Dance, magic, dance

May 15, 2007 6 Comments read Live Shows, Reviews

On Saturday, Carrie and I got gussied up and went downtown to the Fifth Avenue Theatre to see Edward Scissorhands: The Play.

Earlier in the week, Carrie’s barista had led her to believe that this wasn’t a play in the strictest sense, but more of a musical. So when Carrie and I sat down, we expected something along the lines of ‘all singing, all dancing’. It turns out we were only half right–this would’ve been far better billed as “Edward Scissorhands: The Ballet” or “Edward Scissorhands: The Interpretive Dance”. Which isn’t to say it was bad–just that it was surprising! For a while, my mind kept trying to reject it–“You are NOT arty enough to appreciate this, you are NOT arty enough to appreciate this” but when I shoved that part of me back, I found it truly enchanting.

It definitely made me wish I had seen the movie more recently, as I felt I would’ve appreciated what was going on more if I had a clear memory of the progression of the narrative. Still, the show did an amazing job of telling a story quite clearly without words, and it’s quite possible that it was an adaptation that was better served without words.

The scenes between Edward and Kim were breathtakingly beautiful; not only was it easier to focus on the dancing when there were only two people onstage instead of twenty or more, but it seemed that extra efforts were made with their choreography. Immediately before the intermission, there is a scene where Edward shows Kim the topiaries he’s made, and as they dance together, what initially appeared as set pieces came to life and started dancing with them. It was gorgeously done, but that didn’t stop the gigglefest between Carrie and I come intermission. “Oh mum, I’m so excited–I got the part I’ve always dreamed of playing–DANCING BUSH NUMBER THREE!” “It’s so cute, it’s like a little bush dinosaur!” “I’m going to sign programs with XOXOX, Topiary Lizard!”

Half the people around us were highly entertained by our little intermission show, and half of them were giving us the stink-eye. The girl on my right, in particular, who couldn’t have been more than sixteen, gave me the stinkiest stink-eye in the history of the world. But come ON now, it’s not as if I was talking/giggling/making jokes DURING the show, and it truly cannot be expected that I’ll be stifled for many hours running!

It certainly didn’t hurt my enjoyment of Edward Scissorhands: Dance-O-Rama to note that the actor who danced Edward had an amazing ass. I think I missed a decent portion of the action just because I couldn’t take my eyes away from his hindquarters. It’s ok, though, as when you’re staring from a distance, it just appears that you are a VERY attentive theatre-goer.

Many, many thanks to Carrie for taking me to this show-I truly enjoyed myself, and I don’t think I could have enjoyed seeing it nearly as much with anyone else.

This theatre review brought to you due to an emotard post I had made a while back. If this is the sort of birthday gift one receives because one whines about one’s friends being too busy, I’m going to have to be an emotard more often.

The honey tastes sweeter when you anger the bees

May 15, 2007 10 Comments read Live Shows, Reviews

On Friday I decided to throw caution to the wind and drive to Portland to see Mike, against my better judgement regarding the condition of my car to make such a drive. It went remarkably better than my last trip to Portland to see him perform, as there was no torrential downpour to cause me to skid across the road.

I found Dante’s without too much trouble, and gave hallucinas a call as soon as I pulled into a parking lot. She wasn’t home, so the best I could do was leave a message and hope she got it before I left the city.

Dante’s was a really nice venue–good atmosphere, plenty of seats, eager-to-please staff–if I lived in Portland, I could easily see myself spending a lot of time there. Incidentally, it was one of the places where the Comedians of Comedy recorded part of their DVD; I recognized it the second I stepped inside.

The people there were very friendly, and I got to chat with quite a few before the bands started performing. After the first set, I saw I had a voicemail–Relish had called and said she wasn’t going to be able to make it out, but that her couch was open to me, should I need a place to crash.

Mike’s show was even better than the previous evening, though personally a majority of that had to do with the absence of the Most Annoying Couple In The World. Again, I got to spend some quality time with him afterwards, but cut it a bit short as it was already 1:30 and I knew it would take me approximately 2.5-3 hours to get home, and I was already starting to drag.

In retrospect, I should’ve taken Relish up on the couch offer, as my lids started to get heavy the second I got back onto the highway. It didn’t help that I absolutely, positively did NOT want to stop at a rest stop. The reason behind my resolve was due to a movie I had rented a few days earlier–a french family drama (A Ma Soeur), which I felt was fairly decent…up until the point where they are all senselessly murdered/raped at a rest area. No purpose to it, whatsoever. When I watched it, I thought surely it was a dream that someone was having, and that they’d wake soon, but the scene kept going and getting increasingly uncomfortable to watch. Now I knew I couldn’t go to a rest stop because even if I tried to get some sleep, it would be fitful and in my mind I’d see someone with an axe coming at the windshield the whole time. I also remembered all too well the semi-prophetic, mostly terrifying dream/reality thing that happened the last time I slept in my car.

So I drove straight home from Portland. At one point, a car in front of me slammed its brakes–I snapped to, hit my brakes, and hit my turn left turn signal to avoid an accident, only to find that there WAS no car in front of me. And also, that there was a state trooper on my left. I mentally prepared myself to be pulled over, but for some reason, the cop passed me, got into the far right lane, and exited. I expected him to come screaming up the onramp behind me, but apparently this cop had bigger fish to fry.

