Preview

This is the video that I call the Making Of Our Star Wars Uncut scene. Now, we'll be uploading our scene to the site soon, but there are 13 edits within the 15 second scene, so for now enjoy this peek into our process, lovely lurkers. And take a moment to remember the lightsaber class. ~Jenn

Here's the scene we're trying to recreate:

Are we close? :)

NinjaFit in the News (again)

Check it: http://www.du.edu/today/stories/2009/07/2009-07-22ninja.html

Now let's get the students rolling in, folks!

~Jenn

The Parente Experience

Last night, the Summer Advanced Class (Lightsabers) was the subject of a liveshot on Channel 2 News. Anchor/Reporter Chris Parente came by and helped us show the world what we do. We watch Mr. Parente on his various Deuce and Channel 31 endeavors all the time in the Bonzuko home office, and so it was delightful to see how the whole thing worked on the other side of the TV screen. The class, which normally meets at 12:30, met at 5pm instead just for the occasion (special thanks to Joe Morales in Auraria's PE building for giving us lots of attention to make sure the space was ready for prime time).

Highlights of the event included:

• I always wondered whether it was odd to not be able to hear the anchors back in the studio, to only hear one end of the banter. It was.
• How exciting was it to see that big antenna outside just for us! The guys were delighted, and passersby were curious.
• Facebook is a weird thing: Chris and I felt like we had already met. Though the hair is even more fantastically shellacked in person, Chris!
• Learning about what goes into the structuring of a spot like this: how many teasers of what kind, what kind of timing and balance is necessary, and having lucid improv skills to be clear and quick!
• Noticing how much attention Chris pays to his surroundings, and how he builds the things he discovers into his bits. I'm willing to give him some honorary ninja points for this.
• It reminded me of an audition: you prepare for a long time, have a lot happening, and when it's over, you're like: um, what just happened? I think it was good. I should have...
• The three bits were so short that about half the things I wanted to plug or do or say didn't get in. But what was in was super fun. Thanks for the book plug!
• Good job, students, for keeping up the energy since 5 (some of you since 1!)pm. Good hair acting, Nate and Scott M.
• Images from the evening's fun, Jenn's phone version.

Thanks again to Chris Parente and the Deuce team for celebrating the geeky goodness that is lightsaber class. ~Jenn

Fringe Festival Workshop

Bonzuko's own Jenn will be teaching a three-hour workshop at the Boulder International Fringe Festival this summer. Stage Combat Basics is the the theme of the day. Check the link for all the information, and spread the word--we want this class to be huge!

http://boulderfringe.com/2009festival/program-details.aspx?id=56

What: Stage Combat Basics Workshop

Where: Boulder International Fringe Festival (Naropa campus)

When: 1-4pm (4:30 showing) Saturday, August 15th, 2009

How much: $35 (whatta steal!)

Visit the page and rate the class, if you've had class with Jenn before. Spread the word!

Today's Lightsaber Fun

I'll put more up soon, but here's one clip from today's lightsaber class. Don't you wish you were there? Image is the three-person fight, video is me and Boaz starting to get a bit better. Everything is still in rough draft mode, but we are so close to being ready for public consumption. Oh, wait, the Internet is the public, isn't it... ~Jenn

Colorado Bike to Work Day

Well of course that's every day for Team Bonzuko. That is, using bicycles, bus, and other alternative transportation to get where we need to go. We described this lifestyle a couple times before, so go peruse those posts and give yourself a minute of contemplation, and a little more exercise, today at least. Hey, who knows--maybe you'll get to like it!

And yes, the Bonzuko bicycle looks like this very often.

(Hey, wonder if Fat Tire wants to sponsor us...)

It's Officially Summer!

Though the Unbeatable Bonzuko Team normally want to find an ice cave and hibernate during the hot months of Colorado (I don't care if it's a "dry heat"--it's too much! Thank goodness we're not in Arizona), we would still like to cheerfully announce that yesterday was the first official day of summer, and we wish many poolside lemonades, watermelons, cookouts, and anything else that makes you happy about summer. To celebrate, here's a picture of the sun-bright hair of Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter in the upcoming Tim Burton Alice. Thanks to bitchy blog D-listed for posting the newly released pics.

Today's Cloud

Thanks Wordle, for addictive wordplay! This cloud is from this blog as of today.

Thursday's Exciting event

It's summer in the Boulder/Denver metro area! That means it's time again for the Advanced Stage Combat Class taught by Bonzuko's own Qui-Gon Jenn! Last summer was advanced unarmed and taihenjutsu (just check out the early days of this blog and you'll see the run-downs of that session). This year, the theme is:

LIGHTSABERS!

We'll learn the ins and outs of Jedi-dom (or Sith-dom if that's how you are), and will have a great time using the Force as well.

