Friday, October 29, 2010

Playing catchup

Tuesday, October 26 PG= 100
Spent the day with Glenn memorizing COW more.  Also tried on some stuff from the costume loft.  Haley was doing a pretty good job pulling stuff.

Wednesday, October 27 PG= 100
Participated rather fully in the workshop.  Sort of went the full gamut of moods throughout.  Last 20 minutes, of course, felt awesome.


Tuesday, October 26 Theatre Journal:
Today was basically spent memorizing.  Got somewhere.  Stuff happened.  We tried on some costuming, mostly white shirts and shoes.  Black shoes, not white.

Wednesday, October 27 Journal:
Today was the last day of Sean Lewis and Elisa Matula.  While I may not have gotten very far during the workshop itself, I'm sort of listing this as another one of the tools in my tool belt for relaxing and being honest.  It is, after all, my biggest weakness.  And I'm starting to see what people mean about being a little too aware of what my body's doing at any given moment.  Bring it on!

Dance Journal:
The last few days have sort of blurred together.  I know I'm enjoying the triplet piece, and I'm happy I get to partner with Kiana, however briefly.  I enjoy partnering with as many different people as I possibly can.  It's neat to see how different people move differently, and move differently in conjunction with me.  In pieces so far this year, I have partnered with Zaynah, Kiana, and Bella, 3 very different movers.  VERY different.  In exercises, I think I've partnered with Arlee, Lianna, Kelly, Hana....I think that's it.  OH!  The test.  I think that went pretty well.  My thoughts were a little scattered, but I think I got the general idea well enough.  And the exercises today were fun as hell.  Prance, 2, 3, 4, back, 2, 3, 4, forward, 2, 3, 4, whipwhipwhipwhip, back, 2, 3, 4, se-cond-jump-ing, hop, leapturn, hop, leapturn, back, leap, hop, leap.  Und Monsters.  I was elephant legs and sounds.

Gabe Journal:

Monday, October 25, 2010

Yo me remendaba

PG= 100
 Participated in Sean workshop.  Apparently I have a very expressive back.  The voice part went particularly well.  Also, may I just say that the view from the Route 1 bridge in the early morning is fucking spectacular.  It looked this morning like a collage of modern, post-apocalyptic, and pre-historic, all in one.  The fog and the light and the bridge in the distance and the cars and trucks....Gah.

Theatre Journal:
Had choir tonight.  Bite me.  I'm about to fall over. 

Dance Journal:
I was very happy to be able to do all three periods of dance today.  I really got the full effect of the class for once.  Running rep went relatively well, especially the triplet piece.  Solo choreography also went well.  I sort of brought my part A to good closure.  I am having a bit of trouble with part B, but we've only been messing with that for a day.  We'll see what happens.

Gabe Journal:
DEATH.  I have been awake for 17.5 hours.  8 of those hours were spent engaged in vigorous physical, mental, or emotional activity, or some combo of the three.  I'm about ready to die.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Oh, it's morning, isn't it.

PG= Theatre Journal:

Dance Journal:
I am really enjoying this piece we're working on.  It's being challenging, but the rewarding kind, not the super-frustrating kind.  Part of it is that you're giving us the tools with which to work out the problems on our own, not just giving us exact answers.  The video at the beginning of class was an excellent example.  By watching those incredible dancers do a very intense sort of partnering, I now understand more what it is I need to do in order to ensure the safety of my partner and create fluid movement from point to point.

Gabe Journal:

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Diddlydiddlydiddly

PG= 100
Today was largely spent on tablework, which was okay by me.  Also did a brief African theatre thing.  Read out loud from Death and the King's Horseman.

Theatre Journal:
Honestly, not much to talk about.  Reading DatKH out loud for the freshies is definitely useful for me, but I'm still processing.  Perhaps more tomorrow.  Except not, because of Cake.  Thursday.

Dance Journal:
Did I mention how much I'm liking this French triplet mabober?  Can't wait to do the next bit with the Kiana-clump, as it's being in my mind.  Kiana, Kelly, Elias, and my mind is blanking on who the fourth person is.  Lianna?  But yeah.  Back is a little strained from draggin Zaynah across the floor, and I'm feeling generally creeky tonight, but things should be a-okay.

Gabe Journal:

Monday, October 18, 2010

Bogorditsye Dyevo

PG= N/A

Theatre Journal:
Also N/A, since we didn't even have a substitute, and were thus sent to dance.  In which I participated.  Again.

