The United States of Thanksgiving
Here are 11 Healthy Thanksgiving Side Dishes great for the big Thanksgiving feast!
http://www.rd.com/slideshows/11-healthy-thanksgiving-side-dishes/#slideshow=slide4
Hey, framers! We’re continuing our series about the relationships between music and dance
Have you ever wondered why we dance to music, and you would like to further understand why? This interesting article published by Time magazine explains some of the science behind our interests in the relationship between music and movement. The article involves findings from a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
If you’re interested in reading more, check it out here!
Continuing our Tuesday Tunes focusing on dancers and accompanists, here’s another interesting article.
This article talks about the relationship between the accompanist and a dance teacher, including the communication that is needed for the relationship to succeed. Composer and musician Christopher Hobson, who began accompanying music when he was 17 , goes into depth about what it means to accompany dance.
Read More here
Observations that helped me create my MFA thesisby Amanda Diorio
As those of us who have worked in show business are well aware “the show must go on.” It is amazing when you think about all that needs to get done in a production like an MFA thesis concert, but miraculously it all happens. This was a helpful attitude to take when I was working on my own concert. I had no idea how all the work would get done, but I knew that somehow it would all come together. And of course it did. Remember this when you are at your wit’s end and about to freak out about not finishing your work for the show. One benefit of having a concert as a final project is that you have no choice but to get it all done. The dates have been set long in advance and cannot be changed. This is one advantage that those seeking other kinds of terminal degrees do not have. I have friends who have been working on their PhD dissertations for years. The have no specific end time so it can be drawn out. We, as performers, have the benefit of having a set date to be done by, a finish line to look towards. When you are in the thick of it and your life has consisted of this crazy schedule for years it is hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel but remember grad school is not real life. Your concert and your degree will happen. Hang in there!
While your final project is a reflection of your overall work in graduate school it is still a part of the learning process. There is this sense that Continue reading
Ballet accompanist equals ballet dancer in importance.
An interview with a ballet accompanist on Dance Advantage.
Name : Alex SoaresCrease
I always read my notes from rehearsal, run through the piece step-by-step in my head. Right before going on stage, I like to find a moment for silence and concentration. The goal is to clear my mind and drive mental focus to what’s about to happen.
A nice long shower is a must, along with ointments for my poor feet. A nice glass of wine is also relaxing and celebratory.
The improv portions of Context were really interesting. I had a hard time connecting with that piece and choreography, and it really didn’t come together for me until we performed it. The evening started with a good 15-20 minutes of improv, and the energy I received from the audience along with the connection between us dancers was really powerful and interesting, and I think it led to authentic movement that was powered by emotion. It was exciting to be part of that.
photos from top to bottom: David DeHoyos, Lorie Evans, Sil Azevedo,
For those of you who may be new…The “MFA Monday” series features the advice of Masters of Fine Arts. Enjoy their thoughts on the process of attaining an MFA!
by Angela Falcone
Oh grad school…
Being a current first year M.F.A. candidate/student at Texas Woman’s University, I have quickly learned the heightened expectations of a graduate student. One of my professors, Sarah Gamblin, said one afternoon, “you must do everything to the nth degree.” After she mentioned this revelation about graduate school, my life has been turned upside down. I am in my second semester of what everyone calls the “first year” and the journey has been everything I have expected…challenging, stressful, and rewarding. Not only am I tested mentally and physically every day, I am one part of a community striving to better themselves as artists and as dancers. Below are three revelations I have had about this journey…so far.
I have always been an “A” student throughout my academic career, but I have never had the pressure of succeeding and/or being challenged to this degree. If you think you are doing the assignment “correctly,” better think again. I have quickly learned the expectation of an assignment is truly infinite. If it is one blog entry for .5 points of your overall grade, you better be writing that blog as if it is your proposal for your final paper. Having adapted to this type of expectation over the past semester, I am rapidly becoming a better writer, thinker, innovator, and creator. I am so thankful for this revelation!
I am one of the many students at TWU that went straight from undergrad to graduate school. In saying that, I have quickly realized within my very first class, I need to dive deeper into the topic at hand. Regurgitating information (like a banking system education) is not the expected anymore. When stating anything, I now know I need to find connections, anomalies, dichotomies, and/or possible links between any and all things, no matter the significance (because everything means something). I am still working through the kinks of this revelation in my writing.
My background mainly consists of drill team training, which is coined (in the dance community) as a genre that does not challenge process and is completely final-product based. I would like to shift this paradigm and invite improvisation and collaboration into the drill team process. Normally when I choreograph, I would have every detail planned out ahead of time, but now, I am well aware of the possibilities of improvisation and provocation (Larry Lavender’s term). This semester, I have had many revelations in my own choreographic process. I am granted four hours a week with my dancers, which is just enough time to play, experiment, create, and collaborate. The process of creating work has truly been stimulating and invigorating.
