD, but it does have this one feature that makes it unusual.

You can buy the individual anims in the HUD but the modifying anims are only available if you buy the AO. Get it and you can start modifying dances.

xxx
Nottoo

Yummy #9 - Milestones

So I had thought it... but didn't dare speak it for  I wanted to be a "team-player" and not a nay-sayer or  Debbie-downer...

but..

the silence was finally  broken as someone else dared speak an "inconvenient truth" at a recent holiday-party.

And its the role of a blogger to often express the voices of the sometimes disgruntled, malcontent while shielding them from attacks, assaults, retorts, barbs, taunts, and drama.

My job to be their voice and "take the heat"...don my "thick skin".

It's becoming...BORING!.

 (ok I need to qualify this that for me it is often boring too, yet there are many bright uplifting performances that pop up here and there..and I speak as a non-performer ..just an audience-member. As a performer I am always humbled by even moderate performances)

And heretofore silenced voices quickly echoed in agreement...yes many of us were feeling the same way.

It was concluded that part of the audience, maybe half, that were performers appreciated the "dance" part of dance performances while the other half, were captivated by the creativity of the lavish but short-lived sets and costumes.

Two different attractions.

 The audience sort of zonks out after the initial "wow", sort of nodding, applauding, and tipping  politely at the right opportunities. 

That old argument rears its two-headed fire-breathing dragon-like presence persona:

Its about the ART and the ARTIST, audience be damned! We do THIS for ourselves and hope but not be beholden to whether the audience gets or likes us as we stay true to our art and artistry.

NO...

Its about the ENTERTAINMENT, consideration owed. Its "show business". If you dare to provide seating and announce a happening, and putout a tip-jar, then due-audience awareness is not
unrealistic.

welllllllllll.....

Can you say?...

Over-saturation.

Everybody is doing "it".

More venues vying for same time-slots.

More product offerings of similar vein.

More time slots consumed.

The bandwagon effect:...

Not unlike the days of the "casinos" free-money gold rush. Everyone jumped on the bandwagon until the cow had been milked dry.

Not unlike the once-highly profitable and popular dance-clubs, many of which now are irresistible ego-driven money-pits.

Not unlike the once pie-in-sky breedables, now run into the ground with profits sucked  from
all but a select few. The time required  not worth the effort for many as competition drives down profits.

It's all so "not new" anymore..everyone is doing it...I've seen it..seen that...seen similar...seen that theme, those dances, that idea....done before

So....what's next?  If anything?


***************************

Milestones

***************************

 The idea of "milestones" has been swirling around in my head, with regards to this new cabaret, burlesque, performance-art medium often termed neo-burlesque. I wondered... what have been the major contributions that have helped to define what "IT IS" and what coming milestones can we expect to see that help further to define IT and advance this exciting new medium?

----------
Well  what milestones have we had?

Well if we go back to the beginning..

Speaking  historically as setting the stage...

------------
Historical
------------

The "Virtual World " the granddaddy of them all.
Massively Multiplayer OnLine Roleplaying Gaming
avatars
animations
dance animations
builds
scripts
outfits
groups
particles
the idea of an "event" ...a happening at a set time and place

------------
Modern
------------
concept  of the idea of a SET to define locale and time (at least 3 people claim partial credit to this significant contribution)

