Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Rebekah blog - for real this time
On this December 4 anniversary of Chairman Fred's vicious murder by FBI-backed police thugs - i will finally put aside my notebook and write into this blog. Just in case there is anyone out there who is as frustrated and inspired as i. who loves to dance and study about resistance. who lives for the laughter of children yet knows the divinity of solitude.
i am a teacher of young children by trade who is taking a break this year. and by teaching i mean: teaching them to read their world and write their world - despite my being a part of a hateful machine - i operate behind enemy lines to create a little socialist democracy in my class every year. it is natural, since true justice makes inherent sense to any of us who are awake. so now that i have time on my hands, i am (finally!!!) reading the books on my long long to read list and studying up on political history as well as current activism, especially here, in the 5 college river valley of western Massachusetts.
am just now making connections in the art/activism worlds, outside of the people i know from teacher activism for justice in the NYC public schools. i am just now putting my own song ideas into form, being an artist myself.
Peace
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
B-Boy Blog Post
Over the course of this semester’s inquiry about b-boys, I discovered many exciting things and thoroughly enjoyed watching, dancing, thinking about dancing. My professor leant me a movie that gave some background on the founding of b-boy culture and the train writers. I created a digital story summarizing my learning about some of the beginnings of b-boy culture in New York, and collected a few videos, and b-boy blogs on a baby blog of my own. I investigated a variety of fascinating texts on my journey.
The first was a blog called b-boy videos, where I remembered the term “battling” and wondered about this form of battle. No one on this blog posted about this of course, battling being a given part of life. In the “BattleMonkeys vs. Super Crew vs. KillerFornia” battle, I watched crazy spins and stops, wide circles of controlled muscle, some playing among dancers reminiscent of capoeira (Brazil) synchronicity, that inverse bodies look of playing off of each other. The dancing was so athletic, and the battle so fierce, judges called players to back off more than once.
Another blog that I found extremely interesting was breaker nyc.com, which was a networking page for b-boys and b-boy lovers. There was a calendar of events whose contents is a mystery to me because I don’t speak b-boy.
I listened in on a lively discussion about the meaning of biting, where all sorts of folks chimed in, from a wise 35-year old b-boy to a fresh young class advocate (railing against b-boys comin up who never had to “struggle a day in they life”). I saw an incredibly beautiful tribute to some New York talent, across what seemed like a great many years, some original signature moves? It is a much sunnier way to use the Jay-Z and Alicia Keys song than on it’s own (the song seems cold and overplayed at this point on its own).
The collection of videos kept me watching and watching, and I began think about the crowd’s role. I noticed that the crowed cheered for every excellent move and even though this was a “battle,” there seemed to be good and happy energy among dancers and spectators alike, unlike the previous scene where, feigned as anger could be, referee type people where calling people off of each other. Perhaps the hard in your face is from the gritty streets of New York and the love-infused community is a more polished presentation?
A distinct silence in this inquiry is the train. That is where I first found the b-boy, and all of the information I’ve read has been video footage and commentary about non-train performances. Although some train riders I interviewed shared spots to search with me (the A downtown, the D or F at night… Brooklyn) none of those people seemed in with the b-boys, so I didn’t go out of my way and investigate.
Finally, this inquiry presented an interview opportunity with a real b-boy, suddenly I found out that one of my colleagues was one of the dancers himself, and found myself completing an assignment with him one evening. I hope he didn’t mind my asking questions! He told me about battling and running into another crew and putting down the stereo and saying let’s go, and competing, and I asked how they chose a winner? He said the crowd chose the winners. I asked where? He said people’s houses. I asked him if he knew Crazy Legs, one of the original dancers in “Style Wars” (Bronx, late 70s early 80s). He did! He saw him dance back in the day, said he still dances. I wonder, would it be possible for me to meet this man someday? I would love to interview him!! I have more steeping myself in b-boy culture before I can be prepared for a text as rich as one of the founders of b-boy.
