Taptastic

I'm so happy to be tapping again! Project:Motion has implemented a month of tap technique classes to help us brush up our skills (as far as I know there is NO open tap class offered in Memphis, that means at least a 2 year break for everyone I know...) before we start cracking down for Frame by Frame rehearsals. I always enjoyed the occasional tap class while in studio training but I really fell in love with tap in college. No joke, I took a tap class for 4 or 5 consecutive semesters (the only time I've ever had buff calf muscles!). For those of you that have not discovered your inner TapDog, I will let you know that tap is totally as fun as it looks, instant happy-maker. The balance of physical/mental exercise is perfect and each successful moment, hitting each sound, is gratifying. I'm looking into purchasing a portable tap floor and possibly some new shoes as well. Don't act surprised if, in the near future, this blog has a little scuff in its step.

Classical tap is so... classy!

Don't you think?

xo

P.S. I'll be teaching the P:M class this evening; 7:30 - 9PM @ TheatreWorks. We'll do it up ruuuullll gooood, so come out peeps!

Misfortune {deadwood}

Maybe Al Swearengen (actor Ian McShane) is the best played television character, ever.

Shakespearean in his delivery.

Rejection {adventures in online shopping}

Image via ASOS


So, I know you're all dying to know how my first online clothing purchase went...

Oh, okay.

Well...
Ima tell you anyway.

I had a feeling I was right about online shopping all along...

My first clothing purchase online. (Inhale, exhale) I wanted to set myself up for success, you know? I was secretly really hoping it would work out and I could emerge, like a phoenix or drag queen, from drab to fab. It was going to be glorious. Hoping to finally get out of my shopping phobia (cured, by online shoppping! It's so simple) and style rut, which is actually more like a trench (not the cool Burberry kind) or maybe a pothole.  

I even got out the damn measuring tape, it was an honest day. 

I really wanted to get it right and done with the first time.

So, like, it turns out that marketers oftentimes make sizing chart listings larger than the clothing actually fits, even online. People feel good when they get to buy smaller sizes (our unhealthy, obsessive culture), except for those individuals who double check and write down all of their dimensions according to said size chart (It sounds like it should be a relatively linear process, no?). The clothes arrive and were basically drowning me, so, like most, I filled out all of the necessary paperwork and emailed ASOS letting them know I would be exchanging sizes. Funny enough, I got an email reply that my refund had been processed. 

Wait, what? refund? 

Yeah, so no one read the paperwork I included in the shipment or the email according to my order number I sent just in case. That, or, they don't think I deserve to wear their clothes unless I figure out how to buy them right on the first try. Damn you ASOS, I had big plans for you. 

What do I do? Try again?
It sounds like a trick.

Help, 

Me

ASOS: 1

Sissy Jupe: Fail

Let's Go Exploring {NOLA}

It happened just yesterday.

An itch, no, a pang

a longing

 for "The Big Easy"

 NOLA

Bizarre right? BAM! just. like. that.

and all of the sudden my heart's no longer content because I need to see it

Does anything sound more magical, more satiating?

Like I could fill (gorge) my mind and body and heart with the soul of New Orleans

I want to taste it.

rich culture, rich beauty, rich food 

thick air, thick swamps, thick accents

Just yesterday, and my heart is longing to smell and touch and see.

I live 6 hours away, I can't believe this hasn't happened yet...

Darling has already been emailed about all this. Is there something in the air around my birthday that makes me yearn for the deep South? Last year it was Savannah, GA. It appears to be New Orleans this time 'round. 2012? I hear the beaches in Alabama are gorgeous... 

photo source 1 - photo source 2 - photo source 3 - photo source 4 

Frame By Frame {six feet under}

Image via Flickr

Well, we're all wounded. We carry our wounds around with us through life, and eventually they kill us. 

Things happen that leave a mark in space, in time. In us.

Brenda, Six Feet Under S1 E2

Frame By Frame {six feet under}

I need to talk film.

