Onze kleine meid:

Hello blog,
Just a little link with 360° views of the ghats and the river ganga..

I’m also adding the temperatures and rainfall graph with the Varanasi data that I think some of you were interested in.
Enjoy the week end and have fun with your projects!

Audience at "Kenneth MacMillan's Choreographic Imagination and Psychological Insight" Symposium. Photo: Charlotte MacMillan ©

Earlier this month we attended the Kenneth MacMillan Choreographic Imagination and Psychological Insight Symposium at Imperial College London. Celebrating the choreographer who would have been 80 this year, this full day event was held in association with The Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) and the Institute of Psychoanalysis and drew on psychoanalysts, scholars and dancers sharing insights into MacMillan’s ballets, along with rare archival footage and live masterclasses. A full register will soon be available through the new Kenneth MacMillan official website (which goes live December 11) but here are some of our own notes and thoughts.

To backtrack a little, my first exposure to MacMillan was a televised performance of his Romeo and Juliet Balcony Pas de Deux with Natalia Makarova and Kevin McKenzie. I remember being quite taken with the lifts where Juliet expresses her delight as Romeo tries to take her to the stars. So much could be said about young love and the feeling of one’s heart brimming with happiness with such economy of movement and no mime. I didn’t know much about MacMillan then but his work struck a chord with me. Later I had the opportunity to move to London and discover, via The Royal Ballet, the extent of his choreographic vocabulary, from full-length to short works, realising that MacMillan’s ballets were all about human emotions conveyed via eloquent steps.

At the time when MacMillan quit dancing and ventured into choreography, ballet was a decorative art form which provided an escape from reality. He set out to do exactly the opposite, turning reality and human suffering into compelling dance works. Putting this into context MacMillan’s biographer Jann Parry introduced the session speaking of how he eventually became the “outsider”,  the most common leitmotif found in his works, first seen in female characters (Laiderette, Anastasia) but later appearing as males (Mayerling, Different Drummer). Kenneth had not been bullied or lonely as a child, but the death of his mother when he was 12 and the difficult relationship with his father and brother set him on a constant search for a surrogate family and for his own identity. Parry also remarked that these events led MacMillan to search for psychoanalysts to help him understand his fears and anxieties and to deal with depression. Whilst he was fascinated with Freud, MacMillan also worried about what would happen to his creative spirit if he dug too deep into his sources.

Edward Watson as Crown Prince Rudolf and Iohna Loots as Princess Stephanie in a Masterclass of Kenneth MacMillan's Mayerling. Photo: Charlotte MacMillan ©

We saw the practical extent to which MacMillan’s work and his creative sources provide rich psychoanalytical material. A panel headed by Dr. Luis Rodriguez de la Sierra (known to us from the “Connecting Conversations” series) offered links between MacMillan’s life experiences and his creative output. This panel juxtaposed the troubled relationship between brothers with the sibling relationship in Manon, where the older brother Lescaut “corrupts” and breaks her innocence by throwing her in Monsieur G.M.’s way; the fact that MacMillan’s father had been gassed in WWI (during the Battle of Somme) with the war aftermath from Gloria and his mother’s recurrent debilitating fits with Mayerling and Empress Elizabeth’s rejection of her attention-seeking son Crown Prince Rudolf. Another interesting discussion centered around  the fantasy of “dying together as an act of love”, an allegory present in Romeo and Juliet and in Mayerling and which the panel connected to Ernest Jones’s theory of a subconscious wish to return to the mother’s womb.

National Theatre’s Artistic Director Nicholas Hytner, the last person to work with MacMillan (in Carousel), demonstrated via video that MacMillan could convey in 5 minutes of dance “what would take a playwright 3 hours with words”. In a short pas de deux from Carousel we saw  how movement marks the evolution of the main female character, from tomboy to woman in love. Actress Nichola McAuliffe also talked about her experience with MacMillan as a stage director. She explained that British Theatre traditionally had actors “dead” from the neck below and that working with MacMillan made her think about the physicality of her characters.

Former Stuttgart Ballet dancers Vladimir Klos and Birgit Keil at the Kenneth MacMillan Symposium. Photo: Charlotte MacMillan ©

To illustrate MacMillan’s creative methods Birgit Keil and Vladimir Klos, former Stuttgart Ballet dancers who created roles in MacMillan ballets, described how he nurtured his dancers and sought a collaborative process. A fragment of the documentary A Lot of Happiness showed the choreographer rehearsing both dancers for a Pas de Deux based on Orpheus and Eurydice, giving them pointers of the type of movement he wanted and encouraging them to try different things. Royal Ballet Artistic Director, Dame Monica Mason also spoke of her experience. Tracing a parallel between Ashton and MacMillan, she said that the first one always expressed a preference for beauty and the second for reality, no matter how ugly that could be.

Speaking about “MacMillan’s subject matter” the eminent Financial Times critic Clement Crisp recalled audience reactions to the choreographer’s work, their discomfort with seeing “appaling grief represented by agonizing, ugly shapes”. A keen supporter who has seen every single MacMillan work (but for two short pieces made for ABT), Mr. Crisp eloquently spoke of the choreographer as a man of the theatre who knew about human suffering and found a way to show those terrible moments of life via fascinating and true choreography “which is ultimately what ballet is all about”, as well as in characters which “kept living after the curtain fell”.

