This past Wednesday saw an extra space Walk of Fame ceremony. At this ceremony, we honoured Those Who Serve... the people who volunteer their time to manage Dance Queens and do numerous tasks to help keep the dance community informed and bonded. Not all could be here this day and they will be honoured with a ceremony at another time.
THE CEREMONY
Here are the words that were given for the ceremony.
Ladies and Gentlemen, we are here today for a very special Walk of Fame paver placing. Today, we honor Those Who Serve. These are very special people who generously give life's most precious commodity to the dance community: Time. These people have given countless hours, day after week after month after year, helping people in Second Life's dance community in numerous ways.
They manage the Dance Queens group, which is the hub for all things dance-related in our virtual world. They contribute to the blog, calendar, Info Center, assisting people that call out for help in group chat, and keeping the group informed as to upcoming events. These people keep Dance Queens alive, functioning and productive. And they do not get paid for their service. They are, at times, even abused by some people. But they are bonded with one another in service to this essential group.
Dance Queens is the go-to for people needing to communicate across the grid about dance-related issues, and Those Who Serve are the people who make that possible. We thank you for your service and for caring about Dance Queens and the dance community... our extended dance family. These STARS in the Dance Queens Walk of Fame will now be placed. Also, you will receive a STAR to hang on the wall in your home or at your home venue.
We appreciate your hard work, skills and dedication. IT IS NOTICED! We see you. We thank you for your contributions to virtual dance in Second Life and wish you many years of dance fulfillment. We also hope that all you sow in giving will come back to you as a harvest of appreciation from those who benefit from your loving work.
Babypea kneels down and places the heavy tiles into the sand, wriggling them into place and sweeping off the sand spilling over them with a tiny brush, calling out each name as she goes.
Nottoo Wise
Ame Thomas
Vienna James
A very special person who can only be with us in spirit, our beloved Web Sass
Another very special person who can only be with us in spirit, our beloved Zhaza Zerbino
Standing, she holds out her arms, "And there they are! To remain for as long as we can keep this sim, which hopefully will be a long time. Thank you for taking the time to participate in preserving the historical significance of those who dedicate themselves to sharing virtual dance in Second Life."
Thank you so much everyone for coming out to this most special and important Dance Queens Walk of Fame ceremony! We hope you appreciate the passion and service of these dedicated people, leaders in our dance community. Thank you, Those Who Serve... our Dance Queen Leaders... for serving and helping to keep the dance community informed! Congratulations! Wishing you all appreciation and fulfillment!
The Interviews
Through these interviews, we may get to know each of these inspiring people a bit better!
Nottoo Wise
The FOUNDER of Dance Queens! What a thrill it was to have her at the ceremony. I admit, I was fan girling :D Read her interview and learn more about her and about the beginning of Dance Queens!
1. How and when did you find Second Life?
In late 2006 I was on the RL elevator in my condo building and talked with the guy who lived on the floor below me. He was all excited about SL. So, after the holidays I checked it out and joined on 15 January 2007. Addiction started immediately.
2. How and when did you discover virtual dance?
Of course I gravitated to clubs and music and dance. About my second week I saw something that stunned me ... two girls dancing in sync. WOW! how cool I thought. BUT, how did they do it? That was the start of my dancing journey ... Dance HUDs, dances, sequences, shows ....
3. Please tell us your history of serving the dance community. When did you start, how did you come to do it, and what are your current service activities?
In 2007 dance quality was not too good. Dances were made using software only programs and the quality varied from awful to okay. I quickly realized that some dancing had the potential to be really sensual and realistic, but it was a challenge to find them. Then, Easy Babcock opened Sine Wave selling MOCAP dances. The quality of dancing jumped several levels. I opened my pocketbook and bought so many dances. I shouldn't tell you, but I now have probably 12,000 to 15,000 separate animations/dances. Addiction has no boundaries hahaha.
MOCAP dancing took me to new heights of dancing. I learned the technology every way I could ... how dances are made, sequencing, organization of HUDs, matching dance and song, and more. I experimented every way I could. In early 2008 I started a Blues Club called Nottoo Hot with my then partner, Riddlebox Ribble. There I learned about couples dancing and how to enhance it. I also formed a dance group to put on shows at my club. One of my oldest friends and a great dancer, Diddy Hyun, was a part of the group. The dance group led to me learning about putting on shows. At that time there were almost no tools other than the Huddles HUD for putting on shows, so I started inventing things. I invented lots of dumb things and a few interesting things and that led me to the idea of opening a store to sell my stuff. So, I made a store on my sim and named the store "Dance Queens."
A few weeks after opening in walked a group of ladies. It was Zhaza Zerbino and her dance group. For the first time I realized that there were other people forming dance groups and they were on the same learning curve I was on. I decided to form a group called "Dance Queens" and send out information about dancing. I put tips for dancing, explanations for how to manage a HUD, dance sequences ... anything I thought would be helpful for people. Cheryl Nitely, who was a Nottoo Hot club member suggested a blog and with her help we made one. Other club members listened to my desires for dance systems ... Galilla Sinatra and Rug Halberd ... and I think that was part of the inspiration they had for starting the very useful Spot On dance tools. Dance Queens grew rapidly. We had dance festivals and so much interest. It was so much fun. The rest is history ...
4. What do you most enjoy about serving the dance community?
My RL has taken me to a place without an internet and I rarely get to be in SL, so I am pretty much removed from dancing.
5. What advice would you give to someone who would like to promote the dance community?
Watch what others do and learn. Experiment, experiment, experiment. Help others ... it pays dividends. Do not compete ... share. No one is the best dancer. Remember, it is for fun.
6. If you have your own dance troupe, please tell a little bit about it, and its history.
I have had two dance groups long, long ago.
7. What is your favorite food, favorite drink, and please tell us about any pets that you have.
Hahahaha ... malbec wine from argentina and chile.
8. What activities other than dance do you enjoy?
In SL I like playing with clothes and looks, and I enjoy people.
9. Is there anything else you'd like to add?
Thank you for doing this. I am honored.
Ame Thomas
Ame has served Dance Queens for many years as a Manager. She is also Dance Queens' go-to DJ for the special shows and events that Dance Queens hosts.
Vienna James
Vienna has served Dance Queens in Management and also promotes Dance Queens events in her own performance group Keep Performance Alive (KPA).
