Guillaume Côté and Heather Ogden Lost in Motion

A young man loses himself in his environment so that his movements reveal the world that exists in his imagination, transcending reality through his muse of dance.

What superb ballet and choreography by Guillaume Côté.  But this more than dance.  It is also deft filmmaking, with music that rounds out a wonderful artistic experience.

Lost in Motion II explores the spectrum of emotions experienced by an Artist as they bare their soul for all to see. The film showcases the Artist's state of mind by depicting her within an ominous yet atmospheric environment where she dances in solitude. Adorned in a vibrant red dress that reflects the iconic stage curtains of the theatre, she pushes herself to the limits of her seemingly solitude performance. As the film draws to a close, we see that the dancer has in fact been performing on stage the entire time, and that the visual world is a fantasy one created by her imagination.

It is a wonderful glimpse of what goes on in a dancer's mind, as she dances on stage.  Interestingly Heather Ogden sheds her flowing rose of a dress, so the image of its billowing in the wind must play itself out in our own imagination.  I love ballet dancers' bodies: It's the confluence of grace, talent and athleticism.

Music for the Community, by Common

Chicago is rapper Common's hometown, and it's mine, too.  Here's the Forbes Interview, where I 'discovered' him and learned about the cause behind his Nobody's Smiling album.  A main issue is indeed jobs.  Gallup corroborated this in a major way in Global Migration Patterns and Job Creation:

Here are the foundations that Common refers to, which have provided 20,000 jobs for inner-city residents in Chicago:

Common Ground

Donda's House

Nobody's Smiling in the `Kingdom, by Common

[Spoken]
I do dirt, in search of a clear mind
Money talk, somebody's gonna hear mine
Grind early before 9:30
Got the nine and the thirty
Kiss of death, you heard me?
My world ain't worldly, any time could be my time
I get high, but still ain't seen Chicago skyline
In my prime, stakes is high cause it's beef
Out here in these streets
Everybody tryna eat off the same plate
Dead presidents, we want the same face
And to think, me and the president, we from the same place
Four-hundred and twenty-one murders, ain't tryna be of the same fate
If I die and go to heaven, will I make it through the main gate?

[Intro]
Help me get, get the keys to the kingdom
Ooh
Help me get, get the keys to the kingdom
Ooh
Ah yes, my Lord, Ah, Oh
Ah yes, my Lord, Ah, Oh

[Verse 1: Common]
Second row of the church with my hood on
My homie used to rap, he was about to get put on
At his funeral, listening to this church song
His family yelling and screaming, I hurt for ‘em
A cold world that’s why we pack heaters
Listening to this preacher as he tryna reach us
I’mma need to go back, I gots to get 'em
Back and forth in these streets, that’s the rhythm
Revenge is supposed to be the Lord's but I use my own accord
When I seen him on the porch, cost my man his life, I can’t afford not to hit him
Shots ripping through his True Religion denim
These streets was my religion
I stood over him, his life is over then
Now these keys got me locked up with older men
Thought these was the keys for me to roll a Benz
They ended up being the keys for my life to end

[Hook]
Help me get, get the keys to the kingdom (yeah)
Ooh (sing)
Help me get, get the keys to the kingdom (yeah)
Ooh
Ah yes, my Lord, Ah, Oh
(And the streets say)
(And the people say)
(And we all say)
Ah yes, my Lord, Ah, Oh
(And the streets say)
(And the people say)
(And we all say)

[Verse 2: Common]
My money ain't straight, my fam ain't straight
Ain't wanna push kis, heaven couldn't wait
I was hurtin', couldn't get no work
You created me from dust, that's why I did dirt
You said that the last shall be first
Now I'm in a hearse, what's this cash really worth?
My whole life I had to worry about eatin’
I ain’t have time to think about what I believe in
When the days of the kingdom for Chicago gon' come?
I’m coming back like the Prodigal Son, and I got a son
And I don’t want my waves following him, the streets swallowing him
And I don’t want no hollows in him, his momma said she see his father in him
Hope it’s the good things, ‘til life was over is when I understood things
Standing at the gates ‘cause I know you’ve forgiven what I’ve done
I’m your son, do I have the keys to get in?

