Red from ionized sulfur fires the scene, while blue from oxygen offers a more ghostly cool. Scattered in patches, sometimes in between the others, hydrogen gives green. At once, it's a fantastic vision, this composite image of the Tarantula Nebula. At once, you can see that there's energy, death, and creation, a whirlwind of gas and dust and stars.
In the Heart of the Tarantula Nebula
The above link leads to a very representative image from Astronomy Picture of the Day, a site offered by the Astrophysics division of NASA and Michigan Tech. U. Being focused on astronomy, the web site offers stunning images of stars, galaxies, and planets. It also shows occasionally images of atmospherical wonders here on this planet. In addition, a brief explanation/description follows the image with text links if you want to explore further. I regularly visit and I can say that if you enjoy astronomy or simply good photography, stop and see.
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Recent images which I also think are fantastic:
Mauna Kea Milky Way Panorama
A Partial Eclipse Over Manila Bay
Sunset at the Portara
Seagull Nebula
While I think these are excellent, there are many more photos and composite images (simply too many for me to post) available on the site. From the main Picture of the Day link, you can hit the back arrow towards the bottom and see past images. Enjoy!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Last Snow?
Expected, the snow came falling Saturday night. Two, three inches, it was a big, puddle-making whiteness as it fluffed the beginning-to-bud, empty-branched trees. An oddness prevailed as I headed to the car in the morning. Plop! Plop! Plop! The strings of snow fell from the limbs and through, impressing shapes which looked like twigs in the shell of what blanketed the ground.
A few weeks ago, I was telling people that one more noticeable snow was coming. Yes, it was March and it felt like Spring, but the calendar said only March and there would be one more snow I promised. No, no, no some said.
I could say I was right, and maybe this was it, that last dip of winter. I could say that many are tired of the white mess after months of winter. But, as I drove through the forest preserves, this snow was the landscape, those empty limbs etched with a fluffy white felt pen, one more dazzling reminder of a passing season.
A few weeks ago, I was telling people that one more noticeable snow was coming. Yes, it was March and it felt like Spring, but the calendar said only March and there would be one more snow I promised. No, no, no some said.
I could say I was right, and maybe this was it, that last dip of winter. I could say that many are tired of the white mess after months of winter. But, as I drove through the forest preserves, this snow was the landscape, those empty limbs etched with a fluffy white felt pen, one more dazzling reminder of a passing season.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
In the Outskirts of the Neighborhood
I have known that astronomers had discovered several large objects in the Kuiper Belt, the region of space just beyond Neptune's orbit. However, a post on the Astronomy Picture of the Day site recently showed the evidence for Orcus, which was discovered in 2004.
Orcus is a small celestial body much like Pluto. They have similar masses and the plane and distance of orbit are very close in magnitude also. They're so similar to the other that Orcus is often called the "anti-Pluto" because of the two's symmetry and the fact that the body orbits away from Pluto.
Orbits of Pluto, Orcus, and Neptune
From Wikipedia:
Orcus in blue
Pluto in red
Neptune in grey (shown as a circle to represent the ecliptic)
Orbits plotted in brighter colours above the ecliptic and darker below.
Major axis drawn showing perihelia (q) and aphelia (Q) and the dates of passage.
Besides the symmetry of the two bodies, what I find interesting is that Pluto was discovered in 1930 and Orcus in 2004. It took 74 years to find Orcus. In terms of absolute brightness, Pluto is roughly 16 times brighter. But, considering all the technological advances and all the "eyes" which are looking to the sky, why didn't we spot Orcus sooner? This makes me think We know and we don't know.
Further links:
Orcus Discovery Frames
Orcus on Wikipedia
Pluto on Wikipedia
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Orcus is a small celestial body much like Pluto. They have similar masses and the plane and distance of orbit are very close in magnitude also. They're so similar to the other that Orcus is often called the "anti-Pluto" because of the two's symmetry and the fact that the body orbits away from Pluto.
Orbits of Pluto, Orcus, and Neptune
From Wikipedia:
Orcus in blue
Pluto in red
Neptune in grey (shown as a circle to represent the ecliptic)
Orbits plotted in brighter colours above the ecliptic and darker below.
Major axis drawn showing perihelia (q) and aphelia (Q) and the dates of passage.