Anyone who has had a MSCD or SAFD stage combat class, or a Bonzuko or a BQC martial arts class is eligible to take this advanced techniques course! Emai Bonzuko or just show up if you fall into one of these categories. Price is $200 for the 8-week session, or $175 for BQC or MSCD Stage Combat club members.

Thursday the 4th of June is our first class meeting, and we'll be meeting at the picnic tables outside the PE building on Auraria campus. Go to http://www.mscd.edu/ to find the map if you're not familiar.

I look forward to a fun session!!! ~Jenn

This Weekend's Local Fun

This weekend is Memorial Day weekend, which in Boulder means the Creek Festival, the Bolder Boulder race, and Jenn's parents' anniversary. Lots of excuses to party, basically. But then, in Boulder we always welcome any reason to enjoy a microbrew outside. Heck, we don't even need a reason.

This Weekend's Events:

Friday: NinjaFit at the Boulder Quest Center, 5:45-6:45pm. Last week, Aimee Heckel from the Daily Camera came in to sample the class and write a story on it. Rumor has it that this Friday there'll be a photographer to add to her story. Come by if you want to be fit and famous!

Saturday and Sunday: Boulder Creek Festival: see Jenn help out the Boulder Quest Center with some demos on the stage. Shop at artists' booths and eat good foods.

Monday: The Bolder Boulder: an annual footrace in Boulder. Celebrate by raising a mimosa to the TV footage of our beautiful city. Or, okay, you can walk or run it if you're local and you want to...

Image is Jenn's parents celebrating their anniversary last year.

National Bike-to-Work Day

Here in Colorado, we have Bike-to-Work Week in June. But for the rest of the country, today is the day everyone should dust off their spandex, pump up their tires, and get a little cardio with their commute!

As we have said once or twice before, every day at the Bonzuko hombu is Bike-to-Work Day, or at least no-car day. Try biking at least partway to work today, and then ask yourself: could you do it every day? Could you live without your car? How would your life change?

Seeing so many car companies going under, and so many people (especially here in The Best Place to Live Well, according to Forbes) concerned about restoring a ruined environment, gives one pause. Is the car dead?

Image is of the Bonzuko family bike, loaded with groceries. Just a normal day of errands...

Thief 4!?!

The engrossing, well-written Thief games have been a favorite in the Bonzuko household since Thief: The Dark Project first came out in 1997. Now the game is up to three (anyone know how we can play 1 & 2 on Jenn's laptop w/Vista, please let us know!), and unfortunately Team Bonzuko was convinced it was the end of the franchise.

Not so! Read this article that stellar blog Boing Boing linked. It's an overview of the games, the studios that made them, and some delicious confirmed news about the new one! Highlighted quote: "[Thief's] influence on modern gaming remains enormous, effectively introducing the idea of stealth and non-violent first-person action. It also remains a singular experience: none of its imitators have come close. For many people, there is only Thief."

There is "only Thief" for us. We don't know whether to say "hurry up" or "take your sweet time and make it amazing" to Eidos Montreal. Some of both? Thanks to Ragdoll Metaphysics for the article, and Boing Boing for paying attention! Image was yoinked off the Thief website.

We're on J!nx again!

Another one of our cute Stage Combat poses has been posted by the folks at J!nx.com to celebrate their deliciously geeky products. Check it here. If you want to buy any of their wonderful stuff, use the small, tasteful banner in the upper left corner of this blog. It'll send a message to them saying "bonzuko sent me" and we'll all get rewarded with good things. ~Jenn

Alice in Wonderland

This YouTube clip surfaced once in Children's Lit---during the Student Presentation, one student was taken by this and shared it with the class. This week was Alice in Wonderland week again in Children's Lit, as well as rehearsal week for the cast of Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast. I guess this amazing piece of literature is weighing on my mind, this creative music video in particular. Enjoy, lovely lurkers. ~Jenn

Event info: Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast
What: a theatrical piece based on Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by last semester's Theatre Ensemble class
When: Sat., May 2, 2009 at 2:30 pm
Where: ARTS 271 on the Auraria Campus
$: none. Canned food donation requested.

Image is Arthur Rackham's interpretation of the Caucus Race. Jenn pirated it from somewhere or other.

Earth Day

When was the last time we at Bonzuko wrote about not driving? Ah yes, it was Bike-to-Work day last summer. Well, today is Earth Day, when folks across America spend a moment to think about what they can do to improve the environment.

The Bonzuko hombu has done a couple things lately to be "greener"--using our wonderful computers and phones to explore non-paper ways of doing school and business. We brew our own beer, which way cuts down on our recycling-of-cans/bottles output.

But the main green thing we do here is something we've done since we met (and Jenn has done all her life): we don't drive, nor do we own a car.

