Don't Make Me Call The Dance Police, Take 7

Every week or so, I look back through the photos of Second Life dance performance that I’ve posted on Flickr.

Sometimes, I smile. Sometimes, I wince.
And then there’s the times... well... you know...

I like to call this portion of our trip: Don’t Make Me Call The Dance Police.


 Nice try, but I still see you there! I see right through your attempt to avoid appearing in this post!


Gotta watch out for zombie dancers sneaking into the audience this time of year. (We are the refreshment stand)


The lifespan of a Lynxa dance assistant is about halfway through her act. (Buy life insurance now)


These are the angel and devil who sit on my shoulders while I type blog posts.


I always wondered what happened to Big Boy after Dr. Evil used it.


Um... are you okay, Path?


Relax, the Asset Servers are actually working. On the Sansar grid.


I never did manage to win this board in Q-Bert in the arcade. Did you?


They're burning my draft editorials for heat.


All together now... Robots need love toooooo! They want to be loved by youuuuuu.... they want to be loved by yooooouuuuuuu...


STOP DROP AND ROLL!


Sigh... all those damn photographers. (snap) Sheesh!


... you said that this was the GOOD acid.


This is how I look on the TSA scanner at the airport.


It's always important to have medical staff available during team dances, because civilians don't properly warm up before their acts.


FUN FACT: Particle candy has no sugar or calories.


If I had this as a bedside alarm clock, I'd be terrified of trying to hit the snooze bar.


Darn it. Cheap blue screens. Okay, I'll edit out the strings in post.


And Galdalf's third incarnation after Grey and White... Galdarf the Frickin Hot.


Those are the previous Dance Queen columnists? Okay, I can take a hint. I'll lighten up.


Creepy ushers.

 Relax, people. Rip Taylor's still alive.

 
They'll let anybody drive for Uber these days.


After the Mr. Ed show went off the air, he became a backup dancer for Rompers.


Someone else going through the TSA scanners.


It takes a while for some acts to load, but she was 23 when they started this performance.


Who wants to play Hangman? _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _, _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _!


I hope that train turns, because it's going to kill a lot of audience members.


Severe makeup allergy, right?

 
Somebody missing a puppy?


I guess Dr. Frank N. Further raised the funds for the top surgery.


PUHHHHHHDNNNN OHHHHH DRRRRR RIZZZZZZZZZZ


"Come back! Come back! I'll stop running you through the washer in your sleep!"


Sorry, but your prayers weren't answered. You're in the Dance Police post.

3th? Seriously? Are you trolling me? (clicks AutoCorrect)


Hrm... likes Thai food... and brains... (swipes left)


I guess they hired the wrong caterer.

 
George was a pirate, but... forget George. What's her name?


Okay, fine. I can take a hint.


My cousin R. Damnit Mariner is a dentist, and he's always sad when he has to left an extracted tooth go

.
Stop it with the fly-by farts, Tinkerbell!

 
... I've got nothing. This was just cool, man.


When I swear too much, Di and Nara get angry... you wouldn't like them when they're angry. Well... um... on second thought, they're kinda hot when they're angry.


Hey, didn't you read the sign? Don't pet the deer!


Sorry, I had Wireframe turned on.

 
Okay, who called the Dance Prison Guard Service?


Oh crap... her strings broke. CHEAP SCULPTY STRINGS!


BREAKING NEWS: Tragedy struck the Second Life Circus today when three high-wire walkers fell off of their high wire.

CONGRATULATIONS! YOU WIN THE VOICE!


I love how those open-minded Unitarians will baptize anybody. Now that's love.


ANSWER: She's the understudy, I think.

 
No, this is not a shot from their skybox security camera. (I've got that in another folder)


I've already got my three wishes, thank you.


That's not blood. They just painted the roof and it's leaking. Honest.


I SAID STOP USING THAT MAKEUP! YOU'RE ALLERGIC!

That's it! I'm calling... THE DANCE POLICE! (dials 911)
Uh oh... Officer Bob's down! Better call for backup!


Aw, crap! Stan's down too! He had a wife and prim babies!


Not you too, Jerry! Oh no! We're doomed! DOOOMED! DOOOOOOOOOOOME-

Thank you, and stay tuned next Sunday for the next thrilling episode.

"Hey. It's Cave. Someone's not daaaancing. Come on. You know the law - testing IS NOT a dance exemption. Don't make me call the dance police"
- Cave Johnson, Portal 2 Perpetual Testing Initiative Expansion Pack.

The set

Decided to cam around the Liaison Collaborative area and saw this scene. It's almost real, isn't it? Except that shopping in the closed malls or the stripmalls, there's a Disney-like unrealness about the real life shopping experiences and neighborhoods, that something realistic in the virtual world is a de-optimized variant of the overwhelmingly sterile and planned and maintained experience in the real world.

It sets the mood and gets the visitor in the frame of mind to relax and feel at ease and shop.

I need to go to shopping events more often and cam around after the rush dies down. Some creators and event planners put a lot into the setting, and it's impressive what detail and arrangement they create.

Which is similar to the effort that Second Life dance performers and choreographers and set designers put into the sets.
I mean, you can't just have a dancer there on a stark empty stage, right? You have to provide some kind of context or setting, a way of telling the story.
Lush and natural, angular and bright, dark and dreary... these all visually put you into a mood just as much as the music and the dance moves.
Gene Kelly on his own without the street and lamp post and the (fake) rain was an excellent dancer, but all those other elements put together the act. Otherwise, it's just dancing, or mime.
It's necessary for the art to fill the canvas.

Recently, I saw an act... I think it was at Atlantis, they had two dance acts on the same set. It was a swamp with a witch that captured a wayward visitor, and then the next was a dance scene with.. Elayn? I'm not sure, I should label my photos better.





I found that fascinating... taking the same set, and two different artists taking it in different directions.

There have been some sets so lush and interesting, I've right-click inspected the elements, and even went shopping for those items because they'd be perfect for my park. I got the mushrooms and moss-covered piano, and was inspired to go with a koi pond after some Club Image acts.





Oh, and roses from this other act... got a particular gate because it had roses as bright as these.



And Londyn had an act that incorporated anc meteors that were perfect for my reading room. anc has a lot of elements that crop up in the dance performances out there.

Design ideas from the sets of dance performances instead of the Second Life home and garden magazines... kinda neat.

Some questions:

• At what stage of the development process do you come up with the set?
• Are there elements that you use over and over in your sets?
• How do you shop for set pieces? Is there a store you keep going back to?
• How do you balance the need for a  lush setting and the ability of the audience to render those elements quickly.