I’m in LA 6th-26th April, mainly for How Do We Look? symposium, but also for watching burlesque, photographing theatres, going to archives. Perhaps also working* on the beach. Would love company for all the above, if you’re in LA.
*on my tan ;)
Allie
Apr 032011
I am gently encouraging myself to write an introduction to next Saturday's symposium 'How Do We Look?'. I have just typed the following. I am not going to use it. So, I am pasting it here. It makes no sense other than as a visual to help me think.
Imagine I find a hand-written love letter on the street in LA. I pick it up, and wilfully, misinterpret the letter as a love letter to the city itself. Not wishing to remove this letter from its original location (perhaps its author will return), I quickly write the contents of the letter. My new version is to no-one and from no-one. It is in my rushed handwriting and I do not know how much it bares resemblance to the original text.
Mar 132011
I shall be taking part in How Do We Look?, a one day symposiym at MOCA, LA, 9th April 2011, howdowelook.com
Mar 062011
I just put my first chapter online, it is under ‘Writing’, or here Literature Review.
Feb 192011
I’ve uploaded the ‘script’ for my RF2 (half way exam for PhD) presentation on Tuesday, you can find it here The Showgirlian Method or under ‘Writing’.
The paper I delivered at Transmission: Hospitality has now been published on their website at http://extra.shu.ac.uk/transmission/papers/CARR%20Alison.pdf
Jan 132011
Here are a few things about my day today. Driving to Hallam this morning, I was thinking about the loveliness of Rita Hayworth. I was thinking about the way she is remembered more for the tragedy in her life, rather than the virtuosity of her dancing. I remembered the quote I am using in my first chapter :
"Hayworth’s was a frank and open beauty. Her smile dazzled; her strong lithe body was amazingly fluid. Unabashedly sexual, she also possessed a playful abandon that the screen had not seen before."[1]
Then I was interim-assessing my third years - a conversation with them and another member of staff about their work and how they are going to approach their degree show. Bless them, I love them all and want them to do so well. All the things you hear about parenting I could apply to my experience of teaching. I feel, by turns, so proud, so disappointed, and so anxious that they will find their wings and fly. What I never realised was how teaching affects you, I'm constantly questioning if I am doing ok by students, if I am supporting them enough. Oh! I want them to do well, I don't think I will every forget this group of third years, my first to support through the degree show and dissertation. They are teaching me how to be a teacher.
Walking up to my car, I passed the star of the Crucible's Me and My Girl, Daniel Crossley, and so I couldn't help myself, I blurted out congratulations like a crazed fan. Perhaps I should own it, I am a crazed fan. I saw Crossley in A Chorus Line when I worked at Sheffield Theatres and I thought he was such an amazing and highly talented dancer, capable of real pathos in his role of Paul. In this current show, which he leads, he uses all that real dance-skill and pathos, but adds comic timing and charisma. Its an amazing show exemplifying the best of the musical genre, and I guess, I am a proud-fan. But I'm not alone Daily Telegraph Review, and you can hear him here Audioboo.
I got home and found the Picture Post (Vol. 6 No.11, March 16, 1940) I bought on E-bay waiting for me. I bought it for the 'Girls in Cabaret' article, I wish I could type out the whole text, because its difficult to pull quotes from and the whole thing is interesting. However, what really drew my eye was the wording of the adverts: not only because of their quaint, old-fashioned language, but also because of how current they still feel, in terms of the hard-sell for example:
"At 40 her skin is only 25. Why do some women look fresh and youthful with a minimum use of cosmetics while the complexion of others begins to age in youth? Remember that your skin reaches critical age before your figure. You know that the way to keep your skin young is to keep the pores clean. You have been told that before. But you may not know the one cleanser that will do this better than cream, better than water.
This one cream is Avocado Beauty Milk, made by Coty from the oil of Calavo Avocado pear, which has greater penetrating power than cream or water. Coty Avocado Beauty Milk searches out hidden particles of powder and rouge, buried deep in the base of the pores, and floats them out to the surface.
If you want to keep your skin young and get the most out of the cosmetics you use, get some Coty Avocado Beauty Milk right away. Your skin will feel fresher and cleaner. What is more, your powder will go on better than ever"
I just googled Avocado Beauty Milk, and I can't find it, I was hoping to get myself some…
Right, its time I get going to my dance classes – tonight its Jazz and Tap – wa-hoo!
[1] Majorie Rosen (1973) Popcorn Venus: Women, Movies and the American Dream, 1974 third edn. New York: Avon p.224.