I intend to keep following beat boy threads and loving the beats and the beautiful moves!
The first was a blog called b-boy videos, where I remembered the term “battling” and wondered about this form of battle. No one on this blog posted about this of course, battling being a given part of life. In the “BattleMonkeys vs. Super Crew vs. KillerFornia” battle, I watched crazy spins and stops, wide circles of controlled muscle, some playing among dancers reminiscent of capoeira (Brazil) synchronicity, that inverse bodies look of playing off of each other. The dancing was so athletic, and the battle so fierce, judges called players to back off more than once.
Another blog that I found extremely interesting was breaker nyc.com, which was a networking page for b-boys and b-boy lovers. There was a calendar of events whose contents is a mystery to me because I don’t speak b-boy.
I listened in on a lively discussion about the meaning of biting, where all sorts of folks chimed in, from a wise 35-year old b-boy to a fresh young class advocate (railing against b-boys comin up who never had to “struggle a day in they life”). I saw an incredibly beautiful tribute to some New York talent, across what seemed like a great many years, some original signature moves? It is a much sunnier way to use the Jay-Z and Alicia Keys song than on it’s own (the song seems cold and overplayed at this point on its own).
The collection of videos kept me watching and watching, and I began think about the crowd’s role. I noticed that the crowed cheered for every excellent move and even though this was a “battle,” there seemed to be good and happy energy among dancers and spectators alike, unlike the previous scene where, feigned as anger could be, referee type people where calling people off of each other. Perhaps the hard in your face is from the gritty streets of New York and the love-infused community is a more polished presentation?
A distinct silence in this inquiry is the train. That is where I first found the b-boy, and all of the information I’ve read has been video footage and commentary about non-train performances. Although some train riders I interviewed shared spots to search with me (the A downtown, the D or F at night… Brooklyn) none of those people seemed in with the b-boys, so I didn’t go out of my way and investigate.
Finally, this inquiry presented an interview opportunity with a real b-boy, suddenly I found out that one of my colleagues was one of the dancers himself, and found myself completing an assignment with him one evening. I hope he didn’t mind my asking questions! He told me about battling and running into another crew and putting down the stereo and saying let’s go, and competing, and I asked how they chose a winner? He said the crowd chose the winners. I asked where? He said people’s houses. I asked him if he knew Crazy Legs, one of the original dancers in “Style Wars” (Bronx, late 70s early 80s). He did! He saw him dance back in the day, said he still dances. I wonder, would it be possible for me to meet this man someday? I would love to interview him!! I have more steeping myself in b-boy culture before I can be prepared for a text as rich as one of the founders of b-boy.
I intend to keep following beat boy threads and loving the beats and the beautiful moves!
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Inquiry Continued
the blogosphere is inspiring and exciting and extremely huge and overwhelmingly inundating...
how do i find out if there are any vulcanologist geology bloggers out there who want to talk to my second graders about volcanoes, or families preparing for a volcanic eruption? Those seem to be our common interests, and I want to explore blogging as a way to engage kids' questions, curiosities & dawning interests. I want them to communicate with experts. And who are the experts about getting away from volcanoes? i certainly don't want to search news archives for volcano coverage do i?
to help me support them in reading and writing the world, yea i said it.
any ideas out there bloggy?
how do i find out if there are any vulcanologist geology bloggers out there who want to talk to my second graders about volcanoes, or families preparing for a volcanic eruption? Those seem to be our common interests, and I want to explore blogging as a way to engage kids' questions, curiosities & dawning interests. I want them to communicate with experts. And who are the experts about getting away from volcanoes? i certainly don't want to search news archives for volcano coverage do i?
to help me support them in reading and writing the world, yea i said it.
any ideas out there bloggy?
Sunday, September 27, 2009
What happened to the Breakdancers on the Subway?