Have you seen Six Feet Under? I think it's one of the most amazing things I've ever experienced on film. As one of the forerunners (in the now pervasive, but then new phenomenon) of television as epic drama broken into hour long episodic segments, I think the series aided in revolutionizing screen art as a form. I'm making a choice to pursue this as my film touchstone for my piece in the next Project:Motion show, Frame by Frame. It may change, but I'm beginning the exploration here. It definitely gives me more material than I can chew, I need to begin teasing out some themes/elements. I think the narrowing is going to be the more interesting/difficult part.


Darling and I started a discussion of what we find authentic, meaningful and thought provoking about the series. Here are some thoughts I've scribbled in my notebook as I force myself to start articulating things (yes, we're still talking about dance. if you think it sounds like a metaphor for my life you're probably right but we'll need a stiff drink and some time to kill to go there.)

- honestly represents the inappropriate conversations you have with yourself

- the romance of the family drama, of the personal life (like Whitman, in love with the self)

-presents raw human condition with a soft comical edge, ironic, irreverent. 

- Academically beautiful (as a construction of film; cinematography, lighting, sets, script) and reveals the human condition as beautiful, that is, imperfect and honest.

This is the very beginning of the conversation

anything you have to share or input is welcome

six feet under

love it? hate it? any thoughts?

 

xo

Old Books Smell Good {Bookish}

 Pinned on Pinterest

Lignin, the stuff that prevents all trees from adopting the weeping habit, is a polymer made up of units that are closely related to vanillin. When made into paper and stored for years, it breaks down and smells good. Which is how divine providence has arranged for secondhand bookstores to smell like good quality vanilla absolute, subliminally stoking a hunger for knowledge in all of us.

Perfumes: The Guide via YMFY

Good to know, good to know

AXIS {Weekend Roundup}

Photos via Live From Memphis (click link for a show review)

Holy. Moly. This weekend was standout from my usual 2-days-off rotation. In general, attending 3 concerts in 3 days would be unusually busy, but we outdid ourselves this time, busy busy bees.  Darling and I bypassed our 3 year anniversary (celebration this week), hosted 2 guest artists (kind, gracious, talented) in our home from Deadfall Dance (Boston), wrapped up tech week, ran sound for 3 performances and made an epic last-minute lobby mix, BBQ and Blues on Beale St. with the Boston crew into the wee hours, new boots bruises (ah, to suffer for some semblance of style!), cast party, park visits, breakfast + mimosas, homemade marinara, stage strike (yikes, I'm so sore), spaghetti + meatballs dinner party with friends and puppies, and top it all off with a workday (everyone else I know is still on weekend break with this president's day off!). 

Happy Presidents Day to you!

xoxo

AXIS {Project:Motion}

Hey y'all, it's time for another Project:Motion show!

Opening night tonight and runs through Sunday at Evergreen Theatre

Located at the corner of Poplar and Belvedere in Midtown

PROJECT: MOTION presents AXIS:
Boston and Chicago converge in Memphis in an intimate concert featuring guest artists and Project: Motion dancers

Project: Motion invites distant and diverse modern dance artists from across the map to converge in Memphis for "AXIS," a weekend of compelling and effervescent dance. Established as a perennial concert, this performance features work by Boston choreographer Judith Tribo Wombwell (Project:Motion co-founder), dancers from Deadfall Dance, and Chicago dance artist, Peter Carpenter.

EVENT INFO:
Dates: Feb. 18-20, 2011 (Fri and Sat @ 8 p.m. and Sun @ 2 p.m.)
**Bring in a used cellphone to donate to Verizon Hopeline's drive for victims of domestic abuse and receive $5 off your ticket price**
Evergreen Theatre, 1705 Poplar Ave.

