REVIEW: NYC Dance Alliance, British Artist Kilford and three up and comers with something to say.
Something in the water in Virginia Beach, a painter that rocks, Tom Rothrock, NBC 's StarTomorrow.com Cindy Alexander and The Terrordactyls!
Lately, I'm judging online sites by the 10 second rule. What am I seeing in 10 seconds of download? Anything? What does this tell me? A lot more than you might think. It tells me about the author of the page, for example, "what is your target audience, only people with highspeed access?" Or do you include all the preteens, teens, young adults and others that listen to the radio and don't have highspeed expensive access? I'm using a dialup download, to see exactly what the majority of your audience will see...and hear. Highspeed access is gaining in households with internet access at an impressive rate, but if you are limiting yourself to that demographic, then you'll likely not hit it big with the mainstream or earn the really big bucks.
Second, I learn more than who you are reaching but how you are presenting yourself. Is your site chock full of bad oversize images and silly applets so that even the music player isn't downloading...if you're a musician and the last thing that is downloading is your songs, isn't something wrong there? Next, how obtrusive is your site? Does it really do the job you are intending it to do? A professional artist with a million downloads can get away with really bad design but probably already knows better, an up and comer doesn't have that luxury (or that kind of access to expert help.) It does matter.
Even if you're not a musician, this matters. In ten seconds, I and anyone else that doesn't know you is judging you by that site—maybe we'll give you a little longer to finish your downloading if we're intrigued. Usually though, you have less than 30 seconds to sell yourself. If you’re a musician, then get that site loaded fast and get the music player up and going right after you've downloaded your name and textual description. If you're a visual artist or a dancer or anything other than a musician, think about what you want seen first—and don't overdo it. Don't make gigantic images that take forever to load, or include a zillion applets and code snippets that bog down the download time and the design. I've looked at sites where even after 3 minutes, nothing, and I mean NOTHING had finished downloading, especially the music player. And I know that it wasn't a technical issue. I left. In fact, I leave a lot of sites before I even get to hear any music. This includes the big names, too, but as said before, they have other ways to reach new fans and have a huge fan base already.
I look at a lot of sites, and believe me, I'm used to seeing beginner designs, the kind that are overloaded with stuff, unreadable. However, for most people, their site is simply something fun and that makes it OK…technology should be fun. These people aren't interested in that sort of thing, i.e. design, but professionals don't have that luxury. Why do you think MySpace has the general type of design it does, or even why I don't bother to alter that standard design to black with pink CSS decorations or something strange like that (I can do that stuff and have, but choose not to.) The design MySpace chose, and I chose to keep, is fast, clean, and readable. It also downloads very quickly to any device no matter what the speed.
What you say and put on your site also matters. If you're a visual artist, then of course, you want to have images, but they don't need to be gigantic downloading horrors that take forever. Keep them smaller and very crisp and clean.
If you're a musician, do you really want the first things downloaded about you to be images? You want your name out there, your band's purpose and your MUSIC coming down the pike first...it doesn't do that with lots of images clogging up the pipeline. This is you as you want to be perceived up there on that page.
Think about the layout you are going to use. If you're a public personality or want to be, then think about what you say and whether people can read your typing. Can they? Shorthand shortcut type script, like 'How R U Doin?' came about from text messaging and the need to say more with less screen space and fewer characters. However, I've seen bios by people now in the public eye that are typing out their web pages in this manner. You don't need to do that on a web page and shouldn't, unless you are trying to write in a secret and jarring code that only a few others can read or would bother to read.
If you're an artist, musician, etc., then I'm thinking that type of situation is unlikely to be the case—most of the time. Think about what you say and make sure it's readable. (And yes, mistakes do happen, typos, grammar, etc....I'm talking about really bad writing, or writing so full of profanity that potential visitors are going to peg you and put you into a particular very narrow range or stereotype that you may not want, or that you are going to have a hard time breaking out of later to reach a wider audience. This goes for images, vids, and all the other design things or silly things you put on your page.)
