June Gloom 2011

It is the middle of June Gloom. It happens every year. It is depressing for those of us that need sunlight.


People that revel in the overcast clouds and morning drizzle are happy. You can tell. They are the ones not complaining about the lack of sun.

Me? I'm miserable. Ok, maybe sun deprived. Same thing. When I am walking around I try to look at the surroundings. What has changed? Is it their any more?

The above photo is the Pasadena Museum of Art. The outside of the museum may have something to do with the current exhibition of California Graffiti art on display until September 4, 2011. The museum also has jazz performances on the roof during the summer so it is a great place to check out.

If you have issues with sunlight and heat, go now. Those that like it toasty, give it another three weeks.

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Charles Stepney on the Finally Friday Freakout

I loved Earth, Wind and Fire, no doubt about it. But I was also an album reader. I would see the name Charles Stepney and not understand how important his contributions was to the music of the late 1970s and 80s.



This is a short video biography about Mr. Stepney so we all can get an idea of the richness of the much and the people that made it so.

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Lady Teena Marie Has Made Her Transition

I don't want to believe it. I just don't. But CNN, People and other media sources are saying that Teena Marie passed in her sleep.

This is Teena in a classic music video, Lovergirl.



Mercy. I'm not happy but if her spirit is at peace and pain free then so be it. This is Teena performing a rendition of His Eyes Is On the Sparrow.



Not ready to let my musical icons go but it seems I have no choice. Much peace and respect to her family and her extended musical family of fans who are hurting something awful tonight.

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Margaret Fabrizio and Turning 80

This is video by artist/vlogger Margaret Fabrizio. I guess the main take away from the video that I got was to go ahead and live your life to the best of your abilities.



I'm trying to strip away the filters that bind me to in-action. I need reminders like this to keep on moving forward.

Margaret has her website where you can view more videos, check out her art work, quilts, her collages absolutely rock; I love collage art so I am extremely biased but this is good stuff.

She has music for listening or downloading.

Margaret is starting to making me feel like a first class lazy bone couch potato. Definately give the site and her YouTube channel a visit.

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Health Insurance Workshop for Artists At The Armory

For those in the Pasadena, CA area and are of the artistic persuasion you might want to consider attending a free workshop called Health Insurance 101. I don't know much more about it than the post card I picked up at the Armory.

From the Health Insurance For Artists website:

This workshop provides unbiased information to help you navigate the tangled web of our health insurance options. Topics include:

• How to compare benefit designs.
• Individual & family plans.
• Guaranteed-issue group plans for the self-employed.
• Association plans for artists.
• What you need to know about health insurance reform.

Folks, I don't know if this is truly informational, a sales pitch or a two for one deal. If you go have a pound of questions ready and don't sign anything until you check it out.

On the other hand I do know that artists shouldn't have to depend on the fundraiser skills of friends and well wishers to pay for emergency health care or long term health care needs.

There next session of the workshop is September 11, 2010 at the Armory Center for the Arts 145 North Raymond Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91103

Seems like you to have to RSVP at http://armory.eventbrite.com.

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Poetry In Plain Sight - Armando Flores Jr.

Men are human beings. Women are human beings. When you separate the cruff and the extreme forms of base nature people there are some good folks who go through bad things. Some of them involve love.

If you are wise you write a poem about it. It was a hot Saturday afternoon but thank goodness the air conditioner in the library was working. This is Armando Flores, Jr. with his poem about the passing of love, Eulogy.



For more info on Armando or his work visit his blog at http://charactersoftheplay.blogspot.com

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Poetry In Plain Sight - CaLokie

I have always loved poetry. I use to participate in a poetry group. I wrote ok but not great poetry. I stopped because the pain of living grew to be greater that the pain of creating.

We need poetry. One of the things I want to see change is the visibility of poetry in our society. Not just by the anointed; it needs to be spoken by those of us on the front lines of life radio back to those to come we lived as best we can and here is what we found on the journey.

