Thursday, March 17, 2005

I Don't Want to Go to Work (15:52 AST, The ShanMonster)

I did the 45-minute drill session from Rachel Brice's DVD today. I practice with a mirror right under the monitor, so I can watch myself and her at the same time. That way I can check to see if I'm firing the right muscles in correct sequence. I've lost a lot of fat since I cut back significantly on sugar, white flour, and simple carbohydrates. My muscles are a lot easier to see. So I think I'm doing the movements right. Rachel seems to add an extra ripple into her body waves, though. I need to figure out the timing. I know it will come with practice.

Hmm. All this talk of food has made me hungry. Time to track down some munchables.

Now, check out these linky dinkies.

Ape vs. Tiger: A ballsy monkey repeatedly teases two young tigers.

Lord of the Rings musical announced: Oh yuck!

Jesus Rapes Baby: NSFW. Perhaps one of the most offensive paintings, ever.

Scientists Say Life Expectancy To Drop: Always look on the bright side. "Obesity could help keep Social Security solvent because people will die younger."

His Essence: Jesus-scented candles.

Are Greyhounds Dogs? Kansas Says No: So weird.

Sly Romeo eats and run: Another cheeky bugger who could have come from the pages of an Irvine Welsh novel.

Review: The Golden Apple: Bellydance Stars of New York (13:55 AST, The ShanMonster)

I was happy to receive my review copy of The Golden Apple: Bellydance Stars of New York the other day. I finally got to watch it last night. This is strictly a performance DVD. You won't find any instruction or voice-overs.

The DVD includes almost an hour of performances by NYC performers Neon, Jehan, Jenna, and Blanca, as well as a jam session with the skilled and talented Taksim ensemble. The production values are strong, and although the camera rarely holds still, cuts and pans are not obtrusive. Face shots are kept to a minimum. The focus is generally on the dancer, or the part of her body doing a particular movement. The sound quality is excellent, whether the music is live (ie. with Taksim's jam session) or canned. If you were so inclined, you could turn the video off and listen to this as though it were a CD.

In general, the dancers have large, expansive movements. Each dancer has her own musical taste. The music ranges from traditional Egyptian to Arabesque hiphop to new age breathy vocals. Although I doubt the style of every performance, costume, and song will appeal to any one person, I do believe the DVD is well worth the cost.

The DVD can be used as a costume show of sorts, with each dancer wearing a different outfit every time they dance. Mostly the dancers are in bedlah (the bra and skirt "uniform" of the belly dancer), although the first dance is performed in a one-piece brown velvet dress.

Among my favourite performances are Blanca's floorwork improvisation. I really didn't like her skirt (I couldn't help but think she's wearing diapers under it!), but I'm a sucker for good floorwork, and she has an excess of style, grace, and strength. I enjoy her presentation of Turkish folds (going back and forth from kneeling backbends).

I also enjoy Jenna's drum solo improvisation. What I like in particular is how the DVD shows the way a dancer interacts with a live band. It's very playful, and fun to watch. Her movements are tight, and an excellent interpretation of the music. And she does it all in really high-heeled shoes.

The other performance of note is Jehan's 21st Century Priestess choreography. Although I'm not completely comfortable with the in-your-face sexuality of her performance (shimmying kneeling backbends with crotch to the audience, and rolling around like a total sex kitten), there's no denying this woman's ease of movement and powerful stage presence. I also fear for her neck with the violence of her head flinging (whiplash, anyone?). Nevertheless, I find her dancing inspirational, partially because she's a very strong dancer, but also because she proves undeniably that a plus-sized woman can do all the same stuff a skinny woman can do, and maybe even with extra oomph.

Wednesday, March 16, 2005

Happy Birthday, f00Dave! (15:27 AST, The ShanMonster)

It's his 34th birthday today. I took him out for a pasta lunch yesterday (hoorah for winning gift certificates for that!), and I also got him a copy of Larry Niven's Ringworld's Children, a gift he's still grinning about.

I'm back to work this afternoon. Unfortunately, just a few minutes ago, my throat got really sore and swollen. I hope it's not a relapse. Dear god, no.