Begoña Cao as Manon, Fabian Reimair as Lescaut and Antony Dowson as Monsieur G.M. in a Masterclass of Kenneth MacMillan's Manon. Photo: Charlotte MacMillan ©

The final section focused on MacMillan’s “Creativity In Spite of Adversity”, his courage to stand firm and travel to where he could realise his vision. Mr. Crisp recalled masterpieces Song of the Earth and Requiem which were created for Stuttgart Ballet after Covent Garden’s administration worried about the use of Gustav Mahler’s music for choreography and, in Requiem’s case, that sacred music could offend religious sensibilities. These points were illustrated with excerpts from the documentary “Out of Line” where Sir Peter Wright, Clement Crisp and Deborah MacMillan shared their personal views on the challenges faced by MacMillan at home and abroad and his special link with Stuttgart Ballet.

Edward Watson as Crown Prince Rudolf and Iohna Loots as Princess Stephanie in a Masterclass of Kenneth MacMillan's Mayerling. Photo: Charlotte MacMillan ©

In addition to the masterclasses featuring two Mayerling pas de deux (Rudolf/Empress Elisabeth and Rudolf/Princess Stephanie) with Edward Watson, Cindy Jourdain and Iohna Loots from The Royal Ballet, and the Manon pas de trois (Manon/Lescaut/Monsieur GM) with Begoña Cao, Fabian Reimair and Antony Dowson from English National Ballet, the audience also had the opportunity to watch a full screening of MacMillan’s last work for The Royal Ballet, The Judas Tree*, with Irek Mukhamedov, Michael Nunn and Leanne Benjamin. This gruesome ballet (featuring a gang rape) touches upon the theme of betrayal in various ways. Original cast members Michael Nunn and Viviana Durante emphasised to the audience how MacMillan would let dancers discover the character during the creative process which, as Nunn said, “kept you on your toes”.

With so much background and valuable insights into Kenneth MacMillan’s universe, this was an event that will certainly enrich our experience and understanding of his compelling works. We now look forward to what the new official website may bring.

*The Judas Tree will be revived by The Royal Ballet in a Triple bill dedicated to MacMillan’s 80th birthday, together with Concerto and Elite Syncopations. These three pieces represent milestones in the choreographer’s career and different sides to his work. Concerto was the first piece he created for the Deutsche Oper Ballet as Artistic Director. Elite Syncopations, his ragtime jazz ballet, was made during his tenure as The Royal Ballet’s Director while The Judas Tree, his last work for the Royal Ballet, remains one of his most challenging pieces.

En octobre, je n’ai pas manqué de m’amuser et d’être encore gâtée (habits, doudou, mes premiers Playmobil…). Je dis de nouveaux mots comme “par terre,”partout”, “parti”.

A la crèche, je m’en donne à coeur joie. Je dessine (surtout sur mon corps), je saute, je fais des roulades…

Octobre 2009

A-Z lezingen staan voor boeiende voordrachten met een Pukkelpopgehalte. Wegens overweldigend succes van de eerste reeks A-Z lezingen, start de tweede serie op 10 november.  Hierin komen internationale namen en jong talent op punt van de doorbraak en erkenning hun nieuwste visies en ontwikkelingen op vlak van design, architectuur en kunst uit de doeken doen.

“A-Z is een label waarbij de A staat voor arts, architectuur en de Z voor Zebrazaal, Z33, Zone Z. De organisatie is in handen van Architectuurwijzer, de Provinciale Hogeschool Limburg met departement  Arts  &  Architecture en initiatiefnemer Design Platform Limburg. Dit jaar komen daar nog Z33 en de Media & Design Academie van de KHLim er nog bij”, aldus Heleen Van Loon van Design Platform Limburg.

Praktisch

De voordrachten vinden wekelijks plaats van 10 november tot 30 maart, behalve op kerst- en krokusvakantie, eerste drie weken van januari, telkens vanaf 20u in de Zebrazaal van de begijnhofsite. Alle lezingen zijn gratis, maar voorinschrijven op www.a-zlezingen.be is noodzakelijk.

Programma

- 10/11 PUUR (B) (PHL, interieurarchitectuur)
- 17/11 Thomas Lommée (B) (Z33)
- 24/11 Luc Schuiten (B) (MDA – KHLim)
- 1/12  Beba Restelli (IT) (MDA – KHLim)
- 8/12  Luigi Ferrara (CA) (Z33)
- 15/12  Chris Lefteri (UK) (Design Platform Limburg)
- 26/1  Manon Van Kouswijk (NL) (PHL, juweelontwerp)
- 20/2  Ludovic Balland (CH) (PHL, grafisch ontwerp)
- 9/2  Simon Bowen (UK) (MDA – KHLim)
- 23/2 Dierendonck Blancke Architecten (B) (Architectuurwijzer)
- 2/3  Guillaume Bijl (B) (PHL, vrije kunsten)
- 9/3  Happel Cornelisse (NL) (Architectuurwijzer)
- 16/3 Marcus Fairs (UK) (Z33)
- 23/3 Njiric+ (HR) (Architectuurwijzer)
- 30/3 Ann Meskens (B) (Design Platform Limburg)

Meer info: design@platformlimburg.be, 011/29 59 76, 0476/45 66 88 bij Heleen Van Loon.

www.a-zlezingen.be

Kenneth MacMillan, one of the leading choreographers of the twentieth century, is credited with pushing the boundaries of classical ballet and challenging audiences to look beyond the idealised world of fairy tales into the reality and discomfort of their own mortal existence.

