Big on Choreography/Kiss me Kate Progress

Kiss me Kate is going really well. Everybody knows just what to do, we are all mature and focused on our objectives during rehearsal and Mrs. Fletcher and Mrs. Burke somehow, some way keep the zoning out on the task at hand, the constant chatting, and all the conflicts that go against the schedule to the fullest of stability. Also, even though they both have specific guidelines to follow, they are very flexible on the time and overall, very fair and nice to the cast. If any bunch of you who have seen another production of this show, you all know that there is a lot of dancing incorporated into it. You should also know that there are a plethora of encores in some of the songs. My own opinion can be viewed as a short story: When I saw the Broadway revival on Youtube, one of the songs went on to about the 3rd encore and I just got so bored and actually a little annoyed I wanted it to move along, but it just kept going on and on about the same idea. I think I'm being hypocritical to myself because of what I said in my last post. It just depends on the genre I guess. This one is a classic Broadway feel with I'd say a folk Italian stringed into it and on the other ones I like it's all basically rhythm layered on top of rhythm and to me, that never gets old.

Anyway, while we were doing the opening number, I realize that my character has more dancing to handle than singing. It's really a shock to me why I got chosen for this character because I barely have any dance experience with other people and a lot of the moves I have to do look like they're tricky. But, with my keen memorization skills, I do believe I can manage. I also am looking forward to learning my own dancing part for Tom, Dick, or Harry. It's a whole solo choreography but I feel like I'm hanging on a ledge her because I want it to be appealing to look at, I just don't want it to be so challenging that I won't have the capability to do it. Good thing I won't have to worry about that because directors would usually give you a move to see what difficulty you're at. Overall, I'm looking forward to a great show (especially my first at the High School) and am hoping to befriend cast members, now and in future years!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhvSpwbsTAA

Going Around the World

One of the greatest bands that I have ever got into and the fact that this particular band introduced me to the genre of techno is Daft Punk. They've just released this new album called Random Access Memories about a month ago and have had a great influence on music for me. For example, a lot of times whenever I listen to other electronic or house (a sub-genre of techno that Daft Punk plays), I feel as though the rhythms and beats seem so repetitive. But, when I listen to songs by Daft Punk, it's like a whole other ball game. For one thing, they seem to start of with a simple beat, then add more syncopated sounds and rhythms that just don't seem to stop so it's like a new rhythm is layered on top of the beat every 2 mins. For another thing, Daft Punk (Just the 2 main guys, not really anybody who's featured on their songs) has a distinctive vocal track that the 2 guys auto tune to the correct pitch. Anyway, Random Access Memories became a hit for me with a lot their songs, such as "Instant Crush", "Give Life Back to Music", and "Lose Yourself to Dance". Even though those are the songs from their latest album, the link is link from 10 years ago from an album called  "Discovery" called "Around the World". This is also probably one of my favorite music videos that I've ever watched because of how clever and well they do the choreography. If you look closely, each type of person or monster or whatever these things are dance to an instrument that's playing and it works well because different rhythms are added while maintaining the equilibrium of a constant beat. Also, it's just really diverse in a way they're all doing different moves and the costume attire that the people decided. What I think is the best part is in the end, they all come together and do this whole circular dance around each other. I think that this symbolizes that we all should embrace the world and give more to it no matter how different we each individually are. Hope you enjoy!                                                                 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9MszVE7aR4&feature=list_other&playnext=1&list=AL94UKMTqg-9B6Tg9tGUuOKEWlN0VueVEW

Brush Up Your Shakespeare... The Original and being original

http://bigthink.com/big-think-tv/what-shakespeare-sounded-like-exploring-the-original-pronunciation-and-why-it-matters

I saw this very interesting article on bigthink.com that pertains to linguistics. Although it's pretty small, there's only so much that u can learn with it. Linguistics I think personally is a really interesting concept to look into because people can learn about the origins of their own languages and how they evolved or grew overtime. That's exactly what happened during Shakespeare's time. I think that we all know how the dialect of Shakespeare's plays are. When the first thing you hear is "Wouldst thou lik'st a pennant fort thou scriptures of rubbish?!", instant Shakespeare. But, while the English language was still evolving, many more common words were added to the scripts to make Shakespeare's works a little less incomprehensible. This short article is about why the original dialect of Shakespeare could matter a lot more than people think. I don't wanna get carried away and sum up the article for you because it's so easy and short, you could probably read the title and just assume what I told you is best (that is, if you hadn't read it before). Just don't take my word for it, click the link and see for yourself. Also, there's a video at the bottom of the page that tells about the first ever OP(original pronunciation) of a Shakespeare play (Romeo and Juliet) since at least 400 years ago. It gives you a ton of information about linguistics and how the moderated version is in many ways compared to the OP version. Just a heads-up, read the article first before watching the video because it pretty much sums up what the 2 people are going to go really in depth on. Also, when I first heard the OP version, it had sort of an Irish dialect to it mixed with Oldie English but I'm just not sure. Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Scooby, STACie Doo!! Project Reflection, Cameras and the Future