Besides the symmetry of the two bodies, what I find interesting is that Pluto was discovered in 1930 and Orcus in 2004. It took 74 years to find Orcus. In terms of absolute brightness, Pluto is roughly 16 times brighter. But, considering all the technological advances and all the "eyes" which are looking to the sky, why didn't we spot Orcus sooner? This makes me think We know and we don't know.
Further links:
Orcus Discovery Frames
Orcus on Wikipedia
Pluto on Wikipedia
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
From a Slightly Different Perspective
If you like a different take on March Madness, check this video clip:
NCAA Expands March Madness
I remember The Onion from my days in college. Like most attempts at creating laughs, not everything is funny, but the people who has been writing the pieces for the humor newspaper have hit the mark often enough that I keep coming back to read their "newspaper" or to catch video clips on the web site. It's good mix of funny, intelligent, sometimes just silly satire.
The Onion
NCAA Expands March Madness
I remember The Onion from my days in college. Like most attempts at creating laughs, not everything is funny, but the people who has been writing the pieces for the humor newspaper have hit the mark often enough that I keep coming back to read their "newspaper" or to catch video clips on the web site. It's good mix of funny, intelligent, sometimes just silly satire.
The Onion
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Pomona Natural Bridge
Afer a few ups and downs and arounds on the roads threading through the small towns just south of Carbondale, my girlfriend and I passed through Pomona and then onto a gravel road. We were heading to a spot I wanted to see. Though, passing a "No Trespassing" sign off to the right in a clearing made me think "I was on the right road; was I still?" A few minutes confirmed the destination, back in the Shawnee National Forest and the trailhead to the Pomona Natural Bridge.
It was low 40s and overcast, a bit cool, but we weren't heading on a long hike. After a short descent, we found a fork in the trail and headed right. The woods were quiet, the leaves from last fall, thick. Where is it? Then we were upon it. From a bluff, we could see a formation of rock jutting across a tiny creek below.
The Bridge
Natural bridges form from differential erosion. Hardier rock withstands the punishment from above and below and from the sides until an archway stretches. Without one finger of human craftsmanship or one thought of structural design in its creation, this bridge still held a firm utility as we headed down and examined more closely.
Crossing
Moss grew alongside the bluff and the bridge, adding a touch of green to the rock and offering contrast to the barren trees and fallen leaves. A few mushroom heads grew in places and even some flowers showed during the transition into Spring.
Early
We observed for a while, taking in what terrain had to offer, this little valley. I took photos and we walked across, feeling the solidness of rock under foot. We listened to the creek as it made its way down the elevation and cut under the bridge. It's something, maybe not the neon bright of raw thrill, but it was something to be there, viewing what millions of years bargained with a land, to be there with a love and sharing all that time steeped into an hour.
One More View
If you like to see enlarged views of the photos, click on the images. This will send you to the file location on my personal web space. When finished, hit the back arrow on your browser. Expect more photography from the trip over the next couple of weeks. I hope you enjoy.
It was low 40s and overcast, a bit cool, but we weren't heading on a long hike. After a short descent, we found a fork in the trail and headed right. The woods were quiet, the leaves from last fall, thick. Where is it? Then we were upon it. From a bluff, we could see a formation of rock jutting across a tiny creek below.
The Bridge
Natural bridges form from differential erosion. Hardier rock withstands the punishment from above and below and from the sides until an archway stretches. Without one finger of human craftsmanship or one thought of structural design in its creation, this bridge still held a firm utility as we headed down and examined more closely.
Crossing
Moss grew alongside the bluff and the bridge, adding a touch of green to the rock and offering contrast to the barren trees and fallen leaves. A few mushroom heads grew in places and even some flowers showed during the transition into Spring.
Early
We observed for a while, taking in what terrain had to offer, this little valley. I took photos and we walked across, feeling the solidness of rock under foot. We listened to the creek as it made its way down the elevation and cut under the bridge. It's something, maybe not the neon bright of raw thrill, but it was something to be there, viewing what millions of years bargained with a land, to be there with a love and sharing all that time steeped into an hour.
One More View
If you like to see enlarged views of the photos, click on the images. This will send you to the file location on my personal web space. When finished, hit the back arrow on your browser. Expect more photography from the trip over the next couple of weeks. I hope you enjoy.