With ballets that probed into all extremes of the human condition MacMillan found a deeper way to engage the viewer, to make us empathise with the emotions flowing from his expressive choreography. As part of his 80^th anniversary celebrations The Institute of Psychoanalysis and the Royal Academy of Dance are sponsoring a full day symposium which will explore the relationships between physical expression and emotional impact in the choreographer’s work.

Leading MacMillan interpreter Edward Watson, one of the symposium’s participants, has just finished a critically acclaimed run of Mayerling at Covent Garden, dancing the challenging role of Crown Prince Rudolf. We were delighted that Watson agreed to talk to us about the choreographer’s legacy and the way into MacMillan’s complex, yet so very human, characters:

Edward Watson. Photo: ROH/ Charlotte MacMillan ©

Let’s start with your recent performances as Crown Prince Rudolf in Mayerling. How much physical and emotional commitment does the “toughest of male roles” require and how do you resurface from each performance?

EW: There is no other way to go about it without being totally physically and emotionally committed to it. I don’t you think you can separate them, it’s all one thing. You just get yourself ready to commit musically, emotionally and physically, all of those things, to enter on it, to be believable and credible. In terms of how you feel afterwards…

Because it is such an intense role…

EW: It’s really intense and every show is different, but I never sleep after Mayerling, I am still awake at four in the morning. It’s completely draining, you feel drained after Act II. Actually after Act I you feel like you’ve done three acts already so… it is funny to get yourself ready for it. You don’t want to give yourself out too much at the beginning, otherwise you are not going to have enough energy to the end. In the first act I am always trying to pace myself and, knowing how you are going to feel at the end, you think: why would I do this to myself? But it is an amazing thing to do. I’ve never had any kind of experience like that where you feel you almost lived as someone else for a couple of hours. It’s incredible, a great ballet, it is just amazing.

In addition to Crown Prince Rudolf, Des Grieux and Romeo are all MacMillan classics you have danced a number of times in different places. How have your interpretations of these roles evolved over time?

EW: The biggest change has been with Romeo, because I’ve done it a lot now. Not that I think I wasn’t ready when I first danced it, but Lauren [Cuthbertson] and I weren’t ideally matched and we both knew that, so we relied on our youth to tell the story that way. This is something I have tried to keep. Romeo is a boy and Juliet a girl, they are kids, they are not a prince and a princess. Some people play it like a 20th century classic rather than being clumsy kids which is what they are in a way. The choreography for Romeo is particularly demanding. That I feel I am still trying to get right, to show the youth and abandonment while technically being tight and secure. I’ve now danced Romeo with Lauren, with Mara [Galeazzi] and with Leanne [Benjamin] so you find so many different things with whomever you are responding to or whoever is in front of you.

MacMillan’s characters are typically complex and they demand strong dramatic skills. How important is it to have a like-minded partner? Do you discuss a mutual approach beforehand or is it mainly an act and react dynamic?

EW: Both of those things. Some moments you find something has developed without talking. You are playing something in a certain way, your partner too and it works. When it doesn’t work we tend to discuss. You say, I don’t know what you are doing, what you are thinking or what are you trying to say through the way that you do that step, or is there anything I can help you with, for instance, in the way I lift you. The way into MacMillan is definitely through the steps. It’s not through putting on a face and acting. All is there to be discovered in the choreography. There is so much to be brought out that I don’t think you’ll ever stop finding things in movement. The amazing thing about being a dancer in those ballets is that you will always find something that you haven’t found before. You can connect those steps somehow to your character, to your situation with another character, tiny things like the way you phrase, the way you might stretch something, a look. It is all very physical and thought makes the physical thing happen or sometimes the other way around. It’s a total symbiosis. That was the genius of MacMillan and of the people he worked with when he made these ballets into huge successes: all those elements were exactly right.

So every time one approaches the choreography, there must be new things to be discovered?

EW: Physically everybody is different. I look very different to, say, David Wall [who created the role of Crown Prince Rudolf] or Irek Mukhamedov. So just as they approach steps musically different or physically different, so will I. In classical ballets like Swan Lake or Sleeping Beauty, there are set rules, very obvious rules of what looks right and what doesn’t, but when the choreography really describes character and character situation, there is so much an individual can find to say with a character. It is a dancer’s dream. Of course there are rules, there is set choreography to set music but you can find your way of saying certain things within those rules.

Are there any experiences or specific preparations that have enriched your interpretation of a particular role?

EW: I do a lot of reading. With Romeo I went straight back to the play. Kenneth worked really close to Shakespeare’s play and I know Lynn Seymour [who created the role of Juliet] did. There were a few masterclasses that Tamara [Rojo] and I did with Lynn where she read the text to us and described what he was trying to say at that point. I also read Manon, but it was a ballet I grew up with, watching it as a kid and dancing various parts always.

The most research I did was with Mayerling because Crown Prince Rudolf was a real person and so you have a responsibility to be very honest. I read a lot of books on the subject. Deborah [MacMillan] lent me a book which Kenneth gave her for her birthday which he based the ballet on [The Road to Mayerling]. She lent me her copy so I could find things that he had underlined in there, things that were really important to him. I also had a weekend in Vienna, I went to visit Mayerling and saw the grave. It fascinated me, this ballet has always fascinated me since I was a kid, from having seen the South Bank documentary originally with Lynn Seymour and David Wall. It is one of those ballets that grow on you. The more you see it, the more you want to see it again. Being in Mayerling had an impact on me because it doesn’t come around that often. It wasn’t in the company for about 8 years while I was here.