Motion Captured (MOCAP) Dance Animations.
concept  of synchronized Dancing with a Group
concept of a "show" which is "multiple acts" performed in sequence at a given locale and time
concept of Tip Jars used to profit from a "performance"
concept of use of curtain to "reveal" and "surprise" and demark acts
concept of a group used to communicate to group members only during a show
concept of skype used to communicate to the group
concept of dance-sequences vs free-styling
concept of venue-cross promotion
concept of relayed chat
concept of a chat MC
concept of a live voice MC
concept of a program that helps describes what you will see as you are seeing it
concept of repeated performances
concept of stripping
concept of satire and comedy
concept of costume changes
concept of story
concept of a "production"
concept of vertical productions with specialization of talent
concept of filmed/machinma performances
concept of festivals
concept of contests
concept of use of multiple sims
concept of show rehearsals
concept of backup performers
concept of dance troupe
concept of cross-venue performing
concept of unified dance-troupe communication (DanceQueens)
concept of controlled audience viewing
concept of pre-caching
concept of post-shows
concept of emotes
concept of male dancers
concept of post-show audience involvement
concept of themed shows
concept of set cross-fades
concept of particle effect usage
concept of split-stage
concept of double-plays (performing to 2-songs in a row)
concept of the nude performance
concept of encouraged in-act audience interaction
concept of an intermission
concept of original animations
concept of blended 3D background perspective
concept of animated props
concept of animated backgrounds
concept of animated sets
concept of mixing SL and RL backgrounds
concept of group-dance static formations
concept of group-dance dynamic formations
concept of automated outfit modification and change
concept of avatar reveals and conceals
concept of use of stage height and stage depth
concept of use non-dance-type animations
concept of use of RL imagery
concept of the moving audience
concept of organized set change via set-rezzers, restore-to-last-position, relative off-stage-storage

--------
Evolution Speed
--------

One thing I have learned is that this evolution moves sloooooooow. Slower than I anticipated but not without warrant.

The adaptation of motion-artists to new show-concepts and techno-aids and to imagining how their use can contribute to  "newness" has moved slooooooooow in the past and 2012. So i expect it to move sloooooooow in 2013.

-----------------
Push-Pull
-----------------

 Artists are either pushed or pulled to innovate.

"Pulled" would be that they see something cool and want to do it too and the desire to also be cool "pulls" them forward into new creative ways of thinking over the resistance of difficulty, doubt, and time to invest in hurdling  "new-nessness".

The other is "push" in that an artist comes up with idea out of thin air, without knowing how it will be accomplished and engages the help of techno-dream-makers to help them realize their vision.

I revisit my concept of "payoffs".

That's something that happens that wakes you up or you go "oh  ah"...or if someone asks you what the show was like, these are the things that are at the top of the list that you remember and enumerate.
Dancing, music, sets, costume. A dance group.  Synchronized dancing. These are things that are memorable.

We are used to seeing them...so not so wow... But they are identifiable and important parts that are needed to define what we find as an entertaining "show".

 But what are the newer innovations?

Well I think the  most recent is the "set-cross-dissolve" is a wake-up call as one set slowly fades into another...a change in set usually means a change in locale and time in the show-story or just a change in mindset if its non-temporal and non-spacial.

This marks the beginning of "segmented mini-acts" within an act. We are all feeling our way in the dark on how best to get to "there" which is mimicking in SL an entertaining offering that is like our familiar book, concert, stand-up-comic, tv, movie experience types of wonder-entertainment where we are taken on a journey

We've seen special effects in the use of particle effects that help enliven performances.

And....a particular niche which I was privvy to be a part of...

A fellow creator impressed upon me the idea of set-avatar-interaction. It took me awhile to comprehend what this meant as well as the significance of what it means for the future. The person said that it appeared as if dancers were merely dancing "in front of" pretty sets. I thought about it and I had to agree.

So what was the solution or a solution? (First, kudos to the "conceiving of this 'idea', not unlike kudos to the person or persons who "conceived" the idea of performing with a "set", presentable as an act...this a major contribution to this new art-form.)

Ok so....

...this person wanted to see the avatars and sets become "aware" of "each other". In its simplest form, it was a set whose existence was part of the dance.

In a more advanced state it meant that the set could react to the dancer and vice-versa not unlike RL. We see explosions, objects fall or crash, incinerate, burn, sink, pushed, soared, sailed, painted, jammed, travelled, give-way, etc. etc.