Monday, March 23, 2009
With the Ink of Imagination
I was scouring the web for something funny and I encountered a web gem (pardon ESPN...I couldn't resist). A site is currently posting classic Bill Watterson! Watterson is the brain and the hand behind the comic strip "Calvin and Hobbes". For those who don't know the character Calvin, he is a hyperactive, wildly imaginative boy, who has a stuffed tiger, Hobbes, as a sidekick imaginary friend.
The strip is a wonderful blend of intelligent insight and vivid flights of possibility. Watterson has a way of being able to make a point without clobbering you with the POINT. He lets the scene unfold to show us our attitudes. He also shows what it's like to be a child again. Calvin is often lazy and not always the easiest kid, but his mind stretches out like one big fertile plain--there's a lot of things growing.
Today's post (3/23) is a great example. Calvin shows the new, improved transmorgifier to his sidekick. Hobbes plays the "straight man" and remarks that it's just a water pistol. However, to the boy, it's a way to change an ugly bedspread into an iguana. Of course, it doesn't have to be an iguana. It can be anything Calvin adds. That's what I love about the comic strip: it really can be anything.
Check it out:
Calvin and Hobbes on Gocomics
The strip is a wonderful blend of intelligent insight and vivid flights of possibility. Watterson has a way of being able to make a point without clobbering you with the POINT. He lets the scene unfold to show us our attitudes. He also shows what it's like to be a child again. Calvin is often lazy and not always the easiest kid, but his mind stretches out like one big fertile plain--there's a lot of things growing.
Today's post (3/23) is a great example. Calvin shows the new, improved transmorgifier to his sidekick. Hobbes plays the "straight man" and remarks that it's just a water pistol. However, to the boy, it's a way to change an ugly bedspread into an iguana. Of course, it doesn't have to be an iguana. It can be anything Calvin adds. That's what I love about the comic strip: it really can be anything.
Check it out:
Calvin and Hobbes on Gocomics
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Makanda
Following Google map directions, we exited US 51 a few miles south of Carbondale and took a road to an entrance to the Giant City State Park. When we left to travel home, we realized this initial routing probably wasn't the best way into the park. There is a more direct route with less winding narrow roads. Though, if we hadn't gone the way we did, we would have probably one of the unique sites in the area.
Stretching into the sky and painted in yellow, the Makanda water sports a huge smiley face. It was a "Wow! that's neat", a fitting welcome to the area after a long drive. I didn't catch it then, but my girlfriend did. There is a little bow tie on the neck of the tower in honor of the late Paul Simon, who was a lifelong resident of the town. Noted for wearing bow ties, he was a Senator from Illinois and a generally respected politician.
Makanda, the town, has roughly 400 residents, though it has character. Later, during the trip, we stopped at its boardwalk, a small, electic collection of shops. It's home to the Smelly Hippie, which sells tie dyes and scents. Also on the Boardwalk lies the Makanda Country Store, which offers a mix of coffee beans, jams, chocolate, ice cream, and sandwiches. From the store, we bought two chocolates for an afternoon treat and a locally made salsa to bring home.
All of this was unexpected. Most small towns in Illinois are nondescript places where you notice a tavern, a church, and a temporary change in speed limit. Makanda was more. If you're in Carbondale or Shawnee National Forest, perhaps stop by the town and see its character first hand.
The following link is a collection of photography taken in Southern Illinois by makandapanda. The gallery headliner is an image of the Makanda water tower. Check it out:
Southern Illinois Photos by makandapanda
Stretching into the sky and painted in yellow, the Makanda water sports a huge smiley face. It was a "Wow! that's neat", a fitting welcome to the area after a long drive. I didn't catch it then, but my girlfriend did. There is a little bow tie on the neck of the tower in honor of the late Paul Simon, who was a lifelong resident of the town. Noted for wearing bow ties, he was a Senator from Illinois and a generally respected politician.
Makanda, the town, has roughly 400 residents, though it has character. Later, during the trip, we stopped at its boardwalk, a small, electic collection of shops. It's home to the Smelly Hippie, which sells tie dyes and scents. Also on the Boardwalk lies the Makanda Country Store, which offers a mix of coffee beans, jams, chocolate, ice cream, and sandwiches. From the store, we bought two chocolates for an afternoon treat and a locally made salsa to bring home.
