Happy Birthday to Me

It was fucken great. We reserved a private room in the back of Sake House and it was on! Good music, great food and fabulous friends! I would share stories of the evening but my memory was violently stripped away from me by alcohol. Yes, alcohol is evil. Real evil.

It was all sweet and innocent at first...

Then five minutes later...

Yup, I'm still standing at the end... sort of...

Seattle Mayor says, "Rave on!"

Despite seven violent deaths last weekend, the mayor gave a reassuring message for the youths who love the all-night music and dancing of the "rave" party scene: Rave on.

That's right, bitches, rave on! Just make sure to be prepared to defend yourself... you could keep your semi-automatic weapon in your glow stick. That's where I keep mine.

Alvin Ailey Knows Love

The Alvin Ailey Dance Theater performed at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion this past week. It's my fourth time watching this group, and they simply lift my spirit each time. LA Times staff writer Lewis Segal wrote a negative review of the dance company in last Friday's paper, calling the new material an "overkill".

Lewis is so so wrong. What he describes as "...a blur of lighting and costume changes, as well as hard-sell dance riffs galore, that no concept or theme survived..." is what I consider a successful integration of modern and contemporary urban dance. I was so excited to see classic ballet techinques infuse with everyday dance club moves, making normal dance steps seem so stunningly unique and, conversely, making professional modern dance techniques seem accessible.

Lewis continues to describe the performance as "...an aggressive fusillade of technique, often right in the audience's teeth, Broadway style. And all that love stuff coming out of the loudspeakers soon seemed a self-righteous, manipulative pretext for hot but empty showpiece dancing." But isn't love an aggressive fusillade of techniques, right-in-your teeth, Broadway style? Far from empty, that's how I like my lovin'.

In celebration of African American hertiage month, the dance troupe dedicated their week's performances to Coretta Scott King.

Clowner or Krumper?

Photo of and by David LaChapelle

This photo captures "a truly postmodern experience" -- KJ

Kathy Jue and I attended a free SAG screening and Q&A of David LaChapelle's documentary, RIZE. As I type, I am still digesting this movie. What can I say? If I were one of those people who bought and collected DVDs, I would own this film.

RIZE is a spectacular documentary about a new dance form that began in South Central, LA called Clowning, as it was the brainchild of Tommy the Clown who started clown dancing as a way to entertain at birthday parties. He later enlisted youth from the neighborhood to join him, dubbing themselves as Hip Hop Clowns as they wore clown make-up and performed at parties. The dance latered evolved into Stripper Dancing and then into the more well-known Krumping. The moves are incredible.

"Krumping is when you're dancing and your body is doing a lot of different moves," Tommy explained. "It's really like you're fighting on the dance floor. It's more of an intensity. It can be fast-paced, it can be a lot of moves that are really sharp."

What I found most antropologically interesting was when the film juxtaposed several scenes of krumping and tribal African dancing. Although the kids claim they have never seen images of tribal dancing before, the similarities are astonishing.

The scenes were so vibrant and full of spirit, and the youth were so inspiring and amazing. There are about 50 different competing clown groups, including an Asian group called Rice Tracks. Of course if I clowned, I would be part of Rice Tracks and choose Stripper Dancing and call myself Yo Yo Yee. I think I could be pretty good too.

What really made the night was meeting David LaChapelle. I have always enjoyed his photos, but I never knew how down-to-earth he is. Considering his celebrity status, I assumed he was a dick. I also felt dubious about his intentions for making the film. I am so wrong, and now feel shame for ever thinking that way. He was so kind to the audience and answered questions with thought, honesty and humility. He spoke about his childhood, struggling as an artist in NYC, his need to be creative, his love for photography and his latest interest in filmmaking. I intend to support his art from now on. He's wonderful.