One of the best designs I've seen in a long time is by a young woman. It's done with grayscale and black and has images and other things, but not to the extreme and the type is chosen carefully so that it is still visually appealing but most of all, it is readable. It downloads fairly quickly, too. She is not a public figure so I won't disclose her site. Ethics prevent exposing her like that, especially considering the darker side of the Internet. And while I know that identity is fluid on the 'Net and that means ages, interests, and names are not necessarily what they seem, I can generally pick up on someone's age by their web presentation—and by that I don't just mean their design, since design stuff has more to do with experience and practice rather than age, but rather what they say and how they say it. I generally know when I'm dealing with someone underage or someone much older.
Besides, I will only talk about public figures, people that are purposely putting themselves into the public eye, like musicians, dancers, actors, visual artists and so on, and even then only deliberate public figures, meaning that they deliberately want to be in the public eye--it's not accidental because of something that happened to them that they had no control over.
All the top 24 friends on my site have in some way fulfilled some of the requirements I'm talking about and have been talking about in past reviews. Some are obviously not of the best design and some are very professionally designed. All usually have the first requirement, a visually compelling profile picture that caught my attention--whether simplistic or complex. Some are public figures, others are professional organizations or media outlets--all are involved in media in some form or another. Some are just that singular compelling image and nothing more--and if you watch, if the user changes that profile pic to another one--often to just one of themselves smiling and waving, then it's unlikely that their image will stay in the top 24 for much longer. I don't mind them changing around their pic and neither should they, since in most of those cases it's a personal site and they aren't interested in public exposure. (As in the special case of actors or others, the profile should somehow represent them and make them 'pop' out--yes, a headshot is necessary for actors, but they also tend to get lost in the sea of faces out here in netland. )
And for those looking at the 24 and about to object, yes, two of the So You Think You Can Dance stars are in the top 24 still--Donyelle's pic is one of the most beautiful (color--which is more difficult to make special than b&w) photographic portraits that I've seen on the net, partly due to the photographer and partly due to Donyelle's interesting and lovely face and that's why hers is still up, but Benji's is on the fence right now. The drawing he had up before was much more compelling to me artistically, and the last photographic one was artistic, too, and animation can work, especially when it's dorky and fun. However, it just doesn't pop as much--so his is on a watch at the moment and might be bumped off if another profile pic involved in media work that is more interesting comes along. However, beyond his picture and his recent public fame, his site is typically well done and has been continually modifying over time to an even better form (everyone needs to play around with the fonts and colors and graphics before they begin to settle in on a more usable design.) His site is good overall mainly because he knows how to write and he knows how to talk to his audience (perhaps being older than some of the others helps.) Also, he does talk to his audience fairly often, posting often and indicating from his comments that he really is reading his fans' messages, so his site is one of the best of that group of dancers. Therefore, Benji and SYTYCD fans, so don't berate me, the man is very talented—and it's nice to see a dancer in the same vein as the very talented "hoofer-extraordinaire" Fred Astaire getting some acclaim. If Fred Astaire and Dan Dailey had a love child, Benji would probably be him. (If you don't get the references, watch some old movie musicals from the forties and fifties.)
(And of course, Travis would make the top 24 just because I admire his abilities as a dancer... Obviously, if you've been reading the previous reviews and the humor, you know that he's one of my current favorites. You don't get spoofed in the humor unless one, you're a public figure and two, I admire your work and see a lot of potential in you--most politicians therefore, will likely never make the cut--and the spoofing is only light and in good fun. But I, like others, am still waiting for approval from him on the "myfriends" waiting list. So we'll just have to wait and see if his pic ever ends up in the top 24.)
So who made the cut this week, with the 10 second rule in place and at the center of the issue? In fact, let's start with a group that has nothing to do with the 10 second rule (at least as it applies to MySpace.) It has more to do with the networking aspect of discovery--which is appropriate since reviewing dancers is the hardest thing to do online--especially for those of us that do not have those extremely fast highspeed networks.