Edward Watson as Crown Prince Rudolf in MacMillan's Mayerling. ROH/ Photo: Johan Persson ©

Did you do any new readings or research this time?

EW: I re-read The Road to Mayerling and when I visited the Mayerling lodge, which is now a convent, I found these weird photocopies outlining the events with dates and times, so I read through that, but I had already done so much before that I knew what I wanted to do, what I wanted to change. I wanted the character to build up more this time.

MacMillan revolutionised storytelling in classical ballet, taking it out of its comfort zone, digging deep into human psyche. How relevant are narrative ballets nowadays?

EW: I think people want story-based ballets. It is easier for an audience to want to come to a ballet with a story. Triple bills are harder because of the lack of a linear narrative for a whole evening. Alice in Wonderland is going to be Chris Wheeldon’s next thing [for the Royal Ballet] and I think it is the right time and I hope it is a success.

Having said that, MacMillan’s one-act ballets are what made me, what I grew up in. My first principal role was in My Brother, My Sisters. Those ballets say much about people, feelings and situations, and even Gloria, and Triad, ballets I did when I was younger, there’s so much in them that is not about set characters like Des Grieux, Rudolf and Romeo, but they are still such an amazing experience.

In the past you mentioned that your role in Gloria – one of MacMillan’s most personal ballets – was your favourite…

EW: Did I? I love that ballet, I really love it.

Which is your favorite one-act MacMillan now?

EW: It changes all the time, I have nice memories of all sorts of things but Different Drummer really changed a lot for me. Physically, it really felt like it fitted. I had to work very hard but I understood its physicality, I understood where he was going with it, and in a funny way, it’s the same kind of intense experience as Mayerling, only shorter, but also totally exhausting. It was a wonderful working time for me, Leanne and I were working together a lot and she had worked with Kenneth on the ballet, so she could help me a lot. And Monica Parker who coached us was really enthusiastic as it hadn’t been done for a long time, for about 15 years. It was a ballet people hadn’t seen, that a whole company hadn’t been involved with, so it was really exciting to have the responsibility of bringing it back and making people want to see it. That whole experience probably makes it my favorite one-act.

And your favorite full-length?

EW: Manon and Mayerling are both wonderful. Manon is a ballet that I had always wanted to do since I was a kid, since I was at White Lodge and it ended up being the last big MacMillan role that I debuted in. I love it and Mara is fantastic and I wouldn’t be anything in that ballet without her, it’s really about what she gives me. But more recently, and for the same reasons as above, I should say Mayerling, it is still kind of…it is still lingering on my back!

About the upcoming MacMillan symposium this November, can you give us any insights into what participants may expect?

EW: There will be discussions from psychologists and also from dancers and collaborators who were involved with Kenneth on creating those ballets and, demonstrations from people like me, doing bits of Mayerling. There’s also going to be archive footage, so people can see and discuss the ballets. It will be very interactive, people will be able to ask questions rather than just being presented to. I have a feeling it’s going to be a very interesting day, a real eye opener into what MacMillan is all about.

In your opinion, what is MacMillan’s greatest legacy to ballet?

EW: In my opinion, all of that work. Even those works that are considered failures or that aren’t danced so much these days. It’s so important that someone was constantly pushing classical ballet. It’s classical ballet pushed beyond what you would expect it to, either to tell a story or, like Song of the Earth, telling you everything about life, death and everything in between. No costumes, amazing music, choreography that moves you and you understand somehow through those amazing poems and Mahler’s music that someone can express those feelings to an audience. And that the very same person can tell the most complicated story, like Mayerling, through dance. I find it total genius that someone can do that. No stop and mime, all of those feelings are expressed through choreography.

Song of the Earth is my favourite ballet of all time to watch and the last few times I did it, I loved it. It’s so strange because you are very removed from everyone else. There’s more impact to be made [as the Messenger of Death] by being subtle and just gently there. The poems that inspired Mahler’s songs say “death is like a whisper” and that changed the way I did the role, it’s like a little whisper that’s always there or a feeling, slightly dimmer and you wonder why. It’s little things like that, that you can read and find out. When he was making the ballets MacMillan didn’t always tell people exactly what he wanted them to feel, but it was obviously in his mind, his influences from what he read, from what he heard, all this concerned him.

How transparent then, that even when he did not say it, he could actually find a way to.

EW: Well, that’s the kind of genius he was.

Kenneth MacMillan’s Choreographic Imagination and Psychological Insight Symposium takes place on Sunday, November 8, 2009 from 10am to 8pm at Imperial College London.

This all day event will include a series of set pieces – videos, masterclasses, presentations – interspersed with opportunities for interactive discussion among the participants on stage and members of the audience.

The day will be divided into four separate sections:

MacMillan’s Language – Gesture & Emotion Observed and Expressed

• Includes videos, presentation and discussion with National Theatre AD Nicholas Hytner and actress/writer Nichola McAuliffe

MacMillan’s Creative Methods – Working with Dancer’s Bodies

• Includes videos and Mayerling masterclass (Monica Mason with Royal Ballet’s Edward Watson, Iohna Loots and Cindy Jourdain on Mayerling Act 1 Pas de Deux)

MacMillan’s Subject Matter – Breaking the Rules

• Includes videos, presentations and discussion with FT dance critic Clement Crisp and Manon masterclass (Wayne Eagling with dancers from ENB on Manon Act 1 Pas de Trois)

MacMillan and the Institutions – Creativity in spite of Adversity

• Film of MacMillan speaking, with comments from Peter Wright, Deborah MacMillan, Clement Crisp. Discussion on the creation of ‘The Judas Tree’ -  with dancers from its original production (Viviana Durante, Michael Nunn and Stephen Wicks)

The event will close with a screening of the complete ballet “The Judas Tree” followed by a social gathering where the audience will have the opportunity to meet and talk with the participants.