The significance of this is that the set becomes "alive" and "unpredictable" and contributes to the key element of good performance by adding to "wonderment". We are then on guard and aware that the set is an integral part of the scene and not just a pretty static backdrop. So a set becomes "physical" in that it obeys the laws of gravity somewhat and responds to the actions of the performer(s). It shows "damage". It can be "painted" on. It can imply "movement", etc.

 An example comes to mind of an avatar walking across a small wooden, creaky, tentative, swaying, suspended, step-bridge-walkway that gives way in  the middle due to age and rot, causing the dancing unaware avatar to fall. There is tension, apprehension, anticipation, fea,r and cause-and-effect ... in essence..."wonder" as to what may happen.

The problem arises that if an avatar is in an animation, as if dancing on the bridge, then because the animation plays locally, there is no automatic physics-aware interaction in SL live that could cause the bridge to react to the avatars precise presence or actions.

So to get around this issue, you can fake it by timing the bridge to give way at a designated time which is keyed/triggered from the animation and matches the animation such that it appears the set is reacting realistically the avatars actions.

I know of a couple dance-huds, and a couple performance engines, and, humbly proudly, my
own Stripper HUD,  that can send commands to trigger external devices at specific waypoints.
Of course the intelligence to cause the bridge to give-way and fall and respond to an external trigger must be provided by you or your dream-maker friend(s).

---------------
Segmented show-sets
---------------

But to step back and see the next big concept idea is less tactile and harder to pinpoint  but...in keeping with the ability of the single performer to control all aspects of their performance as they do now...

...I see it as the offering of "segmented time/locale show-sets" that offer wonder and resolve. Taking the idea of production but breaking it down so that instead of the whole show being one big production, each set within a show is a mini-production. I've seen inklings of this already. Usually its done with 2 "movements" as in before-and-after, a problem being is that the audience doesn't always know it was a before-and-after until we see the after and so the "wonder" is lost.

I think we will see 3-movement sets that tell the traditional "beginning/middle/ending" story format...told using 1 or 2 songs.

The beginning will broadcast that a middle and ending  is coming as it will pose a question, dilemma, puzzle mystery, who-done-it, etc. type format that makes us want to "wonder" and "find-out" how it "ends".

I think this whole year will be a sloooooooow evolution to adapting and moving forward to the or a "next step".

The followers will wait for the leaders to set the stage and create the format and template for just
"how" this next leap will take place. It will be a lot of trial-and-error. It requires conceptual
thinking of ways to tell segmented stories. "beginning-middle-end". Classics being "boy-gets-girl", boy-loses-girl, boy-gets-girl" or a" who-done-it" as in "crime-committed", "clues", "mystery-solved" or maybe SL will come up with its own unique 3-act-format based upon some unbeknownst SL-based-uniqueness. We need to be able to know and empathize with the plight of a character all in a short time-span for we as the YouTube-audience in this age of quick bite-sized entertainment offerings have understandably short-attention spans.

Say what you have to say and say it quickly  for I can only sit for an hour, 90 minutes max for the whole show if I am really engrossed before I have to go to the restroom, take a smoke break, answer the phone, RL interferes, or I just become restless. And I need change of "something major" every 8 minutes or so.

The challenge is presenting it in a precise format. It does seem like the maximum time we want to see
a mini-performance-act is that magical 8-minute marker which also includes doing 2-songs back to back.

Anything longer is belabored, bordering on boring.

---------------
Adaptation of "new" technological aids.
---------------

 Two categories of techno-aids exist. The "one-shot" and the "comprehensive".

The "one-shot" "aids" are often scripts that performers request friends to create that are often
show/set specific.... examples of which are: fading in and out objects "moving one or more avatar from point "A" to point "B" or moving an object from going "A" to point "B", etc.

Comprehensive "aids" allow the performer to create their own desired effect by learning how to use
a tool designed to aid them in creating the needs that their "one-shot aids" once provided.

