Of Broken Memories

Manila was tremendous--for the most parts at least. Would I ever come back to Manila any time soon? No, I would not. And not necessarily because there were bits which I didn't particularly enjoy, but I think the snippets of Manila which I caught few glimpses of were enough, and they didn't need a follow-up really. It was a nice pull-stop, and I am ready to move on to the next one.

Preparing for the performance was brutal. And I could say this because never before had I ever sustained so many injuries preparing for a performance. My right wrist was messed up, my left shoulder went a little funky, and the shin splints made a second coming. I think they all formed the culmination of shock and stress which I had put my body under after having not danced for too long (due to Canada) and shoved my self into the thick of things abruptly (like TRDO). My body wasn't ready, and I pushed, it pushed harder--I lost and paid the price.

Nonetheless, doing the items I did for Manila really helped me understand the idea of living in the now. I consider myself generally as someone who lives in the future. I set goals on a regular basis, conquering (as I would like to consider myself doing) one thing after another either simply because I need to, or I want to and I can. As a consequence, I hardly spent enough time enjoying the fruit of my own labour. It was always an endless pursuit of the future, which I think I still do, and in which I see nothing wrong--although at times it does feel regretful that I couldn't help myself to remain in the present and relish it a bit more. Of course, there is nothing absolute about it either: there were times where I would chase my memories, vaguely trying to recreate the feeling that one piece of music or that one photo gave me when I heard or saw it for the first time. But generally, I keep my eyes on the finish line, and creating one after another once the former is crossed.

Not too long ago I watched this interview on YouTube of Wade Robson, titled Masterclass Legends: Wade Robson on DS2DIO channel (which if you guys haven't heard of, you should check it out!), and in that interview the host asked, "What do you love about dance?". Wade answered:

With dance, when you're deep in the moment of dance and just how time drifts away. You know, and like usually everything in life we're always thinking about something we want in the future or relating it to something that's happened in the past, you know, when you're in that moment just none of that stuff exists and time just slips away. All of us in life are looking to be a little bit more present and as dancers, we're so lucky that we kind of have that window of opportunity to see what that's really like to not be so caught up in the sort of psychological time. So and then it's just hoping we can take that glimpse and use that sort of more and more in our day-to-day life.

And as corny as it sounds, I really understood what he said when I did those items, during rehearsals, vettings and the show itself. Well, may be partially because the items were really long, but there was also something that when I put on the costumes, and the music began playing, and the lights went down, and there was this thing in the space in front of me that was liberating--it felt safe, empty, and here. May be I am over-romanticising it at this moment, may be just a tiny bit.

Anyway, Manila was special because of the people. The Filipinos that I met, they were a passionate lot. Despite the rain, the horrible traffic, the bugs, the flood and the sweat (or perhaps because of them), these people really knew how to live it. And it was so apparent from the way they dressed, the way they spoke--Tagalog, perhaps due to the Spanish influence, is a language which is spoken with gusto; it has rhythm, inflection and accompanying gestures; it has real character--the way they interacted with one another, and of course the way they drank.

I met this dancer who was not much older than I was, Zyda, and she gave a workshop which was easily the highlight of the whole trip. She was a dream to watch. Really, she wrote poetry with her movements. And when we all talked to her after the workshop, it was all over her: her life journey, her personality and her story, emanating from her pores. She had the words "Om Namah Shivaya" (which meant "I honour the divinity within me") tattooed on her left forearm and a trinity sign (which meant "the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit") on her right wrist, such that when she crossed her arms the two would meet. She mentioned that she used to be rebellious, and now she was trying to dial it down, and those tattoos helped her to relinquish her dark past. Everything about her: her body, her dancing, her movements, her technique, her voice; told her story--and I really admired her for that.

Whatever happened in Manila was not life-changing--nowadays, nothing is--but it made me want to live in the now just a little bit more. I probably will never let go of my clutch on the future, but perhaps I can afford to ease my clench just a tad bit and take chances to savour what is happening now, or what is in very, very near future. And each time that spinal reflex kicked in and I felt like tightening my fist of control over things again, let me be reminded that things would be alright. And even if they didn't, there was still something worthwhile in living in the now with my slightly relaxed fist--in living it so daring greatly.

He Does So Daring Greatly

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. 

-- The Man in the Arena, delivered at the Sorbonne, in Paris, France on 23 April, 1910 

Epiphany

If dance really is a lifestyle, it's selfish to ask others to live yours, isn't it?

Antidote to Morning Sickness

Bye House

It's been amazing eight seasons!

RIP Harry's Law

Another good series bit the dust. In one of her recent tweets, Kathy Bates (Harry Korn) announced that Harry's Law would not be coming back for a third season. What a dumb move.

