First, I would like to try and keep this blog up and running to tell everyone about SCA events and such (cost, directions, etc).
Second, I have four dances from the SCA I am willing to teach if someone would like to request a night we can meet up in a lobby. They are really fun... I would love to actually get to do them here.
Alright... I have to think of one thing I have learned about in this course about another culture... Just one thing... It was very interesting how... the Aboriginal people do not really wear clothes. They do paint on patterns that could be clothes... maybe. In several pictures they wear a loin cloth for us. They wear mostly paint though.
Now... I must talk about something I learned about my own culture... Well, I was glad to find out that music is still important to our society. I know, that seems pretty silly with me being a vocalist... but I worry alot about if what I want to do in life is actually important enough for me to be able to make a living. I looked down on my own culture for a while because I felt like they had left music and dance behind years ago. It felt like I was born in the wrong era. I feel a little less nervous now. I got a good slap in the face from all the evidence that music is still very important to our own culture.
Finally, something I am curious about... I think I will continue to research how dance and music tie together (other than the obvious dancing to music). After the session on Japan, I have also gotten a taste of those lovely little plays. I will definately have to look in on those plays. I did not really find them funny, but then again... I am horribly respectful to an almost fault sometimes. I know that they are not supposed to show alot of emotion and that is part of the reason it looks so funny; another thing is I know how hard it is to translate so... silly translations maybe funny, but I just cannot laugh at them.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
USSR
I am particularly interested in music in the Soviet Union. My mother went to the Soviet Union while she was in high school in a student program. She references the trip on occasion, it normally comes up if Russia is mentioned.
“Things weren’t like that when I visited.”
I remember a story about trading cassettes of American music in exchange for clothes, food, and gifts for people back home that would be too expensive if they had to buy them.
The government controlled everything, isolated the people, but that does not mean that no creativity happened. You would think that in a locked down society any form of creativity would be banned, but there were a few good composers.
Dmitri Shostakovich is a very popular composer from the USSR… though his music has only started coming out in the last fifteen years. I am very interested in the mind of this man.
Stalin actually liked Shostakovich’s work… but everything fell out of favor during the first Five Year Plan.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4tlM_-sJ98 Here is a clip from his opera Katerina Izmailova. The music feels dark and foreboding to me, what do you think? On a non-musical note, I think it’s interesting that the colorful woman still has hope while the person in the dark clothes is angry. Do be careful of the screaming, it’s a bit louder. If this clip does not make you curious about the opera (if you have not heard the story already)… then I am the crazy one.
Shostakovich went back to his school and his music became even darker… this grim music led to his second fall from the Soviet’s favor. The Soviet only wanted to put forth music that told the world they were happy and healthy with thriving citizens.
Shostakovich continued to compose and finished his Tenth Symphony in the same year as Stalin’s death. He died in 1957.
“Things weren’t like that when I visited.”
I remember a story about trading cassettes of American music in exchange for clothes, food, and gifts for people back home that would be too expensive if they had to buy them.
The government controlled everything, isolated the people, but that does not mean that no creativity happened. You would think that in a locked down society any form of creativity would be banned, but there were a few good composers.
Dmitri Shostakovich is a very popular composer from the USSR… though his music has only started coming out in the last fifteen years. I am very interested in the mind of this man.
Stalin actually liked Shostakovich’s work… but everything fell out of favor during the first Five Year Plan.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4tlM_-sJ98 Here is a clip from his opera Katerina Izmailova. The music feels dark and foreboding to me, what do you think? On a non-musical note, I think it’s interesting that the colorful woman still has hope while the person in the dark clothes is angry. Do be careful of the screaming, it’s a bit louder. If this clip does not make you curious about the opera (if you have not heard the story already)… then I am the crazy one.
Shostakovich went back to his school and his music became even darker… this grim music led to his second fall from the Soviet’s favor. The Soviet only wanted to put forth music that told the world they were happy and healthy with thriving citizens.
Shostakovich continued to compose and finished his Tenth Symphony in the same year as Stalin’s death. He died in 1957.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Feast of the Unicorn
Yay SCA! Oh come on! You knew it was going to come back. I can only avoid talking about it for so long. Alright, so last year my mother ran an event (one of our weekend gatherings). It was the third Feast of the Unicorn! Each year we would choose a different culture and their unicorn. The final Feast of the Unicorn was based around the Middle East and their version of the unicorn. This unicorn was a rather angry creature and was only soothed by the singing of a special bird.Mom was really excited to be researching the Middle East. Some of our members were slightly hesitant, but we pretty much ignored them. Our family believes that we have no right to fear something we do not understand. This belief may have caused my tremendous fear of the dark, but at least I am not afraid of much else.During the event the fighting activities (the armored combat and fencing) were based mostly on the unicorn. I did not actually visit the archery field to see what they were up to. I was the one who gave the little 'uns something to do. The few children that showed up had to find one of the many stuffed animal rats I had hidden around the site. When they came back to me I would give them a small set of coloring pages I had made that told a very small amount of information about a temple in India called the Karni Mata.The Karni Mata is a temple for rats. The people who run the temple believe that when they die they become a rat before returning to the cycle of birth and rebirth.We had set up many places inside to lounge about. As the day drew to a close we had a fire performance outside and then we moved inside where it was warm. In the middle of the large building a circle of drummers, mostly doumbecks, started to form. There was a little dancing and then everyone settled down to enjoy the company of friends.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Music and Rites
I apologize in advanced. My brain is not really working right now. I am kind of sick, but I will do my best.