The really scary thing–the trip was about an hour shorter than it should have been. It seemed like an incredibly fast drive; I’d look up and 30-40 miles had passed in the blink of an eye. This points to two things: 1)Alien abduction, which only exists in the pages of the Weekly World News, and 2)I was sleeping behind the wheel for a large portion of the trip, and was apparently speeding an insane amount as well.

It’s scary to think that I could’ve easily killed someone or died behind the wheel out of pure stubbornness. Next time, I’m taking the couch, or risking axe-death, rather than taking the lives of other people on the road into my careless hands.

Taiwan Part Six: Double Ten Day

March 3, 2006 4 Comments read Live Shows, Taiwan, Travel

Although Taiwan was officially founded on January 1, 1912, the events on October 10, 1911 are considered to be the spark that brought down the Manchu dynasty and led to the establishment of the ROC. October 10 commemorates the Wuchang Uprising; the Chinese people were fed up with the Manchu court. When people in the Szechuan Province found out that their railway company–built by the Chinese, for the Chinese, with hard-earned Chinese money–had been sold to a foreign interests, they rioted. The government tried to suppress the rioters and restore order. However, an accidental bomb explosion on October 10 precipitated the revolt. Troops mutinied, and within a few days, 15 provinces had declared their independence from the ruling Manchus, causing their downfall. Traditionally, displays of nationalism are everywhere. Flags are hung. Parades put honor guards, dignitaries, celebrities and traditional dance and music on display. Spectacular fireworks light up the sky over the Tamsui River in Taipei. On 10-10-2000, I went with my host mother to Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall to watch the performances. They also had a huge market set up with all manner of traditional Taiwanese crafts and foods. Aunt Tracy bought me a gorgeous silk fan, and I’m STILL trying to figure out how to hang it on the wall without damaging it.

Drum Dance

The ‘Waist-Drum Formation’ is also known as ‘Waist-Drum Planting Songs’, which originated from a dance of the inhabitants of the northern Shensi Province. It was intended to celebrate the yearly harvest and Chinese New Year. Afterwards, it became a rain dance due to the frequent droughts in the Huang-Tu plateau. ‘Jump-Drum Formation’ is a dance originating from soldiers and people celebrating victory after a war along the coastal provinces of China. Both dances are accompanied by percussion instruments (gongs and drums) in order to create an atmosphere of excitement.

God of the Wind Procession

In the past, processions have been in integral part of temple festivals and celebrations of Taiwan’s mainly agricultural society. With the advance of industry in Taiwan, the processions have become an important way to remember their cultural heritage. The Banchia Chao-Ho Association performed “Heavenly Generals and Northern-Style Music” which included six large effigy puppets: the four generals Hsiao, Chang, Liu, and Lian, along with ‘good eyesight’ and ‘good hearing’. The puppets led processions in an act called “Asking for General-Gods”. In addition to the procession, acrobatics and music are performed to help welcome the gods. These acrobatics include Chung-Chow stilts; said stilts originated in the Yellow Basin, where soldiers tied wooden sticks to their legs in order to walk through the marshes. According to legend, the Generals are in the service of the Gods, and their official duty is to expel ghosts and devils during the Gods’ inspection trip.

Hakka Songs and Dances

The Taoyuan, Hsinchu and Miaoli counties are the main areas inhabited by Taiwan’s Hakka communities. A majority of Hakka communities spend their time growing tea trees in the mountains. During the (arguably boring) process of picking tea leaves, they created folk songs sung by two singers who respond to each other. In the song, they express their feelings regarding all matters in life (with the exception of perhaps their feelings about red staplers and gay marriage.)

Harvest Ceremony Celebration

The harvest ceremony is the most important celebration of the Ami tribe. During the slack season from July to August, Ami people hold a grand celebration to express their gratitude to the earth and their ancestors for the plentiful harvest of grain, rice, and bamboo shoots. Note the traditional costume, including the traditional electronic watch that has been passed down for generations by the ancestors.

Lanterns and Colored Hangings In traditional Chinese society, decorations of lanterns and colored hangings have been an inherent part of weddings and other celebrations. Red lanterns and red silk hangings symbolically create a joyful atmosphere. This dance was performed by the Lukang Art Troupe to symbolize the importance of said lanterns.

A Meeting of Lions from the North and South The lion dance tradition of the north and south of China are divided by the Yang-tze River. Magnificent mountains and hills spread out south of the river, and the southern lions are therefore magnificently decorated. The cold weather to the north of the river causes the northern lions to grow long manes, mostly vibrant reds and yellows. In “A Meeting of Lions from the North and South”, two groups of lion dancers demonstrate their virtuosity individually and then play and frolic with one another. The acrobatics performed while in these giant costumes, by what looked like mostly little kids were AMAZING.

Harmony The “Eight Immortals” Taiwanese opera and the “Handsome Monkey King Sun Wu-kong” Peking opera were combined into one performance for this celebration. The story premise is that the Immortals and the Monkey King are engaged in an argument on their way to Formosa to attend the Jade Emperor’s birthday celebration. The Jade Emperor sends his most revered grandmother and the Old Immortal of the South Pole to settle the dispute, turning the two sides from foe to friend. Awwww. I’d like an Old Immortal from the South Pole to accompany me and settle my road rage disputes. After the performances at Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall were over, Aunt Tracy and I went back to her apartment, where we met up with Dave and watched the incredible fireworks show from their roof. I can only imagine what the celebration will be like when Taiwan is truly free.