Fight Clip Club

I was thinking about doing a version of the Fight Clip Club assignment from the MSCD Stage Combat class--the students are assigned to bring in what they see as the best film fight scene, tell the class why it's a good example of what we do, and show it. Parodies are also welcome. Here is my first Fight Clip Club entry: it's from Napoleon Dynamite, and I call it "Bow to Your Sensei." Enjoy, and let me know if yo'd like to contribute clip ideas to continue! ~Jenn

Ka'plah!

Is there a good reason why a thief would choose a fantasy replica sword to hold up a convenience store? Beyond that, this thief actually got money from not one, but two stores and is still at large. We were just writing earlier that cheap, brittle museum replica swords aren't useful for anything. Well, maybe we were wrong. No, this is wrong. Terribly, terribly wrong.

~Jenn

I'm Good!

One of the Super Bowl commercials celebrates Pepsi by showing various men getting thwacked, smacked, electrocuted, and otherwise hurt, then declaring, "I'm good!" The best clip in this commerical IMO is the golf scene: look at the lovely swordplay as the guy on the left takes a shot to the back of the head and then the face with a golf club. He also does a killer back break fall. Good stuff.

Happy Birthday

Image is called "Triumph" from the Stage Combat book. Jesse celebrating after having head-slammed Jenn into the cold, hard floor. I've heard of siblings fighting, but...

Happy Birthday, Jesse! Have a wonderful day and new year! Blog lurkers, toast Jenn's brother Jesse's health today. DeBlurge! <-- that's an old Genki Kai joke.

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

MSCD Stage Combat Club January

The MSCD Stage Combat club has begun again, and is better than ever. We had our first interest meeting of the semester on Saturday the 31st and had some really cool things to talk about and plan. Chris agreed to get the legal paperwork together and get elections for new officers happening (elections will be on Feb. 14th BTW); Paul is now our official event-collector, and we'll all help him plan for said events; Scott is a podcast nut, so he agreed to research how to begin one for us (so very exciting); and overall things are looking fun and bright for us. Our first event will likely be the Auraria Campus Spring Fling, so log on here often and we'll keep you posted.

Another highlight is the excellent news I received a while ago from Megan: the school is buying us 20 Denny Graves-made rapiers, for use in class and club functions!!!!!! Woo-hoo! I am ecstatic beyond description.

If you weren't able to come to the meeting on the 31st, but you'd like to join, show up at one of our future meetings: Tuesdays 2-3pm, and Saturdays 1-2:30pm. But remember, we're not meeting this coming week. We'll see you on the 10th or the 14th for elections. ~Jenn

Image is of Chris and Wee Katie performing their staff fight back in 2007.

Testing Night

On January 30th, a giant horde of To Shin Do students tested for their next belts, and then replaced their calories with potluck fare. It was hands-down the largest belt test I have ever seen. BQC folk, comment here and tell me if it's in fact the biggest test you've had.

Highlights of January 30th testing night:

• Martin's 'stache (well it was a highlight for me)
• Conrad's fierce zanshin in free response
• Jane Bright being really fricking amazing
• Simon also being really fricking amazing
• Jeff n Jenn name the members of the new Demo Team: Kobe, Jane, Keegan, and Justin
• Potluck yumminess afterwards. Yay protein!

Good job, everyone! Can't wait for the next Friday test the day before my birthday! ~Jenn

Images: the giant horde recites the Code of Mindful Action. Boaz gets a hon gyaku on Jenn