I'm working with the film crew for our little STAC project/ talent portion of the talent show tomorrow!!! In the first 2 days, I was sort of buzzing like a mindless moth going to different light bulbs to see which ones the brightest. I went along from one type of art to the next hoping to spark an interest. I joined the film crew just to get the gist of acting in front of a camera and to try and share my ideas with other people. I'd like to give a shout out to each one of the cast/crew. Thank you so much for having me be involved in those technological instruments on a tri-pod that with somehow at just a push of a button, you could recall what just happened. I especially thought that it was a worthy experience to see how much a cameraman has to go through (since i observed the camera from the front for awhile while we were shooting). Working alongside of the director, looking at what type of camera he needs for the shot, even setting it up is like a whole other process that could go as long as writing a required 2-page monologue when you haven't even come up with the title yet (if you don't know what you're doing or maybe it's a really big camera to put in place). Also, I could have an interest of pursuing film making, audio engineering, editing, cameraman, or something along those lines but hey: you have to start somewhere, you know?
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That's one of the main purposes of STAC. To introduce you to other forms of the arts to see what other difficult looking things you can do and see if you come to realization that you can do them shockingly well. So far, I've only seen this happen to other people but I'm not worried. I shall get my day soon enough! Or at least when I'm ready. Overall, it was a fun thing to do, especially since it was my first time. I hope to work on other types of films in the future or something performance based or anything else that's artsy, and if I mess up something I can learn from my mistakes. I'd like to end this this post with a quote from Barack Obama: "The future rewards those who press on. I don't have time to feel sorry for myself. I don't have time to complain. I'm going to press on."        

It's an Early Winter...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Nv-rAh2xTM&list=PL1F5F6748F49CB337

While I was taking a look at the Kickstarter homepage, I stumbled upon a music section and the first video I see is about this very indi, very alternative rock band called Sea Wolf promoting their new album without a record label. This is one of their earlier songs that I checked out called "Winter Windows". After listening to it a couple of times, like every song that sounds like it has some sort of mythical meaning, I started to really observe these lyrics. It takes me awhile to get some things first hand. I saw that (with the power of the internet) the lyrics are connected to loneliness and depression. I then began to realize that inside, I miss my siblings a little bit. Even though they still text me and use other electronics that are available this day in age to make their presence known, it could never compare to having them by my side. It's getting to be hard in the "being the youngest child" business after awhile because as time passes by, sometimes things start to disappear. Teachers retire, peers find other peers, sometimes even family go. When people face these feelings of loneliness and depression, they begin to feel that life's not worth it and that everything's just crap. I would never wanna stoop that low. Whenever I'm alone or depressed, I always try to occupy myself or do something to help me forget my self-loathing, which is a horrible habit that I intend to get rid of  in the near future.

      Anyway, the really huge point that I'm trying to make is in STAC you can never feel alone or depressed. In STAC, you already have people who accept you for who you are, no matter what. It's a place where you can feel connected with other STACies, getting to know of their interests and of what they got in for originally (how they branched off from their audition to a new interest. Like entering a new chapter in a clearly well-written book   How well we bounce ideas off each other just boggles my mind. When you think about it, we're all one big artistically diverse dysfunctional family and we'll pretty much stay that way! Also, i'm sure any STACie or any other person who's reading this can relate to me in their own personal way!

They hit me in a soft spot

This is a really nice song. It has a nice beat to it and is catchy. I'm a little iffy to know what it's about just by looking at the lyrics but I can make a decent interpretation. I think that its about how people who have a lot of talent and a lot that's going for them really influence this girl (positively) who tries to hide the world away from herself. Also these people seem to be "rolling the ball" to her to give her a chance to do something that she always wanted to do.

My lyrics:
They have me on a line
 I let them real me in
It was the right time
I knew I couldn't win.

I knew what I had to do
They would help me explore my life
I didn't have a choice, but now I see
There's still so much to live for
But I think I can let it slide.

My Artist Bio

    Well, first off, my name is James Brautigam. I was born in Mineola, New York. I first got into singing when I was in first grade when I had to be Elvis Presley for a 1950's musical we were doing. I have been singing for almost every day since then. I got into acting when I was about 6 when I went to see Mary Poppins on Broadway. Being a person who never really played sports on a team except soccer when he was 5, I decided to pursue acting and singing and on this journey I realize that I have a special gift for it. My first actual show with a plot was in elementary school. It was a show called Fractured Fairytales and I was Prince Stuart. Other shows that I've been in over the years were Big Julie and the MC in Guys and Dolls, General Genghis Khan Schmitz in Suessical the Musical, and finally the Lion in The Wiz. I have been to a couple of theater camps in the last 3 years. The first camp was Hofstra Summer Musical Theater Camp where at the end of about a month, the director of the program writes and directs a show that we put on with songs from classic movie musicals and Broadway shows. The other camp that I went to last year was Chaminade Theater Camp where at the end of the week, they would have a showcase. This year we did 2 scenes from the Newsies with me as Jack and a lot more. I have also been a fan of musical instruments throughout my life. I have been playing trombone since I was in 3rd grade and started on the drums when I was in 6th grade. I was also in a band with schoolmates up until 8th grade. I started a little bit of piano this summer to help me learn treble clef. I also tried to take bass guitar lessons, but I quit cause of practicing issues. I auditioned for STAC not just because my brother and sister were here previously, but I want to be able to explore and practice other options that are worthy of my capabilities like script writing or photography. "Broaden my horizons" as some may say. I'm not really sure what I'm going to do in college, but I'm hoping that my influences can come from STAC. I would like to thank my Mom, Dad, and all of my siblings who helped me through the worst of times, always staying by my side, and got me into music in the first place. I really owe you guys!