All of this was unexpected. Most small towns in Illinois are nondescript places where you notice a tavern, a church, and a temporary change in speed limit. Makanda was more. If you're in Carbondale or Shawnee National Forest, perhaps stop by the town and see its character first hand.
The following link is a collection of photography taken in Southern Illinois by makandapanda. The gallery headliner is an image of the Makanda water tower. Check it out:
Southern Illinois Photos by makandapanda
Monday, March 16, 2009
State Parks
My girlfriend and I spent some time last week in Giant City State Park which is situated in the Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois. I had been in Carbondale briefly before but this was first visit to the woodlands.
Even in mid-March with very little sun, the trip completely satisfied. If you live in Illinois or in the mid part of the country, I recommend visiting the Illinois Departmant of Resources site and learn about the various state parks. If you don't live in the area but live in the United States, check your state and neighboring states' offical parks. They are wonderful locales, which we often forget exist as we rush through our daily lives and then scamper off to more popular vacation destinations.
Over the next week or so, I will be writing more about the visit and hopefully will be posting some pictures from the trip.
Check the Lodges or Parks link on the left side of the page for more information about Illinois State Parks.
Illinois Department of Resources
Even in mid-March with very little sun, the trip completely satisfied. If you live in Illinois or in the mid part of the country, I recommend visiting the Illinois Departmant of Resources site and learn about the various state parks. If you don't live in the area but live in the United States, check your state and neighboring states' offical parks. They are wonderful locales, which we often forget exist as we rush through our daily lives and then scamper off to more popular vacation destinations.
Over the next week or so, I will be writing more about the visit and hopefully will be posting some pictures from the trip.
Check the Lodges or Parks link on the left side of the page for more information about Illinois State Parks.
Illinois Department of Resources
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Buckets and a Ship Taking on Water
Yesterday I stopped at one of my favorite comic sites and saw a cemetary illustrated by Gary Brookins. It was the classic scene: crescent moon, barren trees, a mound of dirt piled next to the open grave. A tombstone read:
GM
1908-
The image brought home the reality of the situation. The once largest producer of cars in the world and American icon, General Motors, is facing bankruptcy and possible collapse. It's not surprising. Saddled by expensive union contracts, layers of management, and substantial debt obligations, GM is not competitive. If they were considered the quality producer, they could perhaps be able to handle higher costs of production, but they destroyed their reputation with poorly made and designed cars in the 70s and early 80s. Comparatively now, American vehicles have closed the quality gap, but the old saying holds true that it's easier to destroy a reputation than it is to build one.
I am not going to make the argument to save GM. I'm not a believer in corporate welfare. Our bankruptcy system often gives inefficient dinosaurs a competitive advantage. There isn't going to be a "Buy America" slogan here either. Those slogans tend to be jingoistic and hypocritical. We say one thing and still buy from China. The automobile is, for the most part, just an expensive commodity. With commodities, it's important to produce them cheaply. That requires either a labor cost or technological advantage. Labor isn't and shouldn't be cheap here; we're a wealthy nation. The only choice is to improve technology and that requires investment money. In a case like GM, given the track record, who will invest?
But before we bury General Motors, consider AIG. The government has already "invested" over $150 billion dollars to prop up the ailing insurance company's balance sheet. Why? Because they are a large company and we're afraid of a complete financial meltdown? Yes, business needs financing; this drives innovation. The argument could also be made that AIG is a solid business who made one particularly unwise decision to be involved credit swaps in mortgage-backed securities. However, like GM, AIG has had a checkered recent history. The insurance company in 2005 was fined $1.6 billion for fraud. This makes me question AIG's business model. Who knows what's lies beneath the surface of the company's practices all these years?
If it's good to bailout AIG, why isn't it good to bailout GM? According to Yahoo Finance, AIG employs 116,000 people. GM employs 266,000. That's a quarter million people directly affected by the automaker. It's not likely that everyone would lose their jobs if General Motors went bankrupt, but I wouldn't be surprised if half did. Also consider the jobs tied to GM in auto parts companies and dealerships. Think about the restaurant which feeds all those employees. Yes, even consider the bank which waits for the mortgage payment from a man or woman who works on the car manufacturer's assembly line. Imagine what more foreclosures mean.
