C&R: La Vida Es Un Carvaval

IMAGINE IF WE ALL LIVED LIFE SINGING?

This song is a gem and an inspiration to produce this upcoming piece

Life is a carnival

Anyone thinking that like is unfair,
Needs to know that's not the case,
that life is beautiful, you must live it.
Anyone thinking he's alone and that that's bad
Needs to know that's not the case,
that in life no one is alone, there is always someone

Ay, there's no need to cry, because life is a carnival,
It's more beautiful to live singing.
Oh, Ay, there's no need to cry,
For life is a carnival
And your pains go away by singing.

Anyone thinking that life is cruel,
Needs to know that's not the case,
That there are just bad times, and it will pass.
Anyone thinking that things will never change,
Needs to know that's not the case,
smile to the hard times, and they will pass.

Ay, there's no need to cry, because life is a carnival,
It's more beautiful to live singing.
Oh, Ay, there's no need to cry,
For life is a carnival
And your pains go away by singing.
For those that complain a lot.
For those that only criticize.
For those that use weapons.
For those that pollute us.
For those that make war.
For those that live in sin.
For those that mistreat us.
For those that make us sick.

http://lyricstranslate.com

C&R: On Excellence...

All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.
- MLK, Jr.

Oftentimes when we watch interviews of accomplished professionals in business or the arts, excellence is mentioned. I live my life with that intention. As Rajeeyah and I move into the next phase of development toward the presentation, the people we trust to review our material and provide insight are valued.

In grammar school, our motto was: Strive for excellence.
Growing up in Jersey City - a diverse melting pot of nationalities and identities has shaped me to be an open individual who is willing to embrace the potential and drive that others provide.
My birthday falls on Martin Luther King, Jr. day this year - JANUARY 16th (presents are welcome lol). He was such an influential Capricorn - look, my birth date falls between powerful individuals. January 15th - MLK born ---> January 17th - Michelle Obama born. Do you see what's missing? Yep - Christiamilda Correa on national calendars, are you with me?

This piece is speaking to me - it's aching to be born already. Every night in my dreams, I see the show..."SING IT OUT LOUISE! LET ME ENTERTAIN YOU, LET ME MAKE YOU SMILE!"...wait, that show was produced already. "A STAR IS BORN"...wait, that one too.

I'm trusting this process and know in my heart that since Rajeeyah and I are approaching this piece with integrity and from a raw, honest place and are people who demand excellence in all we do...fellow audience member, we are in store for a darn good piece of theat-re!

Where I am

"If we stand tall it is because we stand on the backs of those who came before us" Yoruba proverb

As Christie and I work to bring the piece together, I am also facing the coming together of becoming a mother. Eight months pregnant... a challenging space to be in ... I'm creating on 2 different levels and wanting to give my all to both. Some have pointed out that the work really has already been done. So now our goal is to find the connection and make the choice of what story we will pass on. And hopefully our work will make room for those who follow like the work of those who came before us.

TMTC: Images From Ladder Series Open Rehearsal

On Dec. 11 TMTC Ladder Series Artists had a open rehearsal for The Producing Artistic Leadership Team and fellow Ladder Series Artists. It was really exciting to see the work and amazing to see how these artists are tackling their own ideas. Here are some images from the open rehearsal:

C & R: Thank you

We had the opportunity to explore and set choreography with dancers and a live drummer. Thank you to Pia Monique Murray, Nao Yamada, and Wahkiba Julion for sharing in the process with Christie and I yesterday!

CJD- "Glass and feathers.."Contains Disturbing images..please be advised.

Let me start by saying...this blog contains some disturbing images and matter regarding the attacks of 9/11. Please be advised....

In exploring one of the more physical parts of the piece, "The Window Woman", I keep coming back to this haunting; the falling body. As the footage and news stories after 9/11 show, this was a reality of the day.

In dance, there can be few things more beautiful than a body in motion, and I thought that the medium of dance might be an interesting way of exploring this topic. But first...to the bat cave...i mean, image bank/library. I came across the above.

It is Strange; when first saw some of these images, i thought they were macabre. I flinched. My friends inhaled through their teeth and turned their bodies in recoil. Mostly in memory. However, after spending some time with them, they look less like bodies about to meet an end, and more like bodies on the verge of something larger, with infinite potential. Like Icarus...rising.....frozen in time, in a free moment, they're kind of beautiful, no?

Given the choice to fall freely or go up in ash, what do you choose?

CJD: When Hip Hop and Sound Experimentation Collide...

Ahhh the magical Reggie Watts....I love this man, hard body. There is no bar he wont push, no corner of his voice he couldn't find in the name of truth and humor. Some people might call his work experimental, and I wouldn't disagree. It can be edgy and, at times, odd. However, it is so uniquely Hip Hop in it's innovation, aesthetics, purpose, and understanding of sound and it's functions. He inspires me, and a LOT of the transitions in "Tapes". I find that there is something hella fun about playing with words...like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnKThBC-L9M&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PLD00E523EE458E3C8


But, his partner in the storytelling is the fun part.

Ah, what a wonder you are, Kaoss pad ( the sickeningly fun piece of equipment used by Watts in his shows). I am fascinated by how Watts' solid understanding of this seemingly indecipherable board of buttons and sliders frees him into the structure of song to justlay down the backbone and play in the muscle and tissue of a song. It's amazing to be able to split your voice into parts and play on yourself; What does it even mean to sample yourself on a song you are rhyming over? Its like DJ meets shapeshifter. It's like an MC becomes a multiheaded beast. .....did I mention I love the supernatural?

I recently got to play on one of these fun pads; It was a complex experience. While the plethora of functions is, at minimum, overwhelming, it's fun and allows for ALOT of exploration of sound. In a play about how we hear, remember, and expel memory, it feels like a perfect match.

Needless to say, I'll be snagging one this week. Lets go!

C


Oh, and some other things about sound and dopeness:

http://www.radiolab.org/blogs/radiolab-blog/2011/jul/26/4-track-mind/

http://www.guitarcenter.com/In-Store-Used-USED-KORG-KP3-KAOSS-PAD--633-111411-107147876-i2253621.gc?&source=4WWRWXGB