This morning was not starting off well. Christian did not want to go skateboarding. So instead of having a family sesh, Jonny went and then I went. At first I thought, never mind, I will just do my workout and forget about my morning skate. But then I thought, it is probably a better idea to let Christian see that he isn't ruining my fun, just his own. I charged up my headphones and when Jonny returned, I was out the door. At first, I had anticipated skating straight to E spot and then hitting Coopers on the way back. However, when I rolled up to Coopers, it was empty and shady. I couldn't pass it by. I ended up staying at Coopers for an hour and a half. I was drenched with sweat. I probably looked like a goofball - but I just did what I do and what I have always done.
Not only is this the first time that I have done a solo skate, it is the first time that I have skated with tunes this year. I always used to skate with music. I forgot how much better it is to have a soundtrack in my head. Before I left the house, I downloaded new music, but I ended up on a Harbour list of music that has been used in classes. I haven't kept up the list that well, so there are only four songs on it. I got stuck on one song for most of the time: Nao's, Another Lifetime. I heard this song in Victor Lau's class. I think I took his class three different times that he did this choreography. Do you know what happens when you listen to a song that you have learned choreography too? You dance. You can't help it. You know what happens when I listen to most music, I dance.. but a song you have listened to over and over and put moves too, you dance a little more easily.
Before I go on and before I forget, I would like to give credit where credit is due. I would like to thank my inspirations... things that lead me to what I have been developing in my brain during and since this solo skate session. I thank my family for the solo skate. I thank my husband for playing the Nike GIZMO video. He put it on for me this morning to get me pumped. I thank all the girls skating in GIZMO for being so awesome and making me feel like it is ok that I am a skateboarder. (old girl skater.) I thank Victor for his taste in music and for choreographing a dance to this song. I thank Nao for her song: Another Lifetime. I thank the boxing fitness trainer for not being at Coopers with a client this morning. I thank Emma for sharing her skate video of herself olling a sweater. And really, this is what I was going to do today. I wrote her that I was going to ollie over a sweater too, but that didn't happen.
I started with backside nose slides. Most of them were bonks but some of them slid. I added a shuv-it sometimes... but that barely counts because it was hardly moving. However, I am happy to be gaining confidence back. I moved to olling over the line, frontside 180, and a nollie. (if space) As I kept putting the song back, "one more time," I realized that it was really fun to make my ollie go with this one part of the song. So, I backed the song back to the start and counted myself in: push 5,6,7 bend 8, ollie 1. It took me a few tries to time it right, two pushes or three, start on 4 or 5, that sort of thing. Once I got it, I thought, this is it. What is the next part or my skate-o-graphy?
Skate videos are edited to music. Maybe that is a reason that I want to make my ollie go on that one part of the song? Maybe it is just the dancer in me? Is it possible, without making it cheesey, to choreograph skateboarding to a song? How do you add multiple skaters? I don't see them doing the same move, that would be silly, but I see one person doing one line, then another doing another, and so on, building up to a big trick and then bringing it all back down to a close. What if those little ankle adjustments, feet gesticulations, what if you could get those timed to the song?
Two years ago, at Jacksonville University, we had a workshop with dance/video artist, Lily Baldwin. She asked each of us what our thing was. What is that one thing or idea that is only you? I was one of the last people to respond, so I had a lot of time to think. Everyone was giving really awesome answers and I was worried I wouldn't think of anything. What am I? It is hard to say anymore. It used to be so easy. I was a skateboard ballerina. I really questioned what I was at JU. I wasn't a ballerina compared to Stephanie or Blanca... or Chris. I wan't a modern dancer. I guess people thought I was hip hop.. or urban... but I am not that either. I can do everything but nothing is me. I think I found my me. AND, I think my me was always there. I remember skating when I was younger and falling off into a pirouette and a penche. I still do that. No one else does that. That is me. I am a skaterboard ballerina. What is the one thing that I said to Lily? I said I am really interested in the movement of skateboarders. I said that two years ago, but today it clicked.
That happens you know? Things fall into place when they are supposed to. Here is the next piece. As my mind was wondering how I could make this happen or if this is even a feasible idea. (Because now I am thinking about using this idea as my next research project and writing up... and throwing away the one I have almost finished.. the "safe" idea.) How can I make this happen? Who would try to do something so crazy with me? AND it clicked! The sister shredders - who I have only hung out with twice. I bet they would be into this idea and helping me make it a reality. If I hadn't gone to Squamish and ran away to the skate park and met these girls on skateboards... who welcomed me in... I would be missing a piece to this puzzle. It could work.
I have a video here. It is from the very start of my skate session this morning. (I feel weird recording myself. I just want to be free... but I do like editing videos... so I force-film myself.) You can see I still fall off my skateboard and dance. This video is before I started doing my ollies to the music. I was going to get a whole part choreographed and film it, but more kids were in the playground and I felt weird. I also thought, I don't have to do it all in one day. I can add on tomorrow.
One last thought. I thought about hip hop today. Hip hop as a dance form started out more as freestyling, battling, or even social dances. It wasn't the choreographed masterpieces that you see today. And while I see the beauty in freestyle and understand that that is lost in these intricate group choreographies, I know that both are important. I was thinking about this because this would be similar. By setting skate moves to music, the freedom of the style might be lost. However, that made me think, what if there were tasks that we went through - improvisational skate games - that created these different parts or skate lines? Then we just put the pieces together in space. And there is another topic - it could be taken on the road and made site specific. Every live performance would have to be different because of its location. Site specific skate movement choreographed to sound performance = skate-o-graphy.
to be continued...