 Comprehensive "aids" or "tools" always perform several different types of tasks that almost always involve avatar and/or object movement. How they do this and the extra features they have is what differentiates them from one another. One side-note is that the buying public seems to want them to also do sequencing so that they have a one-stop solution..ie (less huds in use at one time). Some of these tools do and others have the capability to  integrate with other tools that do do dance sequencing.

I have seen and continue  to see new comprehensive "cool tools" to help creators innovate.

But alas, seven problems have reared their ugly heads:

1) Foreseeable benefits
2) Plausible adaptation
3) Good documentation
4) Ease of learning.
5) Ease of use.
6) Bang for buck
7) Reuse

-------------------------------------
1 - Foreseeable benefits

A potential adapter must foresee that the "comprehensive tool" can benefit them and their needs. This requires understanding and foresight by the tool-developer to anticipate needs and solutions. They must consider broad-scale needs to a reasonably sized target audience to make development worthwhile.

2 - Plausible adaptation

A potential adapter must feel that they "can learn and use it". It cannot present as insurmountably challenging. One needs to have a feeling of, "I can learn this" or at least "I am willing to try to learn it", meaning I will depart with my Lindens and give it a try.

3 - Good documentation

Most all the "comprehensive" tools seem to be well-documented. But some miss the "How can I accomplish 'this particular' task" as opposed to "This is what each feature does".

4/5 - Ease of learning & Ease of use.

It can be "easy to use", if you can conquer what may or may not be a "steep learning curve".
or...
It can be "easy to learn", but "difficult to use".
or
both difficult to learn and difficult to use which is a sure death-knell
or
ideally "easy to learn" and "easy to use".

This takes a lot more resources in effort, imagination, time, and skill. Making it user-friendly.
 It is a stubborn, busy, time-strapped, user-base, slow to adapt to new methodologies and ways of thinking.

Ease of learning can be aided by not only having good documentation, the obvious, but also adding:

1) alphabetized feature documentation
2) step-by-step how-tos of common tasks with static visual aids
3) video aids (machinma)
4) audio aids (voice)
5) practical applications
6) ongoing training classes
7) one-on-one hand-holding training sessions

Ease of use can be accomplished by removing as much notecard editing and placing that functionality into a HUD or comparable device like a member-based website with historical-member storage.

6 - "Bang for Buck".

 I've seen some "cool tools" due really cool things but at what price in terms of  avatar resources in learning, conceiving, implementing, and fine-tuning? Often what it can do is just not worth the time and effort. That's a fine-line.

7 - Reuse

A tool can be initially learned and used to satisfaction but then when the excitement of first-use subsides and it is set aside, the next time you want to use it.... its difficult to "remember" how to do something because its no longer fresh in your memory and the processes of these  "comprehensive" tools are usually involved and complex. There are often no "quick-start" or "quick-use" guides to get you up-and running quickly ...   The reuse is abandoned due to the fear and intimidation factor of reusing it as it takes on the trappings of a "hurdle".

------------------
Many "cool tools" of the "comprehensive type" have been slow or resistant to acceptance due to either some or all off the 7 factors mentioned above. A cold hard bitter pill to swallow whose lesson is usually learned too lat...e as in post-release. As a developer, those 7 hurdles are not as fun to address and conquer. Tedious and time-consuming with the rewards being far-off and less-boastable.

---------------------
Contested Resources
 ---------------------

So where will the new year 2013 take us? Only time will tell. But I hope this blog has shed some light on where we've been, where we may be headed,  and how we will get there.

If the last half of 2012 is any predictor, we can expect to see more dances, more new venues, more artists, with busier contested scheduling for 2013.

Due to the sudden increase in number of venues, there is the mounted  appeal of performing not solely as an expression of artistic expression but as a way to earn extra Lindens.

Expect to see resource-reuse across multiple venues as the benefits of artist creations are maximized.