New York City Dance Alliance has a website with a choice, for both high and low speeds—so it makes the 10 second download rule easily--and it gives enough information so that even a neophyte can understand the caliber of some of these people. How did I find NYC Dance Alliance? Well, So You Think You Can Dance, the Fox popular reality dance show had this dancer on it named Travis Wall. Well, like others, I go to the show's website and read his bio. He mentions his family. I look at his MySpace page and he mentions things like he'll be teaching some classes for the Dance Alliance across the country right after he finishes up on his tour (check his blog for the dates and places he'll be teaching, if you want to take a class from him personally) and then I look around, check out his mother's site and so on. That's the process of discovery—not quite Internet surfing since it has an ulterior motive.
But even that probably wouldn't have made me take official notice of NYC Dance Alliance, but the Wall clan is a pretty amazing family. That sparked my interest the more I learned about them. Ms. Wall heads her brood of five dancing children, all male--a house of men, you'd think at least one would rebel and go into corporate accounting or something, maybe computer science? You discover that she's turning out some stunningly good dancers from that dance studio of hers (Denise Wall's Dance Energy) in Virginia Beach, and not just her own children. So I go check out the NYC Dance Alliance website, being curious and do some googling to find out what else I can. Her eldest, Scott Ross, has finished up in a road show recently and her second, Danny Tidwell is something very special. Even I know that to be dancing principal roles in the ABT (American Ballet Theatre) is something extraordinary—think Academy Award level performances here or the Pulitzer. It's just as comparable in effort and scope. Then of course, there's Travis, outside of his TV life, who's been winning awards for both his dancing and his choreography—like all the dancers that made the cut on the SYTYCD show. Both Travis and Danny as well as choreographer Mia Michaels (also remembered from the Fox show) are faculty at NYC Dance Alliance and the faculty list is pretty damn impressive overall. The younger siblings, as stated by Ms. Wall on her site, are still in training but doing well...as well as many of her other talented students. I don't mention them by name since they're underage and not public figures—yet. However, I suspect that it won't be long before they will soon be rapidly ascending into the public figure heights.
I have to wonder what exactly is in the water over there in Virginia Beach? I think they might want to consider bottling it--I'd certainly order a few gallons! I hope the people over there in Virginia and surrounds take note of and appreciate Ms. Wall's studio and her and her cadre of teachers and students--I'm sure the dance world does. Take a few classes, people, if you're close enough to the studio or to the NYC Dance Alliance local or road classes. Enjoy the experience. And if you're in Virginia Beach, keep sucking down that tap water, after all…who knows? Maybe there really is something in the water over there.
Oh and please remember, when I write about dance (since I am an imbecile at dancing) that I write from my own technical ignorance of the pursuit. I can only write about how it makes me feel and what I perceive when I watch it. I probably won't be able to tell if the dancers made some tiny error during their pas de deux. I'm just having a hard enough time figuring out what a pas de deux is and why all the terms have to be in French!
(My term for pas de deux, is pass the duck. One, because that's pretty much sums up how I look when I try doing any ballet and two, before I became a partial-trying-to-be-full vegetarian, I really liked duck...so maybe with watching ballet/jazz/etc and looking at all those fat free bodies, well, maybe it just makes me want a solid meal. )
There is a point to this. You don't need to be a professional to experience the fun of watching and enjoying dance, and it's good that popular entertainment is bringing us into that world more and more, AND in such a way that we don't feel that we need to be ballet aficionados in order to be accepted into the fan club. Dancing With the Stars uses a well-worn trick that usually works--it uses celebrities—and that's great. I have no problem with that. SYTYCD uses another, by using all unknown dancers, and including in the dancing not just one form but rather lots of them—ballroom, contemporary, jazz, modern, hip hop, latin, etc. It's a much harder sell to an audience, especially considering the blinders that most of us wear making us think that we won't like a show because it has the word "dance" in the title. However, the result is worth the effort.
