Hey guys,
It's taken me so long to get this blog together, but hey, it's the holiday season!
At the beginning of December I attended the Playspace event at Contact theatre in Manchester. A fantastic day which explored the possibilities of using new technology in the arts. Not only was I fascinated by the information provided, but I also gained a lot of new connections and friends in the industry.
Below are some highlights of the day.
I also took part in the Body>Data>Space>Telepresence workshop which took place over four hours during the day. To see some of the dancers who took part, please go to www.brokenrose.eu for videos and information.
Much love, and promises of many more blogs in the new year!
CC.
Friday, 31 December 2010
Tuesday, 14 December 2010
"Women Who Run with the Wolves"
What?! I hear you cry.
Have you ever felt like your dreams will never come true simply because you need to focus most of your energy on day to day living to get by? "Women Who Run with the Wolves" by Clarissa Pinkola Estes is a book which will without a doubt put a stop to this kind of thing in your life.
Estes states that art and expression are the inner most important aspects of being a woman. Woman cannot function properly, or gain her full potential by chosing not to persue her art, whether that is an active choice, or one which she feels forced into. Through the telling of old folklore, Estes inspires women around the world to practice their art, and follow through on the projects that they dream up.
It is not unhealthy to chase dreams, it's unhealthy not to. Every woman on the planet should read this book.
"Create your art. Now, not another word unless you're a singer."
Much love.
CC.
Have you ever felt like your dreams will never come true simply because you need to focus most of your energy on day to day living to get by? "Women Who Run with the Wolves" by Clarissa Pinkola Estes is a book which will without a doubt put a stop to this kind of thing in your life.
Estes states that art and expression are the inner most important aspects of being a woman. Woman cannot function properly, or gain her full potential by chosing not to persue her art, whether that is an active choice, or one which she feels forced into. Through the telling of old folklore, Estes inspires women around the world to practice their art, and follow through on the projects that they dream up.
It is not unhealthy to chase dreams, it's unhealthy not to. Every woman on the planet should read this book.
"Create your art. Now, not another word unless you're a singer."
Much love.
CC.
Wednesday, 8 December 2010
Sonic Boom Six - Manchester Sound Control
You've gotta love a home-grown band. Especially when they're ska.
I still don't understand why so many people don't like ska; it's so happy! And yet I know quite a few people who hate it with a passion. Never ceases to amaze me...
Anyway, Manchester's Sound Control is always a great venue, a dingy attic who's floor might just cave in if the circle pit gets a little bit too rowdy, and Sonic Boom Six rocked the stage on Monday in true Manc style.
I've said this before, but there just aren't enough female vocalists around in the rock world, and SB6 provides one of the most talented I've seen. Laila's voice can be both agressive and soothing, depending on the song, and although most would expect that there isn't much variation in ska, SB6 prove that ska music can be touching in one moment and hilarious in another. And there's not enough apprieciation of that kind of thing these days...
Much love (and promises to keep up with blogging soon).
CC.
I still don't understand why so many people don't like ska; it's so happy! And yet I know quite a few people who hate it with a passion. Never ceases to amaze me...
Anyway, Manchester's Sound Control is always a great venue, a dingy attic who's floor might just cave in if the circle pit gets a little bit too rowdy, and Sonic Boom Six rocked the stage on Monday in true Manc style.
I've said this before, but there just aren't enough female vocalists around in the rock world, and SB6 provides one of the most talented I've seen. Laila's voice can be both agressive and soothing, depending on the song, and although most would expect that there isn't much variation in ska, SB6 prove that ska music can be touching in one moment and hilarious in another. And there's not enough apprieciation of that kind of thing these days...
Much love (and promises to keep up with blogging soon).
CC.
Saturday, 27 November 2010
"Remember Me" at Contact Theatre, Manchester, 25/11/2010
One cannot deny Jason Crouch's talent with words. Even when I first saw his play "Remember Me" in the 24:7 Theatre Festival in 2009, I was overwhelmed by the poeticism in his script. Curious as to what changes he had made since then, I went to see a new and extended version of the play at Contact Theatre in Manchester on Thursday.