Last night, after kung fu, I had planned on visiting Freakwoman and BalthCat. However, for some bizarre reason, people started appearing in my apartment, and I didn't get to go out. I ended up watching a terrible Wu-Tang Clan movie called Kung Fu Hero (the font on the box makes it look like "Kung Fu Herd", which is much funnier). The dubbing was atrocious, as should be expected, but the fight scenes were generally quite interesting. The plot was incomprehensible. I think it had something to do with political unrest and a Chinese Muslim uprising; it was confusing to the nth degree.

It felt awfully good to be back at kung fu, last night. Although I couldn't make it through all the kicking drills (I'm still recovering from the flu from hell), I found the intricacies of weight placement during punches informative. I need a lot more practice in this regard.

And now for a few links!

Making Scents: What would you do if you went bowling and someone asked you to smell their balls?

Lawsuit Against David Copperfield: "David Copperfield has been using my godly powers to perform his magic." Odd.

Brady Bunch Kung Fu Hands-On: Also very odd.

Zero Gravity Cat: Cats don't like being in zero G. I'm not surprised.

Man with two penises can't get any loving...: "A German man, who persuaded doctors to give him a second penis, lost his wife after he showed her the result."

101 Unuseless Japanese Inventions: I wish I could see them more clearly.

Bellydance Movement Vocabulary: Maybe I'll try some of these combinations in class some day....

Review: Tribal Fusion Belly Dance: Yoga, Isolations and Drills (14:30 AST, The ShanMonster)

Today I finally got to try Rachel Brice's DVD Tribal Fusion Belly Dance: Yoga, Isolations and Drills. I decided to go with the 30-minute practice drills (there are three: 15-, 30-, and 45-minute). Rachel starts the session off with a sun salutation (for a good warmup) and then with the locust asana (which is excellent for strengthening the lower back). She then goes into drills for various isolations and locks. She starts each isolation slowly, going through the muscles which should be contracted or released. Then each movement is smoothed out and sped up.

Some reviewers complain that Rachel doesn't explain why the movements look so different on her. First of all, Rachel has very little body fat. Therefore, as each muscle is engaged, it is much more evident than it would be on a less sinewy dancer. Secondly, her movements are very clean and smooth because she has been drilling on a regular basis. Although drills are not exciting, repetition and consistency are the key to mastery. If you follow along with the drills on this DVD on a regular and meticulous basis, you will become a more precise, isolated, and technical dancer. I have no doubts on this.

The video isn't perfect. One minor flaw is Rachel's camera-shyness. She never looks directly at the camera, and remains very detached. Once or twice, it is a bit difficult to see what she is doing when the camera pans so the mirror is directly behind her. She's wearing dark pants, and the reflection is also dark. However, the camera continues panning, and before long, it's easy to see what she's doing. Again, this is a minor problem.

The worst thing about the video is the additional performance video. Rachel does a very interesting dance to a dark and gothy song, and the camera-man decides to get all experimental on us. During the 3-minute or so performance, there are more than 100 strobe-like cuts. I can see that they were going for an edgy, music video feel, but considering the audience for this DVD is comprised of people who want to get a better understanding of Rachel's dancing, the edits are inappropriate and frustrating. It's impossible to follow any one movement to completion. It would have been much nicer had there been a performance clip which shows the movements in a clear and unchopped fashion. Edgy, clipped videos could be saved for entertainment rather than educational DVDs.

On the flip side, the camera work for the drill section, although not static, is clear and appropriate. When the camera goes in for a closeup of Rachel's abdomen, it's when she's demonstrating which muscles to contract. When it flows along the contour of her spine, it's showing the correct alignment during yoga asanas. Some videos dwell on the incorrect body part (eg. on a dancer's face or chest when the instruction is focusing upon hip or footwork). This never happens in this DVD.

Also, Rachel has a pleasant and strong voice, and she explains each movement clearly.

The music (by Pentaphobe) is a minimalistic fusion of dark electronic and Middle Eastern rhythms. It may not be to everyone's liking, but I enjoy it.

I strongly recommend this video to anyone who wants to improve their isolation skills. I intend on using the DVD frequently.

Monday, March 14, 2005

Once More Into the Breach (22:25 AST, The ShanMonster)

Without going into any details, I'd like to state that being at work today was like being at war. People on break looked positively shellshocked, and I wouldn't be surprised if one or two people have nervous breakdowns. I, however, survived.

I wonder how bad it will be on Wednesday?

