Month: March 2014

Silhouette, Gentille Silhouette

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1491671_818894424791203_433852922_nThe art of puppetry has been intriguing me for quite some time. While making sketches and plans for various other projects, it seemed that shadow puppetry would be a good way to get the feet wet with less investment in time and material to get started. The art is not without its challenges and it takes some extra thought to figure out how to move things in a two-dimensional space and how to manipulate a being believably with 2-3 sticks. But it has been enjoyable. We are problem-solving on multiple planes including technical issues (lights, screen, and puppet construction), manipulation skills, and narrative development. The project should be ready to launch with a 10-minute show at the MacRostie Art Center for the First Friday walk on April 4th.

UPDATE: The show was a success. We had seating for 30. Both shows had 40-50 in attendance. Here’s the video of the first performance:

And a behind the screen peek at the second performance:

Dancing With Our Stars take 2

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dancing with our starsWith a quick turn-around of two weeks (and limited time in my schedule to rehearse) I’m jumping back on stage to defend my title with a new dance partner/choreographer. This year we’re doing a jive to ‘You Can’t Stop the Beat’ from Hairspray. I’m loving it! But it’s making me realize I am out of shape. It’s time to renew that Y membership.

There’s a big part of theatre and performing arts that says ‘If you forget a line or don’t know what you’re doing, just smile and act like you do.’ This seems more truthful for dance than anything else. Not to say I don’t have it down…but I admit I will probably be making a few errors confidently. As long as I err in confidence, I trust no one will know. Regardless, it’s sure to be a good time!