There are only about three things I can think of where music assists the ceremonies of my house.
The first of these three things is celebrations like birthdays and holidays. In these cases the music is specific to the time and activities. We have a special birthday song- ^.^ I will sing a verse for you sometime. Holidays like Halloween, Christmas, and Yule are definately time specific. People get so annoyed if they hear Christmas music too early or late in the year! For many people it makes them happy to hear the cute Christmas tunes on time though.
Weddings and funerals make me nervous. The music is not so much chosen because of the time, but because of the people. I can mess up a song for the holidays, but I worry so much about messing up a wedding or sending someone off with a flawed gift. Okay, a little time for opening up-I think I may be a little bit of a perfectionist... and the tiniest bit paranoid. Anyway, I feel much closer to the music at a wedding or funeral... that could just be me trying to be somewhere else though.
This might sound strange... but driving is actually a very important time for me. I can calm down while I drive, it is like meditating for me. The music in this case is totally for me and completely based on how I am feeling at the time. When I am very angry I listen to loud bands like System of a Down. If I am sad I put in Prince. When I am nervouse I hear random music like my own recordings, j-pop or classical stuff. Yay music!
There are only about three things I can think of where music assists the ceremonies of my house.
The first of these three things is celebrations like birthdays and holidays. In these cases the music is specific to the time and activities. We have a special birthday song- ^.^ I will sing a verse for you sometime. Holidays like Halloween, Christmas, and Yule are definately time specific. People get so annoyed if they hear Christmas music too early or late in the year! For many people it makes them happy to hear the cute Christmas tunes on time though.
Weddings and funerals make me nervous. The music is not so much chosen because of the time, but because of the people. I can mess up a song for the holidays, but I worry so much about messing up a wedding or sending someone off with a flawed gift. Okay, a little time for opening up-I think I may be a little bit of a perfectionist... and the tiniest bit paranoid. Anyway, I feel much closer to the music at a wedding or funeral... that could just be me trying to be somewhere else though.
This might sound strange... but driving is actually a very important time for me. I can calm down while I drive, it is like meditating for me. The music in this case is totally for me and completely based on how I am feeling at the time. When I am very angry I listen to loud bands like System of a Down. If I am sad I put in Prince. When I am nervouse I hear random music like my own recordings, j-pop or classical stuff. Yay music!
Monday, January 12, 2009
Why writting a blog late at night is a bad thing...
Well, I was looking forward to this blog and at the same time I was not.
I am not very religious… but I am very spiritual. I practice a faith that is very down to earth, loving of nature, and not very interested in the magic that is Harry Potter (Not that we do not like Harry Potter).
We do not get into big groups (though there are the louder ones that do, I do not tend to mingle with them) because we individually answer the questions inside.
To make up for my lack of a “church” I have had to find other ways to be spiritual in public. I adore chants if I can join in. Anytime a large group of people are united in a thought there is a powerful feeling of joy inside of me. I have the chance to be a part of something big.
Performances are very important to me too. Solos are nice and all, but I would much rather be part of a small ensemble. I want to be able to hear the sounds meld and complement each other. Everything should balance (ideally).
Music is very important to me. It is not like I go out of my way to practice my faith, so music is very much a part of practicing my faith. (I am rambling aren’t I?) There are songs that are directed to my faith in particular. I like finding the songs that speak to me instead of using the same songs over and over. There are a few traditions we keep. Those I have spoken and compared with also played a flute (wooden in my case) with some ability and we almost all can keep a steady beat.
Okay… Long story short (too late), music is very important for me spiritually.
I am not very religious… but I am very spiritual. I practice a faith that is very down to earth, loving of nature, and not very interested in the magic that is Harry Potter (Not that we do not like Harry Potter).
We do not get into big groups (though there are the louder ones that do, I do not tend to mingle with them) because we individually answer the questions inside.
To make up for my lack of a “church” I have had to find other ways to be spiritual in public. I adore chants if I can join in. Anytime a large group of people are united in a thought there is a powerful feeling of joy inside of me. I have the chance to be a part of something big.
Performances are very important to me too. Solos are nice and all, but I would much rather be part of a small ensemble. I want to be able to hear the sounds meld and complement each other. Everything should balance (ideally).