TICKETS:
Prices: $20/Adults & $15/Students and Seniors
Tickets Buy One, Get One Free on Sun Feb 20, 2011 (adult tickets only)
Call 901-214-LEAP
www.projectmotiondance.org

GUEST ARTISTS WEBSITES:
www.jwombwell.com
www.petercarpenterperformance.com

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:
www.artsmemphis.org
www.midtownyoga.com
www.arts.state.tn.us

CHIP IN to the SHOW
http://projectmotion.chipin.com/axis-artist-exchange

 

You've heard less about this show as I won't be dancing but I will be running sound each night, so come out and say hello! Your continued support is what keeps our non-profit producing, giving us the space to create and execute that which feels necessary for us dancers to maintain balance in our lives and share what we love most. Much love to you! 

Merde dancers!

xo

Paint Love {mandrakes & muck-snipes}

A few weeks back, Art Hound posted a spotlight on LA artist Aaron Smith. I've got to say it had been a while since something has grabbed me with the same intensity that his fearless and "irreverent" use of color did. The work continues to feel new every time I glimpse at it. Fierce execution.

 

Lately, I easily tire of the light blown-out, ultra-femme, over-photoshopped (Lightness! Brightness! Contrast! Saturation! anyone?) imagery that is so pervasive in blogland (or at least the corner of it that dominates my blog experience). If you've read this blog (even for a small amount of time) you realize that my statement is not a diss (guilty, as charged) it's just that there is something about these unapologetically bold and masculine figures that I find so refreshing.

One day I hope to have the cash (as in money, not puppy) for work like this. Indeed, I do believe I could provide a good, nourishing home of love and appreciation for such unique pieces.

Here's the link to his blog where you can find links to his other blogs, tumblr, and flickr stream. Ch-ch-check it out.

Notes On Style

 

Pinned on Pinterest

As I begin to grow my hair out I find myself thinking of ways I could style/cut my locks to keep some semblance of shape in the often long and awkward journey that growing hair out is. I think I'm going take this photo to my stylist tomorrow. It's so nice to see the bob done with fresh perspective. I'm so glad the "dog-ear" sharp A-line cuts made viral a few years back a la Victoria Beckham have found their way out. This cut is so much less a statement about semi-edgy hair and focuses on framing the beauty of the face.

Perfect for spring, me thinks!

Prodigy

prod·i·gy /ˈprɒdɪdʒi/ Show Spelled[prod-i-jee]  

–noun, plural -gies.

1. a person, especially a child or young person, having extraordinary talent or ability: a musical prodigy.

2. a marvelous example (usually followed by of ).

3. something wonderful or marvelous; a wonder.

4. something abnormal or monstrous.

That's the correct noun for this post title, yes?

Here's the latest little gem sent to my inbox

my jaw dropped

check.

[in] justice {you got served}

Image via Darren Booth

Remember when I received 2 fix-it tickets in 40 mins?

Remember how the second cop scheduled my court date the very next day following ticket #1's court date?

ugh.

201 Poplar baby

court day 2 of 2

fin.

Legal System: 4

Sissy Jupe: Fail

Fancy Dressy

Loving this barely there pink number from ASOS

Pretty beading, ultra feminine, lots of movement

Does it still look as nice if not worn on a tan, 5' 10" 120 lb. model's frame?

Can I justify buying it if I promise to wear it to an upcoming wedding?

questions, questions

xo

Bookish {-Adjective. 3. of or pertaining to books; literary}

 We've heard all about the heart this week, what about another aspect of your anatomy?

 Pinned on Pinterest

The human brain is a web of a hundred billion neurons, maybe as many as two hundred billion, with trillions of axons and dendrites exchanging quadrillions of messages by way of at lest fifty different chemical transmitters. The organ with which we observe and make sense the universe is, by a comfortable margin, the most complex object we know of in that universe. 

And yet, it's also a lump of meat.

-- Jonathan Franzen, How to be Alone

A Valentine For You

The Lovers

Rene Magritte (Belgian, 1898-1967)

1928. Oil on canvas.

St. Valentine

 Pinned via Flickr

O You Whom I Often and Silently Come

O YOU whom I often and silently come where you are, that I may be with you;
As I walk by your side, or sit near, or remain in the same room with you,
Little you know the subtle electric fire that for your sake is playing within me.

-- Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass

The Carl Sagan Radio Lab valentine I posted last year is still the most romantic story I've ever heard.

Deadlines

 Image via The Ballerina Project

"Sometimes there isn't a clear intention; there is only an inner drive, a restless energy, vague and undirected, a need to create."

-- Lynne Anne Blom + L. Tarin Chaplin, The Intimate Act of Choreography

new reading material, a bajillion idea particles, inspiration, deadlines

it's all about running with whatever that thing is...

right now it's a song and a bajillion idea particles.

hopefully, it will begin to fruit as I let the process happen

I trust it.

Of course it will be work and lots of decision making

but I'm open to the whole process this time 'round

open to what comes

hoping for intuition and awareness

instead of trying to force ideas into fruition

what's inspiring you?

xoxo

Bookish {- Adjective. 1. given or devoted to reading or study.} 2011

Book 2

The Corrections - Jonathan Franzen

Franzen's third novel, National Book Award winner The Corrections lives up to its hype in my reading of it. If you recall, his most recent novel Freedom made it into my top 5 reads for 2010 but now, upon the completion of it's predecessor, I think The Corrections is the better of the two. Again Franzen writes a contemporary novel, this time the story of a grown family (elderly parents and their three adult children) in the late 90s early 00s; dot-com-start-up-pre-9/11-era. Franzen takes his time to thoroughly introduce us to each of the family members, where their lives have taken them up to the present, where tensions culminate as they attempt to meet together for one last Christmas at Mom and Dad's house. Franzen's precision and wit in his observations feel so perfect as the story continues to digest in the brain. The story is compassionate, sympathetic, humanistic, dynamic, and forward propelling. I would find myself sitting, engrossed for hours at a time, unable to quit. In actuality I read the book in just a few days, but the days that fell between those days I got around to reading increased in number. My reading this year has so far been very slow I think I just needed a little time off after my 45 books push at the end of 2010 but I've gotten some new books that I can't wait to dig into. Franzen is quickly becoming one of my favorite living writers, I've already started another one.

Just A Suggestion

Pinned on Pinterest

 Went rollerskating again, totally dig it.
I suggest you consider trying it once, spice up the ol' weekend rotation.
It's the most fun you, little sister, and twenty five 9 year olds can have on four wheels
or a Friday night for that matter.

xo

Like the first time... {music monday}

I heard this song play on "shuffle" this weekend, it was like the first time I had ever heard it.

It rocked my world

Your skin's so fair it's not fair

beautiful.

"Your Lips Are Red," St. Vincent, Marry Me

* Sorry Darling, it's the only song I want to listen to right now. But you went through your acoustic "Maps" phase so I think you owe me this one

** If you can't get enough, like me, this live performance is pretty badass. I totally have a crush on her.

The Week In Food {birthday shenanigans}

Image via Dutch Lab USA

Because our work schedules have not allowed us to properly celebrate Darling's birthday, I've been cooking up a storm at home to celebrate Birthday Week (however we can, right?)(It's how we do).  I feel so accomplished (small victories, it's my world not yours). And, I've gone 7 full days without spending a dime on any form of eating out, not even coffee. We I* made some rendition of the following:



Thursday: Carrot and Red Pepper Soup (v)+ Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Roasted Red Pepper Hummus (v)

Friday: Chicken + Brussel Sprouts (+ onion + carrot) + Bacon

Saturday: Baked Salmon + Veggie Latkes (v), Guacamole (v)

Sunday:  Meatloaf (+ onion + carrot), Mashed Potato (I recently learned that 1 Russet potato makes plenty for 2 people), steamed asparagus (+ butter + lemon juice + salt & pepper)

 Monday: Moroccan Bay Scallops + Quinoa Pilaf (v)

Tuesday: Sage's Carrot Butter (v) (appetizer, also great on toast in the morning!), Marscapone + Goat Cheese + Homemade Marinara (v) (bake it and dip crostini. appetizer, soo delicious/dangerous). Made at home pepperoni pizza (but not homemade crust).

