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...

Green Commuter

Former Stage Combat student Jason Braddock wrote a paper recently for another class about commuting to and fro MSCD. He interviewed Bonzuko's own Jenn about the subject. Here's an exerpt of what he had to say:

"Fifty dollars in gas and 15 hours spent in the car every week -- is Metro worth it? For many students who commute from outside the Denver metro area the answer is yes. The main reason these students sacrifice so much is because Metropolitan State College of Denver is their best option. ... It is not just students who commute from outside the Denver metro area. Jenn Boughn, who teaches theatre and English classes makes the trip to Metro from Boulder. Boughn depends on public transportation. 'I have no car, I have no license,' Boughn replies when asked about her commute 'I pay around $40 a month for a bus pass, and that's a tiny fraction of what car maintenance, purchase payments, gas, insurance, and parking fees cost.'
On days that she teaches Boughn spends about one to three hours a day on public transportation to make it to Metro and back from where she lives. She tries to set her teaching schedule so that she only has to be on campus three days a week.
Boughn usually teaches three classes each at both Metro and D.U. To make this schedule possible she teaches a few classes online. 'The transportation is usually not an issue.' said Boughn although she cites the time that RTD went on strike leaving her trapped in Boulder.
'I have to have everything for my entire day packed when I leave the house, including anything for the weather.' Boughn said. During the semester that she teaches stage combat that can include a six foot bo staff. Think of the quarter staff Little John from Robin Hood carries and you understand what she is bringing on the bus.
Long distance commuting is a way of life for many people at Metro. They are characterized by grabbing a quick bite to eat between classes. Often having only the fifteen minutes between classes to get things done. They have refined scheduling to an art minimizing the amount of time they have to spend on campus. Most of the time Metro is only a small part of their busy lives."

Thanks, Jason, for asking! Hope you get a good grade! ~Jenn

Pirate Sketches

I got some positive reactions from the last sketch I put up, so here are two more. These are a cast of characters and "extras" from a piece of pirate fiction I worked on in graduate school. I'll try to keep the sketches I put up here at least vaguely connected to the movement arts. Which of us actor-combatants doesn't want to be a pirate, eh?

~Jenn

Pas de Posts

Okay, so the reason I've been remiss in posting is that I've been at a weekend-long seminar headed by Stephen K. Hayes himself. I'm still gathering my thoughts and notes and having no time and catching up with grading and waiting for what I hope is the coolest picture ever (wait and see), but for now, here's a taste of the event until the "real" post goes up. It's part of Thomas' black belt test demo. While you're waiting, look up Stephen K. Hayes and see who he is and why he's famous in martial arts circles. Be back here soon with details. ~Jenn

Wii Would Like to Play

We in the Bonzuko household love our elegant, geek-themed, brain-expanding-yet-addictive toys. In an earlier post, we expounded on the virtues of...oh that's right, we haven't told you what that toy is that you want. Oh yes, you want it.

But now, listen up kids, our latest healthy addiction is the Wii Fit game. Once you log in your BMI and play some very odd balance games, you can't wait to sully that pristine white plastic surface of the board with your feet again.

I'd encourage everyone to have this very awesome addition to and motivator for your exercise regime, but it looks as though Wii systems are insanely hard to get (let alone expensive) and the game itself is even harder. Oh well, we'll have to have a Bonzuko Fitness (and then homebrew?) party sometime soon I suppose.

Jenn's Favorite Wii Fit games: most yoga is fun; that one where you're in a penguin suit and catching fish; the put-the-ball-in-the-hole game; Rhythmic Boxing, and...well most of them are fun. What's yours?

~Jenn

Spontenaeity, Not Improv

This is spurred from Late Night on Sep. 3rd, in which it looked as though Dr. Phil pushed Letterman pretty hard and made him not only stumble, but comment on it.

There's a rule about Stage Combat and Improvisation: they don't mix. NEVER improvise a staged fight--it's just not a good idea--there are countless ways to get hurt.

Having said that, I know very well that none of my students obey this rule. So I must elaborate:

• If you are going to fight non-scripted, have many fight bits (or phrases) set up and thoroughly rehearsed ahead of time. That way, both actors can recognize what's coming even if it isn't planned. Think of it like the ancient commedia dell'arte: though unscripted and spontaneous, each person knew not only a general stock character, but had a myriad of zanni, or movement bits, that a simple cue could catalyze. The bigger one's movement vocabulary, the more sentences one can make on the fly. Safe sentences.
  
• ALWAYS always always make eye contact. Always.
• Keep dialogue going--talk to each other. Know a safety word just in case.
• If you see someone about to do something stage-combat-y to you, and you don't know what's coming, STOP. I don't care how big an audience or an ego you have. Relax. Don't do it. (Thanks Frankie.)
• Seriously. ~JennWee Katie and Loren demonstrating at the Barnes & Noble Booksigning, 2007. Safely.
  

Summer's Almost Gone...

