The Cleo Parker Robinson Dance (CPRD) Student Showcase took place on April 18th and 19th 2008.  I am happy to report that after six of these in six years it was the first one in which I felt totally comfortable dancing.

This is mainly due to the fact that this was the first year I've been taking only one class, Larry Southall's Hip hop class on Monday nights.  I've been taking Larry's class - off and on - since I started at Cleo's back in 2001, and so am familiar with most of the moves.  This allowed me to focus on memorizing the choreography.

Embracing the Challenge

Dancing is a very challenging art form, especially for someone who didn't start until relatively late in life.  For information on how I got started in all this, see my "saga of dancing in Denver" on the dancing page at tomh.info.

It can be difficult taking a class with people who are often 1/2 to 1/4 your age and yet may have 2-4 times more experience, and I am not going to get started concerning our culture's marginalization of this particular art form, or even do more than mention that there are very few men in these classes. For now it must suffice to say that I enjoy a challenge.

In prior years taking these classes was a very fresh, new experience, and I felt that I should try to catch up as quickly as possible.  Hence back then I would perform in as many pieces as possible, regardless of whether I felt ready.

So in addition to hip-hop, I would take african, ballet, jazz, and modern.  Just getting through the classes was a challenge, and memorizing more than tidbits of the choreography was simply out of the question.  I had to constantly remind myself that if I was a professional, I wouldn't be taking these classes, so it was OK to simply do my best.

Not Getting Any Younger

I'm definitely not getting any younger, but have gained a lot of experience and have learned the importance of pacing myself.

A few years back I somehow twisted my left knee, and learned the hard way that there is nothing worse than getting injured!  Now that my knee feels better, I am not about to risk doing anything that might bring that sort of pain back.

So unlike those in prior years, this year's showcase was a very positive experience!  Rather than needing a break from it all, I am inspired to getting back to other classes.

After seeing their performances, I am particularly interested in taking classes from the new hip-hop and african teachers.  Although modern, jazz, and ballet are definitely fun, hip-hop is the most contemporary of the offerings at Cleo's and african is truly liberating!

About the Photos

Please note that the reddish, live-action photos on this page were not  taken with a flash camera.  You should never  take pictures of a dance performance with a flash camera, because it can really mess up the performers. 

 The photo at left, however, was taken with a flash, so you can see our faces.  In front there's Rachel on the left and Ashleigh on the right.  Unfortunately Faleta was not available for this photo.  Standing there's me on the left, Sandy in the middle, and Mariana on the right.

Dancing is best enjoyed in real life, rather than in a blog.  So we'll see you at next year's show, OK?

So I organized all my CDs and got them put away and now am just not listening to much music.  What's up with that?

For one thing, the expense.  If I listen to my CDs, I'll just get tired of them and want to buy some more.  In light of the fact that I have a hi-def TV and Comcast is gouging me for $114.99 per month, it seems that leaving the TV on, and getting what I can from those investments, makes more sense than buying more music.

For another thing, art forms like Dancing and TV include music, so I can get it, and more, from them.

Then there's the, oh I don't know what to call it but will say it's the closed-minded genre/ego thing.  So many people have some little genre that they like to the exclusion of the others.  FWIW, it's not nearly so bad now as it was back in the early 1980s, when people's preference for classic rock, punk rock, or disco could actually lead to violence. But I am just sick of people who don't like music X, where X is hip hop, or country music, or hippie music, or classical music, or whatever.

I think it's the record companies: in an effort to sell us more product, they promote this sort of demographically-defined closed mindedness, and people's appreciation of art and others outside their demographic suffers.

For now, I'll get my music from what they play in the clubs and in the background of my favorite TV shows, and from the eleven dissimilar stations I have programmed into the buttons in my car.  (FYI the only one duplicated in the two sets of six is 92.1, Super Estrella!)

In other news, I want to ensure readers that I am not going to abandon the site I have worked the hardest on, www.groja.com.  I have prepared a list of concerns I have about the site, and in due course will consult with people more knowledgeable about intellectual property issues.  

For now, it must suffice to say that site is the reason I'm using joomla! instead of something like wordpress for this "blog."  And if that doesn't make any sense, well there's no reason to expect it to, just stay tuned....

If you like crime dramas such as NYPD Blue and Law & Order, you should definitely check out The Wire, created and produced by David Simon. 

It is by far the grittiest and most challenging and realistic show I have ever seen!

I have many photos posted at artsyvisions.com .  Click on the following URL to see an index page listing the photo batches I have posted:

http://artsyvisions.com/friends/tomh/index.php

The Denver Art Museum presents a film series entitled take two: film and its inspirations.  Included in the series are such classics as:

• The Maltese Falcon (1941) on April 4th
• Chinatown (1974) on April 11th
• The Searchers (1956) on April 18th
• Taxi Driver (1976) on April 25th
• And more...