Harry's Law is--or, was-- NBC's latest legal drama-comedy (or, dramedy) created by David E. Kelly, who is the master mind behind the whole string of legal dramas we've seen so far on TV (The Practice, Boston Legal, Ally McBeal). It features an Oscar-winning actress Bates as the House, or the Sheldon, or the Barney, of the series, and a bunch of new faces, such as Brittany Snow (Jenna Backstorm), Nathan Corddry (Adam Branch) and Christopher McDonald (Tommy Jefferson). The first season comprises of thirteen episodes, which essentially tells a transition story of bored-to-death, former-patent-lawyer Korn opening up her own shoe-store-cum-law-practice in one ghetto neighbourhood in Cincinnati, Ohio. Granted Korn falls short of the magnetic charisma of House or Sheldon in their respective series, but nonetheless, Bates' portrayal of the curmudgeon lawyer who has a penchant for shooting quails is pretty delightful.

At the start of the second season, the show decided to toss up its cast by dropping Snow and Aml Ameen (Malcolm Davies) and introducing other new pretty (perhaps prettier?) faces, namely Karen Olivo (Cassie Reynolds), Mark Valley (Olli Richard), and from episode 16 onwards, Justine Lupe (Phoebe Blake). All of these aimed at bringing in more younger viewers, which the show desperately needed. Apparently in the US the deciding demographic that determines whether a show remains on the air is that of 18-49. It has something to do with the idea of it being the age group with has the most purchasing power, and since the network gets its money through its ads spaces, the higher the 18-49 ratings, the more willing the ads companies are to pay a higher price for the spaces, and therefore the more likely that a show would remain on the air. 

Sadly for Harry's Law, despite being the most viewed scripted show on NBC, pulling in an average of seven to eight millions viewers each week, and despite Bates' obtaining an Emmy nomination and Paul McCrane's (Puck Peyton) winning an Emmy for their respective performance in the first season, the 18-49 ratings have not improved enough to keep it on the air. Most of Harry's Law's loyal followers happen to be older. 

It is sad because I actually think that this is a good show, and not in anyway worse than the fas-and-critic-favourite The Good Wife (which Raj once mentions in TBBT as his new Grey's Anatomy)--although I have to say Harry's Law's attempts to appeal to the 18-49 demographic have been so in-your-face, that sometimes it is ridiculous, if not patronising. It is definitely much better than Shonda Rhimes' latest baby Scandal.

In the episode The Contest, Korn told Branch that: "And you know what else? I may be sixty, I may be short, but I'm damn hot! I sizzle in fact! And I want to win this competition. May be the equivalent to lawyers' wet T-shirt contest? I don't care. I want to get the news out there. The law offices of Harry Korn: we're sexy, we're hip, and we're hot!" after previously commenting that the 'people' think that they're 'fuddy-duddy'. 

In the last episode The Whole Truth, in a scene where Korn is forced to get out of bed at 6 a.m. (what's the purpose of this scene?), she grumbled: "It sucks getting old. I miss the time when I was in the age of eighteen and forty nine." Also, in a concluding scene of this episode, where Korn, Jefferson, Branch and Blake were sitting together drinking, Korn commented "Some days I don't know whether I'm gonna make it, but today... *one by one they held each others hands* *cue music with lyrics: /cause you're all I need/and I can't do this alone/stay with me/stay with me*". 

Nonetheless, it is really sad that the show is almost over. There were some really great highlights, such as: Jean Smart (Rosseana Remmick) being the draconian DA we all love to hate, the testimony in Sins of the Father which led the judge to declare prosecutorial misconduct, the cross-examination by Korn in Purple Hearts which stirred a confession from a nurse for a murder of a baby, and the Jefferson's auto-tuned version of a confession which he sneakily caught on tape. The show combines a healthy dose of lightheartedness with moments of moralising which give us the much-needed catharsis at the end of the episodes.

Of course, Kelley could have developed the character better, especially in the second season where more characters are introduced to the main cast, and there are times where I felt that the episodes abruptly ended where it did not feel like it was supposed to end there, but no show is perfect (with an exception of Grey's, TBBT and Modern Family), and I thought--and think--NBC should have given Harry's Law another shot, and instead of focusing so much on the 18-49 ratings. RIP Harry's Law. Can't wait for season finale next week!

Watching ABDC 2012 Week 5

ABDC is such a great show. I have not really been following the series for a couple of seasons, but this season I'm hooked. First and foremost, of course I am wrong about my opinions of the show or some of the crews featured. And of course, I am biased--that's the whole point of writing about your POV on something, isn't it? But disclaimer aside, this season's diversity of talent is insane. Granted, I did not see some of the previous seasons, which could have had some amazing stuff which my ignorant self is not aware of, but what makes this season exciting for me is that the talents are not as gimmicky as I thought they would be. Or at least some of them.