Is the federal government really making the correct choice about where it's spending its money (which is really our money)? More Big Money is invested in companies like AIG and Citigroup. So are we not letting them fail because of the financial system or because of personal finances? Consider that when someone writes that GM is an ailing company which will never be fit to survive in today's modern autombile industry. Consider who is protected and who is not.
1908-
The image brought home the reality of the situation. The once largest producer of cars in the world and American icon, General Motors, is facing bankruptcy and possible collapse. It's not surprising. Saddled by expensive union contracts, layers of management, and substantial debt obligations, GM is not competitive. If they were considered the quality producer, they could perhaps be able to handle higher costs of production, but they destroyed their reputation with poorly made and designed cars in the 70s and early 80s. Comparatively now, American vehicles have closed the quality gap, but the old saying holds true that it's easier to destroy a reputation than it is to build one.
I am not going to make the argument to save GM. I'm not a believer in corporate welfare. Our bankruptcy system often gives inefficient dinosaurs a competitive advantage. There isn't going to be a "Buy America" slogan here either. Those slogans tend to be jingoistic and hypocritical. We say one thing and still buy from China. The automobile is, for the most part, just an expensive commodity. With commodities, it's important to produce them cheaply. That requires either a labor cost or technological advantage. Labor isn't and shouldn't be cheap here; we're a wealthy nation. The only choice is to improve technology and that requires investment money. In a case like GM, given the track record, who will invest?
But before we bury General Motors, consider AIG. The government has already "invested" over $150 billion dollars to prop up the ailing insurance company's balance sheet. Why? Because they are a large company and we're afraid of a complete financial meltdown? Yes, business needs financing; this drives innovation. The argument could also be made that AIG is a solid business who made one particularly unwise decision to be involved credit swaps in mortgage-backed securities. However, like GM, AIG has had a checkered recent history. The insurance company in 2005 was fined $1.6 billion for fraud. This makes me question AIG's business model. Who knows what's lies beneath the surface of the company's practices all these years?
If it's good to bailout AIG, why isn't it good to bailout GM? According to Yahoo Finance, AIG employs 116,000 people. GM employs 266,000. That's a quarter million people directly affected by the automaker. It's not likely that everyone would lose their jobs if General Motors went bankrupt, but I wouldn't be surprised if half did. Also consider the jobs tied to GM in auto parts companies and dealerships. Think about the restaurant which feeds all those employees. Yes, even consider the bank which waits for the mortgage payment from a man or woman who works on the car manufacturer's assembly line. Imagine what more foreclosures mean.
Is the federal government really making the correct choice about where it's spending its money (which is really our money)? More Big Money is invested in companies like AIG and Citigroup. So are we not letting them fail because of the financial system or because of personal finances? Consider that when someone writes that GM is an ailing company which will never be fit to survive in today's modern autombile industry. Consider who is protected and who is not.
Monday, March 9, 2009
A Laugh and More
I'm partial to comic strips, not only because they're humorous but also because they often succintly illustrate insights into our patterns of thought and life. Sometimes they can even go beyond and show us what life can be if we just open our imaginations. Bill Watterson's "Calvin and Hobbes" is the one that immediately comes to mind.
These days, one of the sites I visit is Yahoo's comic pages. It has over fifty popular syndicated comic strips. While I personally don't find all or even most of them funny, there is a little bit for everyone there. My two favorites on the site are "Dilbert" and "Strange Brew".
Visit. You might find something interesting. You might laugh.
Comic Strips on Yahoo
These days, one of the sites I visit is Yahoo's comic pages. It has over fifty popular syndicated comic strips. While I personally don't find all or even most of them funny, there is a little bit for everyone there. My two favorites on the site are "Dilbert" and "Strange Brew".
Visit. You might find something interesting. You might laugh.
Comic Strips on Yahoo
Friday, March 6, 2009
Smelling It
It feels like Spring. The sense struck me yesterday and kept lingering today. It's more than the temperature, though hitting the 60s for consecutive days certainly does add to the feeling. It can be above 50 for a break of everal days in the winter and it still doesn't feel like Spring. Today feels like Spring. Yesterday too.
