Silicon Valley African Film Festival is officially…

Image from svaff.org

under way and it opened with a film that is as relevant to America today as it was for Africa in 1957!

I wasn’t sure what I should expect when I got to the Community School of Music and Art (CSMA). , I could hear the percussionists well before I could see them. As I rounded the corner of the building, I saw three musicians set up and just rocking out. It was kind of early so I spent the time outside just listening to them play. My experience with African music, limited as it may be, I got used to it maintaining a constant rhythm with only minor variations throughout the song. The musicians were playing but seemed to be infusing it with the unexpected count of jazz. It was fantastic and made me want to dance.

I opened the door and found everyone inside the CSMA was in high spirits and laughing. There were so many beautiful smiling people in wonderful vibrant clothes from traditional garments to flashy evening wear.

Before the festival’s first film, there was a flag procession for the 15 countries that are featured in the festival followed by speeches from Festival Director Chike C. Nwoffiah and Mountain View Mayor Michael Kasperzak. Once all the thank you’s and welcomes had been completed, there was a short musical break from the musicians.

Then the lights were turned down and we were treated to the 1957 film “Freedom.”

In his opening speech, Mr. Nwoffaih said this festival was created in part to get rid of the National Geographic-esque images that many people associate with Africa. The theme is Africa through African Lens. One of the first things that I noticed in this film was the beautiful lush landscapes that are presented as the camera pans across the lands. The movie opens with a montage of images both rural and urban areas of the country mixing the traditional and “new” lifestyles.

The movie is about several men with different backgrounds and ideals “campaigning” to be the person that unifies the country out from under the oppression of an occupying entity called “the Imperia.” First, there is the King who is simply ruling in the ways of tradition. Second, there is the National Loyalist who seeks to use nonviolent methods to bring about the change. Next, there is the Rebel who will go to the lengths of violence if need be when the voice of the majority isn’t listened to. Mixed up in all of this is one of the King’s advisors who played people against each other to ensure his own station in life was secure.

The King senses this and sends the advisor to the Geneva Convention. While at the convention, the advisor sees first hand why the unification is so difficult. He meets a few like minded people who agree that nothing can be changed if no one is willing to be the first ones to make changes. Armed with this knowledge, the advisor goes back home and begins the discussion for the unification under a new premise while practicing what he is proposing.

The premise is so simple. It is listening to that little voice inside you that tells you what is good. Not good for the self but for everyone. It’s not about who is right but what is right. The only way to do this is to be absolutely honest, absolutely pure, absolutely unselfish, and absolutely loving. When you can find all these things, then you have the answers you need.

I love the message of this film. With our own nation being so harshly divided thanks to the coming election, I think everyone should see this movie. Both major parties are fighting so hard for power that they are losing sight that the people are suffering and how they can help right now. Instead, they use that suffering as a weapon against one another. If they really wanted to make this a better country, they would be able to see the answer if greed, power, and selfishness were honestly, that’s the key word HONESTLY, pushed aside to find truth and goodness.

The script was unexpectedly very funny. During the Q & A at the end of the night, someone mentioned she loved that the writer showed both sides of how women can get information. The Queen was always coy and clever and sweetly innocent when she was spoke. The National Loyalist’s wife was very straightforward and unafraid to demand the knowledge. Both women had some great moments throughout the film.

While I loved the charm and wit of the script, I did feel that there was a little repetitiveness with it. Each of the “party” members were told essentially the same things; then they apologized to each other for past wrong doings. I understand the need to set the precedent but for all four men to go through it was a bit much.

The other thing that made me say “hmmm…” was that the men who wanted freedom from the Imperia invite that representative to be part of the discussion. I would have liked to have seen how that would be resolved a little more specifically instead of the rep just tearing up the latest tax decree.

I think the most beautiful thing about this film aside from the charm, heart and ideas is that the entire cast and crew, which consisted of Africans from all over the country, took the message to heart and helped to create this classic without regard of payment. A truly selfless act!

All in all, this film was a fantastic way to start the festival. I already have the movies circled in my program that I can’t wait to see. Just to name a few: (Saturday) Honayn’s Shoe, Girl Fight, June 16, Mwanasikana, Tiim and (Sunday) The Ugandan (the director is here at the festival), Toindepi aka Where Are We Heading? (Director also attending), Botswana: Diamonds/Democracy, Elegy for a Revolutionary.

There are still tickets left for the festival go the website www.svaff.org for more info and the full movie schedule.

Thanks to LiveSV for the chance to see what I believe will be a wonderful event! You don’t want to miss this!

“Starting Your Career As A Dancer” review and CONTEST!!