Full programme & booking details available from the official website: www.kennethmacmillan80thanniversary.com

et quelques photos de Manon. Pour les voir, cliquer sur l’image ci-dessous.

Septembre

Lange ist es her, dass ich mir diesen rechteckigen, grauen Kasten namens Playstation gekauft habe. In meiner persönlichen Auswahl möchte ich Ihnen die Spiele vorstellen, die mir in besonderer Erinnerung geblieben sind.

Der König des Prügelspiels

Die durchschnittliche Bewertung von Tekken 3 liegt bei 96 % (Quelle: metacritic.com).

Tolle Spielbarkeit, hübsche Grafik und viele verschiedene Kämpfer, das sind die Erfolgszutaten für Tekken 3. Bei der großen Charakter-Auswahl ist für jeden Spieler ein(e) passende(r) Kämpfer(in) dabei. Nehme ich Eddy, der wie ein aufgekratzter Sportler nicht ruhig auf der Stelle stehen kann und die wildesten Verrenkungen vollführt? Oder lieber Hwoarang, der mit seinem langen Beinen Gegner zurück auf den Boden der Tatsachen holt? Oder, oder, oder… Die Grafik war damals sehr hübsch und bestach vor allem durch flüssige Animationen, bunte Effekte und aufwändige Rendersequenzen. Wer fleißig gespielt hat, schaltete zudem den sogenannten „Tekken Ball Mode“ frei. Darin stehen sich zwei Spieler gegenüber und schlagen oder treten auf einen Ball ein. Der fliegt dann zum anderen Spieler, der den Ball im richtigen Moment zurückschlagen muss. Der Clou: Je öfter der Ball einen Treffer kassiert, desto schneller wird er. Ist das Tempo am Anfang sehr moderat, geht es später um schnelle Reflexe. Wer dann zu spät oder zu früh auf die Tasten haut, wird vom Ball getroffen und hat die Runde verloren. Extrem simpel, extrem spaßig.

Runden-Strategie-Schwergewicht

Front Mission 3

Es gibt da ein Spiel, mit dem man sich locker wochenlang beschäftigen kann: Front Mission 3. Das Spielprinzip erinnert an den Klassiker Battle Isle. Sie kommandieren rundenweise eine Handvoll Mechs (hier Wanzer genannt) auf kleinen oder großen Schlachtfeldern. Erst dürfen Sie ihre Einheiten in Stellung bringen und feindliche Truppen angreifen, danach ist die künstliche Intelligenz an der Reihe. Nun, was ist so besonders an diesem an sich bekannten Spielprinzip? Erstens: Ihre Einheiten verbessern sich im Kampf. Sie lernen neue Fähigkeiten, wie etwa höhere Treffsicherheit, die anschließend zufällig bei Angriffen eingesetzt werden. Außerdem dürfen sie von Zeit zu Zeit neue Ausrüstung für ihre Wanzer kaufen, was zum Weiterspielen motiviert. Zweitens: Die Geschichte dreht sich um einige zentrale Figuren, die sie während der strategischen Kämpfe befehligen. Die Charaktere sind dabei nicht austauschbar, sondern wachsen einem während der „über 150 Stunden Spielzeit“ (Zitat von der Packungsrückseite) ans Herz.

Rollenspiel mit innovativem Kampfsystem

Die durchschnittliche Bewertung von Vagrant Story liegt bei 92 % (Quelle: metacritic.com).

Denke ich zurück an Vagrant Story, kommen mir solche Dinge wie „packend-inszenierte Geschichte“ oder „tolles Kampfsystem“ in den Sinn. Das Rollenspiel ging in vielerlei Hinsicht neue Wege. Die Geschichte wurde in tollen Zwischen- sequenzen erzählt – und das, obwohl sie ohne Sprachausgabe auskommen. Mit dem Helden fieberte man bald mit, wurde doch seine unschuldige Familie umgebracht. Auch das Kampfsystem bot Neues: Traf man auf einen Gegner, fror die Zeit ein. Nun konnte man in aller Ruhe ein Körperteil anvisieren (ähnlich wie heutzutage in Fallout 3). Doch es ging auch um schnelle Reflexe. Im richtigen Moment galt es, die Angriffstaste zu drücken, um einen weiteren Schlag auszuführen. Nach dem ersten konnten Sie einen weiteren Treffer landen, haben Sie das passende Zeitfenster erwischt und so weiter und so fort. Doch viele Treffer in Folge hatten auch ihren Preis: Die „Risk“-Leiste füllte sich, sodass die Wahrscheinlichkeit sank, Gegner bei folgenden Attacken zu verletzten. Da hilft dann nur, einen Trank zu sich zu nehmen, der das „Risk“-Level wieder senkt. Neben diesen Alleinstellungsmerkmalen durften Sie obendrein noch eigene Waffen zusammenbauen.