Dance Journal:
WOOOOOOOOOOO.  Today was awesome.  I sorta kinda feel on top of the world.  4 hours of dance.  Morning went rather well.  I made it through the pilates warmup better than usual (read: only dropped dead 3 or 4 times, compared to my usual 8 or 9), vaguely owned the syllabic stuff, and then rep was pretty much an epic win.  I love dancing with Zaynah.  I feel bad for being on the weird/creepy side, but we dance well together.  The piece we started on today was a wonderful, gloriously slow, French waltz-ish thing.  And we start off with a straight-up vertical lift.  As opposed to a horizontal lift?  I guess that's sort of possible.  Sort of.  Not sure how we're getting to the leaning, waltzing part, but we have the steps down pretty solidly.  We did it in three tiers, essentially: First we were just figuring it out; then we figured out how to remain connected throughout; finally, we got the leaning down pat, which made it ten times easier and interesting.  At the end we were really pushing into each other, and providing bases for each other to work from.  And it's so cool to me how much overlap there is between dance and theatre, especially in the last few counts of what we did, when we faced each other, connected at the shoulders.  It was almost identical to an exercise we did two weeks ago in theatre, just moving instead of holding a balance.  Artgasm.  Pardon the term.

Gabe Journal:
I AM SO TIRED.  4 hours of dance + awesome choir rehearsal (albeit rocky start) = happy, exhausted Gabe.  We are singing in 5 different languages for this concert: English, Latin, Russian, Ukrainian, and Spanish.  I am so freakin' excited.  And so freakin' tired.   And hungry.  Damn.  My 3 hour nap meant I had no time for dinner earlier.  Fuck.  I had better do something about that.  TIme for a late-night trip to the store, due to lack of quick food here.  Audition prep on Sunday meant that I ran out of time for cooking for the week.  Merf.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

It's a Deer, George.

PG= 100
Wish I could've done Meisner today, but I need to work on COW.  Started memorizing.  Just trying to start with the order of the colors in that first monologue.  First half of tablework went okay.

Theatre Journal:
I"m really happy to start acting good and proper again, but it's gonna hurt.  It feels like stretching refrigerated gum.  Except the idea is I *want* it to snap, and I'm just being too careful.  I feel like such a mess.  Here's hoping things pull together and work out.

Dance Journal:
Hoo boy today did not make me happy.  I'm terribly sorry I missed class.  I had no idea what was going on.  I thought I was going for a brief meeting with Mrs. Vaksman about math team, but it turned out today was the competition.  As a result, and due to a bit of a slow start, all I did today was a small portion of warm ups.  I've decided that I can't let this happen again.  I thought I could do my extra-curriculars, but it has become apparent that that's not an option.  Every solitary period of my day is necessary this year.  If I miss first period, I'm not warmed up, which is dangerous.  If I miss third period, I am warming up and then not doing anything.  Not looking forward to telling Vaksman, but this sort of thing won't happen again.

Gabe Journal:
Reasons Why Art is Good Number 2: It allows freer expression of self, ideas, and concepts.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Reason Number 1 Why Art is Good

It defines us.

PG= 100
Did not totally spazz out.  Did a read-through and some rudimentary table work for COW.  Coming up with a plan B just in case Glenn doesn't remain true.

Theatre Journal:
I spent tonight looking through those one-act books again, trying to come up with a plan B.  I'm really scared.  Almost petrified.  But not quite.  I didn't find anything that struck me right off the bat.  Guess what I'm doing on the bus tomorrow morning.  And in the hallway before class.  And during lunch.

Dance Journal:
Choreography was much more...not productive, per se, because I actually came up with *less* than yesterday, but it was more effective.  It's lovely to think how the two worlds to which I belong intertwine, and how when I go for the simpler and, to me, more obvious and straightforward approach, it comes out better than when I focus on what I'm trying to convey and how to "communicate" it.

Gabe Journal:

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Like the Lady With the Mystic Smile

PG= 100
Read part of Death and the King's Horseman to help the freshies get it.  Was somewhat upset that it took us half an hour to do shit and finally get to the grades, which means we didn't read through Crows Over Wheatfield.  But I was a good class person.  Did not enjoy period 8, though.  No me gusta.

Theatre Journal:
 RAAAAAGH.  Essays bug the shit out of me.  But that is not the point of journals, nominally.  DatKH.  Now that I know what is going on, I may be able to finish forging through act 1.  Part of the way through.  Must.  Not.  Lose.  Momentum. 

Dance Journal:
ALSO RAAAAAGH.  So apparently now I have to go on two intimately connected journeys in two different mediums.  Choreo was rough, confusing, and frustrating.  Trying to keep calm, remain true to the intention and the reality of my word.  Fucking isolation.  Why couldn't I have chosen one of the paintings that inspires me?  Naw.  That would be too simple and obvious.  I need to stop that.  Condemning the obvious.  It's never served me any good, and likely never will.  Honestly, forgot to work on my phrase this evening.  Here's to sleep cycles.