Firstly, a MASSIVE thank you to Allworth Press for allowing me the opportunity to review this book. I really appreciate the opportunity. I am really excited because I have been in 4 Barnes and Noble and have yet to see this book on their shelves! Released in May of 2012, do not let the title fool you. Any performer can find the words of wisdom in this paperback useful!.

Secondly, THANK YOU to Mande Dagenais for writing this book!

Starting Your Career as a Dancer is written by award winning author Mande Dagenais, who has worked as a dancer and choreographer all over the world. Along with several interviews with many people in the industry, Mande draws from her experiences to deliver an informative, well written and important guide to everyone who wants to pursue a lifetime of performing.

I love this book. With 18 chapters ranging from goal-setting to attitude adjustments to injury recognition and prevention to career transitions, this book is filled with so much great information. I started reading and couldn’t put it down. It wasn’t only the informative sections that were great. What made me want to keep reading, even through the parts you often see in other career guide books, is her personal experiences. I love to hear other performers’ stories and the writing is so casual and it reads as though we are having a conversation. It just draws you in.

As a performer, one must never stop learning. Learning from corrections, learning from other people’s mistakes or corrections, and learning from other people’s experiences. This book is a whole lot of learning. Right from the get go, you can tell that Ms. Dagenais truly does have a love and passion for her chosen career. Her desire to share her knowledge and experience permeates throughout the book.

Now there are some books that talk about most facets of the business, but Mande breaks it down. Not just breaks it down, but she breaks it down!!

She brings up some really great points that I’ve never even considered, like a choreographer has copyright protection on their works unless the rights are given to someone else. She specifies a number of things that could or should be on your contract. She talks about the mental, physical, and nutritional needs and how they all tie into each other. And I think most importantly, she offers several examples of not only her but other performers who have shifted gears in their careers for a variety of reasons. It’s important to plan ahead and think what will you do when the time comes when you can’t get on that stage anymore. I know I personally don’t like to think about that, but this book has seriously opened my eyes to the many things I could and should be doing to better run my “business.”

So taking all this into account, I have already begun to take steps based on the suggestions she offers. Already I feel like I am making progress. I am so happy that I’ve gotten to read this book.

If you would like to buy this book you can find it HERE through the Allworth Press site or through Amazon.com. BUT here’s a twist.

AND because of the great people at Allworth Press, you can get your hands on it too!!

Dancing is universal. You don’t have to be a professional, you don’t even have to take classes. For the rest of September, let me know about your dancing experience in the comments below. Just let me know why you love to dance and your most vivid memory of dancing. Winner will be selected at random on October 1.

I Needed Something “Brain”less…

Zomie-O-Rama downtown San Jose 8/31/12
Peter Woolhouse and John Teidmann (We did JSC together what seems a million years ago.)

The last two weeks have been…trying. They’ve been stressful and frustrating as well. First my car broke down. That isn’t SO bad, but then my dad, who isn’t in the best of health, went into surgery for 6 hours for bone spurs on the vertebra in his neck. Then my mother shared some of her own bad news.

Having dealt with THAT, I needed to get away and enjoy something that would inspire and reinvigorate my creative mind to “boot up” once again. Luckily, my friend Jennifer told me about the Zombie Crawl in downtown San Jose. I was so bummed that I had to work the closing shift so I couldn’t get there at the actual start time.

I remember as a kid during Halloween one year trying to figure out what do be. Several of my friends were zombies (this was around the time of the Night of the Living Dead relaunch) and some were vampires. I ended up being a stupid ghost and feeling like a total turd.

As to what the actual “crawl” portion of the event is, I do not know. I believe it’s a route that all the zombies take, but as I am a crawl virgin I am not sure.

In one of the large parking lots downtown, there were a large crowd of people doing various things but mostly milling about and checking out fellow zombies or getting a good spot for the public showing of Shawn of the Dead. I since I couldn’t find my buddy, Jennifer, I assumed that she was out and about shuffling through the streets of the city. After I get my initial sweep completed, I take a moment and grab some dinner while thinking of what I wanted to focus on. Did I want to get a picture of as many of the zombies as possible? Did I want to only focus on the big companies that were there? or Should I just focus on what I found the best?

Ultimately, I decided that I wanted to show the ones that I found most impressive. Although there was a very, very tall man dressed up that held a sign saying “Zombies for Equality” which I thought was clever and hilarious. Get it? Equality because they’ll eat everyone! hahahaha…

So while some of the pics that follow are not just zombies, but I liked the work that when into their costumes. But the ZOMBIES?? There were a few that were great, and I want to share.

These four military men are the newest undead “recruits.”

It’s a little steam punk and a little twisted. I dig the “X”-eyed goggles. The mouthpiece is pretty cool too. It’s got a faux jaw on the right side (well, left side in the picture) It looked like it was burned into the leather of the mask. The puppet is attached to a cane that has a trigger to pull and makes the mouth snap shut.