You see, this popular reality show demonstrated to us that the rarified world of dance wasn't just about tutu's and opera glasses. I liked/loved the show when I realized that it was really about dance and dancing, not just some denigrating reality game show...these people really were dancers and hell, yes, they were talented--including the ballet trained, the ballroom trained, the jazz trained and the hip hop trained. The joy of dance and expression was in every step...so was the agony and the constant discipline to pursue such a career. It was all there for us to watch and wonder at. Modern dance wasn't stiff and boring, something for the intellectuals or the patrons of the arts. Nor was hip hop just a bunch of kids on a street corner listening to a ghetto blaster and gyrating.
Dance was about dance. Dance is something every human in the world understands and feels and does. It doesn't mean that we are all very good at it...but we all know how to dance, we can feel it in our blood. This show was simply about seeing the best of the best show us how high the art form can reach--no matter what the particular form the dance takes.
That's what music, dance, art, theatre, all art is...that's what it does. It's common to our everyday lives, and we all do it. That's why we value artists. They are seeking the pinnacles of the form, each taking their own path. We know how grueling and frightening a journey that can be. It's easier to be a football player, a basketball player, an MBA, or a corporate executive than to be a professional dancer...or to reach the top of the music industry or to win a Pulitzer or a Nobel prize. Deep down, we know that. And we know that it's a hard road, and one only the obsessed, the truly driven can tolerate for very long.
The best advice I heard for actors was this, "If you can be happy doing anything else, then do that. Only if you honestly can't do something else, some other work that will make you happy, should you continue to pursue acting." I think the advice applies to all artists in all the mediums. They know the dedication required and the faint chance at lasting or lucrative success. They also know that they just don't have any choice.
I know I'm dealing with obsessed people, when I'm dealing with artists...(I admit that as a writer, I also am one of the obsessed...but I'm also an analyst...I watch and learn and listen and think. I'm the observer as well as the observed. So I compartmentalize a lot.) As for the obsessed, that's fine. They are passionate, intense, introverted, extroverted, everything in-between people.
I'm just hoping that they aren't insane as well. I might love Van Gogh's work, but I somehow doubt that I would've liked hanging out with him--then again, he, himself didn't like hanging out with him, poor fellow.
Over time a few lucky ones might cure themselves and find other ways of fulfilling themselves...and good for them...too often those that pursue the arts aren't pursuing art at all...they're pursuing a need to be recognized…to be loved...it's a self-esteem thing. Some are doing it to meet the expectations of others, whether it be loved ones, authority figures, social pressures or even their fans...and they all find out that even if they meet those expectations, it doesn't make them feel better. It will still feel hollow and wrong. Why? Because they aren't doing it for themselves, to make themselves feel whole. Hopefully, they'll realize that and pursue whatever does really make them come alive inside, or rediscover the aspects of their art that made them want to pursue it in the first place and not worry so much about outside expectations.
This includes anything that I might say during a review, you understand. Follow your heart, not other's words.
However, some are truly pursuing the art itself, and it doesn't matter to them if they work at Burger King during the day, as long as they can do their art at night. It has nothing to do with fame or fortune. It is a deeper need to express themselves and create something beyond their own brief existence. These are the masters...and most of us recognize their work...even if we don't know a Degas from a demi-plié, or a syncopated rhythm from a symphony. We recognize that we dealing with something that touches human existence and it resonates somehow...good or bad...happy or depressing...it touches us, changes us, and somehow it KNOWS us. THAT is ART. ART is something uniquely human...and something uniquely for humans.
So if I’m droning on about dance, does that mean that I didn't find any MySpace sites that made it past the 10 second rule? Actually, no, I didn't. There are a lot of sites out there and it takes time. I'm still looking to find a mainstream/broad appeal rapper to point out in a review, and without it being an already well-known one. As with many bands and singers out there, everything in one vein or another tends to sound alike after awhile. It tends to make me really notice when some group or some singer or some artist really POPS. I'm generally liking most of what I'm seeing and hearing, but I need the stand-out aspect to make me really take notice. I also tend to drop potential review candidates when I find myself making too many negative or wishlist notes on them. I'm not about berating artists but encouraging them. If I'm not liking it, then that's my problem, not theirs.