Before I forget, DJ Pauly D, whatever his name was: so unnecessary. They try to hype it up so much, given that this week was J.Lo's week, but I really don't think it's necessary. Lowest part of the show: Lil Mama's commentary. I cannot bring myself to listen to her--I've tried--and it's not only because of what she said. Funniest part of the show: when JC succumbed to following the crowd dancing the J.Lo signature dance thing. You could totally see his thought bubble: "Really? Urgh, F*ck it. *follows the crowd*". 

Anyway, obviously, MWC is the crowd's favorite, and I think that they are most solid dance crew on the series: they have some of the best choreography, some of the best dancers, and they win over their fans by their impeccable dancing, not so much by gimmicks. While RNG is strong on choreography as well, what makes MWC the one to watch is that they can execute their choreography flawlessly. Meanwhile it feels like RNG pack too much of a good thing in too short a period of time sometimes, which makes them look a teeny bit sloppy. But RNG are comprised of children, so perhaps anatomically speaking, they are already at a disadvantage. Nonetheless, I thought their piece this week was awesome, even better than last week's with the whole reverse concept thing. I am not particularly a fan of MWC's piece this week, and come to think of it, it seems that this crew is suffering from the problem of peaking way too soon in the season. Their debut piece was the best one, probably in the entire season, and they have not been able to top it off since--granted, now the show imposes ridiculous 'challenges' and assigns at-time-WTF tracks which more-often-than-not do not help this crew, or any crew for that matter, to achieve their best. 

Electrolytes this week is very entertaining. The theatrics worked. It is incredibly hard to incorporate a story line into a dance piece, and I thought they did that brilliantly. This has been the downfall of the FP this season, I believe, because while FP are known for their theatricality and such, they did so at the expense of shortening their choreography moment in their piece, so much so that it appears that there isn't much dancing in their pieces. Of course, dancing is so much more than displaying choreography or pulling off stunts, but in a competition, one's got to bring out the goods, and mere acting is often less than appreciated. Perhaps if the camera angle is good, the FP's story lines/concepts would come across better to the TV audience, i.e. voters, but so far it has not worked in their favour. That is why this week, FP pulled all stops to showcase their dance choreography, their concept and their fulfilling of the challenge, and they did much better than they did in previous weeks. Thing is, for this crew, when they got artists like Madonna and J.Lo, they should have ripped. it. apart. (pull stops for emphasis!), you could hear the crack on your TV screens, but I think they have yet to reach that potential. And I really want to like FP more than I actually do, but sad to say, I think they are riding more on their established reputation and their supposed potential in surviving on the show, than on their performances. 

The dark horse this season is 8F, and they are lethal machines. They say the best gifts come in small packages, and in this case they come also in eight flavours. This crew is the perfect blend of street dance (I won't say hip hop) and gymnastics (I won't say contemporary/jazz since they mostly, if only, use it for stunts). They really have good odds of winning the season because one, they are killing it each week someone should really have them arrested (save for may be last week, but that's a whole another story); two, they have a great back story (i.e. eight munchkins overcoming the distance to dance together and Angel's mum passing); and three, we have yet to see the best of them. I think 8F still have a couple of tricks up their sleeves that they are saving for the last lap of the season. One, two, three, and bam! A magic formula that will take them to the very end. 

Speaking of back stories, the reason why 8F are winning people over is that their story is not one that has been relentlessly flaunted on the show for seasons, so much so that the audience are practically numbed by it, i.e. one that's about dancers struggling to make ends meet, living off the streets with parents who are disapproving of their career of choice, or one about injured dancers fighting to not let their crews down. Not that I want to trivialise these issues--they are real and serious issues--but we have seen it one too many times on the show that we are used to it (or may be just me?). If you're a someone who has chosen street dance as a career, chances are you are not going to be wining and dining at some fancy restaurant or driving a Jaguar, at least not until some producer wants you to star in the next Step Up movie. But in exchange, you've got a good body, friends which you can call family and the joy of doing something you love. So, you win some, and you lose some.

Anyway, the results so far have been justified, I think, first they kicked out the foreigners (voters putting the A in ABDC), then the crew with gimmicks as their main selling point (as in the case of SB, which I could not stand, putting the B in ABDC), and now the real popularity contest begins: which crew is the most exciting one that even though they are not the best dancers, they are the best at putting on a show for the viewers (which is a plausible interpretation of ABDC, I guess)? I think MCW would come out in the end as the winner, although I hope they keep 8F and FP till the end because I'm just curious about what they would do with the challenges and how they would react to the development of the show thus far: for 8F, with Angel's coming back to join the force, and for FP, their retaliation after having been thrown to the bottom two weeks in a row now. Exciting much!