He offered to slice off a piece of grey matter for me, but I just couldn’t fathom eating brain jello.

While not technically a zombie, I couldn’t tell if this character was dead, undead, or other. I think I would place him in supernatural. Either way, still freaky enough where I wouldn’t want to wake up and see this thing. Would have liked it if this person wore some sort of gloves or painted some details on their hands to finish out the character.

She was FABULOUS!!! From the Tina Turner-esque wig to the totally punk rock costume she was completely IN it. Her jaw pieces are completely hand made by her and are adhered to the area just around her mouth. The top and bottom teeth are fully independent of each other. One of the absolute best for sure. But my favorite zombies of the night were:

These guys were so in character that when I asked for a pic the suit fella just kinda swung his arm to hit the other guy. An up close look at the make up showed that it was much more than mere makeup. There was texture throughout the surface and slight peeling. The blood stayed constantly runny and glossy thanks to a fresh supply in the plaid zombie’s hand. Good ol’ food coloring and corn syrup make for a perfect fake blood effect.

Since I didn’t have time to go home and get ready, I refused to go in a costume. If there is one thing I can’t seem to do, it is to just half try to create a character. I think that one Halloween turd left a left a lasting impression on me that it wasn’t as fun if I couldn’t be as creative as I really want to be. If I find out when the next Zombie Crawl is early enough, I think I will take the whole day off just to work on my makeup.

Have you gone to an event like this in your city or town? What was your experience like? Is it more fun to dress up? Lemme know what you think in the comment section below!

“I know you, don’t I?…”

Today, I went to the Sunnyvale Community Players fundraiser at Barnes and Noble. It was great to see so many fellow performers. Hopefully, the fundraiser was a success! Thanks to B&N for being awesome and supporting the Arts!!

One thing I didn’t expect was to run into a former boss-lady from WAY back. I worked with her for almost 12 years ago.

This got me thinking about all the things I did at that job. One of the things I did was similar to one of my responsibilities that I have now. It’s dawned on me that I have just been running in circles “professionally” speaking. My 9-5’s always seem to end up the same.

Figuring out life it tough.

Does anyone have any shortcuts…

The end.

Thanks to Icanhascheezburger.com for the pic. That’s kind of how I felt when I saw her.

Genetic Roulette…

In our upcoming election ballot in California, we have Prop 37 that is one of the most hotly contested issue since gay marriage. I know that we are still months away from voting and I know that you aren’t knuckleheads, but in case it must be said…

With the rise of organic farming and backyard edible gardens becoming more and more common, the requests of the public for properly labelled foods is also on the rise. Prop 37 is a proposal to regulate the labels on all foods that consumers purchase to specify if the item has any sort of genetically modified organisms (GMO’s) in it.

Eating GMO’s is harmful to people because the immune system attacks our bodies causes inflammation and a bunch of other possible diseases and could affect all bodily functions as well as nutrient deficiencies.

GMO’s are a big money making business and it’s supported by companies like Monsanto, the most hated corporation in the world, Dow, Bayer and BASF.

Opponents of Prop 37 have already raised $25 million compared to the $2 million raised by supporters of the proposition. This means that there will be a ton of ads bombarding the TV or the radio telling you that Prop 37 is a bad deal. In truth it is a bad deal for the GMO business. When doctors make patients remove GMO enhanced foods from their diets, patients get better simply by changing their eating habits. Now you may say that if anyone changes their eating habits then they would get better, but most of the time it is just for blood pressure or weight. I am talking about crazy stuff like this from the Livestrong website: “data showed that genetically modified corn caused severe liver and kidney toxicity. Furthermore, a 2008 study reported by Professor Jurgen Zentek of the Austrian Health Ministry linked genetically modified corn with infertility in rats.” Infertility is a side affect in humans as well.

I find it really REALLY interesting that the CA Republican Party is in opposition to Prop 37…oh, what, it’s a big money business. Nevermind, I understand why. Check out BallotPedia to see what the arguments for and against are and who’s supporting and opposing it.

This report with Jeffrey M. Smith on GMO’s from KPFA’s Guns and Butter is absolutely appalling! YOU MUST LISTEN TO THIS. The ending is a nightmare and terrifying! Another great thing to listen to is today’s news from KPFA by CLICKING HERE. Start listening at 43:14. I don’t watch mainstream media or NPR because they all have someone pulling their strings. KPFA is fully straightforward and don’t have to answer to any sort of politics.

Remember VOTE YES on Prop 37!!!

40 other countries throughout the world already protect their consumers by having this label restriction, why don’t we take the issue into our own hands and protect ourselves from this horrible practice!?!?

If you want to start buying non-GMO’s now here’s a great link for organic food companies.

Check out Maplight.com or Votersedge.com for more information on prop fundings.