This is a touch-up of humanity in these times. This is my small contribution, long delayed.

CaLokie has seen a thing or two and works hard at crafting poems as a reminder that 140 characters does not always cut it - we need to soak up feelings, meaning and intent.

This is CaLokie with a poem about the six month anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti.



The Back Story

I have a memory, me, Alice Dayton, Don, CaLokie and a few others were sitting in a restaurant. We were trying to figure out how to advance and move poetry out of the niche or closed society it was in the early 1990s.

We didn't have an answer. We didn't have the full blown Internet that we have today.

A few weeks back I was curled up in the bed remembering what a crummy excuse for a human I was when I looked at the cover of To Kill A Mockingbird. One book, one creative act can change a heart, soul or way of life.

You don't have to write a book. A poem will do. Poems are really good at getting to the essence of our being. You don't have to be perfect.

You just have to write it down.

Or say the words.

Or listen.

Anyway, for how ever long it last I will try to post a poet reading his or her work or interview a poet. The video will be homespun, not fancy and gently edited. All poetry belongs to the creators; they maintain their copyright.

All I'm doing is recording what I experienced on that day. Poetry in plain sight.

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Don't Play That Song on the Finally Friday Freakout

There comes a point when a song isn't just a song. It is a combined lesson in storytelling, musicianship and all the elements coming together to draw your attention to a different level.

At the time Aretha was the only singer that I cared about. I was 10 years old so I could be excused for my musical one track mind. I did like other women singers but Aretha was my queen, my only queen of soul.



This song just made me want to listen to it over and over again. The piano, her voice and something about how it was constructed was astounding. It was like unlocking a puzzle, a musical puzzle. It would be a long time before I understood the true meaning of the song but musically I kept asking "How did she do that?"

If I could create something so tight and perfect that lasted three minutes I'd be a happy girl.

Still striving.

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Ahead of the Curve on the Finally Friday Freakout

I tell you, this day felt like 17 hours long. Everybody was twitchy trying to make it to closing time. Crossing the street was a death defying adventure.

I have one of two theories.

1. There are more color blind drivers that cannot see the color green as in "Dufus I'm crossing at a green light, why are you honking at me during your rolling stop?"

or

2. The loss of civility is the next sign of a dying culture.

I can't make up my mind.



Well, I hope to snag some goodies at the two, count 'em, two festivals in Pasadena this weekend. Pasadena Chalk Festival and the Make Music Pasadena Festival.

There will be art. There will be music from people I have never heard of and that is wonderful.



I never heard of Matt and Kim. I like the percussive energy in this video. I like even better free music on multiple stages around the city AND inside of the Pasadena ARTS shuttles.

This idea is so cool. Acoustic musicians will play for passengers. This is gonna confuse the hell out of the regulars but shaking up the system is good for the soul. Unless somebody tries to play "Feelings" on the Fair Oaks shuttle.

So not a good idea.

I spent all day wishing it was over so I could get on to Saturday. I need to just be and see the rest of the world without filters. Without obligations. Roam if I want to.

As a public service reminder, Pasadena Traffic enforcement is no joke. If they could slap a ticket on the Metro Gold Line they would.

Park where you know you can get to the meter just before time runs out.

If the meter seems to be broke, do not park in that spot. It is a ticket trap. The city says that if the meter is broken you are not supposed to park in that spot. There is no sign. There is no warning. Bupkis. You are expected to know that obscure city code.

The city will slap a ticket on your car for parking at a busted meter. And then you will want to go upside someone's head like Kim does on the drums.

Don't do it though. Positive vibes. Park in San Gabriel and take Foothill Transit. Or take the Metro Gold Line and hop on and off the shuttles. You could also walk. It is a concept that will come into its own someday in Southern California.

Other than that, have a enjoyable weekend.

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Hollywood Fring Festival - Get Outside This Weekend

There is a lot of stuff happening this weekend. The Hollywood Fringe Festival is one of the events.