Music is very important to me. It is not like I go out of my way to practice my faith, so music is very much a part of practicing my faith. (I am rambling aren’t I?) There are songs that are directed to my faith in particular. I like finding the songs that speak to me instead of using the same songs over and over. There are a few traditions we keep. Those I have spoken and compared with also played a flute (wooden in my case) with some ability and we almost all can keep a steady beat.
Okay… Long story short (too late), music is very important for me spiritually.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Drums
I know, I know, I talk about the Society of Creative Anachronism too much.I am just very proud of most of my international extended family.Since we have been listening to drum music I figured I would give you some links so you could see what goes on in the SCA.Being in the SCA has exposed me to many talents. We have two giant events every year, Gulf Wars and Pennsic Wars. These are the events to go to if you are looking for something. I can find a teacher for nearly anything I wanted to learn about at one of these two events. There is a man who will teach you about archery equipment and around the corner a woman giving spinning and weaving lessons.What if drums are what make you happy? Just ask around and you can find a few people who are willing to teach you how to play. If you are listening carefully, you may even find a few who will teach you how to make one. http://scadrummers.tribe.net/ This link will take you to the threads of some of these drummers. Many people in the SCA are very welcoming and helpful. In fact there is a thread right now about making ceramic drums.I managed to find a few videos of musical activities in the SCA. In this first video you will not be able to see much, but you can hear the thirty drummers. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9BVradnk5o This is a house hold, so they all pretty much know each other. I doubt highly that they have all practiced together regularly.This video is a SCA group. I do not know them. This is the type of stuff I would have to dance to. ^.^ I am, as I have said before, not very experienced. At the very end you will see the woman start trying to sit and dance... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCZmn7EI758
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Moving with Music
I just want to say that I realize people are taught different ways. I am not going to say that any of you are wrong if your teacher helped you understand a different way than I do.
Most of the blog is going to be about what I have seen in the SCA. Even when I first started going to the SCA, I was exposed to the combination of dance and music. I only started dancing the courting dances of pre-1600 Europe in the last year. My stepfather, Dave, is the only one in the local area that will teach them. We usually use a cassette player for the music, but there is the wonderful and rare occation that we have a live performer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FC1at92jfvo this is a popular dance we do. This group is not us and they do not play the music very loud, but I have put the idea to video tape our group forward. Hopefully before too long, I will have dance cheat sheets and a few of the cd's.
The woman to your left is Baroness Delia the Flammable. She is my main teacher when it comes to belly dancing. I sort of get taught by which ever woman is standing the closest to me, but that is another story.
^.^
The best part of an event can often be when everyone settles around the fire and the drums start going. It is a familiar dum dum teka teka dum teka tek... with the jingling hip scarves of the experianced dancers. The problem with the dancers like me is our jingles do not sound just right yet. The way we learn the moves is by the sound the scarf makes.
Since I started getting more interested in the Japanese culture I have found a most interesting way to show sword form. The dance Oni-Ken-Bai is a sword and fan dance (that I should really get around to learning). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5emNyKSiup4 The music in this link is actually loud enough to hear.
Does anyone else find the dance... similar to something they have seen before?
This last link is just for fun-It is our local SCA group doing a modern comedy version of how belly dancing came to the world. It is hard to hear so if you find me later I'll tell you what was going on. The two "babes" he grabs from the audience... yeah... one of them is me... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84wSRt2EvtU
-Lynn
Most of the blog is going to be about what I have seen in the SCA. Even when I first started going to the SCA, I was exposed to the combination of dance and music. I only started dancing the courting dances of pre-1600 Europe in the last year. My stepfather, Dave, is the only one in the local area that will teach them. We usually use a cassette player for the music, but there is the wonderful and rare occation that we have a live performer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FC1at92jfvo this is a popular dance we do. This group is not us and they do not play the music very loud, but I have put the idea to video tape our group forward. Hopefully before too long, I will have dance cheat sheets and a few of the cd's.
The woman to your left is Baroness Delia the Flammable. She is my main teacher when it comes to belly dancing. I sort of get taught by which ever woman is standing the closest to me, but that is another story.
^.^
The best part of an event can often be when everyone settles around the fire and the drums start going. It is a familiar dum dum teka teka dum teka tek... with the jingling hip scarves of the experianced dancers. The problem with the dancers like me is our jingles do not sound just right yet. The way we learn the moves is by the sound the scarf makes.
Since I started getting more interested in the Japanese culture I have found a most interesting way to show sword form. The dance Oni-Ken-Bai is a sword and fan dance (that I should really get around to learning). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5emNyKSiup4 The music in this link is actually loud enough to hear.
Does anyone else find the dance... similar to something they have seen before?
This last link is just for fun-It is our local SCA group doing a modern comedy version of how belly dancing came to the world. It is hard to hear so if you find me later I'll tell you what was going on. The two "babes" he grabs from the audience... yeah... one of them is me... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84wSRt2EvtU
-Lynn
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