Jan 092011
It's Sunday morning and I'm typing in bed, watching Bugsy Malone on Film Four. Last night I went to see the film Burlesque, the one with Cher and Christina Aguilera. Oh dear, oh dear. I was forewarned by NY Times Review, but I had to go. I think the theme concept for summing it up, is apropo nothing. The lines, scenes, story line seemed like a disconnected re-hash of cliches. The script must have been made from the off cuts of standard studio rom-coms, and old back-stage musicals of the 1930s. Wait, that makes it sound better than it was. Let me interject that Bugsy Malone has a script and an original score, its low budget and its played by children, and its excellent. Compare that to Burlesque. A film without a script. With way to much dialogue, delivered with tacky-teen soap style 'acting'. And a huge budget.
So you don't have to watch it, here is the storyline in full:
1. girl arrives in LA from small town, no contacts, just some talent and tenacity
2. girl finds club, can't get an audition, works the bar
3. girl auditions and she can dance
4. girl proves she can sing too, becomes star of the show
5. girls apartment is broken into
6. girl moves into boy's flat
7. girl has no family (mum died when she was 7)
8. boy is poor, musically talented and engaged
9. girl meets rich man with no scrupples
10. some girl/girl rivalry
11. club owner about to loose club
12. boy breaks off engagement
13. girl saves the club financially
14. girl and boy get together.
This leaves a number of unanswered questions: this started life as a script by the wonderful Diablo Cody (see Juno), what happened? Why the shaky irritating handheld style camera work? How did they manage to make a film called 'Burlesque' without any stripping? How come the stage in the club is three times larger than bar are for patrons?
What the film does explore is the LA/Vegas revue format, like Forty Deuce, which borrows from the aesthetics of burlesque and the Paris revue Crazy Horse. The film does create a great little club, with great acts, costumes and sets, with lots of homages to Fosse. Some of the songs are ok, but what about this: ditch the pretence of a 'storyline', and make a film of the revue - let's see all the acts, no shaky camera-work, and more new big-band style songs written for the film. And Bugsy Malone's ending so its my cue to get up...
We could of been anything that we wanted to be
Yes, that decision was ours
It's been decided
We're weaker divided
Let friendship double up our powers
You give a little love and it all comes back to you
la la la la la la la
You know your gonna be remembered for the things that you say and do
la la la la la la la
Dec 172010
This is my desert island wish list, excluding friends or any actual collaborations past, present or future.
1. Adam Cooper, dancer
2. If not the above then Anton du Beke
3. Ben Drew aka Plan B
4. Or Paloma Faith? I'd have to meet them both to make the final decision.
5. Forced Entertainment
6. Rose English (I'd just be her apprentice)
This list broadly takes in my perception that I think I could actually work with these people. I haven't included visual artists because if I love their work, then I'd just be assisting them, or being a fan around them. I genuinely interested in the idea of making artwork from people outside my own art bubble.
Actually, I really like working with other people, and I'd love to work closely with dancers, perhaps a showgirl? also, I'd love do something in a theatre setting, so perhaps a writer too?
Right, well, let's see what Santa brings from that lot...
1. Adam Cooper, dancer
2. If not the above then Anton du Beke
3. Ben Drew aka Plan B
4. Or Paloma Faith? I'd have to meet them both to make the final decision.
5. Forced Entertainment
6. Rose English (I'd just be her apprentice)
This list broadly takes in my perception that I think I could actually work with these people. I haven't included visual artists because if I love their work, then I'd just be assisting them, or being a fan around them. I genuinely interested in the idea of making artwork from people outside my own art bubble.
Actually, I really like working with other people, and I'd love to work closely with dancers, perhaps a showgirl? also, I'd love do something in a theatre setting, so perhaps a writer too?
Right, well, let's see what Santa brings from that lot...
Dec 172010
Wow, this year is hurtling to an end. I always feel like I did barely anything over a year, but perception and reality are strange things. I'm not sure how my year went, I only know what I did not achieve.
I did however have a comforting moment of putting some large new work on the walls of the old S1 Artspace before they moved. Sadly, only for a meeting with my supervisors and also I stepped in and showed the work to my students in my crit group when the student showing texted me concussed in hospital. The work is an ongoing pairing of theatre interior and text bios. The bios are sourced from 1930s cigarette cards or online web presences. The work represents the public viewing spaces of the showgirl and theorists connected to my research. The project will be ongoing throughout my PhD.