There's something to the ground and definitely to the trees. New buds are showing and I have noticed more Asian beetles indoors. They're coming back out and life is returning. Forty geese fly above in a formation which is more checkmark than v. Even people linger. College students are outside playing soccer and the wind comes fiercely. Yet, it comes from the South as if it's been carrying the new season northward. I can smell it but don't know quite what it is.
Perhaps we're born to sense it. Perhaps, it could be 35 with a cold rain falling and we would still know. It's the time of year; the days are getting longer. There is something to this day, to this Spring.
There's something to the ground and definitely to the trees. New buds are showing and I have noticed more Asian beetles indoors. They're coming back out and life is returning. Forty geese fly above in a formation which is more checkmark than v. Even people linger. College students are outside playing soccer and the wind comes fiercely. Yet, it comes from the South as if it's been carrying the new season northward. I can smell it but don't know quite what it is.
Perhaps we're born to sense it. Perhaps, it could be 35 with a cold rain falling and we would still know. It's the time of year; the days are getting longer. There is something to this day, to this Spring.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Clear
In other parts of the world, it tends to happen, but not here. Yesterday, no clouds stretched in the sky as I headed to work--not even one loose drifting straggler. The temperature also matched the sunlight on this early day in March and rose well above freezing.
December and January were winter, a solid patch of snow. While you might think northern climate and ice and snow, whiteness covering the ground for over a month hasn't been typical for the season in Chicago. Even a few days ago, lake effect flurries swirled and blanketed. Yesterday was change, and I took advantage and walked beneath that open dome of blue.
It was good to be back, steps on the sidewalk leading to work. It's a good start to feel the ground and the concrete under foot--no swift whisking from one point to another in a car or a bus. Places develop a sense of their own. Time matters.
December and January were winter, a solid patch of snow. While you might think northern climate and ice and snow, whiteness covering the ground for over a month hasn't been typical for the season in Chicago. Even a few days ago, lake effect flurries swirled and blanketed. Yesterday was change, and I took advantage and walked beneath that open dome of blue.
It was good to be back, steps on the sidewalk leading to work. It's a good start to feel the ground and the concrete under foot--no swift whisking from one point to another in a car or a bus. Places develop a sense of their own. Time matters.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
A View
Sunrise over Lake Michigan (copyright Ken Derry)
Some people have a perspective on life than others don't have. I don't mean a hocus-pocus mental affinity; I'm talking about a literal feet on the ground, or in this case, on top of a building.
Ken Derry has worked as a crane operator during the construction of the Trump Tower in downtown Chicago. While on the job, he has seen amazing sights. He has also taken the time to share those images with others. From sunrises and the river to the American flag and Blue Angels in formation, his photography shows a keen eye for the moment, its color and form.
The above image is just a smaller version of Ken's work. He has a large gallery of additional photography available on Smugmug. Click and take a look at the city from a different perspective. If you like the photos, you can also purchase them.
Ken Derry's Photography on Smugmug
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Poetry Press
I have written poetry, though recently, I have been more focused on prosey type of work (i.e. this blog to name one). So while I don't have anything new to mention, I'd like to mention that some of my poetry has been published and is available to read online. The most recent was in the online zine called Shine, which showcases a wide spectrum of works from fiction and poetry to photography.
The Shine Journal
Here's a little tease from my works which appear in their October 2008 archives:
Along the Ohio
Here they wander lunchtime with pizza boxes in hand,
big city Louisville pizza.
Here they wander, wide-eyed foursomes, two boys and
two girls, searching.
There’s a living in looking, in laughing, Tommy and Sue—
see them;
...
The Shine Journal
Here's a little tease from my works which appear in their October 2008 archives:
Along the Ohio
Here they wander lunchtime with pizza boxes in hand,
big city Louisville pizza.
Here they wander, wide-eyed foursomes, two boys and
two girls, searching.
There’s a living in looking, in laughing, Tommy and Sue—
see them;
...
Winter Program
Last Friday I attended the ballet. This was a first. The fact that this was a first could be attributed to several factors. One is price. Not that ballet is extravagant compared to other entertainment; you can spend $75 for a Billy Joel concert. The reality, however, is that I wouldn't spend that kind of money for a concert. Secondly, I never have known anyone who wanted to go to the ballet; no one has ever presented the opportunity to me. Lastly is that I tend to be a bit underwhelmed by all kinds of organized dance.
