Danny Macaskill- Doing what he does best

I'm sure I've shown one or two of Danny Macaskill's cycle stunt odysseys. My son sent me the link to this one, The Industrial Revolutions, and I was struck how marvelous the film team managed to gather a balance between intricate and sweeping movements, between the mind and gut feelings.


Danny Macaskill - Industrial Revolutions (by cutmedia1)

I'm not sure what made Macaskill the hero of a brigade of young people who spend their lives doing stunt cycling... but I am glad he is succeeding in doing what he wants in life.

Amazingly deceptive

These guys make tapping seem like fun. For anyone who has tried to tap dance, you will recognise how amazingly deceptive they are being. It's work. It's hard work. The hardest part of all is to make it seem easy. I watched those feet and the tremendous fluidity of their bodies... A true delight.

Remix Heaven

Kleptones - Come Again (Beatles vs Rare Earth vs Beaties vs Daft Punk vs Cypress Hill vs Boston) Video by Crumbs Chief from The Videotones on Vimeo.

It's Friday and so I wanted to share this delightful remix. May you all have a sunny and enjoyable few days at home or on your travels.

Poetry in Motion

Here is a treat...



The beauty of Desmond Richardson dancing is a wonder to be seen; the fluidity, the grace of his body, makes my spirit fly.

Dancing Fingers

Many, many years ago, when I was still a classical ballet dancer, I saw a documentary film about a famous dance school for girls in India. What I remember most about the film was the description of the rigorous training the girls went through for years and years before they were considered proper dancers.

Now, I took ballet lessons for three to five hours every day, but the dance schedule the Asian girls had made us look like sissies in comparison.

The most astonishing thing was the fact the girls had to learn how to move/control every muscle in their bodies. They learnt a complete repertoire of facial expressions. They spoke a whole language of expressions just by moving their fingers and wrists.

This seemed such a strange concept, for at that time, a classical ballet dancers facial expression was usually frozen. Your fingers, hands and wrists were only used to extend your arm position or line, and not as a tool of expression.

Todays collage is in homage of dancing fingers, hands, and wrists.

Rize (movie)

I just finished watching the documentary film Rize. I sat there mesmerized throughout. Washed over with moments of poetry, both in their dance movements and the eloquent articulation of their lives and dreams. It was a gift to be given the chance to catch a glimpse of a world that is totally foreign to my own.

Usually, the only glimpse I get of this culture is through commercial music and film. The “success stories” are rigged-up portrayals of people like Snoop Dog, 50 Cent, Nate Dog, Ja Rule, Busta Rhymes, etc.

I am both fascinated and in awe sometimes with their music. Equally, I am often fascinated and appalled by their excessive show of wealth and the flagrant waste in lifestyles.

It is not that I believe everyone has to be a philanthropist. Instead, acquiring large sums of money brings with it new responsibilities and new opportunities. Whether these fellows like it or not, they are role models for many people. I can’t figure out what a hip-hop star is trying to say when he proudly announces that he owns 36 slick, expensive cars. This is not a judgement call, it’s just… what does he do with so many cars?

Some of the people in Rize showed tremendous grace of character, richness of spirit, and profound understanding of the trials of everyday man. In my estimate, they put all of the Hollywood rappers to shame.