I have a special love of busting out of office L7 videos. This is one of them that is a keeper long after the event. This weekend you could attend a Hollywood Fringe event.

After this weekend, hit up on this video to remind you to get out more.

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Ross Anthony - A Video Moment in Time

Good things can happen in Pasadena. Walking into Beany’s for a croissant is one of them. Support your independent vendors I say. Yep. I put it to you this way; across the street at Starbucks people sit at tables and glare into their cell phones; even the couples. Spooky.

At Beany’s real people talk at tables without the aid of electronic devices. I’m not saying don’t walk into a chain store. I’m saying consider places that make you feel comfortable enough that you don’t need the freaking phone to make you feel secure.

I am secure that Beany’s has better pastries than Starbucks. This is relevant because I don’t drink coffee.



Anyway, before I could go get my croissant I saw this guy at the table. The guy said “Hi” and sounded like he meant it. I said “Hi” back as I checked out the table to determine if this was animal, vegetable or psycho-political.

Usually the psycho-political don’t talk to me but mistakes happen.

I am buying my croissant and I hear him outside give his pitch about traveling the world, writing books and raising money for a writing project for his students. Getting students to voluntarily read and write?

What can I do to help?

I got my stuff and had a conversation with Ross. Not only do I support independent vendors I have an obligation to help support independent and self-publishing authors. Someday I could be one of them which is why I’m fixating on the iPad/tablet publishing opportunities but that is another topic.

Where was I?

Oh yeah. Writers and artists who sell at tables fall in one of two camps. Camp No. 1 is “Please buy my book or art but don’t talk to me.”

Or Camp No. 2 “I’m open, I really do like people. Please buy my book or art and come talk to me, for a bit.”

From what I could see Ross was doing ok for a June gloom Saturday morning. Colorado and Los Robles is not an easy corner to pitch literary and artistic woo. I bought the book Circle Earth and the passage I like so far is:

Jan 14

Travel is a high like falling in love, like finding God. It teaches one to smile with the light from one’s eyes. It reminds “Hey, you can do anything.”

Page 98 Circle Earth, A Sketchbook, A Journal
Ross Anthony

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The Other Prescott Mural - There Is Diversity in Prescott, Arizona

Despite what certain members of the Prescott community would have you believe there are diverse populations in the area. This is another mural project that took place at Mile High Middle School.



In the video it explains the process of how the coordinator and the students got together, connected with nature and created the mural. The students also spoke with the Yavapai people to learn of their culture.

This is an example of helping students make the connection between what they learn in the class room and applying it to their environment.

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Thinking About Meat Loaf and Passionate Singing

I was in the store the other day and a cashier was sharing with a customer about how good the Rocky Horror Picture Show really is and that she would enjoy it.

I smiled because I certainly did and the other person waiting in line was nodding his head. The person, who appeared in her early twenties, was not necessarily convinced but she bought it anyway.

It won't be the same experience for her. That is ok. There is no way to replicate what it was like to be in the theater and have no idea of what was about to happen. The Bic lighters being flicked. Huge chunks of the audience doing the Time Warp. Tim Curry in a corset and that blond beefy guy in those plastic, vinyl shorts. Ah yes, I remember it well.

Before the movie was a musical short feature. We didn't call them music videos because there was no MTV. Or cable as we now it now. We had VHF, UHF and if you were prosperous a VHS player.

I laid eyes on Meat Loaf ripping the hell out of Paradise By the Dashboard Light. I'm sure that I had popcorn suspended between the bucket and my mouth. Keep in mind that I was raised as and shall always be a Funkateer.

Yet his Meatness was working his way into my being; rattling what I thought I knew.

So after I got home from the store I was wondering if the video holds up for me. I checked it out. It did. In the side bar there was a photo of how Meat Loaf looks now. I click on over.

