Fight Clip Club

Ninja jump from the BQC. Keegan, you put your hand down. Does that count? :)

Come to NinjaFit Fridays if you want to learn stuff like this. ~Jenn

More Flying and Falling Folks

Just saw a spot for these guys this morning on The Deuce morning news--they're a local Parkour group that teach classes in Denver and Boulder and practice all over the place. It was lovely to see Jenn's former Stage Combat student Noah doing what he does best.

They're called Apex Movement, and they have a new website and YouTube page. Check em out! Here's their grand-opening video.

Image is Noah being lifted by Nate in a staff choke. Staff final fights, MSCD Stage Combat class Fall 2008.

April's Test highlight reel

Here 'tis: thanks to Kevin for editing it up!

Theatre Review

Back by popular demand, the ensemble performance class revisited Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast, a play combining Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll. I have reviewed this lovely performance before, but here are the highlights from the redux:

• The pace, while tight and seamless, was borderline breathless this time around.
• The repeated scenes bothered me in the last production--in this one they seemed to fit. And the banquet scene as recap also worked well.
• Bonzuko's own Jas nailed the last very gentle "scented rushes" speeches with enjoyment of the poetry and rhythm of the "boat."
• Kudos to Jessica E. who was in class rehearsing Seuss all morning then went straight to this (very similar) show directly after.
• Many of the actors used too much volume, rendering the complex language incomprehensible.
• Big Scott was on today! His Old Oyster and his Mock Turtle were highlights of today's show!
• Humpty Dumpty and the Jabberwocky were both still some of the coolest physical images I've seen.
• The White and Red Knights' fight and falling were also highlights once again. Jas as the White Knight mimed his awkward armor very well. Martial artists and stage combatants take note of Justin's giant dive roll and Jas' beautiful break falls.
• Tea Party scene once again stellar. Brian is a gifted physical comedian, though I missed the use of his rabbit ears illustrating the clock.
• Nice work on adding the Croquet Scene last-minute! It was seamless and well done. I noticed some of the lines were a bit off, but maybe that was just because I knew how last-minute it was. So much fun to hear Linda's red-faced scream, "Off with his head!"
• Brian's flamingo was one of the funniest moments of the afternoon, especially seeing Kris as a tree attempting to fend him off.

Nice work, everyone--it was as delightful this time as it was last! ~Jenn

Fall Clip Club

Wednesday, the Mythbusters tested the old banana-peel slip gag. Much actual falling (in padded equipment, thankfully) ensued. Since we at Bonzuko are constantly talking about the importance of knowing how to fall, this video can show you the mechanics of falling. Plus, it's fun.


Mythbusters Banana Peel Highlights

Fight Clip Club

More from The Stunt People (thestuntpeople.com): Flying and falling. And rolling. Get inspired for our next podcast, folks!


Stunt Training - 11/22/2008 - The Stunt People from Eric Jacobus on Vimeo.

Flight Clip Club

No, it's not a typo. Since I have been working on clowning with the MSCD Stage Movement class, I have been looking at some of the best performances in this field lately. Bill Irwin is the master, of course, but then there's also Rowan Atkinson, especially his "Invisible Drum Kit."

And now my good friend Ricky posted this link in fb: http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=71560884329&h=XaaR7&u=kmj--&ref=mf

It's absolutely exquisite. Enjoy!

~Jenn

Thanks to http://www.studio-d.de/kuenstlerdatenbank_detail.php?id=1905 for the image.

Clownlympics

On Saturday, the MSCD Stage Movement Class performed their second performance of the semester--the Clownlympics! It was a blast to see how they presented events using only movement and posture. The rules for the Clownlympics were as follows:

1) No speaking! (sound ok)

2) No props or costumes.

3) Make the event clear--we should be able to tell what's happening. Funny is a bonus.

4) It should be an event that clowns would perform at the Clown Olympics.

Highlights included:

• a vivid obstacle course with clowns as athletes and obstacles
• clown gangstas with appropriate hand signals
• rebellious hurdles that want to get in the game
• clowns trying to impress the girl
• Jessica E.'s stellar (!) crucifix rolls

Good job, everyone--I can't wait till the Seuss finals! ~Jenn

Pictured: The Ornery Hurdles piece with coach, athlete, and cheerleader; tug-o'-war with the Star-Faced Clowns. Taken 4/11/09 in class.

Random Movement Pic

Going to the file folder now...drumroll please...fishing around in the file....oo, got one! Ta-da! And it's...A picture from my piece of 365 Days / 365 Plays back in 2007 when MSCD did a week out of it in August. My "short play" was almost exclusively movement-oriented, and so was right up my alley. The actors had to crawl the length of the quad, on the sides of which were the other plays. An audience member would walk down the sidewalk, and then stop at each play in a row. My crawlers/rollers moved down the line in tandem with the audience, and did their focused bit there on the grass when it was time. It was a neat venue for this sort of thing--the backdrops being Victorian houses and grass. The audience moving from play to play was neat too--like walking through an art gallery. OMG, does that mean I've done performance art?? :)

MSCD actors: if you recognize yourself in this picture, comment here.