As for rappers, well, perhaps I've set the standard too high. As with all singers, or street poets, your voice matters but I realize that not everyone has the uniqueness or caliber of voice of Timbaland. Also, what you have to say matters, I listen to the lyrics (or try to) and while average themes are often used, they can sometimes be used in a way that makes them special, just as the use of extremism as often seen with gangsta rappers can work as well. Though, it also is becoming more and more often just repetitive copycatting of the masters at that form and it can work against an artist in terms of a wider audience, especially if it isn't done from the heart, from a sincere desire for change. Or you might find yourself being spoofed by Weird Al. (He does some hilarious sendups of some rappers now.)
The problem is the sameness, even when people try to be extreme as a way to pop out; it just too often comes off as insincere attempts at attention. Rappers are no more immune than pop, rock or country singers. It's similar to the problem of all actors/actresses beginning to look alike after awhile...sometimes being beautiful isn't enough, you need to project your unique character, your perspective, your personality through the image, the art, the words, the lyrics, the musical composition, or the dance movement. Be the dance! It's not just about doing the dance, but being it. Be technically superb but put your whole being into it, every hope, dream, emotion and fear, leaving nothing out…then you're uniqueness will show through.
And no, I’m not just talking about dancers here. Musicians, actors, painters, sculptors, photographers—all of you—all artists—be the dance. Don't fake it, don't hold back, take the risk. If you can do that, be it, not just do it (pardon the pun) then don't worry, you're uniqueness, your particular gifts and personality will automatically come through...AND THAT'S compelling and that will set you apart from the rest. I'll hear you, see you, know you, in spite of the noise all around us. That will make it past the 10 second download and give you a chance at making the two minute sell.
However, I will do some short reviews of some potential 10 second breakouts that I did find, but the review for each will be very short, since in each case, I saw the potential but wasn't entirely sold. It's frustrating for me, since I want to be sold and completely enthusiastic, but each of these artists comes from a slightly different point of view and each has something unique to say with a unique or not so unique way of saying it. For that, they deserve your respect and a few kudos—so go check them out and say "hi!" so that they know that you're out there and you do give a damn about the work they are doing.
Kilford: I did a stealth check of his site, so some of the art I initially saw may not be there anymore...but I find his merging of rock music and modern art painting fascinating...and yes, he managed to catch my attention with an unusual profile picture--that counts, too. His site also downloads quickly, though the pics take much longer, and the site is readable...if a trifle pink. I hope he puts up more images of his finished artwork. I'd love to see more of it and less of the pictures of the rock star singing while he worked on the painting at their concert.
Tom Rothrock: Pure instrumental, no vocals. This is mood music but in a good way. It has a moody, acoustic feel to it, in spite of the electronics—which is actually a pretty neat trick. It's full of richly textured sounds and patterns and stuffed with intricate details. The songs are all pristinely perfect, a bluesy mix with powerful undertones and show Rothrock's obvious mastery as a producer since the online feed is crisp, clean and without any mistakes. I feel that even without words, there is a story in each song. I can feel it and desperately want to hear lyrics or see visuals (as in a movie soundtrack) to help me understand the true imagery and storyline. Darker Blues is my favorite. It's deep, murky and powerful. I can see the shadow landscape rolling slowly by as the song unfolds.
Cindy Alexander: Ms. Alexander is an NBC Star Tomorrow contestant. Star Tomorrow is an online competition where viewers choose the first internet superstar. She has a lovely voice and can definitely sing. The lyrics are there and they mean something, really mean something even if the melodies don't seem to pop. In fact, I love these lyrics, they capture the attention and showcase quite a talent, however something is missing. Perhaps it's something that a good producer can fix. Idiot Child is the song I like the best, mainly because it's where I hear the most raw, sincere, and vulnerable emotion—and her voice can truly handle just letting go and going all out without losing any of its beauty or tonality. Perhaps my main concern is really about how much power and risk is in her performance—I would love to see and hear more, especially where she just lets go and really knocks my butt to the floor with her emotion, her desire and her intensity.