 But as the number of performances and artists increases, the number of current and potential audience members audience participation stagnates, their discretionary spending remains somewhat fixed, and  may even be dampened during  1st half to 3/4 of 2013, pending the economic outlook based  on pending fiscal policies, at least for the Western markets and maybe Euro markets as well.

 For the hotly contested time-slots, compensation may fall short of what artists have become accustomed to...as the number of venues increase and vie for a fixed pot. So far audiences have not had to "choose" between competing offerings but that seems to be slowly changing.

---------------------
Mixing vertical and horizontal production
 ---------------------

There have been rumblings and some adaptation of vertical producton accompanying horizontal production in these neo-burlesque shows. This means that a few venues are already or have hinted at acquiring part or full-time or on-demand specialists to help adapt and use comprehensive tools and/or one-shots...usually this means a scripter or tool-specialist. There's also been rumblings of having dedicated builders.

This will be dependant on: available, competent, affordable, and willing resources in terms of specialists and their time.

-----------

But what will change in terms of how the landscape will look?

Maybe nothing will change this coming new year?

Or maybe it will go in a whole new unforeseen direction?

Who knows? Only time will tell.

And that's Yummy's taste of things.



















New SL Dance Videos and Photos 121224


New SL Dance Videos and Photos 121224

First let's cover the holiday video.

Alberto gouiric starts us with a Latin dancing Christmas in his BetodeQuilmes-Navidad 2012 en el Grupo Acordes de Second Life 01.wmv 



Nery Hax has a bunch of videos with the same name, Família Voyager Second Life. This is one was released in the last day.


Tyler park created a New York themed dance video called Second Life - Goldie.


Hiko Nino of Happy Dispatch has a well-made video demonstrating sitting anims from his store in SL


That's it for today. IM me withn your URLs for videos and photos in SL.

xxx
Nottoo

Sunday, December 23, 2012

MyAnimation Releases More Shakira Dances


MyAnimation Releases More Shakira Dances 121223

Ramona Criss sent this note to the MyAnimation group today ...

====================

NEW RELEASE * more * SHAKIRA DANCES
Sun, Dec 23 2012 1:40:19 PM PST


We added 15 NEW
▀▀▀▀    SHAKIRA  DANCES   ▀▀▀▀
  New release! Video PROMO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLFYGRaV2Vc

Don't forget to grab the EXCLUSIVE  GIFT!!
       
ENJOY,
MyANIMATION Team

New SL Dance Videos and Photos 121223


New SL Dance Videos and Photos 121223

I've been in RL for a few days so there are quite a few things to show you.

With all this holiday food perhaps you can munch on something different with this dancing trip to McDonald's in maialyre's Secondlife - Just having fun @ LI


Having a birthday or anniversary is not easy close to the holidays, but all seem to having dancing fun in Marcia Carter's Aniversário de Athena Amulet - Second Life


coco bean gives us Elements - Lindsey Stirling - Secondlife Ballet  with some nice ballet moves


Hannah Mell Smiith ( Secondlife) by Hannah Mell Smith shows Hannah's love of cars with a dance.


andcalatun gives us the short and flashy Flash Second Life


Next, Nery Hax shows us how to use stands to dance to a slow song in her Família Voyager Second Life 


Orion Salvadori pesents us with a holiday greeting in Surpreendedores - Feliz Natal Second Life  


For a very different SL video take a look at Cica Ghost's Black & White World - Art - Reisetip in Second Life by ClaireDiLuna Chevalier. There is not dancing but it may give you ideas for how to mix media in your dance videos.


Another well-made video comes from Niona Wolf in her [Second Life] Good Time!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jNRuq0xSrQ

Duda Giano must have the hots for Juni Larsen in Juni Larsen - Second Life and I think you can see why. I like the mixing of still photos with video.


To celebrate our survival of the Mayan end of the world Inish Karu gives us an Irish clogging video called Second Life we are still here!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwC8qAOqJE4

Whew! Time for some eggnog.

xxx
Nottoo