Durchbruch der Stealth-Actionspiele

Die durchschnittliche Bewertung von Metal Gear Solid liegt bei 94 % (Quelle: metacritic.com).

Was hier 1999 in Deutschland erschien, sollte die Spiele-Landschaft nachhaltig beeinflussen. Metal Gear Solid machte nicht nur den Schöpfer Hideo Kojima zu einem der berühmtesten Spiele-Entwickler, es folgten auch viele weitere Spiele, die das Prinzip ums Schleichen und Austricksen der künstlichen Intelligenz aufgriffen. Als Solid Snake sollen Sie eine Terroristen-Basis infiltrieren, so viel zum Ausgangspunkt der Handlung. Dafür schleichen Sie sich an allerlei Wachen vorbei, lenken Sie ab und überwältigen Sie. Natürlich kommen auch Schusswaffen zum Einsatz, doch die Munition ist meist knapp und daher ist eher subtiles Vorgehen gefragt. Die spannende Handlung und das durchdachte Spielprinzip sorgten für so große Begeisterung, dass weitere Nachfolger und Erweiterungen erschienen.

Hervorragender Ego-Shooter

Die durchschnittliche Bewertung von Medal of Honor: Underground liegt bei 86 % (Quelle: metacritic.com).

Die bekannteste Ego-Shooter- Marke heutzutage ist wohl Call of Duty mit dem demnächst erscheinenden Modern Warfare 2. Im Jahr 2000 war eine andere Reihe bestens bekannt: Medal of Honor. Damals erschien der zweite (Playstation-)Teil: Medal of Honor: Underground. Als französische Widerstandskämpferin sabotierten Sie die Achsenmächte. Auch wenn Sie manchmal als Fotografin verkleidet feindliche Lager ausspionierten, waren Sie die meiste Zeit mit dem Gewehr im Anschlag unterwegs. Die abwechslungsreichen Levels führten sie durch Frankreich, Italien, Griechenland, Deutschland und Afrika. Der hervorragende Soundtrack sorgte für eine intensive Spielerfahrung, die Gefechte machten einfach eine Menge Spaß und die grafische Qualität war für Playstation-Verhältnisse sehr gut.

Hack and Slay

Die durchschnittliche Bewertung von Diablo (PC-Version) liegt bei 94 % (Quelle: metacritic.com).

Diablo ist eine der Spielmarken überhaupt. Inbegriff der Sammelwut. Wegbereiter für das BattleNet. Erfolgsmarke von Blizzard. Glücklicherweise haben die Entwickler auch an die Playstation-Besitzer gedacht und eine angepasste Version für die Konsolen-Spieler herausgebracht. Natürlich musste die Steuerung des Action-Rollenspiels für das Gamepad angepasst werden. Kurios: Während das Spiel auf dem PC nur in englischer Sprache erschien, wurde die Playstation-Portierung übersetzt. Das Spielprinzip blieb aber unberührt. Am Anfang entscheiden Sie sich für eine von drei Charakter-Klassen (Krieger, Jägerin oder Zauberer) und erforschen nach und nach jedes der 16 zufallsgenerierten Levels. Dabei treffen Sie auf Horden von Monstern, die sie bekämpfen. Sie erhalten Erfahrungspunkte, steigen im Level auf und dürfen die Attribute ihres Helden verbessern. Außerdem lassen manche Gegner wertvolle Items fallen, etwa Rüstungen, magische Ringe oder bessere Schwerter. Das Prinzip ist simpel, lässt Sie aber nicht so schnell wieder los. Auf dem PC dürfen Sie im BattleNet mit anderen Spielern die Dungeons erforschen, die Playstation-Version dürfen Sie immerhin zusammen mit einem Freund/einer Freundin spielen. Manche Spieler dürfen es doof finden, dass man stets zusammen auf einem Bildschirm die Gegend erkundet. Ich finde das gerade besonders gut, da man stets zusammen unterwegs ist und sich so ein starkes „Wir-Gefühl“ entwickelt. Diablo wurde von Blizzard vorbildlich auf die Playstation portiert, einzig die langen Ladezeiten nerven etwas.

Witziger Worms-Klon

Frontschweine

Frontschweine greift das Spielprinzip von Worms auf und reichert es mit einer netten Einzelspieler-Kampagne an. Rundenweise bewegen Sie ein Schwein aus ihrer Truppe über die dreidimensionalen Schlachtfelder, entscheiden sich für eine Waffe, zielen, legen Winkel und Feuerkraft fest und hoffen, dass sie möglichst großen Schaden beim gegnerischen Team anrichten. Sind alle feindlichen Truppen erledigt, ist die Mission gewonnen. Die Kampagne ist witzig präsentiert und motiviert, denn Sie dürfen ihre Truppen später auch aufwerten. Das Ganze macht zusammen mit Freund enbesonders Laune. Auch wenn der Schwierigkeitsgrad im Verlauf der Kampagne etwas zu stark ansteigt (Stichwort: Treffsicherheit der künstlichen Intelligenz), so wurde mit Frontshweine ein bekanntes Spielprinzip gelungen adaptiert.