Wednesday: Curried Cauliflower and Lentils (similar recipe) + Basmati Rice (v).

Thursday: re-heated Roasted Butternut Squash Bisque (v) + Grilled Cheese (I always freeze half of my batch of soup when I make it). 

+ You know we threw in a few bottles of Oregon Pino which set it all off nicely. 

Yeah, Birthday Week!

It's been a marathon, yall. The realization becomes a little bit clearer, we are so spoiled to live in an age where we don't have to put forth all of our energy into merely feeding ourselves! It's a time consuming task and I'm not even growing this shit! But I have to say it is rewarding (the purchasing/planning/preparing part). I love the cooking. I really do. I'm still doing my best at putting forth an effort to make as much as possible from scratch at home, incorporating as many whole foods as we can, and hopefully, minimizing the amount of processed corn (it's most likely all corn, or soy--right?) we consume. What are you making these days? And I guess what I  mean by that is, what's rocking your world at dinner time these days? Please share! At this pace, Ima run out of recipes soon!

xoxo  

(v) - vegetarian or vegan friendly options

* - I sent this to Darling in an email that said, "I seriously wonder if you think this sometimes." 

Bookish {-Adjective. 3. of or pertaining to books; literary}

 Photo via Libby Jones Photography

"And when the event, the big change in your life, is simply an insight--isn't that a strange thing? That absolutely nothing changes except that you see things differently and you're less fearful and less anxious and generally stronger as a result: isn't it amazing that a completely invisible thing in your head can feel realer than anything you've experienced before? You see things more clearly and you KNOW that you're seeing them more clearly. And it comes to you that this is what it means to love life, this is all anybody who talks seriously about God is ever talking about. Moments like this."

— Jonathan Franzen, The Corrections

Best of Pinterest {familial honesty}

My sister pinned this and I laughed out loud. Here's an award for the best pin ever.

She's a Pinterest fool, btw. She finds the most amazing things, follow her boards here.

Allow Me To Introduce You

What would we do if friends stopped emailing me badass dance videos?

Hello Dance, Meet Film.

 You two should get along beautifully. 

And speaking of beauty; meet beauty, meet space, meet perspective, meet light, meet muscle, meet discipline, meet strength, meet talent, meet expression, meet vocabulary, meet story.

From the talented Canadian based company La la la human steps.

Notes On Style

Pinned on Pinterest

Another note on personal style:

I've been trying to grow my hair out, which is awkward.
My hair looks so much like Dylan's it's uncanny.

Pair it with an over-sized grandpa cardigan and the Memphis blues and I'm on it, man.

If retro is in, I'm so vintage.

There's A First Time For Everything {adventures in online shopping}

Okay, so we've admitted there's a slight problem when it comes to me + shopping. My sister has gone so far as to name it a phobia and recommend exposure therapy. I would argue my case isn't so severe as all that; unfortunately, Darling agrees with her. In order to prove myself I made my first (!!) online clothing purchase. (record scratch) Hold up, what?! Isn't it the 21st century? Hasn't this been going on with regularity for the last decade if not longer? Yeah. I know, I know. But you've got to remember you're talking to the girl that has been using her 9th grade backpack in lieu of a purse for three months now (because a. she's not a girl that has multiple bags to match multiple outfits b. she never got around to buying another after the previous bag utterly fell to pieces.) (Yeah, no worries, I remedied that one too.) So, in honor of the occasion, I'd like to thank my sister and Darling for their negative encouragement; I always knew I could prove you wrong. I would also  like to thank ASOS for their extensive online collection. And lastly, I'd like to thank my job for paying me, making this all possible.

woot!

xo