No need to worry, he is doing just fine:

The dude is looking kinda good! Not that he was bad looking just that I never got to see his face without his hair plastered on it. Beef-a-licious you might say. Like you know there is somebody in the bed and you don't need that extra blanket.

I digress. Still kicking it hard and passionate. Look here, can't somebody make a television/cable theatrical movie musical with him in the lead? Come on, put this man in a music structured long form video. He could do it.

I don't know if he can act. I do know he can perform. I'd write it myself if I knew how to create that kind of musical narrative video. I'll put that on the bucket list for later.

Word is that he is finishing up a new album and going on tour. I hope he is going to pacing himself. I don't understand how he can sing like that night after night. Sitting or standing, I don't care but take care of those vocal cords baby.

Oh, Mr. Loaf doesn't need a woman to sing with him. Check out Cry Over Me. Amazing work. The video, not so much but the song and the vocals. Powerful.

Seriously put him in a movie musical somebody.

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T.A.M.I. and Smokey on the Finally Friday Freakout

Let me set the scene for you. You are in a movie theater on a Saturday afternoon. After a couple of cartoons and a movie short feature and just before the main attraction you get to watch a recording of The T.A.M.I. Show.

It just so happens that every time I couldn't scrounge up fifty cents was the very time the movie house would show the flick.

Yeah, I've never seen it. I had to listen to people tell me about second hand. No VHS of it that I know of, not even bootleg.

Not that I condone that kinda thing. I don't. Really.

Just saying. No bootleg action. The real reason it took so long was to work out the rights and ownership issues. Um, this translates into who was gonna get paid and how much if anything at all. Not just the on-screen performers but the producers, backers and anybody else that had a piece of paper saying "pay me."

It took them 40+ years but they finally worked it out. This is a glorious time. The DVD is out and if you have any affection for James Brown singing Night Train or Please, Please, Please you might want to check it out.

If your bones find themselves twitching to Chuck Berry's Maybellene or even some dudes from across the creek singing Time is On My Side then you might want to pick-up on this until now impossible recording of the T.A.M.I. Show.

If you check out the Wikipedia page you can get the full line up of pop, rock, R&B and Soul acts. One of those is performers is Smokey Robinson and the Miracles.



In this particular clip folks get a chance to see Claudette Robinson match the fellas step by step in heels. It is a great example of what these performers did on the road and in theaters across the country. (Update: This clip is not from The T.A.M.I Show but an example of what people experienced when they went to places like The Apollo.)

The photo links to the Turner Movie Classics store but Amazon has it as well. On the Amazon page there is a video clip of the Beach Boys, for those of that persuasion. I don't judge, live and let live I say.

I don't get a flat nickle for plugging it either way. This is more of a public service announcement that this is a memory we want to pass along.

TGIF and pass the popcorn.

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California African American Museum Free Workshop March 27, 2010

The California African American Museum is having a free workshop on March 27, 2010 for kids, parents, childless people, individuals, frustrated cubical bunnies and those that need to do something creative and don't know where to start.

The photo on the left is an example of the style of Mr. Scott and what folks could do at the workshop which is free and open to the public. The California African American Museum is located at 600 State Drive, Exposition Park in Los Angeles, CA 90037. Let them know you are coming by RSVP at (213) 744-2024.

(If you are using Firefox the phone number is disappearing. I don't know why. It seems to be OK in Chrome and Opera. The phone number is two one three seven four four two zero two four.)

Admission to the museum is free but the parking is $8 at 39th and Figueroa. You could also go Metro but depending on where you live that might not be an option for you.

According to an information sheet that I have in my hand: "Inspired by the work of New Orleans artist John T. Scot, participants will create a sculpture based on architectonic forms used by him. Artist Wanda Clarke will lead the workshop."

You don't have to bring anything except your body and an open mind. And $8 for parking.

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California African America Museum Events

You don't have to be African American to visit the California African American Museum. In fact, if you are not African American I definitely think you should go for a visit. If you are African American and haven't been what the heck are you waiting for, an invitation?

