Creative dance

 

In the art of dance, I decided to choose pole dancing. Although controversial, it is actually hard work and a great way to get in shape in many ways. I have attended classes and it is quite fun, and I am fascinated by the creativity that the professionals use in this type of dance.

Pole dance is a form of performance art, historically associated with strip clubs and dance clubs, which combines dance and acrobatics centered on a vertical pole. This art form has recently gained popularity as a form of fitness and mainstream entertainment, practised by many enthusiasts in gyms and in dedicated dance studios. A wide range of amateur and professional competitions are held in many countries around the world.
Since the mid 2000s, promoters of pole dance fitness competitions have been trying to change peoples’ perception of pole dance and to promote it as a non-sexual form of dance and acrobatics. Pole dance has furthermore been influenced by Chinese pole, a form of acrobatics that is most notably performed in circus. Competitive pole dance competitions are by and large performed in a non-prurient fashion which combines a range of dance styles and/or gymnastics.
Pole dance requires significant strength, flexibility and endurance.^[1] Pole dance proper involves athletic moves such as climbs, spins, and body inversions using the limbs to grip. Upper body and core strength are required to attain proficiency, and rigorous training is necessary.^[2][3]
Pole dance is now regarded as a form of exercise^[4] which can be used as both an aerobic and anaerobic workout.

Cinema- Dolly shot

For cinema technique, I choose Spike Lee and his infamous "Dolly shot" he uses in most of his films. The technique brings a realistic connection between the viewer and the character, it also adds much emotion into that connection, and he never fails to use this technique at least once. 

Spike Lee is one of the most well known living filmmakers for a number of reasons. His controversial nature, the taboo subject matter of his films, his prolific filmography, and so on. But one thing that is discussed far too rarely is Lee’s technical style. This includes his penchant for changing aspect ratios, fluctuating film stocks, morphing color tones, and, of course, his signature double dolly shot.

If you’ve ever seen a Spike Lee film, you’ve undoubtedly noticed a moment when a character appears to be floating toward the camera. Now, most every film made uses a dolly at some point during its production. Usually, a dolly shot is executed by mounting a camera on a tripod, and mounting that tripod to a track. The camera glides in, away, back or forth. For Lee’s double dolly shot, he set up a dolly per usual, then puts the actor on another dolly, and moves the camera and the actor at the same time. So, essentially, the actor is standing on a small board that is mounted to a track, and the board is then pushed forward, as the camera is pushed away.

A Raisin in the Sun

An American classic, A Raisin in the Sun takes place in the late ‘50s in a south side Chicago apartment, chronicling the lives of the members of an African-American family. Matriarch Lena plans to buy a home in an all-white neighborhood when she receives a hefty insurance check. Her son Walter dreams of buying a liquor store and being his own man, and her daughter Beneatha dreams of attending medical school. The tensions and prejudice they face create the drama in this beloved play.

I read this book andn enjoyed the movie, I feel the play did the book more justice and tha tis why I choose this play because the dramatic impact it had on many people past and present due to the issues from the past and the issues that still exist today. It is an amazing play and highly inspirational to me and many others. 

Spoken Word

This first video is called "A Blues for Nina", which made its first appearance in the movie Love Jones. This poem was powerful, sexy and deep, written by poet Regie Gibson, whom I have had the pleasure of meeting and watching perform several times at "Da Poetry Lounge" in Hollywood. This very scene in the movie is what intrigued me about spoken word and got me hooked. I love to write and perform it and it has been a passion of mine for many years. It has been a long time since I have performed and hopefully I get enough courage to share one of my pieces with the class.

I had to share another video by a good friend of mine, Shihan, who is also a member of the Hollywood Slam Team, this is my favorite piece of his called This Type Love... so I had to also share:

Whats goin on?

"What's Going On" is a song by American recording artist Marvin Gaye, released in 1971 on the Motown subsidiary, Tamla. Originally inspired by a police brutality incident witnessed by Renaldo "Obie" Benson, the song was composed by Benson, Al Cleveland and Gaye and produced by Gaye himself. The song, which focused on major seventh and minor seventh chords,^[2] and was oriented in sounds byjazz, gospel and classical music orchestration, was mainly viewed as a meditation on the troubles and problems of the world, proving to be a timely and relatable release, and marked Gaye's departure from the Motown Sound towards more personal material. Later topping the Hot Soul Singles chart for five weeks and crossing over to number-two on the Billboard Hot 100, it would sell over two million copies, becoming Gaye's second most successful Motown song to date.^[3]

The song topped Detroit's Metro Times list of the 100 Greatest Detroit Songs of All Time,^[4] and in 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked it the fourth greatest song of all time, in its updated 2011 list, the song remained at that position.^[5] It is also included in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll list, along with two other songs by the singer.^[6] It was also listed at number fourteen on VH-1's 100 Greatest Rock Songs" wikimusic

This is a song I love and still enjoy listening to. When Marvin created this song, you could hear the emotion in his voice that was coming off from what was happening during that time, I felt it relevant to today because even 30 years later, we are still experiencing the same issues, and I one day hope that things will change for the sake of our kids and our future in America. 

Ark Hotel Architechture

Ark Hotel of China is remarkable achievement of the interesting buildings in the world. Design by Russian company Remistudio,with the help of the International Union of Architects’ Architecture program for disaster relief. The Ark hotel is created just like a rainbow and is build with wooden arches, of steel cables and a layer of self-cleaning plastic rather than glass to provide it an unbelievable new look.It is designed is such a away that it uses UPS power to utilize alternative energy sources through solar panels and a system of rainwater harvesting to fulfill the needs of the people regarding power and water. 

The dome-shaped hotel is constructed with wooden arches, steel cables and a “self-cleaning” plastic layer instead of glass.Further, the 14,000 square metre shell-like construction of arches and cables distributes the weight evenly, meaning it can withstand earthquakes.It has also been designed to stay afloat in the event of floods or rising seas.It would be built around a central pillar connecting to roof-top wind generators and heat pumps, as well as to energy storage and thermal conversion units below.There will also be a “tornado” energy generating spiral at the top of the pillar.Daylight is filtered through to internal rooms due to the hotel’s see-through structure, reducing the need for lighting.There will be an array of vegetation to aid air quality and provide food sources.The Ark project was designed by Russian firm Remistudio with the assistance of the International Union of Architects’ program Architecture for Disasters Relief.

I am very fond of the ocean life, and came across this hotel. I am fascinated by not only the architecture of it but also how it is floating. It would be pretty awesome if it could actually move to different locations in the ocean around China. I would love to visit this and observe the ocean in the underwater rooms too.. 

Hyperrealistic sculptures by Ron Mueck

This week I viewed several sculptures by London-based sculptor Ron Mueck, formerly a model maker and puppeteer for children's television and films, has been creating fine art sculptures since 1996. Using resin, fiberglass, silicone, and many other materials, Mueck constructs hyperrealistic likenesses of human beings, while playing with scale. The detailed sculptures are captivating when viewed up close, as they may be many times larger or smaller than expected. His work leaves me with various feelings, thoughts and questions...

  Below is an idea of how he created his piece, Big Man. 

My personal favorite of his is "Youth"...although he depicted it from what he knows in the streets of London, it speaks volumes here in comparison. This young boy is shown looking in disbelief at his stab wound, the feeling I get is how the reality of his lifestyle may have now registered...I ask myself if he will make the decision to live his life differently or will there be a next time that will end his life? Currently here in America, young black males are not given the chance to make that decision, as now it seems their lives are not being valued, not by each other, and most definitely not by society...too many have been killed senselessly...and it saddens me.