I intend to deserve it

[clevermanka]

This. Is. Amazing. A personal trainer fakes his own before/after shots. BRILLIANT.

Not so brilliant:



Members of Raghsidad performed a belly dance and cheerleading routine called "Kinetic Infusion" during the opening night party for the Fringe Festival at Spencer Theatre, UMKC Performing Arts Center, on Thursday, July 18, 2013 in Kansas City, Missouri. The Fringe Festival, which features theater, dance, music, burlesque, film, spoken word, visual art and fashion continues through July 28. Go to kcfringe.org for more information on show times and locations.

WHAT IN THE ACTUAL FUCK.

I ... guess? ... I shouldn't disparage this without having actually seen the number, but... I. just. can't. I can't. Cheerleading is a sport. I have a lot of respect for people who can do that crazy ass gymnastic cheer stuff. But it is not dance. IT IS A SPORT. Why pull random shit together with bellydance and call it FUSION? I hate it. HATE IT. Thanks(?) to redheadfae for the heads up.

I found out yesterday that these things exist. Japanese Flying Squirrels. Yes. Leave it to Japan to make something already cute even fucking cuter. I mean Come on. JEEEEZUS.

Fellow lovers of action/shoot-em-up flicks and badass women, Check. This. Shit. Out. Yo. WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT.



Crypticon Costume Update: Last night I finished sewing the dress for Dead Girl and did a bit of work distressing it. It was weird to intentionally fuck up a garment not five minutes after finishing it.

I now have oil stains under the armpits and down the back for sweat, and I rubbed more oil on my thighs for stains where she has wiped her hands down her legs during chores, etc. mckitterick and I had an amusing time trying to tear the dress off me to make believable rips (one at the right shoulder, one at the left back), and I took a wire brush to various wear spots (collar, hem, shoulders, front bodice). I still want to get some dirt stains on the skirt but the dirt in our yard is too hard and dry. I also want to get a bloody handprint on the the front hem of the skirt (as if a man tried to grab her skirt from, oh, say, a pit in which she was trying to burn him), but I need to do some research on how to make a fake dried blood stain. Fake blood will stay red and that's no good. I want that ugly, rusty brown color.

A million thanks to orrin for finding information on how to create fake rope burns. Tonight or tomorrow I'll build her arm scar (it'll be a prosthetic, held on with spirit gum, so I can reuse it instead of rebuilding the scar every time). This weekend I want to get a photo of the test run of the full costume, in makeup. Then I can start building the character (a random, unnamed extra that I'm calling Pit Girl) from his other book. Pit Girl will be easier to dress than Dead Girl, since I don't have to actually sew her outfit, But she needs a lot of little fiddly things--charms, tattoos, accessories--that'll take some time to collect. Basically, in my head she looks like Occult Magic Practitioner Goes to Burning Man. She should be a lot of fun to build.

And finally:


FUCK. YES.

Comments

[stuology.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen the performance either, but there are multiple camps in cheer. The all-star types, which do a lot of the gymnastic stunts and the pro types which do more dance. Professional sport teams squads (AKA the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders) are the dancy pro ones. The competition teams are the all-star gymnastic ones. Highschool/college is usually a mix of the two, although there are typically different teams. The ones that do sidelines are the gymnastics and the ones that do the halftime shows that are more dance oriented.

So, possibly, they picked the correct one for their fusion dance. I'm not sure how that looked. Maybe they just did bellydance with pom-poms.

(Here's my admittance that I used to be a cheerleader. It is secret from my past that I keep in a box in the storage room of my basement.)

(Geez, it took three edits for that to come out somewhat clear.)

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Maybe they just did bellydance with pom-poms.

I am really, really afraid that's what it was. Of course, I'll never know for sure because I won't support Z's shows.

Even if it was the more dance-oriented style, though, I stand firmly by my opinion that not all dance forms work together, and I simply can't see these two styles working together. I am sick to tears of people trying to mash non-complimentary types of dance together in an effort to be novel.

[miischelle.livejournal.com]

I was thinking you know WAY too much about cheerleading until I got to this part:
(Here's my admittance that I used to be a cheerleader. It is secret from my past that I keep in a box in the storage room of my basement.)