Ok. I invite you to visit the museum. It is free, by the way.

There are a bunch of events that folks should know about so here is a quick run down:

• Harlem of the West - Jazz, Bebop and Beatnik
• An Idea Called Tomorrow - 1 , a collaboration with the Skirball Museum - according to the web site it is "intended to inspire visitors to reflect upon the active role we must all play in bringing about a more just, equitable, and peaceful future."
• Dance Theatre of Harlem: 40 Years of Firsts - Costumes and history of one of America's premier dance institution.

In addition to the exhibits there are art workshops. As soon as my secret inside source mails me the flyer (um, she is retro old school) I'll post the freebie art event.

So if you home school or looking for something to do with the kids on your weekend and, you don't have cash for Disneyland, this might be an option for you and the little darlings/devils.

The address of the California African American Museum is 600 State Drive, Exposition Park Los Angeles, CA 90037. The museum is open Tuesday - Sunday. They are closed on Mondays.

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My Baby Just Cares for Me on the Finally Friday Freakout

I needed Friday to happen around Monday morning. Egad, it was a long day at the Salt Mine. To tell the truth, I have been looking for my Valentine's present.

Yes, I am gifting myself. The only thing is I can't buy a camera or camcorder. I have to go beyond the usual desires. It is one of those conceptual gifts that once I get it I can pass it around.

I know it exist but finding it has been a challenged. Might have to improvise.



So this is a bit of fun from the great folks at Aardman Animation. The vocal is Nina Simone's My Baby Just Cares for Me.

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In Search of the Narrative Paths of Storytelling

I was word hungry. I needed something to scratch a brain cell. It took a few hours but the term narrative discourse finally arrived for exploration. That began my journey.

The narrative is how you tell the story; linear, non-linear, verbal, pictorial. It also includes the grammatical construction. My understanding of discourse is the methods used to tell the construct the tale. The story is the final product.

Maybe that is the problem. There are marketers, politicians, religious organizations and all manner of thought shakers trying to figure out the narrative that will help them extract money or attention.

We tend to embrace the familiar tales because they are safe. The need for the story is real. I’m worried that it is going to be reduced to 140 characters at a time. Sound bites that offer bits and pieces of other lives. What if you need more?

These are a few examples of the alternative paths non-fiction stories can be told. I’m not the only person that is thinking about this topic. Kathy Hansen at A Storied Career writes about the various forms of storytelling. If you have an interest in storytelling make sure you download a copy of her free e-book, A Storied Career: 40 Storied Practitioners Talk About Applied Storytelling.

I Am Here. Do You See Me?

There can be a survival need to tell your story. In the mist of chaos you either create or deconstruct. This is an Al Jazeera news story about a group of Gaza Strip students who blog, podcast and videotape their stories hoping that others will hear and understand what they are experiencing.

I Fell in Love. Where Are You?

Sophie Blackall finds inspiration from the missed connections from Craigslist and other web sites. Sophie creates illustrations from the messages and creates visual expression to lost love opportunities.

I'm On the Road Less Traveled. Can You Give Me A Sign?

Inspiration comes in many forms and persons. Alexis Ioacono explains in an audio recording how actor/filmmaker John Cassavettes led her on the path to perform.

The road less traveled does not have to just be about relationships with other people. What if the story being told was of a disease or medical condition? Does telling the story have to be in a textual form?

No, it doesn’t. There are a number of people using the format of graphic novels to tell stories. Marisa Marchetto is, in her own words, a cartoonista/activista, who wrote and drew her experiences with breast cancer. Her book is called Cancer Vixen

Marisa also has a few textual words to say about the suggestedscreening recommendation. Another place to check out graphic novel journalism/storytelling is the Neiman Storyboard a project of the Neiman Foundation at Harvard University.

There is much more to say about narrative, stories and storytelling. I am discovering a rising sentiment against narrative or even too much narrative.