The Terrordactyls: Supposedly a powerpop/acoustic mix, and while they do have an old 1960's sound with a whimsical, very creative, electronic/acoustic mix, they are a bit light on the power side of powerpop. The consistency isn't quite there either and they are perhaps a little too tinny and too electronic at times and too acoustic at others. The music seems to lack the deeper, richer sounds and elements that would help provide a driving power and emotional swell to the music and a good counterpoint to the gentle rather than forceful vocals. The lyrics though vary from humorous to disturbing but always interesting, but the acoustic nature of some of the songs with those lyrics and those vocals too often seems disjointed rather than complementary with the weaker musical background.
So it sounds like I'm being overly negative about this group, doesn't it? However, did I mention that when their song, Facelift, started, I stopped and took notice? It began with someone whistling—completely surprising and completely compelling. It got my attention and made the 10 second sale, it didn't need the two minute sell. I kept listening and played each song on their site. I didn't like all of them but in each I heard something illusive and special. That's why I'm being so hard on them and actually publishing my criticisms. With more power behind them and a bit more consistency and development to pull everything together, this group could really be a breakout. Watch out everyone, this group has the potential to do something big, something very, very big and more than that, something truly extraordinary and long-lasting. (Oct. 7, 2006 Update: Rallytime Records, their label, has since informed me that the music up on their myspace site was rough cuts...their finished work has a lot more polish and power. I'll be checking it out as soon as I can get a CD.)
So what is your message? What do you convey, not just with your words or intended message, but with your unconscious messages as well? Are your internal filters getting in the way of your art? Of how you see others as well as yourself? What are you projecting to us, your audience? What message are you really conveying? How much control of it do you have? This isn't about technique, it's about you...how well do you understand yourself and how well can you translate your vision into one that we, your audience, can see and hear and feel as well? And does it matter if we get a different message than what you are conveying? Sometimes, yes...(We might have realized that perhaps Japan was trying to find a way to surrender because of the way they were phrasing their intricate replies and avoided dropping two nuclear bombs—just a little history to throw at you. Perception and Inflection can be tricky things—or perhaps ignored sometimes as well.) Sometimes maybe it's not important if each of us picks up something different from your work because perhaps the fact that you affected us is the real important issue here. Some sort of message came through. It's hard to say, because perhaps you need to be sure of exactly what you're projecting.
More about messages and context next time—assuming I can find some artists that manage to make the 10 second sell.
New York City Dance Alliance is at www.nycdance.com
Tom Rothrock is at www.myspace.com/mrrothrock
Kilford is at www.myspace.com/kilfords
Cindy Alexander is at www.myspace.com/cindyalexander
The Terrordactyls is at www.myspace.com/theterrordactyls
If you know of an artist (music, dance, visual arts, theatre arts, film arts—like lighting design, etc.) that deserves some attention, give me a shout. They need to have a MySpace page or other website that showcases their work—this so I can look at it and so I can point readers to their work. If their art is kinetic (kinetic sculpture or dance—i.e. movement) then still photographs are good but a clean, clear video is better (along with still images!) You can find me at MySpace or can email me through this blog.
This article may be copied in whole or in part, as long as fair use rules are observed, no parts are modified from the original and credit is given when quoted or reposted.
CG Anderson is a 10 year new media provocateur involved in media, art, technology and the online world. Also a writer, blogger and novelist. CG's comments are personal and opinionated and solely the responsibility of the author, so there. Don't like the opinions, disagree, agree, don't know? Great, make a comment—clean ones will be allowed, netiquette-challenged ones will be ignored!
MySpace site: http://www.myspace.com/ahablogolicious Help me reach 1 million friends. Add yourself as my friend today and get your friends to do the same! Thank you so much! Together we can bring great artists to a wider audience!
Blog site: http://ahablogolicious.blogspot.com/
URL: http://home.myuw.net/cganders/
As promised, I'm looking at Sherwood, another MySpace Records fav. They (and MySpace Records) aren't quite in the big leagues yet, so Fall Out Boy and Blue October (two of my favs among the big timers) aren't having to look over their shoulders so far, even though Sherwood is more pop than they. However, MySpace continues to show that they have a good ear (and a good eye since the visual appeal is there as well.)
