Janelle Monae best geek :3. Me? Just some kind of other geek - currently burined in putting my machine back together with lovely lovely win7 64 - lots of newness.

Be funky.

Who's frequent posts about the wonders of Capoeira and traffic-light mounted pictures finally inspired me to go along to a Capoeira class, Cambridge Capoeira, Grupo Senzala and I fell head over heels in love.

This is the most physically intense thing I have ever done - even the warmup is a workout the likes of which I didn't even see when I had a gym membership to abuse regularly. The moves themselves have me feeling both more and less flexible than I ever have done (I have so far to go - there is so much to do, but it doesn't frustrate, it inspires me to do more) and each one is satisfying to make work properly.

I feel a little bit like I've been set about with sticks this morning, but in the good way, the one that gives you a warm glow of accomplishment. I want to spin and be upside down and to play the berimbau and learn more songs (yes, I actually sung in front of people at an audible volume - stranger things happen at sea).

Capoeira is now a thing in my world, and it makes me very happy indeed.

Awesome ASL signed single ladies with coreo! Signed songs are fifteen kinds of fuckawesome and inspiring - I wanna get enough vocab to integrate signing into fusion work

And here's the ever-awesome Lee giving it the BSL version .

While making my way home from a meeting in London yesterday, I was lucky enough to come across several members of The Elephant Parade out for a stroll through the city.

The Elephant Parade is a rather neat little project designed to call attention to the situation of and to raise money for Asian Elephants - the funds raised through sponsorship and an auction of the art-lephants themselves at the end will help to fight habitat destruction and do other good things.

I had read about these previously thanks to Helen@BOP, but hadn't seen them in the flesh until I ran into 'Hope' above while walking down Cheapside. One thing lead to another and soon I was surrounded by painted pachyderms and quite, quite delighted. More street art for good causes please .

In yet another 'Weasel has had her head under a pillow for years' moment, I have only just this weekend found out about 50 foot wave. They're a power trio Kristin Hersh set up in the mid 90s to do heavier things than her accoustic solo material and I absolutely love them - they're a blissed up punky noise with a postgrunge kinda feel that's just delish.

Kristin put all their work to date up for free download here, I found out about them from Helen at Bird of Paradox here (She has the best tunes) and according to Wikipedia here they have a new EP coming this year.

I dance because it feels good. I dance because the exhiliration of doing something that physical and doing it right/well is immense to me. I dance because it makes me feel beautiful and powerful all at once and as if nothing bad could ever touch me.

I dance because the crackle of fire whistling past me on the end of a chain or dancing in the palms of my hands is a beautiful, avatistic thing that awakens something primitive in me. Because moving every part of me to the drums makes me feel alive and vital and someone very different to the thirty year old office worker with the creaky body I spend the rest of my time being.

I dance because of the beautiful, wonderful half-mad laughing zilling yipping creatures I am lucky enough to dance /with/. Because the call and response and cue and follow and steal of improvised tribal is a dance within a dance in and of itself and it feels like being a part of something bigger and older than I am. Because the manic pace of fast might be a little more than I can handle right now, but I can see where it's going. Because the incredible otherworldly headspace of facing slow is like nothing else.

I dance because of the friends I make and the community that welcomes me in. I dance because of the people who give up their time to teach and make my world a more interesting and fun place. I dance because of the joy of watching people spin and dip and shimmi as a part of an audience and because of the joy of being up there myself. I dance because someone who has made this their livelihood, who has been dancing for years and who I couldn't hold a candle to will still take me by the hand and pull me into a chorus and that's just the most beautiful thing.

I dance because it's fun, because it makes me feel alive and hey, one day, if I'm lucky and work at it, I might do it like the women in the video up there.

Also, the costumes are really, really pretty .

This is the first video I've seen from the last but one Namoli Brennet album. She's getting kind of an alt-countyr feeling mixed in with the Americana folk these days and that rather tickles me. Being a fan of an artist for awhile and getting to hear them develop is the best thing.

Dancers and jugglers make houses for faeries

Who dance round a twig-hence all sparkly and airy.

Spinners and twirlers catch grass from below

While signs on park benches cry love for Gio

Yesterday was flowjam on the lamnas land and the weather was glorious. I went along for as long as I could manage (rilly crunchy Joints this week, and lots of sun and I don't mix) and had a goodun spinning under the trees - became a tourist attraction briefly too and ended up in someones camera a bit. There weren't many ov the belly dancers at this one, but I was able to catch up with Demelza and Guy and a couple of other people. sun-baked or not, I think I'm going to have to keep going if this keeps being outside like this.

Next weekend is the Domba event, and I am ridiculously head over heels excited about it. Raindog'll be down here on friday and we're going to make a weekend of it and dance our arses off. I'm also crossing my fingers that something quite pretty I've been bought by my in-laws arrives in time for the veil class - I can't wait. I've got A pair of these coming as well, though they'll take more like a month to get here from Hong Kong. It'll be worth the wait though, I had a go with a pair of Jelenas at a previous flowjam and they blew my mind - so ridiculously fun to dance with. they should also give me something to dance with in daylight other than my poor tailed poi ... which have died on me!

Our wee little holiday continues in gloriously sleepy fashion, today will mostly be spent in the garden hiding under an umbrella (or in my case, sitting in the shower going 'heee, cold water :3'. We've made some plans for tomorrow and tuesday so we can get a proper bit of use out of them, but that is then and this is now. I suspect I will be required to play a game later, but intil then, sssh, you ain't seen me, right?