These revelations have truly shaped the artist I am becoming. I hope to one day be able to succinctly articulate how the impact of dance has had on my life, but until next time…
Angela Falcone, a Houston native, graduated from Friendswood High School in 2007. She was a member of the drill team, the Friendswood Wranglerettes, where she held the title of Grand Marshal. After graduating, she followed her dream and tried out for the Kilgore College Rangerettes. She had the honor of being chosen as the Freshmen Sergeant and Swingster her freshman year, and received the greatest honor of being chosen as Captain her sophomore year. Following graduation from Kilgore College with an Associate in Fine Arts, she was accepted to the University of Texas at Austin, where she holds a B.F.A. in Dance. Angela currently attends Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas where she is pursuing her M.F.A. in Dance. She is specifically interested in shifting the paradigm of high school drill team by reinvigorating the choreographic process and bringing a somatic awareness to high school dancers’ bodies.
Don’t have any plans for Halloween? Now you do!
October 31, 2014 at 7:00 pm
114 Vintage Park Blvd, Houston, TX 77070
BEWARE: Halloween is near and Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Houston has a ghoulishly good surprise!
Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas Houston is showing Halloween horror classics at both its Houston-area theaters this Friday as part of its Friday Night Fright! Both Vintage Point and Mason Park theaters are inviting Houstonians to show up in their scariest ensembles.
While its encouraged everyone dresses up as characters from the frightening flicks being shown, any costume earns participants a FREE ticket to the Friday Night Fright movie! So start your costume shopping early and get ready to have a frightfully fun Friday night with Alamo Drafthouse Cinema!
Price: FREE!!!
September 20, 2014 – January 04, 2015 (Recurring daily) from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
1515 Hermann Drive, Houston, TX 77008
It’s the science of what’s eating you! Discover the biological wonders of creatures that eat blood through encounters with live species and interactive stations.
Price: $8
October 31, 2014
701 4th Street, Kemah, TX 77565
For the entire month of October, Kemah is hosting Boo on the Boardwalk where families can enjoy an array of Halloween themed activities. For the braver souls, face the dungeon of doom while the kids enjoy the Little Boo Haunted Fun house. Other attractions include pumpkin decorating, live entertainment and costume contests.
Price: Go to their website for more details. In other words, I don’t know.
October 31, 2014 from 7pm to 2am
Houston’s biggest & best Halloween event returns for its 8th year! First get your costume on, then get your drink on as the Crawl hits 12 restaurants & bars between Dunlavy & Montrose on Westheimer, including Brasil, Poison Girl, Pistolero’s, Boondocks, Stone’s Throw, Etro Lounge, Catbirds, Royal Oak, Doc’s Motorworks, Slick Willie’s, El Real Tex-Mex, and Hay Merchant, with special appearances by Koagie Hots and The Golden Grill.
As always, there’ll be no covers & no tickets, plus drink specials all night long. And prizes will be awarded for the best outfits at each stop, with a grand costume prize awarded by this year’s honorary Grand Crawler.
Price: FREE!!!
October 31, 2014 from 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM
Memorial Park near the rugby/soccer field parking lot
Get your spooky with BCO as we hike and slither our way through Memorial Park with our closest pals on Halloween! We will nourish ourselves afterwards with pizza and beverages, for those who make it out of the forest. Tap into your inner wolf or go all vampy on us, or come as a traditional ghoul (or, hey, wear your office attire– that could be scary enough!) Leave the bars to the zombies and join us in the woods for some quality and creepy exercise and socializing at Memorial Park.
We meet at 6:30 and depart at 7 PM sharp from the rugby/soccer field parking lot (click for map) (For you chickens out there – just come to the after-party starting around 8 PM in the rugby/soccer field parking lot).
What to Bring:
Don’t get left in the dark and don’t forget to wear walking shoes (it is a hike no matter how dead you are), a flashlight, bug spray, and a little money just in case. Open to members, guests and the public (we love fresh meat) – bring a friend or come alone, if you dare. You’ll be sure to find a devil or two to talk to. (Please no dogs at this hike).
RSVP at http://www.BayouCityOutdoors.com Additional info call 713-524-3567 or e-mail to Kelly@bayoucityoutdoors.com
Price: FREE!!!
http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-11941/if-you-only-do-10-yoga-poses-do-these.html
¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
½ cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
pinch salt
1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp milk
2 Tbsp red cake-decorating sugar
20 whole blanched almonds OR 20 pieces banana chips
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. In bowl, using electric mixer, beat butter until fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar. Beat until mixture is no longer “scratchy” sounding against bowl.
4. Beat in egg, vanilla and salt.
5. In separate bowl, mix together flour and baking powder (tip for measuring flour: stir flour, spoon into measuring cup, then level).
6. Gradually beat flour mixture into butter mixture.
7. Switch to working in flour mixture with hands when dough gets too stiff to beat.
8. Knead into smooth dough. Roll into 3/4-inch thick “ropes”. Break ropes into 3-inch sections. Pat one end smooth. Dip tip of other end of each piece into milk then red sugar.
9. Place on lined baking sheet. Pressing in sides of rope to prevent flattening, insert almond or piece of banana chip into rounded end. Repeat process to make 20 fingers.
10. Bake on middle rack of oven 17 minutes, or until dough is lightly golden.