Fight Clip Club

These are two scenes from two different stage clown shows starring brilliant master clown Bill Irwin (and also David Shiner). Just know that he can really do this--I took a class from Irwin back in the day wherein he taught us the hat tricks and especially the "clown boogie," and it ain't easy. An absolute master of movement. I can't even tell you how much I admire the talent here. And MSCD Stage Movement students, take note: this is the epitome of what we're doing in class the next couple of weeks. :) ~Jenn

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GITGILGe5H0&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQXXntFQTmk&feature=related

Image is from the Daily Camera back in the day. Proof that I indeed took a class from Bill Irwin! Look! :)

Diviners Movement

So I went and helped out with the MSCD production of The Diviners yesterday--colleague Jay asked for help with the drowning scene. Remember way back last May when I ranted here about how you should never have slow-motion fights onstage? Well...

Okay, for one thing, this wasn't a fight but a drowning scene. For another thing, the slow-motion bits were choreographed to happen only when the character(s) were underwater. This is one instance where the slow-motion not only looks cool, but is actually the strongest choice for the scene. It even makes sense! I mean, you do basically move in slow motion when you're underwater, don't you?

And it was Brian K. and Ben C. as the two mime-swimmers, so of course it's looking way awesome. Those two are both quite talented physical actors. One basic movement thing that added to the illusion: keeping the arms up. For some reason, it added to the floaty imagery, and took away any betraying solidity in the actors' movements.

Closing note: it's really hard to do a slow-motion back roll with no hands! Also hard to do a complete crouch-to-stand-and-back-again on one foot!

(sorry no images--I'm sure there's some rights issues or something.) :)

Rolling

More than one person reported soreness or injury today in Stage Movement when we learned how to roll. Be careful, everyone. MSCD folks, have a safe and happy Spring Break.
~Jenn

School for Falling

All you slope-addicts are probably thinking about Natasha Richardson right now, or at least you should be. There's a Colorado school (besides Bonzuko's courses) that specializes in training folks how to fall safely. It's called Camp Woodward, and Team Bonzuko found them first on channel 2 news. What they are is a giant barn that trains gymnasts, BMX-ers, skiiers and snowboarders (and I'd imagine anyone else) how to fly and fall. Their giant barn facility (ooo I'm so jealous) has Olympic-grade trampolines and huge foam pits for landing in, as well as indoor slopes and rails. Check out their photo slideshow and enjoy.

As we continuously say, being able to fall is singly the most important aspect of movement arts one can learn. Especially we who are involved in martial arts, stage combat, and stunts. We at Bonzuko can teach you, but will also celebrate anyone else who does good work in this area.

Fight Clip Club

Here's some of what we did in MSCD Stage Combat Club today. Jenn & Nick B.:



And Roberto and Nate:

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).

Nomination #5

While looking for fight blooper reels online of the famous Jackie Chan, I came across this 10-part documentary about his history of film fighting. I want to nominate Mr. Chan for our I've Got a Great Idea Awards, but I also really like this documentary. I want a stunt team! And a stunt lab!

Jackie Chan wrecks himself in his fights--wait till the credits on any of his films, and you'll see him getting hurt over and over again. This is why he's being nominated: he's an awesome fight performer, but gosh he rarely ends up in one piece!
~Jenn

Falling into the Endzone

Lisa Simpson called American football a "savage ballet," which puts it right into the movement arts category, no? I wouldn't be a true movement artist if I didn't mention the hundred-yard pass from the Super Bowl yesterday. But what I noticed most of all was the awful fall Harrison took as he landed in the endzone. They played the historic event over and over right after it happened, and you can see the crazy dive roll he took; it looks as though he landed right on his trapezius, or collarbone. I wonder if football players learn falling and rolling the way martial artists do. Something tells me they don't. ~Jenn

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoxSFBHbA80&feature=related

History of Stunts

As I Googled until my brains melted out of my ears trying to get a picture of David Holmes the stuntman, I came across the website for the Taurus World Stunt Awards. It's on fire, natch.

On said site, they have a "History of Stunts" article that I appreciated, so I herewith post it for you, lovely lurkers. ~Jenn

http://www.taurusworldstuntawards.com/index.php?cmd=cmdInsiderHistory

YouTube ninja

Before I recommend enjoying this insane Borat/Candid Camera meets ninja-movie parody, I must entreat you all, readers, to NOT try this at home (or anywhere else, for that matter). Though amusing to watch in this video, doing this sort of thing could get you in a fight, or arrested. PunchRobert.com did this so you don't have to. Enjoy! ~Jenn

Urban Ninja II

More Awesome Falling

Jas and I were watching genius Weird Al Yankovic last night--a compilation of videos we own. We were reminded of an amazing feat of break-dance-slash-prat-falling skill of a dancer in the video for "Dare to be Stupid." The video and song is obviously a parody of '80s techno-weird group Devo, as well as social commentary. The amazing faller I'm talking about is the masked, yellow-panted guy in the carpeted room. He shows up a couple times throughout the video. Once, it looks as though he lands right on his collarbone, though--see what I mean?
~Jenn