Zusammen stark

Star Wars: Episode I: Jedi Power Battles

Zugegeben, Star Wars: Episode I: Jedi Power Battles gehört nicht unbedingt in eine Bestenliste. In dem Actionspiel schnetzeln Sie sich als Lichtschwert-schwingender Jedi durch Unmengen von Feinden. Eigentlich ist das nichts besonderes. Doch es gibt eine Sache, die das Spiel aufwertet: der kooperative Mehrspielermodus. In dem dürfen Sie zusammen mit einem Freund/einer Freundin durch die Levels rennen. Das macht noch einmal deutlich mehr Spaß, als das Spiel alleine zu bestreiten. Als nervig sind mir die Sprungpassagen in Erinnerung geblieben, bei denen man schnell wertvolle Credits verlor.

Ein schönes Wochenende und viel Spaß beim Spielen wünscht

Felix

Went to the opening a week last Saturday. Really liked the drawings. The exhibition is on until 11th November.
Website link on the side.

This is me with the drawings that I really liked.

ieri sono stato a vedere la Manon al pucciniano e devo dire che non sono rimasto particolarmente soddisfatto
il guaio è che per chi vive l’opera dal dietro le quinte e sul palco assistere ad una rappresentazione dalla platea non è lo stesso
forse si riesce a seguire meglio musica, cantanti scene e recitazione, ma manca il sapore del vissuto, l’emozione di essere sul palco è decisamente una droga
infatti prima dell’inizio mi sono intrufolato dietro le quinte, essendo un figurante ho più o meno libero accesso al backstage, e stavo quasi per assistere all’opera da lì, poi mi son deciso ad andare al mio posto.
La scenografia della manon di quest’anno non mi ha entusiasmato, poteva andare bene per il primo atto che si svolge in un osteria, inadatta invece per gli altri atti, nonostante le piccole modifiche(un letto nel secondo, delle sbarre stile prigione nel terzo)

(mi scuso per la foto, ma fatta col cellulare al buio e da lontano, non si può pretendere troppo)

Su cantanti e musica non ho le competenze per esprimermi a fondo, ma da quel punto di vista lo spettacolo non mi ha deluso, anche se posso dire con tranquillità di aver ascoltato cast migliori
Sulla regia invece posso dire la mia e purtroppo non è stata bella, non per me almeno.
troppo statica nel primo atto, alcune parti incomprensibili senza una spiegazione del regista e pure dopo averla avuta, balletti che non si integravano bene.
Insomma non direi di essermi divertito troppo, ma forse il giudizio è falsato dal ricordo della Manon cui partecipai a suo tempo nel 2003 che vantava un cast superiore ed il mio regista preferito

Reprodução: Feita a separação dos casais e construído o ninho, a fêmea do Manon passa por um período de incubação que varia de 13 a 18 dias, ao final do qual chega a botar até 8 ovos. Ela passa a contar também com a participação do macho para chocar os ovos. Nascendo os filhotes, convém reforçar a alimentação com a farinhada de canário. Ao término de 45 dias em média, os filhotes estão prontos para se alimentarem sozinhos e com isso devem ser separados dos pais. Inicia-se todo o processo novamente, contando desta vez com outros exemplares.
Trocando os ovos: Em geral, os criadores mais experientes mantêm uma média de 5 casais de Manon para cada casal de exóticos (Diamante Gold, Diamante Sparrow, Bavette), aumentado a probabilidade de coincidência entre os períodos de reprodução de uma espécie e outra. O processo todo acontece da seguinte forma: coincidindo a postura de ovos do casal de exóticos e de um dos casais de Manon, substitui-se os ovos do Manon pelos da outra espécie. Graças a seu instinto, papai e mamãe Manon chocarão os ovos alienígenas como se fossem seus, sem descuidar dos filhotes durante todo o período de alimentação até chegarem à fase adulta. Convém, entretanto, dar uma chance aos pais verdadeiros de demonstrar sua paternidade: é sempre bom esperar que o casal exótico choque seus ovos por alguns dias, para que conserve um comportamento mais próximo da natureza. Se isso não ocorrer, então são transferidos para o ninho dos Manons, que como sempre, fazem o serviço sem exigir remuneração.

Alimentação: O Manon é um pássaro granívoro, por isso deve ser alimentado com uma mistura de sementes (alpiste, senha, painço), verdura (almeirão e chicória), e a famosa farinhada de canário, especialmente na época de reprodução. Para completar, um pote de areia ou pedra para o fornecimento de cálcio e sais minerais para esta ave, ou então, juntar cascas de ovo de galinha, levar ao forno (para esterilizar contra possíveis micróbios) e moer, pondo tudo numa tigelinha dentro da gaiola.
Cuidados essenciais: A água do bebedouro deve ser trocada diariamente. E como o Manon adora tomar banho, o criador pode colocar na gaiola uma pequena banheira para que ele possa se divertir, tendo o cuidado de trocar igualmente essa água todos os dias. A água, nesse caso, também ajuda a manter a umidade necessária para que os ovos choquem. Só não é bom manter a banheira com filhotes no ninho, pois um deles pode cair e morrer afogado. Da mesma forma, a gaiola e o poleiro devem estar bem limpos. A bandeja precisa ser limpa com intervalos de um dia e o poleiro uma vez por semana (colocando-se, inclusive, um pouco de inseticida SBP ou querosene no corte que fica preso à gaiola, evitando assim a proliferação de piolhos).

A partir daí, introduza um a um os outros exemplares, deixando que se ambientem por uns 20 minutos ou meia hora. Os que começarem a cantar, a exemplo do macho separado, também são machos. Os que permanecerem quietos são as fêmeas. O método, infelizmente, não é cem por cento garantido, pois o Manon pode parear homossexualmente: dois machos chegam a construir um ninho e chocar os ovos de outros pássaros que forem colocados lá.