I will be polite and watch the video. And then I will continue to do everything I can to encourage the people I know and the people I don't to tell their their tale.

I'm a Contributing Editor at BlogHer where this post originally appeared.

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Antarctica – Posts from Way Down Under

It is the Austral Summer. It is travel season for those making their ways to Antarctic research stations. There are a number of scientists, students and even an artist or two who have recorded their experiences. Yes, there are bloggers in Antarctica. You think you have a shaky Internet connection? Try blogging from Antarctica.

Making the Journey

Many of the American scientists and researchers travel to the McMurdo Station. Ice Stories, Dispatches from Polar Scientists have a number of folks blogging from both poles. In 2009, the focus is on Antarctica. On the website there are stories, photos and videos of the experiences of those that are going or have just come back from the coldest place on earth.

Heidi Roop is spending three months as a science technician at the West Antarctic Ice Sheet Divide. Heidi writes about how many miles she had flown and how many more miles she has to go. You can view a map video from her starting point in Arizona to her destination, the McMurdo Station.

The science community are not the only folks going to Antarctica. There is at least one artist making the trip. Elise Engler will be leaving in December 2009. Her task will be to document the work and social life at the station.

Things To Do

Shilpa Gulati, is working on her doctorate in Mechanical Engineering. I learned from her University of Texas at Austin Mechanical Engineering department page she is in the West Lake Bonney area working on the Environmentally Non-Disturbing Under-ice Robotic ANtarctic Explorer AKA ENDURACE Robotic project.

Shilpa also has a blog where she goes into details about the project and her experiences.

We spent the morning looking at data from yesterday and trying to debug the communications failure problem. We had some ideas but we were not sure what the exact problem was. The mission for the day involved traveling to the narrows – the part of lake that connects west lobe to the east lobe. The bot swam about 1.5 km to reach the far east – this is the farthest the bot had ever been. Much remains unknown about this part of the lake and we were very excited to see the visualizations from the sonars on the bot. We might go there again later for getting more data.

There are photos of Shilpa and her team members as they work on the software and hardware challenges of getting the robot functional.

Isabelle Brissac at Project SCINI has photos of what a blistery day can look like at McMurdo. She is and Electrical Engineer working on an underwater robotics project. The team members of Project SCINI has a daily blog page called, The Daily Slog.

Of course, somebody has to feed these folks. They Don’t Cook Penguins is a blog written by Cook On The Ice, who prepares meals in challenging conditions. It is not like you can pop down to the store for basil. What do you do when it can take a really long time for a food delivery?

Coming Home

Sarah Rush recorded her experiences on her ICELilly blog posts at TravelBlog. This is one of her posts on the Dorm Room and the Humidifier:

In 24 days, I will be packing up my stuff, throwing it onto a C-17, and flying away to New Zealand where I'll finally see my Nate - and the whole Antarctica experience will be in the past. When a little blurb in a chapter of life ends, I'm left wondering what will happen next. What's next? When will I get a chance to feel that anxious/excited/nervous of the unknown feeling again? I think that when you're in the middle of an experience, a little reality is lost because you're so wrapped up in what is happening in front of your eyes. No matter how hard you try, you just can't imagine it ending and what it will be like to say, "When I was on the Ice....."

There was one of her posts that is always amazing to me no matter how many times or ways a Dream Comes True can happen:

Today was better than opening a Christmas present. Today was something of pure luck, something that I want to believe only my Mom made happen. She made so many things happen for me when she was alive, I owe so much to her and her only; but this was a gift I've been waiting for for since I set foot on this continent.

I am most grateful that I am no where near a place that requires three digits to express a wind chill factor. I am also grateful that I got a chance to peep in on extraordinary life experiences and photography. I hope you can find time to learn about the projects at the Antarctic research stations.

Gena Haskett is a Contributing Editor at BlogHer where this post originally appeared.