As much as I'd like to claim that I knew already, it wasn't until I started reading up on this inquiry question that 'breakdancers' is a media term imposed on this classy artform/ culture from the outside world, (much like animae getting called 'japanimation'). The correct term for the dancers I love so much is bboys and bgirls. It is a culture that originated in New York City and has gained popularity worldwide, transcending societal divisions among economic strata, class, and race.
When I first moved to New York, I used to see the Bboy/girls on the subway often, and now I don't anymore, so I started wondering where they'd all gone? I have noticed also that there are alot more NYPD on the subway then when I first moved here (2004), so I thought they probably didn't put up with the train dancing.My first theory on where the dancers might have gone was that they were in the mysterious place that Guiliani took all of the street vendors to....but that didn't give me a place to look, because I don't know where they went either, and the subway is already underground.
So, I started asking around and reading online. My blogreading and website surfing educated me about bboy/girl culture and history, and no one else seemed to think the fab dancers had disappeared, which led me to think perhaps it was that I am not in the right place at the right time anymore... or that the other bboy followers knew where the police weren't stopping the action... so after educating myself on bboy culture, and watching many amazing & inspiring videos of bboy moves (I didn't see any girl dancers on the videos), I started to ask around.
I interviewed a close friend who used to be a bgirl, and she said that I should try looking in Union Square, and around 42nd street, because that's where her crew used to perform, although she warned me that that was a long time ago. Lisa Simon allowed me to interview her briefly in class last week, and told me that she sees the bboys dancing on the 2 train, downtown, late at night. I wonder if this includes weekends? Late night weeknights riding the downtown 2 doesn't seem realistic for me... so we'll see what the afternoon 2 train has in store for me, as that is my next research stop. I plan to read the subway (A & 2 lines) this afternoon and write down what I notice in my Inquiry Notebook. More to follow.
When I first moved to New York, I used to see the Bboy/girls on the subway often, and now I don't anymore, so I started wondering where they'd all gone? I have noticed also that there are alot more NYPD on the subway then when I first moved here (2004), so I thought they probably didn't put up with the train dancing.My first theory on where the dancers might have gone was that they were in the mysterious place that Guiliani took all of the street vendors to....but that didn't give me a place to look, because I don't know where they went either, and the subway is already underground.
So, I started asking around and reading online. My blogreading and website surfing educated me about bboy/girl culture and history, and no one else seemed to think the fab dancers had disappeared, which led me to think perhaps it was that I am not in the right place at the right time anymore... or that the other bboy followers knew where the police weren't stopping the action... so after educating myself on bboy culture, and watching many amazing & inspiring videos of bboy moves (I didn't see any girl dancers on the videos), I started to ask around.
I interviewed a close friend who used to be a bgirl, and she said that I should try looking in Union Square, and around 42nd street, because that's where her crew used to perform, although she warned me that that was a long time ago. Lisa Simon allowed me to interview her briefly in class last week, and told me that she sees the bboys dancing on the 2 train, downtown, late at night. I wonder if this includes weekends? Late night weeknights riding the downtown 2 doesn't seem realistic for me... so we'll see what the afternoon 2 train has in store for me, as that is my next research stop. I plan to read the subway (A & 2 lines) this afternoon and write down what I notice in my Inquiry Notebook. More to follow.
Delicious.com
See 'notes' on bboy blogs for assignment rationales**
Blogs along topics of inquiry and interest. Will anyone else out there be thinking about these questions and looking for my having asked them? i hope so, but even if i'm gathering resources only for myself, delicious is a great tool to collect blog spots for questions and explorations.
when it rains it's difficult to see clearly after a minute.
Blogs along topics of inquiry and interest. Will anyone else out there be thinking about these questions and looking for my having asked them? i hope so, but even if i'm gathering resources only for myself, delicious is a great tool to collect blog spots for questions and explorations.
when it rains it's difficult to see clearly after a minute.
Josh Blue - Defying a Deficit Framework
Check out "Josh Blue's Right Arm" for some funny commentary on living with cerebral palsy. What do people think about his comments on ASL and Mexicans?
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