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Jul. 14th, 2004 12:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alonewiththemoonI had a great class with Amira Jamal last night. In the summer, rather than focusing on teaching steps her focus is on using steps in improv and learning to feel/interpret the music in a culturally appropriate style. We've been doing all beledi music, so lots of big heavy movements ("beledi means business," as she said) and cane. 2004 seems to be the year of cane for me--I can swing that baby around in circles. The second part of class consisted of people being asked to improv in front of everybody to random music choice, and I was picked out to do some cane. I wasn't great, but I wasn't bad either, and got very useful feedback. I think that's one of the best parts of Amira Jamal's classes, her astute and gently delivered feedback.
I did learn for myself though that if you are going to do a backbend while doing a round-the-body figure 8 with the cane, you really have to commit to it fully and think about what you are doing, otherwise you will whack your left elbow and right shin with the cane. Ow. At least I didn't drop it.
After class I went home and learned that British Queer Eye guys don't have as much personality as American ones. Maybe it was a cultural thing on my part, but they just didn't seem like distinct personalities. I think perhaps the BBC might be ambivalent about the whole concept and didn't want to push its gayness, even though that's really the premise of the show. Plus they were driving a station wagon. I know the rest of the world quite sensibly doens't belong to the SUV cult, but still, a station wagon? That is just not fabulous. Surely they could have found a nice limo somewhere.
I did learn for myself though that if you are going to do a backbend while doing a round-the-body figure 8 with the cane, you really have to commit to it fully and think about what you are doing, otherwise you will whack your left elbow and right shin with the cane. Ow. At least I didn't drop it.
After class I went home and learned that British Queer Eye guys don't have as much personality as American ones. Maybe it was a cultural thing on my part, but they just didn't seem like distinct personalities. I think perhaps the BBC might be ambivalent about the whole concept and didn't want to push its gayness, even though that's really the premise of the show. Plus they were driving a station wagon. I know the rest of the world quite sensibly doens't belong to the SUV cult, but still, a station wagon? That is just not fabulous. Surely they could have found a nice limo somewhere.