Next week is the (early!) beginning of school, and we're getting geared up here at Bonzuko. Here's how we prepare for another Fall of getting us some book-learnin':

1. Gal-Lager, the watermelon lager, is in the tertiary fermenter, to be bottled in a week. Talk about a smashingly refreshing beverage for the change of seasons!
2. Sitting on the edge of our seats for the season finales of Last Comic Standing and America's Got Issues, er, Talent. Getting the dumb summer shows out of the way to make room for smarts!
3. Reading Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, to prepare for Jason's ensemble performance class. Jenn is jealous.
4. Making syllabi and creating online shells, of course. Concocting textbooks. Not as fun as Alice.
5. Sampling Boulder's array of patio and rooftop pubs with gorgeous views. Yes, we have lots of sunscreen, don't worry.
6. Actually, who are we kidding: we're hiding at home in the air conditioning. But it's a nice thought.
7. Hey, we got a chin-up bar!! The office has never been so pumped! Do you smell that fitness? I do...

VoWoD
~Vocal Warmup of the Day~

All vocal warmups found on the Daily Cross-Swords have been officially approved by Monaco J. Snackcracker (seen above) prior to posting.

Enjoy and use these freely in your own classes and venues!

Today: Special thanks to our cat, the inspiration for this VoWoD -

“She is a sleek and tubular culinary sleuth.”

~Jason

Injuries

I thought I'd put in my two cents' worth on Advanced Taihenjutsu, theatrical combat, and martial arts.

I hope everyone in the Advanced Summer Class noticed the different language I used when we went through the Stage Combat basic skills (falling, rolling, unarmed basics) and the Stunt Work skills (break falls, fake throws, air break falls). I used this specific different language for a good reason--and also brought out the squishy mat, I'm sure you noticed, for reasons as well.

I had this conversation with one of the head instructors at the Boulder Quest Center yesterday, and I thought it needed reinforcing: when you fall for reals, even if you fall correctly, you will feel it.

There are countless anecdotes, from Jason's dislocated shoulder about five years ago to my bruised heel from Monday. The fact is: if you know how to do good taihenjutsu, you can save yourself from paralysis or death. BUT! If you find yourself falling and you actually fall, you will get hurt. That's what falling down does--it hurts. If you're good at it, the hurt won't be mortal. If you hear of anyone ever telling you they fell off their motorcycle at 60 mph and they were totally fine because they know "ninjitsu," be oh so very skeptical. At the same time, think about those folks like me and Jason that can actually fall very well, and hear about the pain it still causes.

The Advanced Class learned some really fun stuff this summer. Most of it they will never ever do on a stage. If they ever have an opportunity to do these elaborate moves, it will NOT be on a regular stage, but on a crash pad off-camera. Or a stunt-stage, that has springs or pads or built-in squishy mats. Remember I have 11 years martial arts experience and I am still limping from Monday, and that was on dojo mats. And it was a good fall!

I guess I felt the need for a Safety Note, like the ones in my book. I know a lot of those in the Advanced Class liked to take the basics they learned from the MSCD course and throw them around in the school hallways, quads, and (sigh) other classes. Those skills they're learning now are way too dangerous to mess with like this.

~Jenn

P.S. This is a great article re: the dichotomy between theatrical and "real" combat. It's called "Ne'er the Twain," about stage combat and martial arts. Check it out: http://www.thearma.org/essays/twain.htm

Another clip

Trying to make up for the fact that we didn't post at all from July 3rd (happy birthday, Mom!) till the 9th. And cuz video clips are cool.



Here's a clip from our jumping and rolling practice from Advanced Stage Combat class last week: we were reviewing all our rolls as well as our jumps and spatial awareness, so we started jumping over each others' log rolls:

...then Chris tried this before instruction, and we practiced actually rolling over our log rolls. Just so you know, this is on the "Advanced" tape of ninjutsu techniques I used in my earlier education. Just so you know. I like to tell my movement students when they do something really difficult, but only after they've done so. :)

See you tomorrow!

~Jenn

Every Day is Bike-to-Work Day

Bike to Work Day is today here in the Boulder-Denver area. Folks get free breakfast and swag for taking anything but a car to do their jobs and other tasks today. One day out of the year. Could you do it?

Bike-to-Work-Day is a kind of joke around the Bonzuko household. We live in Boulder, work and school in Denver, and do not even own a car. Jenn doesn't even have a license. People think we're insane every other day of the year, except today. We are green commuters, though--maybe it's our way of making up for our computers being on all day...

It's a big lifestyle change to not drive ever. All your travel takes more time. Way more time. You have to make sure you carry everything on you for your entire day. You have to be ready for anything the elements give you. And if you're Stage Combat and/or Martial Arts teachers like we are, you have big cumbersome burdens to carry. And you do end up walking every day.

That's why we're so fit, actually. Let's tally the health benefits, shall we? A walk of approximately 10-20 minutes a day. Fresh air and moving blood. Two fewer people in cars eevryday helps the planet. Cheaper health insurance for living in a healthy city. Calm serenity in letting the bus driver do the traffic negotiation. Meditation every day. Have I forgotten any?

Anyway, happy Bike-to-Work-Day.