Manon

Como no velho ditado que diz que em coração de mãe sempre cabe mais um, em ninho de Manon sempre há lugar para filhotes – seus e de outros pássaros da família dos Estrildinos. Diamante Gold, Diamante Sparrow e Bavette, por exemplo, são espécies que por uma razão ou outra acabam não se reproduzindo em cativeiro. Quando muito, a maioria chega a botar ovos que estariam perdidos, não fosse a eficiência do nosso amigo.

Amigável, o Manon deixa bem claro que a coisa mais importante em sua vida é a reprodução. É uma espécie terrivelmente prolífera, bem no estilo “família de coelho ou rato”, que procria o ano inteiro – fazendo uma pausa apenas na época de muda de penas, que ocorre em geral no período de fevereiro a maio. Essa é uma das razões pelas quais os criadores de aves exóticas não abrem mão de seus Manons, tão importantes na hora de cumprir o ciclo da reprodução.
Para começar a criação, o primeiro passo é separar os casais. Como o Manon não apresenta dimorfismo sexual (diferenças físicas entre macho e fêmea), o ideal é deixar vários exemplares adultos ( com 4 ou 5 meses) juntos em uma gaiola comunitária. O primeiro que começar a cantar, emitindo um trinado curto – algo como tch-thc-tch abrindo levemente as asas e eriçando as penas da garganta e peito, provavelmente é um macho e deve ser posto numa gaiola à parte. Para diferenciá-lo, o criador pode usar um anel de metal preso a uma das patas ou identificá-lo pelas marcações coloridas.

]]> http://yohandry.wordpress.com/2009/07/16/el-royal-ballet-rinden-homenaje-a-alicia-alonso/ Thu, 16 Jul 2009 16:59:10 +0000 Yohandry Fontana http://yohandry.wordpress.com/2009/07/16/el-royal-ballet-rinden-homenaje-a-alicia-alonso/ http://samhubert.wordpress.com/2009/07/16/fashion-show-runway-1/ Thu, 16 Jul 2009 16:18:38 +0000 Samuel Hubert http://samhubert.wordpress.com/2009/07/16/fashion-show-runway-1/

Model : Manon
Photograph : Samuel Hubert

Manon

Quem pensa que a ama-seca de antigamente não existe mais, não conhece o Manon, um pássaro que além de chocar o ano inteiro, também cuida dos filhotes dos outros.

Com a super valorização da eficiência nos anos 80, virou “caretice” ficar em casa, cuidando dos filhos e constituindo uma feliz e prolífera família. Quem acha que os velhos tempos estão enterrados de vez, precisa conhecer o Manon, este pássaro de aparência discreta, mas cuja eficiência se processa de outra forma. Sem ele, muitas espécies praticamente não existiriam em cativeiro e por uma razão muito especial: ele é doído por sua prole. E não apenas pelos seus filhotes, mas também pelos de outros pássaros da mesma família, que ele cria sem o menor preconceito. Foram esses dotes de “pai adotivo” que lhe valeram a consideração dos criadores não apenas no Brasil, como em todo do mundo. Afinal, Manon é pai e mãe para toda hora, exatamente nos moldes de antigamente. Originário da Ásia, este pássaro é membro da família dos Estrildinos e, ao contrário de muitas aves, surgiu graças à intervenção do homem. O Manon é resultado de uma seleção de criadores japoneses a partir da espécie silvestre Lonchura striata – raríssima hoje em dia. Com aproximadamente 11cm de tamanho, ele habitava as regiões da Índia, China Meridional, Taiwan, sendo encontrado desde o Sul até Sumatra.
Através da seleção, o Lonchura striata ganhou sua variedade doméstica, o Manon. O nome brasileiro deriva de designação francesa, Moineau du Japon (Pardal do Japão), mas há quem o conheça também por Capuchino do Japão. Na Inglaterra, o nome é Bengalese. Seja qual for a denominação, porém, o indivíduo em questão é o mesmo: um passarinho com ares humildes e coloração discreta, que vai do preto ao branco, passando pelo marrom e canela. As cores podem mesclar-se em formar um padrão uniforme ou absoluto; portanto, existem Manons totalmente brancos, como outros branco e canela e até tricolores.

Bonjour à tous,

Nous déménageons dans dix jours et nous sommes envahis par les cartons ! Plus moyen de retrouver trace de l’ordinateur…

Aussi, quelques nouvelles :

- Manon marche et vadrouille dans toute la maison. les cartons encore ouverts lui plaisent beaucoup et elle sème des objets de ci de là. ce qui rend le travail de papa et maman très rigolo !

- il fait très chaud et Manon adore patauger dans l’eau.

- Manon bavarde toujours autant et l’on peut distinguer quelques mots : les traditionnels papa, maman ainsi que coucou, sausur (chaussures) et ovoi (au revoir)

- nous déménageons dans la même ville pour une maison plus adaptée à nos besoins. les photos suivront fin juillet.

- enfin, les vacances s’annoncent pour le mois d’août.

En tout cas, bonnes vacances à tous et à bientôt !

In case you haven’t been there yet, don’t miss the remarkable Manon show at the Swiss Institute in New York (www.swissinstitute.net). The exhibition closes on July 11, 2009.

Model : Manon
Photograph : Samuel Hubert
Music : Kean “Spiralling”