Stunning. That's what it was. "Remember Me" is the only play I have since which manages to convey, accurately and honestly, what it feels like to be completely in love with someone you know isn't right for you. Crouch's characters describe perfectly what the reality of falling in love is like and how, all though the time they spend together might appear mundane to people outside of the relationship, they are anything but to those who are involved.
The direction was equally praiseworthy, with choreography and movement that even a dancer would be envious of.
Fantastic to see another 24:7 writer going from strength to strength.
Much love.
CC.
Stunning. That's what it was. "Remember Me" is the only play I have since which manages to convey, accurately and honestly, what it feels like to be completely in love with someone you know isn't right for you. Crouch's characters describe perfectly what the reality of falling in love is like and how, all though the time they spend together might appear mundane to people outside of the relationship, they are anything but to those who are involved.
The direction was equally praiseworthy, with choreography and movement that even a dancer would be envious of.
Fantastic to see another 24:7 writer going from strength to strength.
Much love.
CC.
Wednesday, 24 November 2010
Once Upon a Time...
...There was a story. Your story to be precise. At least, that's a key idea in the make-up of my company, Broken Rose Performing Arts. I'm here to remind you of a fabulous YouTube series which began not so long ago on the Broken Rose channel - "Your Story" allows performing arts pracitioners, fans, groups and artists to tell the world their story with regards to the arts, through the Broken Rose YouTube channel.
Tell us about how you got into the arts, what inspires you and what your hopes are for creating your art in the future. A short while ago I made an example video (or rather videos, as I always have too much to say!) which you can view below:
And... see how an organisation has taken advantage of this opportunity, with Warwick Street Vibe's video:
To submit your video, email upload it to rapidshare or megaupload and send the link to brokenroseperformance@googlemail.com or check out www.brokenrose.eu
If you're not a big fan of the arts, but still have a story to tell, email me at celticcalifornianblogger@gmail.com and we'll talk... I might make it at Celtic Californian Blog thing :)
Much Love, and thanks for all the support - now over 1, 000 blog views in just a few months!
CC.
Tell us about how you got into the arts, what inspires you and what your hopes are for creating your art in the future. A short while ago I made an example video (or rather videos, as I always have too much to say!) which you can view below:
And... see how an organisation has taken advantage of this opportunity, with Warwick Street Vibe's video:
To submit your video, email upload it to rapidshare or megaupload and send the link to brokenroseperformance@googlemail.com or check out www.brokenrose.eu
If you're not a big fan of the arts, but still have a story to tell, email me at celticcalifornianblogger@gmail.com and we'll talk... I might make it at Celtic Californian Blog thing :)
Much Love, and thanks for all the support - now over 1, 000 blog views in just a few months!
CC.
Saturday, 20 November 2010
Back on the horse...
I finally got around to returning to two of the loves of my life this week.
Firstly - gigs. Less than Jake played on Tuesday at Manchester Academy and they were awesome. Everytime I go to a ska gig I realise how much I've missed it - there's something about that happy kind of moshing which makes you feel so alive... or maybe it's just dizzyness! Anyway, despite not playing my fave song "Overrated", Less than Jake stormed the stage with an uber impressive show, complete with a drinking competition between an Aussie and a British guy who looked like Jesus. Jesus won.
Supporting my ska heroes were Zebrahead, a fab band who remind me on Sonic Boom Six in some ways. However, the talking point of their set was around the random guy who stood at the front corner of the stage with a supply of beer, looking like he wanted to kill everyone in the audience. His job seemed to be that of occasionally feeding the band members with said beer. Add to that a pizza sign which rested on the marshal cab behind him, and you have the makings of a rather unique stage set up. Very weird. But fun, I might add.
My second return to form was seen in my first ballet class in just over a year. I'm so glad I'm back doing it, and strangely the pain in my thighs I felt as we were doing our warm up reminded of just how glad I was to be back at dance class. It's a good pain that.
But now that I'm back on these horses, I need to find the time to simulatneously jump onto another new one, and delve into the research and work that my mentor has asked me to do... I think I might have a spare 5 minutes sometime next week!
Much love.
CC.