Having seen enough of Zada's stuff I'd guess they threw in one or two completely inappropriate moves she found on YouTube, and shook the pompoms around.

[stuology.livejournal.com]

They way they are standing with their pom poms, I completely believe it. They probably just tried to use pompoms as props and used some highschool sideline moves.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

I wish I was in better contact with some of her dancers that I could ask. pamelonian is good friends with one of them. Perhaps I can beg her to do a little questioning next time she sees her.

[miischelle.livejournal.com]

Maybe there will be video...

[redheadfae.livejournal.com]

We need someone to surreptitiously record it at one of the COTK performances.

[pamelonian.livejournal.com]

I may attend the show this weekend if my friend can comp me in. If not, I would be happy to do a little questioning.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Awesome. Thanks!

[redheadfae.livejournal.com]

Agree with both of you!

I have the same dirty little secret.
My motivation for doing it wasn't the most honorable either, my friend and I made a pact to make the squad just so we could change some of the Rules. Like smoking.

[miischelle.livejournal.com]

OH MY GAWD thE SQUIRRELS!!!!!

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Perhaps they can make a guest appearance if you ever do the Robot and Squirrel book.

[miischelle.livejournal.com]

If Chris ever writes the Robot and Squirrel book you mean?

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Writes. Starts. You know. The two of you are, I think, equally busy. Poor things.

[miischelle.livejournal.com]

i am WELL aware.
hence the total and complete lack to pushing.

[orrin.livejournal.com]

A million thanks to orrin for finding information on how to create fake rope burns.

It's awesome to know people who know how to do awesome stuff. (Like sew costumes, frankly. This whole costuming thing sounds epic and more than a little like magic to me.)

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Sewing is magic, in a way--it's just a type of magic that anyone can learn, given enough time and dedication!

[miischelle.livejournal.com]

Speaking of sewing, can I foist some fabric on you? I have bunches I'm never going to use.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

I'm not gonna turn down free fabric from you, bb.

The Post of Posts.

[chalcedonygrey.livejournal.com]

That trainer article was really illuminating.

So many hearts to the sqrlz! [DED]

And ZOMG Hawkeyecandy! [SWOON]

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

So pleased I could give you some fun things to look at!

[apocalypticbob.livejournal.com]

Since I am involved with Fringe this year, I was at the Opening Night teasers, and I saw the above mentioned 3 minute teaser and can give you all the information that you crave.

It was, exactly as you might have feared, the worst of a high school sideline routine mixed with bad belly dancing. There was no tumbling. There was a lot of lining up into diagonal lines and raising arms in the air with pompoms. There was some hip shaking, making the tassels on their hips move with a lackluster sway. There were no isolations to be seen under their camisoles and yoga pants. There were some half assed formations like you might see a group of cheerleaders do in a parade. There was a lot of really sloppy footwork. They ran over time and were still lining up in their final formation (a diagonal line from downstage left to upstage right) when the light turned blue and their music cut off, signaling that their time was done. Fringe crowds are supportive crowds, so there was applause and we all waited for the emcee, Lucky DeLuxe, to come tell us what the next three minute teaser would be.

There you have it!

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Oh dear. Well, thanks for confirming my worst fears.

I cannot understand why people are still dancing with her. It's beyond my comprehension how it can actually be worth it.

[apocalypticbob.livejournal.com]

All that said, I can say that they looked like they were having fun, both at this teaser and the other teaser I saw them perform at. They were smiling and laughing and not taking it too seriously. Maybe that is why they dance with her? I don't know. I think if you want to dance for fun, then that's awesome, but then maybe you don't promote your dancing as a show.

That's my two cents on it. It looked like fun dancing that had very little to do with belly dancing and wasn't something I would base a show around. It looked more like the kind of dancing I used to do at Zumba, and I would never ask people to pay to come watch a Zumba class!

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

they looked like they were having fun...They were smiling and laughing and not taking it too seriously

Holy crap. I wonder if Zada was abducted by aliens. That doesn't sound at all like her old self.

FWIW

[chalcedonygrey.livejournal.com]

In this case, how could anyone possibly take cheerleader bellydance seriously? YEESH.

