User:Karina/capturing memories in time

23 MAY

Swing Plan It: swing workshops / camps during the summer
21 - 25 June: Swing Crash Festival (Como, Italy)
1 July - 5 August: Herrang Dance Camp (Herrang, Sweden)
8 - 15 July: Swing Summit (Ardeche, France)
10 July - 18 August: Swing Step (Berlin, Germany)
17 - 20 August: Amber Swing (Gdansk, Poland)
21 - 27 August: Big Experience (Avila, Spain)

22 MAY

Vox: Magic Eye: The optical illusion, explained

15 MAY

Vox: How wildlife films warp time
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpbmWqQMzq0

Slow Motion - increasing camera frame rate to not lose quality
Time lapse - (opposite of slow motion) fewer frames over a longer period of time
Hyperlaspe - stitching many photos together / "takes you on a journey"

Russian Ark (2002)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0318034/

Vox: How the BBC makes Planet Earth look like a Hollywood movie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAOKOJhzYXk
"The camera is never static" - Mike Gunston
"feels more immersive / connected"

14 MAY

Insight into ballroom & latin dance class:

Sean and I haven't danced together in 5 weeks. Before the class started I was wondering whether we would be able to fall right back into flow - regarding both steps and our bond in dancing. Neither of us practised any of the routines since the last class, yet I was fairly optimistic. The class did focus on latin (cha cha, rumba, jive, samba and pasodoble) which we felt more familiar - and relaxed - with.

For a warmup we got given a quickstep (ballroom). Sean was not reading me, our connection was weak, he only remembered the basic step, I did not remember the most recent (gold) steps. It felt chaotic and slightly disappointing. I knew that a small break would cause us to loose focus, skill and memory, but I wasn't expecting it to be that bad. Thankfully after a song or two we could forget about this failure and move on.

Cha cha. Alright, hopes rose again. Sean leaned in and whispered that we probably have this engraved in the back of our heads. [Note: sometimes before starting a new style, we encourage each other that we have it under control / we can ace it / we got this. It really does help our morale]. Indeed, cha cha went fairly smoothly, although Sean did forget a step or two here and there. He clapped too early in one step and laughed it off saying that he was just too excited. Morale up!

Rumba. Our least favourite dance for years, but we're trying to see it as a challange now. Rumba is slow, sweet and romantic - very contrasting to our relationship and dynamic. Nevertheless, with the newest additions in the gold level, there are more complex turns that require technique and full focus. Last time our teacher gave us feedback and suggested we really stretch our legs with each step to make it look more professional. Keeping that in mind, the dance became a game. During todays class we struggled with getting the last steps right, although we managed to dance them flawlessly months ago. It took a few tries to get back on track. The teachers noticed us struggle a little.

Jive. Our signature dance! No problems there. One of the teachers glanced at us and smiled right as it was announced jive was next. She knew that we have this covered. It felt like our dynamic was back on track too. No forgotten steps, good leading, complete flow, smooth as butter.

Samba. It was nice to see our teachers go over it once before it was our turn. I think we would have managed without a recap, but it eased my mind slightly. I don't think we had any problems there either.

Pasodoble. Also aced it. Half way through the lead teacher asked me to assist him - as his partner was busy - and we showed the routine to the rest of the class. Pretty honoured whenever this happens and I don't screw up, yet laughing it off whenever I do.

Overall conclusion

we need to go over quickstep because we forgot most of it
took us ±10-15 minutes to get into it / feeling confident / not making mistakes
rumba still needs some work, but leg stretching challange eases the slow, romantic drag
I'm very excited to get together with Sean and introduce him to the world of Swing / Lindy Hop / Charleston
teaching Swing to Sean could be one of my future dance experiments
we need to meet up more often and practise all ballroom and latin styles
creating this tool to help us recap choreography could really make a difference

11 MAY

First Lindy Hop class

9 MAY

First Charleston class:

Everyone was sweating profoundly within the first 5 minutes.

