WEST COAST KIDS

This was a small dance composition project that the full time students from Academie Etoiles created in their final weeks at the school.

My amazing fulltime girls

This is a video I helped make (and edit) for the younger trio of girls who also dance full-time with me. This is for a dance choreography competition setup by Telstra with The Australian Ballet. (Click here for more info)

They had only discovered the competition a couple of days earlier and so spent whatever free time they had during their usual full-time course to choreograph and film this dance. I decided to help them out by making some quick edits and uploading it for the competition. Luckily, their entry was just in time. The major prize is a trip to Brisbane to perform as the opening act for The Australian Ballet. It would be a great opportunity for these girls, who work so hard each and every day. Good luck to them!

Here is another film they created set to the song “Moves like Jagger” by Maroon 5 which shows off their amazing skills and flexibility.

These girls just love dancing and I really hope they make it in the future!

Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool – Editors

This song is amazing. It was released in 2009 by The Editors and was included on their album In This Light and on This Evening. The lyrics are poetic and truthfully dark. The beat sends me into a trance every time (which is ironic considering the theme of the song). I only just discovered the music video (posted below), which only heightens the overall feeling of the song. It’s dark, prophetic and eerie. Please, take a listen.

Subservience

sub·ser·vi·ent

adj \-ənt\\səb-ˈsər-vē-ənt\

Definition of SUBSERVIENT

1: useful in an inferior capacity : subordinate

2: serving to promote some end

3: obsequiously submissive : truckling

— sub·ser·vi·ent·ly adverb

(Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary)

 

I’ve recently been thinking about my position within various relationships and how much I am willing to do for those around me. I do not want this to become a post about self-promotion, or a whining session about others. This is a mere reflection on my way of dealing with power situations.

Many people I know are struggling for more rights and less responsibilities, this is what most people want. But then there are those that try to get out of any work that is around and will only complete the bare minimum. I would try the same and become another “rebellious teenager” with enough anger to leave home or write plays about vampires, however I have found that just being simply submissive and giving into those in power works a hell of a lot easier. My friends may think of me as “playing into the man/machine” or becoming another slave of the 21^st century domestic life. I, as you may have realised, do not think so. I’m being subservient not because I agree with my various patriarchs and matriarchs, but because I find I have a lot more time for myself and less emotional hassle if those things just get done, and if I’m the one to do them, why not? Readers (all two of you) may think “That sounds like it’s working great for you, but why are you telling us?”. Well, it’s not that simple. This level of subservience, of being submissive and silent, has evolved to the point where I have ended up doing other people’s work because, most of the time, it’s easier than seeing those people fight with the “master/s”, which will ultimately affect me.

This is what has gotten me angry. Sure it seems as though everyone is a lot happier, there is less arguing and things are getting done faster, but at what cost? Sometimes it feels as though an individual’s happiness, not just my own, only really comes into consideration AFTER everything is complete and it’s “free time”. Shouldn’t happiness be the first consideration before doing anything? Have we become such an industrious and “productive” society that work is actually a greater priority than overall happiness? That sounds like a bit of a dystopia if you ask me (which you haven’t). Has society created an undercurrent of subservient beings whose happiness is not even a second thought?

I do not want to become a person who battles to do less and causes strife for everyone, but I know that I can’t continue as I am. One side effect of my situation is that many of my friends now have to listen to me whine about how crap my life is (which it isn’t) and how much I do, etc. etc. etc. I go on for so long and usually bore them to tears. I then isolate myself from them because I somehow create the notion in my mind that they obviously don’t like me and that our friendship is in ruins. (I’ve come to realise that I’m a very self-destructive person, coupled with my submissive nature and addictive personality, this is not a good thing.) So, what do I do? Maybe a solution could be found in some sort of organisation or ombudsman that can step in and even out the situation. Usually, people would turn to psychologists. I don’t see how a psychologist would help. If anything I’m sure it would worsen the situation/s by bringing out into the open my grievances that I’ve kept silent about and therefore anger those who are the cause.

Maybe it is best if I just keep going along as I am, stay silent and write a blog post every now and again to let out my frustrations. I like to joke to those that ask about my “placid” (it’s a much less demeaning term, people have found) nature that one day all my bottled up emotions will be unleashed in some Hulk-style rampage. I’m sure this will never happen, which is a little saddening, as it seems that my passion and rage is just going to go to waste. Oh well, I guess I’ll get back to being the person who talks too little to some people and too much to others. I know no one’s listening, but it’s calming to put these words down and get my thoughts straight, somewhat.

Underground

Donnie Darko – Jim Cunningham

Recently I’ve been working on a contemporary dance inspired by Donnie Darko, the 2001 hit movie. This is one of my favourite scenes. Enjoy.

The darkness

And the light is not.

Love You Better – The Maccabees

These guys.

Amaze me.

Russian Afternoon.

Snow falls. Nothing more.

St. Christopher – Jamie T

Love this song. Take a listen.