God bless the Spring (bird) Migration, and our ability to witness it right here in St Louis, MO. Here is what we saw on Tuesday morning:
Ovenbird
Red-eyed Vireo
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Gray Catbird
Swainson's Thrush
And all this despite the large tractor-mower making a raucous and a drizzle of rain. Next i'm going looking for some warblers - they've been rumored to be around these parts.
24 May 2007
20 May 2007
Chinese drum girls rule
Chinese Culture Days at the Garden
My favorite part of the performance today was the girls' drum ensemble (from the New Shanghai Circus). About 15 girls, appearing to be no more than 12 years of age, performed in stunning accuracy, timing and agility. They have such a honed sense of the dramatic, and such incredible attention to detail that i found myself somewhere about 30 seconds into the first piece grinning, mouth wide open in disbelief.
The first piece was the most elaborate - drumming as well as costumes. It was the "preparing to fight" piece, replete with quick rolls on the drum and a little snare kit to get the high, tight tones. They would drum roll (so fast you couldn't tell it was sticks that were pounding and not a recorded hum) and then a pause - and SNAP - a stare straight out into the audience. Every beat sequence was like this: a look in a certain direction, a hand thrown in the air at just a height, just an angle as to all be in perfect synchronization. And they dance, all these girls with brocade costumes and huge, long pheasant feathers protruding like fire out of two horns in their headdress. They bob their heads in unison, and the feathers sway wildly, in response, not in unison but in chaos. The next piece - "getting ready for the harvest of pecans" - the girls wear schoolgirl clothes, matching, and hair in pigtail braids. As they beat their drums and rattle the rhythms out, they cock their heads to one side, and smile, broadly. I love the skill, the incredible speed with which their hands move. But i also love that these are girls, playing and so coordinated with such a training as to impress theatrics and pouring oneself fully into every detail. We don't see that very often in western culture, and i like that about it too.
I saw dragons too - which i've heard is a sign of good fortune, so i think overall it was a good day in St Louis.
My favorite part of the performance today was the girls' drum ensemble (from the New Shanghai Circus). About 15 girls, appearing to be no more than 12 years of age, performed in stunning accuracy, timing and agility. They have such a honed sense of the dramatic, and such incredible attention to detail that i found myself somewhere about 30 seconds into the first piece grinning, mouth wide open in disbelief.
The first piece was the most elaborate - drumming as well as costumes. It was the "preparing to fight" piece, replete with quick rolls on the drum and a little snare kit to get the high, tight tones. They would drum roll (so fast you couldn't tell it was sticks that were pounding and not a recorded hum) and then a pause - and SNAP - a stare straight out into the audience. Every beat sequence was like this: a look in a certain direction, a hand thrown in the air at just a height, just an angle as to all be in perfect synchronization. And they dance, all these girls with brocade costumes and huge, long pheasant feathers protruding like fire out of two horns in their headdress. They bob their heads in unison, and the feathers sway wildly, in response, not in unison but in chaos. The next piece - "getting ready for the harvest of pecans" - the girls wear schoolgirl clothes, matching, and hair in pigtail braids. As they beat their drums and rattle the rhythms out, they cock their heads to one side, and smile, broadly. I love the skill, the incredible speed with which their hands move. But i also love that these are girls, playing and so coordinated with such a training as to impress theatrics and pouring oneself fully into every detail. We don't see that very often in western culture, and i like that about it too.
I saw dragons too - which i've heard is a sign of good fortune, so i think overall it was a good day in St Louis.
6 May 2007
Mich vs Miss
It was a potentially very awkward situation. I was attending a cosy acoustic folk concert, put on by my dear friend's boyfriend. I had never seen him play before, never met him before this. So our first introduction, and what if i don't like the music? What if its...not my style or it just somehow doesn't click? You're supposed to lie, to say its great - no matter what? Yes, i say to myself, just sing his praises no matter what you really think.
Fortunately, Peter didn't give me the chance - he was excellent! The music was fabulous, and i watched this person become a musician in front of my eyes. Its striking to me how musicians work. There are so many components to this performance, the performance that the audience hears. There is the composition of the lyrics, the music, the tinkering with the right sound, the mood of the musician at the time of performance, etc etc. Its just like life: every moment is potentially different depending on all the related factors. However, musicians are also impressive and mark a certain point in time with a performance - which is unlike the rest of life. Its a ritual, its multifaceted, its emergent. There is this emergent quality where people i know that play music walk up on stage, after standing there in the room talking to me, and go play a song and perform, and they are transformed into....a performer. Maybe its my childish admiration for musicians, but i think there is also some quality of making intentional music that is transformative.
Unrelated, but also interesting: We got to talking about the difference between Michigan (where Peter is from) and Missouri. Apparently, the word on the street is that Missouri is the redneck version of Michigan. Good to know - put this in the list of characters that define this place, and the Midwest. Now, where does that put Minn(esota)? To be continued, as more information becomes available.
Fortunately, Peter didn't give me the chance - he was excellent! The music was fabulous, and i watched this person become a musician in front of my eyes. Its striking to me how musicians work. There are so many components to this performance, the performance that the audience hears. There is the composition of the lyrics, the music, the tinkering with the right sound, the mood of the musician at the time of performance, etc etc. Its just like life: every moment is potentially different depending on all the related factors. However, musicians are also impressive and mark a certain point in time with a performance - which is unlike the rest of life. Its a ritual, its multifaceted, its emergent. There is this emergent quality where people i know that play music walk up on stage, after standing there in the room talking to me, and go play a song and perform, and they are transformed into....a performer. Maybe its my childish admiration for musicians, but i think there is also some quality of making intentional music that is transformative.
Unrelated, but also interesting: We got to talking about the difference between Michigan (where Peter is from) and Missouri. Apparently, the word on the street is that Missouri is the redneck version of Michigan. Good to know - put this in the list of characters that define this place, and the Midwest. Now, where does that put Minn(esota)? To be continued, as more information becomes available.
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