Consider these questions for a moment today on Earth Day: what would your commute be like without your car? Where would you work if you had no car? What time would you have to have left your house today if you weren't driving to your destination? How much gasoline do you think you'll burn today? When was the last time you walked two blocks (a machine inside a gym doesn't really count)? Four blocks? A mile? What would you need to carry with you if you had no car today? How far can you carry five bags of groceries before you drop them? What kinds of errands would you be able to run today if you had no car, and how much time would it take you? How much will you pay in car insurance and parking this month, and what would you do with that money if you had it back?

Thanks to jaeger.earthsci.unimelb.edu.au/msandifo.html for the image

The IGAGI Awards

Note the poll in the left margin--the "I've Got a Great Idea" award nominations are here and ready for your vote! Here are links to the explanations of each:

1. Idiot from Home Shopping


2. Et tu, Brutal Injury?


3. Vienna Slice


4. Dracula Stabbing


5. Jackie Chan

Vote in the poll and see who is the worst victim of Stage Combat natural selection.

Thanks to waynewhitecoop.com for image.

Read this!

Read Mr. Inouye's post from Friday March 13th, here. I'm not a MySpace person, so I didn't comment there on his site, but I really dug this post. It refers to a lot of the stuff I've been blogging and sorting through on the Bonzuko blog, and it's well put, written by other professionals. Dig it. And then come back here and tell me what you think. ~Jenn

http://blogs.myspace.com/fightdesigner

Fight Clip Club

J!nx.com has produced most of Bonzuko's favorite geek-themed T-shirts. Their sense of humor is much like ours as well. And like us, they began with two dudes in an apartment, and have now grown to epic proportions (Bonzuko's epic proportions are forthcoming, and J!nx is inspirational).

Here is a video from their "glog" about the merry band of rogues' foray into paintball. Looks like fun and pain.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=at5TxKZ2MJU&eurl=http://www.jinx.com/blog.aspx?blogid=1&feature=player_embedded

The "I've Got a Great Idea Awards"

We have five nominations for the IGAGI awards so far. Voting will take place here during Spring Break (March 23-28) and then the results will be posted after that. If you have any nominations, post them to any of the entries here that mention IGAGI, and it'll be put up for consideration.

Stage Combat to Martial Arts

When one gets to a certain level as a stage-combatant in the SAFD (I think also especially when one is looking to teach), one's stage combat instructors urge one to take a real martial art in tandem with one's continued stage combat training. I assume the reasons for this are something like the following: it's important to know how fights can go down in real time and speed for one to be able to create an effective staged illusion; one should always be in fighting trim; there are many film fights that require a martial-arty style to them and it behooves an actor-combatant to be versed in said style; it's a good idea to know what a real punch/kick/etc. feels like, again so one can create an effective illusion.

I have had a few SAFD-tied friends ask me for advice when they are told to embark on the martial arts journey. They ask me which martial art I'd recommend. I've answered them with the following, and I thought you lovely lurkers would benefit from hearing this question and answer as well.

First of all, I could never tell you what martial art to study. Beginning martial arts training is the start of a lifelong endeavor (or at least it should be), and is perforce a very personal choice. So I'd urge you to take a bunch of introductory free classes, talk to a bunch of teachers, and especially interview students to see what their experience at a school is like. Look to see what the credentials of the teacher are and what the tenure of the students is (do students study for a couple months, get a black belt and leave, or are there people that have been around for years?) and most importantly, listen to your instinct, young Padawan, and see if you dig the vibe.

That's advice for anyone. For actor-combatants in particular, I would add:

Find an art that will ameliorate your training, and challenge you. Find one that will add to your skills, not allow you to continue doing what you're already doing. Find what they call a "hard" martial art.

Why? Because by practicing stage combat, you are constantly going for safety, throwing punches and weapon strikes outside the body, and (we would hope!) never taking a hit full force, or really at all. If you go from this to a soft art like Aikido or T'ai Ch'i, you're just continuing the softness, the avoids, etc. Choose a hard martial art: one that will have you actually landing punches on bags and pads, one that has you defend against free-response attackers so you can experience speed, one that will teach you how to punch and kick (and/or cut, stab, and staff-smack) correctly when the strike is landing. This way, you know what happens in real life (at least, a school's close approximation) and can bring this new knowledge to your creation of illusions of violence. Having said that, make sure nobody's really getting hurt or you're not going to want to study there very long. There's a delicate balance between martial arts safety and combat realism that many schools have mastered, which will help you immensely in your theatrical combat pursuits. Don't take the easy path of just allowing yourself to continue to look cool. Choose something that will improve what you do.

I also personally feel that knowing how to fall and roll is the most important stunt/stage combat skill you can master. If the martial art you choose doesn't include ukemi, find something you can study along with it that does.

Finally, if you didn't get a chance to read this way back whenever I posted it earlier, I hereby assign it to you again: Tony Wolf's excellent article called "Ne'er the Twain," about the "martial arts/performing arts dichotomy." And read this post from August again.

~Jenn Images from the most recent two test nights at the Boulder Quest Center (2009).