Review: The Ultimate Bellydance Fitness Workout (01:33 AST, The ShanMonster)

The Ultimate Bellydance Fitness Workout DVD is titled hyperbolically. Although I agree it is not a bad workout, there are better dance workout videos on the market. Better videos have even been produced by the same company.

The video has several problems. First of all, it's described as being appropriate for all levels of fitness/dance. This is not true. Few of the movements are explained, and some of the movements (like the head spins) are downright dangerous if done incorrectly. Since no explanation is given, I wouldn't be surprised if people haven't already wrenched their necks badly. I would never recommend this video for a beginner, but only for someone who already has a strong foundation in Middle Eastern dance.

Secondly, dance jargon is used in the video without benefit of definitions. Ballet terminology is used without explanation, and is meaningless to those without classical dance backgrounds.

The voice-overs are often off-putting. There are times when Jehan counts time with the music, and her rhythm is off. Or she'll describe a move at a different rate to what is being done on screen (eg. she'll be saying hip hip step while the dancer is doing some other combination). This is very confusing. It might be easier to do the video without the sound.

Next, the focus is very New Agey. This may appeal to fans of Dolphina, but for more secular dancers and fitness aficionados, it is a turn off.

Most annoying of all are instances when a movement is described, but not shown. A prime example would be a bouncy folkloric step in which the foot and legwork are not shown. The feet and legs are integral to the movement, but are shown only fleetingly, and partway through the video segment. This is bad camerawork and direction.

The video extras are not of the best quality. One of the biggest problems is the onscreen text. It is very blurry, and sometimes impossible to read. I was going by guesswork on a few things.

The DVD also includes a dance prayer which is more silly than inspiring.

Generally, the costuming choices are good. However, at the very beginning, Jehan is wearing a lovely, flowing skirt which obscures what her legs are doing. Also, several dancers are wearing denim, which I don't think is the most comfortable choice, but at least it doesn't obstruct the view. That's just a matter of taste, I guess. The dancers are all very easy to see against the white background. It's nice to see an uncluttered and distracting set. However, the name of the video is branded down the left side throughout the workout, and that's pretty annoying.

On the plus side, anyone who does this video all the way through will be getting a good cardio workout. The warmup and cooldown are solid (aside from the head flinging), and if you keep practicing with the video, your hipwork should improve. The dancers are competent and have good camera presence. Also, the music is interesting and works well with the workout sections. The video has its flaws, but being boring is not one of them.

Sunday, March 13, 2005

Better (20:13 AST, The ShanMonster)

I'm feeling enormously better. I did both dance classes today without too much trouble. I have the advanced students working on combinations. The most recent combination is a grapevine with a maya and a shoulder shimmy. We also did grapevines with accented mayas. I've tried throwing undulations into the mix, but I need a lot more practice before I'd think about tossing that into a performance. And since I was feeling so much better today, I did a pistol, just to see if I could. I could, and I did, although it was shaky as hell. I was prepared to go in to work tonight, but I was already scheduled out because of my doctor's note. So I get to go in tomorrow instead. Oh goody! There's nothing more I love in this world than being on the phones for eight hours!

Being sick for more than a week has given me plenty of opportunity to watch lots of bad movies (and some good ones, too). I've been too braindead to do anything cerebral, so bad movies hit the spot. Over the past week, I've watched the following flicks:

• Tarzan & The Trappers: Really terrible adventure movie. Tarzan is the ur-Hercules.
• The Fifth Element: Fun movie, but what a dreadful ending.
• Stargate: Ugh!
• Shark Attack 3: Megalodon: So bad it ought to be a classic. Hilariously awful.
• Vampires Vs Zombies: Must be one of the worst movies ever made. EVER.

I wish I could be paid to sit and watch bad movies. I'd be such a hard worker!

Tonight, I think I'll be playing RoboRally. Maybe I'll watch a movie afterwards.

In the meantime, check out these links:

• Kingsland Man Accused Of Setting Up Meth Lab In K-Mart Bathroom: Now that's what I call cheeky!
• Substitute Arrested After Giving Students Pot: This sounds like a scenario in a teen movie.
• Poor show by Einstein look-alikes: "A New York university planned to mark the 127th birthday of genius physicist Albert Einstein by bringing dozens of his look-alikes together in a room."

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