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Women of the Dance

There are certain songs that I must dance when they are played. The music forces me out of my chair and commands me to move my body in defiance of a culture that tells me I’m too old to shake that thing. Mainly I dance with myself and every once in a while with Billy Idol. For Merce Cunningham I imagined that every day of his life he was commanded to move his body in dance.

Like many people, I had heard of Mr. Cunningham's name. Because the lack of representation of artistic dance on television and movies I would not have been able to tell you the nature of his work. At the dance company he founded website I was able to read his biography and to sample a short video clip that showed his evolution as a dancer/choreographer.

This lead to more questions so I also visited the art portal Ubu Web, I got an additional overview of his career and discovered this video, Septet Excerpt 1964:

What inspired me from my brief research about Merce Cunningham is that he kept on dancing and learning right up to the end of his 90 year  life. He did not allow anyone to dictate how his life should be lived. We do not have to stick to paths that no longer serve our spirit. There are choices to dance to our own beat.

Dance Blogs and Bloggers

Dance is communication, sexuality, freedom and conformity, order and disorder. I try not to distinguish between professional dance and social dancing. It happens too often that one becomes the other. Innovation happens on the street level as well as in the great dancing schools and companies.

I can go days without dancing. This is not true for other people. For some people dancing is just one step removed from breathing. It is their life force and they know it. Their daily challenge is to find a way to incorporate dance and dancing into their day to day routine. Exploring dance blogs and websites can open visitors to styles of dance, performances, the business of dance and dance bloggers.

Carrying The Culture Forward

Anjali Nandan practices a dance form called Bharatnatyam, at Online Bharatnatyam she educates about the dance and has video examples of not only how to perform the steps but the reason behind each movement.

Dance Bloggers is a centralized spot for all kinds of English language dance blogs. From here you can find explorations on movement, learning African dance,  or a wee bit of Burlesque.

For the Love of Dance

Maria at A Time to Dance started her journey to dance later than most professional dancers but with no less of a passion than a teen. She is a dancer/educator who:

I became passionate about dance in my mid-twenties. For most other pursuits, this would not be considered late in life, but for dance, I consider myself a late bloomer. My first dance love is salsa– it was the initial “seed” that made me realize that my best tool for artistic and personal expression is my own body. That opened the door to the study of other types of dance, including hip hop, jazz, ballet and modern. I have been seriously devoting myself to the study of modern dance and dabbling in choreography over the past year.

Tonya Plank at Swan Lake Samba Girl works hard to make time to dance. She is a self described an amateur competitive Latin dancer, in addition to being a writer and a public defender. Tonya writes about dance in New York and beyond, has very interesting photos on her blog (I didn’t know dancers could look like that!) and reviews dance performances.

In the Profession of Dance

Nichelle Strzepek at Dance Advantage writes about what a person can gain from a dance education and what it means to be a professional. You don't have to be a dancer to appreciate:

Even when someone is simply not doing his best, and even if it is negatively impacting you or others, it is still not appropriate for a professional to publicly point this out to others.  It’s not nice!  No one can truly walk in another person’s shoes, therefore it is always best to remember the golden rule.  Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Dance Mine is a collaborative blog from Janie a ballet dancer, and Sanna who is a Performance Specialists. Together they write on the profession of dance and tips on managing the body, mind and spirit as well as the career.

How Does a Modern Dance Company Get the Word Out on Their Performances?

If you have alternative newspapers in your area you might see the event listed in the Calendar section. One effective way is to have a blog like the Shen Wei Dance Arts Company's blog that let's fans know of upcoming performances. The Elisa Monete Dance Company also has a blog that keeps their audience informed and they have videos that display portions of the company's works.

Dance is more than a competition to be scored. If all you know about dance is Dancing With the Stars, and I’m really not knocking that television program, I invite you to take a little time to dip into the world of dance and dance blogs.

This post originally appeared on BlogHer where I am a Contributing Editor.

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