I was absolutely amazed by the ease with which they introduced us to this style. I was aware that the footwork is a little crazy, as there is fast kicking front, back, with left and right feet, and you need to memorise with foot goes where at what time. The rhythm is also a little funky and I didn't fully understand it that one random time I was quickly shown by a class mate.

As suggested, I did a little stretching once I got home. I tried to remember the stretching techniques from my dance camps from when I was 10 years old - these tips still come in handy! I must have forgotten a few, because later that night I could feel my gluteus were on fire.

20 MARCH

Lars & Marley Justtin - Lovestoned
recorded dance rehearsal in the studio
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_2TVDULoN0&list=PLlAwKn2nfe-FwIBW9rm6P6K2Nw5V5Lb9c&index=3

How to Do Beginner Footwork | Bachata Dance
recorded in green room (?) - static camera view
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TurPFqF0Meg

Major Lazer - "Watch out for this" dance super video by DHQ Fraules
weak storyline forced into a choreography
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8W_1vg7W6Oo&list=PLlAwKn2nfe-FwIBW9rm6P6K2Nw5V5Lb9c&index=34

"Medicine" - A Dance Film
strikingly strong storyline enriches / shapes the choreography
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5NaiEBoe48&list=PLlAwKn2nfe-FwIBW9rm6P6K2Nw5V5Lb9c&index=42&t=196s

SLIP | @PhillipChbeeb & Renee Kester | @ElliotMossMusic
storyline works with the choreography
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qk00gbDwGqM&list=PLlAwKn2nfe-FwIBW9rm6P6K2Nw5V5Lb9c&index=64

"Witchcraft" - A Dance Film
simple and sweet storyline works along (but does not shape) the choreography
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pbc8aN9gsSo&list=PLlAwKn2nfe-FwIBW9rm6P6K2Nw5V5Lb9c&index=80

Sep & Alexia in Rotterdam, dancing to Dr. Bernard and his Swing Cats!
recorded freestyle during event
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYHVXWv6yjc&list=PLlAwKn2nfe-FwIBW9rm6P6K2Nw5V5Lb9c&index=79

Justin Peck and Janie Taylor, for the Block Magazine
recorded in the studio, but not static and has simple storyline
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oy74aAFhB6o&list=PLlAwKn2nfe-FwIBW9rm6P6K2Nw5V5Lb9c&index=68

Sergei Polunin, "Take Me to Church" by Hozier, Directed by David LaChapelle
simple storyline, focuses on dance and film technique
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-tW0CkvdDI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDfVEZlnaOc&list=PLlAwKn2nfe-FwIBW9rm6P6K2Nw5V5Lb9c&index=82 - behind the scenes

100 years of fashion in 100 seconds
no storyline, cut into many small segments. focuses on evolution of fashion, time is shown through dance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prDS8EdsOUA

21 FEBRUARY

William J. Friedman - the strength model vs the inference model talk about long term / short term memory and how it is prioritised, how it fades, but also how there is no difference

Lauren Slater - Opening Skinner’s Box (chapter 9 - Memory Inc.)

Scoville’s discovery of the role of the hippocampus by operating on Henry M.
Milner’s distinction of procedural memory, which further led to the distinction of semantic and declarative memory
Eric Kandel’s interest in H.M. and alternative further research on sea slugs (bigger neurons) altered Skinner’s and Pavlov’s “learning theory” into “memory”

27 JANUARY

https://www.netflix.com/watch/80049951?trackId=13772707&tctx=5%2C1%2C972f973e-82c9-4ca3-85a3-f7bb6fa0395d-50649825 Skip to 27:00

8 JANUARY

Opening Skinner's Box by Lauren Slater
Chapel 8: Lost in the Mail: The False Memory Experiment (pages 182-204)
Chapel 9: Memory Inc.: Eric Kandel's Sea Slug Experiment (pages 205-223)

hippocampus stores memory