[Hook] 

[Verse 3: Vince Staples]
Sweet Lord Jesus, tell the polices to let a nigga breathe
My sinning father see, got a shipment by the seas
See my niggas tryna eat, eat whatever’s on your plate
Save some for me, the worst things in life come sitting six feet
Tryna hop the gate to heaven ‘cause I couldn’t get a key
But these niggas play for keeps and I gotta hold my own
Tryna watch my back ‘cause these stripes ain’t free
We still wading in the water, cocaine, blunts, marinating in the water
Lean and took a puff and then she gave it to my father
Used to take the bullets out so I could play with the revolver
Satan serenading ever since I was a toddler
Tell ‘em talk is cheap, niggas living for the dollar
So in God we trust, leave the praying to my momma though
Another motherfucker out of control, just walking my soles low
Lit up with the abuse, they wasn’t for show, I promise every pistol was used
See I was waking up afraid to see my name on the news
Broad day, bare faced, giving niggas the blues
Nigga who you? They know me on the streets where I grew
If you ain’t from around here you get gunned down here
Make the best from the least on the quest for them keys
To the kingdom

[Hook] (x3)

I don't follow rap music, but I 'discovered' Common in a Forbes Interview - Common Explains Why Nobody's Smiling - and heard about his efforts to quell inner-city violence in Chicago.  The title of his recently-released album is simple but moving, and I was intrigued by it.  This Kingdom music video was the first single, filmed in Chicago and Galesburg, IL, and it has the makings of a dark but beautiful short film.  The wailing chorus and rhythmic beat are things I felt on my cheeks and chest.  Here's the entire album:

Advice for Artists, by Lena Danya

1. Clean up
2. Write down your thoughts
3. Indulge in nature and your surroundings
4. Take a walk
5. Designate a personal creative space
6. Personalize your environment
7. Listen to inspiring music
8. Let go of fear
9. Eat healthy and exercise
10. Forget about perfection
11. Stop comparing yourself to other people

A fine, deft insertion of The Artist's Way, by Julia Cameron, on Audible.

Creative Multimedia and Process, by Lena Danya

Ukranian artist Lena Danya showcases her painting and filmmaking talent on YouTube, and is a multimedia artist in her own right.  The process by which she paints is engaging, and I really appreciate seeing how her work, or any piece of art, comes to life.  The end is enthralling, but the means is captivating, too.  

Ballerinas on Surfaces we Walk (1)

Laura

Keenan

Alys

Brittney

Alys

Claire

Alys

Karen

Puanani

Puanani

Emily

Kaho

Dane Shitagi is the creator and photographer behind the Ballerina Project, clearly a popular site on Facebook with 850,000+ Likes.  There is so much about ballet, and ballerinas in particular, that are art personified.  Not only is the dance enthralling and even exalted, but also the lithe yet muscular bodies make for art.

Whenever I visit a new city, I love to walk around to soak in its atmosphere, feel the sun on my skin, and anchor my feet on its pavement.  In so doing, I get acquainted with a city, beyond the usual fare of travel guides and tourist spots.  So for the Ballerina Project, why not tease out those photographs where ballerina feet meet unusual surfaces?  We find a certain portrait of New York City that perhaps we don't normally see.

Khatia Buniatishvili Enthralls with Schumann

I. Allegro affettuoso
II. Intermezzo. Andantino grazioso
III. Allegro vivace 

Khatia Buniatishvili, Klavier ∙ hr-Sinfonieorchester (Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra) ∙
Paavo Järvi, Dirigent ∙

Rheingau Musik Festival 2012 ∙
Wiesbaden, Kurhaus, 23. August 2012 ∙

I don't remember when or how I stumbled onto this video, but it was this performance in which I 'discovered' Khatia Buniatishvili.  Among the 1000+ comments, her low-reaching dress at the back was as much the talk as her prodigious talent and stunning performance.  Classical music is like abstract art to me: I have an abiding appreciation for and interest in it, but it's a bit difficult to relate to and make sense of.

Khatia Buniatishvili

Buniatishvili is a buxom woman, with smoldering looks and musical prowess, that altogether make for a killer of an experience.  I am enthralled with her child prodigy background, and want to learn more about the essence of her genius.  In the process, I anticipate that I will grasp classical music better.