The dissatisfaction has always been a primary motivation (or perhaps unmotivation in this case). I simply think that most choreography is either bad or irrelevant. Music is sacred to me; so is dance. There is a vital spiritual energy which threads both, but when linked in performance, the link doesn't hold. I am left with the impression that here's the music and over there is the dance and I don't have any feeling that the two were meant to be together.
What I mean by this disconnect is that the dance performance and the music have structures which don't mesh. I have seen dances where the music changes and the dance continues forward with the same movements, ignorant of the musical direction. A dramatic moment in the musical score should be a dramatic moment in the dance. If not, there should be a good reason for the contrast. Laziness or lack of inspiration are not good reasons.
Yet, having heard a lot of music and have been to many clubs in the past, I have seen good dancing. I have watched people pour their energy into movements which not only link to the music but grow past the melodies and rhythms. If amateurs can do this, why can't professionals?
This was my point of reference when I saw the opening dance of the Joffrey Ballet's Winter Program. The dancing was fluid. In fact, the professional dancers are quite graceful and able to control their bodies in ways most people don't. Yet, only in a few instances did the music and movements join together to create a unified artistic adventure.
The next two pieces were only five minutes, compared to the opener's half-hour, and much tighter. The first of the shorter pieces seemed a bit intellectualized, in the sense that Ah! the point makes the brain happy with the cleverness of profundity of the message. The latter had an interesting story line and the costuming had tremendous visual appeal, though I can't say that it reached any artistic heights. This might not be fair to the second short piece, because it is part of a longer ballet performance. Its larger context might lend power to the shorter segment, and that context was missing.
Then, the finale arrived. The night's focus was Le Sacre du Printemps, which means "The Rite of Spring". This is Dance. The music was no longer background, but integral to the movements. The dancers swirled and stomped with the beats. The vitality of the Stravinsky's score was not dissipated; the stage accented the playing of the orchestra by using the notes as a canvas and a palette to deliver a compelling scene. No intellectual games--instead, driving life force filled the performance, leading it to be what dance can be.
For that moment, I'd like to give thanks to the dancers, the orchestra, conductor, composer, and yes, even the choreographers.
The dissatisfaction has always been a primary motivation (or perhaps unmotivation in this case). I simply think that most choreography is either bad or irrelevant. Music is sacred to me; so is dance. There is a vital spiritual energy which threads both, but when linked in performance, the link doesn't hold. I am left with the impression that here's the music and over there is the dance and I don't have any feeling that the two were meant to be together.
What I mean by this disconnect is that the dance performance and the music have structures which don't mesh. I have seen dances where the music changes and the dance continues forward with the same movements, ignorant of the musical direction. A dramatic moment in the musical score should be a dramatic moment in the dance. If not, there should be a good reason for the contrast. Laziness or lack of inspiration are not good reasons.
Yet, having heard a lot of music and have been to many clubs in the past, I have seen good dancing. I have watched people pour their energy into movements which not only link to the music but grow past the melodies and rhythms. If amateurs can do this, why can't professionals?
This was my point of reference when I saw the opening dance of the Joffrey Ballet's Winter Program. The dancing was fluid. In fact, the professional dancers are quite graceful and able to control their bodies in ways most people don't. Yet, only in a few instances did the music and movements join together to create a unified artistic adventure.
The next two pieces were only five minutes, compared to the opener's half-hour, and much tighter. The first of the shorter pieces seemed a bit intellectualized, in the sense that Ah! the point makes the brain happy with the cleverness of profundity of the message. The latter had an interesting story line and the costuming had tremendous visual appeal, though I can't say that it reached any artistic heights. This might not be fair to the second short piece, because it is part of a longer ballet performance. Its larger context might lend power to the shorter segment, and that context was missing.
Then, the finale arrived. The night's focus was Le Sacre du Printemps, which means "The Rite of Spring". This is Dance. The music was no longer background, but integral to the movements. The dancers swirled and stomped with the beats. The vitality of the Stravinsky's score was not dissipated; the stage accented the playing of the orchestra by using the notes as a canvas and a palette to deliver a compelling scene. No intellectual games--instead, driving life force filled the performance, leading it to be what dance can be.
For that moment, I'd like to give thanks to the dancers, the orchestra, conductor, composer, and yes, even the choreographers.
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