Firstly - gigs. Less than Jake played on Tuesday at Manchester Academy and they were awesome. Everytime I go to a ska gig I realise how much I've missed it - there's something about that happy kind of moshing which makes you feel so alive... or maybe it's just dizzyness! Anyway, despite not playing my fave song "Overrated", Less than Jake stormed the stage with an uber impressive show, complete with a drinking competition between an Aussie and a British guy who looked like Jesus. Jesus won.
Supporting my ska heroes were Zebrahead, a fab band who remind me on Sonic Boom Six in some ways. However, the talking point of their set was around the random guy who stood at the front corner of the stage with a supply of beer, looking like he wanted to kill everyone in the audience. His job seemed to be that of occasionally feeding the band members with said beer. Add to that a pizza sign which rested on the marshal cab behind him, and you have the makings of a rather unique stage set up. Very weird. But fun, I might add.
My second return to form was seen in my first ballet class in just over a year. I'm so glad I'm back doing it, and strangely the pain in my thighs I felt as we were doing our warm up reminded of just how glad I was to be back at dance class. It's a good pain that.
But now that I'm back on these horses, I need to find the time to simulatneously jump onto another new one, and delve into the research and work that my mentor has asked me to do... I think I might have a spare 5 minutes sometime next week!
Much love.
CC.
Monday, 15 November 2010
Vegan Freak
"All vegans have been there - if you're vegan, you know the situation well. Perhaps it's at work. Maybe it's with friends or even family. You sit down to eat, quietly ordering a salad or the ubiquitous (and so very tired) grilled vegetable entree, and some observant dinner companion notices that you're not chowing down on the chicken smothered in cream sauce and butter topped with bacon, or whatever the heart attack Atkins-approved special du jour is. You are keeping to youself, completely quiet and proper, and suddenly, in that moment of omnivorous realization, without any work on your part, you're turned into the militant animal rights activist, earthy weirdo, and transcender of all that is good and righteous in the world.
In short, you've become The Vegan Freak."
... The opening lines of a book which has been sat on my bookshelf for a while now. I can tell you every word is true. All vegan's will testify to having gone through this moment, which is usually promptly followed by a chorus of "What do you actually eat?" Yet, when you reply with a list of foodstuff as long as your arm, no one quite seems to believe you. I've taken to directing those non-believers to the famous book "Diet for a New America" which not only demonstrates how easy it is to become vegan, and how sustainable the diet is, but also spells out many harsh truths which today's society is inclined to shy away from.
The truth of the matter is, a lot of people seem to acknowledge that humans shouldn't consume animal products, but no one wants to talk about it. Now, I'm not one for preaching, but I prefer it when people practice what they believe to be right and wrong. I'd much prefer you to think it right to consume animal products (and explain your reasons for it) than continue to needlessly kill them because you like the taste but can't bear the thought of what you are actually eating. Be honest with yourself, that is all I ask.
I'm well aware that the world isn't going to simply turn completely vegan. However, if you become vegan at the age of around 20 (I did at 18) and you stick with it, you personally save 2000-3000 animals from the slaughterhouse in your lifetime.
I feel quite good about that.
Much cruelty-free love.
CC.
In short, you've become The Vegan Freak."
... The opening lines of a book which has been sat on my bookshelf for a while now. I can tell you every word is true. All vegan's will testify to having gone through this moment, which is usually promptly followed by a chorus of "What do you actually eat?" Yet, when you reply with a list of foodstuff as long as your arm, no one quite seems to believe you. I've taken to directing those non-believers to the famous book "Diet for a New America" which not only demonstrates how easy it is to become vegan, and how sustainable the diet is, but also spells out many harsh truths which today's society is inclined to shy away from.
The truth of the matter is, a lot of people seem to acknowledge that humans shouldn't consume animal products, but no one wants to talk about it. Now, I'm not one for preaching, but I prefer it when people practice what they believe to be right and wrong. I'd much prefer you to think it right to consume animal products (and explain your reasons for it) than continue to needlessly kill them because you like the taste but can't bear the thought of what you are actually eating. Be honest with yourself, that is all I ask.
I'm well aware that the world isn't going to simply turn completely vegan. However, if you become vegan at the age of around 20 (I did at 18) and you stick with it, you personally save 2000-3000 animals from the slaughterhouse in your lifetime.
I feel quite good about that.
Much cruelty-free love.
CC.
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