Gabe Journal:
 Spew time.  Gonna try to type faster than my filters.  Not actually achievable by mortal fingers, but I'll do my best.  College essay stuff.  I'm smarter than most people I've met, but when they're smarter, they're way smarter.  And I look like a dick.  Bacause I am a dick.  A really smart dick.  A lazy, smart dick.  I dunno.  I'm arrogant, that muchis clear, and has been made clear by 3 and some odd years of being reminded of it.  By everybody.  I'm arrogant.  I'm smart.  I'm....diverse?  Not really.  Well, sort of.  In some ways.  I feel like a good analogy would be an explosion, if I knew more chemistry.  All I know is that, for ignition to occur of a large cloud of gas, there has to be the right combination of the gas and air.  So, like, hydrogen.  If I and my experiences are hydrogen, and the world of the performing arts in which I wish to enter is the surrounding air, and my mental filters are the Hindenberg... Except that makes me sound like a menace to society.  I think it may be a good idea to avoid analogies to disasters.  Unless it's a Hindenburg of sunshine, rainbows, and crazy.  Which it could be.  So I'll stick with it for now.  The whole, "judging before you write" thing.  Judging before you create anything, really.  Had that same issue in dance today.  But I ranted a little bit about that already.  So I'm a Hundenburg of crazy, experimental art.  I love how the spelling of the blimp is changing as I go along.  I'm a ball of creative gas, angry, arrogant, brilliant, crazy gas.  My limited experience surrounds me in a rubber cocoon.  Or is it cloth?  I have no idea.  I'm floating around in my horizon of ignorance and inexperience, looking for the proper catalyst, the sharp, pointy something to burst my bubble, bring me down to Earth, and let loose all that lies within my gassy confines.  Shit.  11:58.  I need to go to bed right about now.

Friday, October 8, 2010

I need to stop doing these early in the morning.

I mean, I think they still technically count, but it's just not good form.

PG=100
Showed the freshman an introduction to independent activities.  Read through The Courier.  Decided we can't do it.  Switched it to Crows Over Wheatfield.

Theatre Journal:
I explained to you that image I have in my head of the Mario rewind thing.  It's the idea of multiple realities existing at once.  In terms of Old Times, there are definitely at least three realities; one for Deeley, one for Ann, and one for Kate.  But each then starts to express multiple realities.  It sort of feels like a Sierpinski triangle.  You start with a fairly clear frame, with three vertexes.  Then you slowly start breaking it down into smaller and smaller bits, exponentially, until you have possibly infinite realities, all of which are equally viable. 

Dance Journal:
Yay for learning how to swing dance!  Finishing the flash mob (mostly) felt very rewarding.  We've finished our first thing of the year.  I was fairly proud of myself as well with the yoga.  It's been not even a month and I can feel myself stretching and strengthening.  Now I need to start eating right again.

Gabe Journal:

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Sheize

PG= 100
Read well, apparently.  Had the talk with Glenn.  Looked up collegy things. 

Theatre Journal:
I'm sorry.  I fell asleep almost right after helping you put Sophia down.  Blurgh.

Dance Journal:
I'm looking forward to this cultural mix we've got going on.  I just hurt right now.  I don't know what I did, but I can feel both of my erector spinata when I walk.

Gabe Journal:

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

I am totally cool with looking like Gandalf

PG= 100
Chose a one act for the showcase.  Pulled up paintings and music.  Read Old Times in class, helping people understand it better.  First time I've ever been told I was being "too British".  Teehee.

Theatre Journal:
I'm recompiling my college info, as best I can.  Tonight I was just worrying about essay info.  Funny story, Minnesota doesn't want an essay either.  Yay.  That makes two.  And I think I may scratch Central off my list.  It didn't quite click when I was initially thought about it, but I wasn't sure.  But RADA is still on.  Have no idea if I'll get that or not.  I've no clue even how to apply.

Dance Journal:
Choreo was productive today.  Definitely enjoyed that.  While I did end up with a two-person phrase, I think the best part was learning how to work with people who don't necessarily work in the same way as me.  Lianna and I are just on completely different wavelengths, but we made it work, and problem solved.  Ballet was....nice?  I distinctly remember being good at it, but I'm also definitely having to relearn the basic mechanics.  I've got the flourish just fine; it's the basic skills I'm lacking.  Like moving my hips the right way and whatnot.  I've got a year.

Gabe Journal:
So I look like Ian McKellen you say?  I am 100%, undeniably, totally cool with that.  Time to do some research.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Does not like being young and short.

PG= 100
Did movement today.  Was very happy to do the split-stage thing.  I missed that.  Got all into it.  And the millipede thing.

Theatre Journal:
Reading through the short plays.  I'm fucking tired.  Choir was sub-par this evening, leaving me in a less-than-good mood.  Does choir count as rehearsal for something?  Like, extra credity?

Dance Journal:
I'm actually proud of my choreography today.  I feel like it went well.  Also, the circling didn't go too poorly.  Can't wait to start rep with partnering.

Gabe Journal:
BLARGH.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

How shiny and wonderful and scary

This is where I remind myself why I didn't do journaling on Thursday, or Participation grade on Thursday or Friday.  Thursday, I get extra credit for going to the premiere of Sex Ed.  Friday, I went up to purchase with my mom and didn't have a computer.  I believe I get extra credit for seeing the Neo-Futurists, and I think the Improv Everywhere thing counts, though I can't be certain.  No more slip-ups.  I"m back in the game.  Woo.