The ladies pictured mostly have danced with her a long time now, and back when I was a part of it, they were good about not letting her issues affect their performance/enjoyment of dance. (At the time, I had no idea how, but kudos to them.) They almost universally cite the performance opportunities as the number one reason they stay, too.

Also, she may be in a particularly good frame of mind b/c she has lost 30lbs (so she recently informed me) and is continuing to lose weight. I know that had bothered her quite a bit, so this recent success at her goal of weight loss has likely made her much happier.

[miischelle.livejournal.com]

I think if you want to dance for fun, then that's awesome, but then maybe you don't promote your dancing as a show.

THIS so much.

[msmitti.livejournal.com]

I second (third?) this.

[orrin.livejournal.com]

Man, this sounds so much like the stuff that Zada used to put on back when I saw a lot of her shows, I'm just surprised she didn't do it sooner.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Well, TBH, she has. This is just the first time, I think, with cheerleading routines.

[chalcedonygrey.livejournal.com]

I think Rin meant he was surprised she hadn't done cheerleading sooner. We're well acquainted with her penchant for hyper-inappropriate-and-spectacularly-tacky "fusion" concepts... (The Rock the Casbah show comes to mind... I dearly hope you missed that gem... Zada singing hair metal rock, two dancers in the background "jamming" on fake guitars...)

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

OH SWEET JESUS. I might have actually seen that but swear to god I think I actually blocked it from my memory until just now.

THANKS FOR THE REMINDER.

[chalcedonygrey.livejournal.com]

Maybe we should start up a pool for what she does next? I hear zombies are in...

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Lord. I just don't...well. I just don't. I think we can leave it at that.

[redheadfae.livejournal.com]

So, basically it was the lowest common denominator of amateur bellydance and tiny tot cheering (can't call it -leading, can we?) in practice outfits.

Re: THAT FILM.

[saffronhare.livejournal.com]

I'll be in my bunk.

Re: THAT FILM.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

TELL ME ABOUT IT! AUGH!!!!

[siro-gravity.livejournal.com]

there has been quite a push at school to create "hybrid" classes. Last year a science teacher contacted me about bringing my photo chemicals to her class to show students how chemicals + plates = pictures. I think that's pretty cool.

But when geneticists put fish genes in strawberries to enhance their cold hardiness? like, NO. that's a frankenfood I don't wanna eat.

The belly dancing-cheerleading perfomance sounds like a frankendance. oh god, the pom-poms. D:

I've seen Before & After pix where you could tell the image had been lengthened in photoshop. the dude in that link did a better job.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Frankendance is a perfect descriptor. I am going to start using that, if you don't mind, and thank you.

[siro-gravity.livejournal.com]

:) you're very welcome!

[chalcedonygrey.livejournal.com]

Frankendance! Love it!

[blackdwarv.livejournal.com]

Katee Sackhoff. Fem!Expendables.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

*bowing the fuck down*

[kalimeg.livejournal.com]

Maybe a red henna stain? If it dries the right color on a scrap it might work.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

That's not a bad idea! I've got some henna already in the freezer. I'll thaw it out, water it down, and try it on a test piece of fabric. Thanks!

[kazoogrrl.livejournal.com]

My troupe throws an Inappropriate Hafla every year (this year: 007th, Licensed to Zill). Here is one troupe from 2009. Cheerleader inspired ATS based improv "fusion"!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jA9wMOaPphA

I think the set actually started with "Hey Mickey!"

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

See now, a hafla would be a PERFECT venue for this sort of thing. Kudos to you and yours! Sounds like you have a great dance community there.

[kazoogrrl.livejournal.com]

We're actually pretty lucky, the dance community here (MD/DC/VA) is great and supportive, from pros to students, across genres and styles, etc. Sure, you get the occasional spats or feuds but there's enough going on (sometimes too much) that you can ignore the people you don't care for and still have a full dance plate.

We started the hafla as a place for people to do silly/unusual/weird pieces instead of putting them on the stage or in front of the general public. Sadly there was no way to stop that runaway train.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Wow, your dance community sounds fantastic! LEETLE JELIS.