Juxtapose

The pieces Michael Clark comes up with always hit me hard and fast.
This one especially resonates with me - maybe because of my NYC punk days or the YO GABBA GABBA freshness set-wise. Either way, check it out and maybe let it simmer for a bit.

I Like Fosse - could you tell?

Duh.

Creative Responsibility

The Creative Responsibility of the Artist

1) To expose themselves
in an honest and true manner

2) To expose others
to new concepts and experiences

3) To constantly learn & soak & sample
Remixing life as you wade through it is the reason we create!

4) To be able to teach with AND without words
A symbol, a feeling, an energy

What do you consider to be the creative responsibilities of the artist?

A Few Important things to hold...

In Your Head & Your Heart

1)BE performance ready at all times.

2)BE performance ready at all times!
[This includes show-face, hair, costuming - stay bright, gather greatness]

3)Nerves don't own your heART.

4)Listen to your body - don't break anything!

5)Don't begin a spectacle until it's time.

6)Keep it clean!
[Don't let energy, nerves or excitement trick you into utilizing sloppy form]

7)Technique! Technique! Technique!
[Don't fall into the trap of playing robot. The masses love you for the you you bring to the mix]

8)Don't share empty works - the audience can tell when a piece has no soul behind it.
[What are you trying to translate or emote?]

9)Stretch your body-Stretch your belly-Stretch your mind.
[Your art is your art, so know the history of it, the ins and outs of what it takes to perform it
and how to teach it. Your soul will fly as you give it room to]

10)People will ALWAYS be impressed...why wouldn't they be? You're gifted!
The trick is...to impress yourself.

El Circo fashion show

Dudes...totally in love with the aesthetic. A little fantasy - a little goth - a little fetish - a little french clown action. I dunno what to say outside of I love it and I hope you love it too. Cricket's on point with this one. It's uuuber sexy and kind of grotesque without being uncomfortable or cliche.

This gives me the idea to have someone in full body paint - the last female on earth perhaps? a pet maybe? - strapped to the trees by sparkly elastic. She'd be a nice "filler" in between acts for the festie - showcasing her flexibility and general madness whilst trapped in the trees.

I'm way down with makeup. And costuming is a serious matter.
What do other folks think?

Zebra Stripes

Thanks Cricket!



Sooo...as far as execution of the concept...methinks we can get a little more original than just stretching the fabric but as for the idea -- seen it a million times and I'm always stoked on it!

Let's totally play with this one!

Fun with Barbie!

HEADBAND?

Fly Pants

Speaking of ruffles and dynamic pantaloons - check this cool style element out!
They call them fly pants. I wonder how simple it would be to replicate something like this!

Ruffles & Stripes!

I urge everyone to examine and play with archetypal circus styles in non-conventional ways. This way - there will exist an underlying vibration of "alternative performance entity" without being atypical.

I think we already do a decent job of this anyway - but you know...for the sake of the blog and keeping things together and organized I thought it would be a good idea to post about this one.

Some traditional circus elements include ruffles, high contrast color, and stripes. I don't know why - but stripes do have a way of flattering the body when used properly - a short person can come out taller, a thicker build thinner, if stripes are appropriated in the correct manner. Definitely a dancer's best friend when trying to achieve interesting shapes and illusions with the body's form.

Ruffles on the other hand, accentuate line and give depth. Around the neck, a ruffle can draw attention to the collarbone or cleavage, at the ankle, it can create more movement and flow while the leg is in motion.
In an attempt at "costumizing" or exaggerating this classic style - I propose we include these elements when we can!

Dress Styles

Here are some modern takes on the dress steez of the Roaring 20s. Personally, I'm interested in pursuing the pastel number in more psyphy colors. The more electric/fluorescent the better!

But here are the keywords: plunging lines, head accessories, delicate details!

Dior brings...

Here are some roaring 20s inspired fashions from Dior and friends. Dunno about you, but I'm absolutely in love with the look in the bottom photo, far right. Very Fosse and yet the animal print on the hat makes it spectacle worthy! Smokey eyes = super engaging and optimal for nighttime staged events.

Could this be along the lines of what we're looking for?

Oh - Logo!

Art appreciation time! - This is the main rendition of the logo for Counter Culture Collective.
Think about this - what does it suggest to you?

The designer (our very own Milkman the contortionist) worked really hard to imply movement and urban arts with this one. I also think there's the twinkle of mystery that lurks in the color and composition.

Whilst developing our aesthetic - it is important to keep in mind our branding, in order to maintain a feel of consistency for our audience. This branding will act as the theme to be used on stationary, resumes, hoodies, stickers - you name it!

Interested in your thoughts on how to work with this old/new element.



Counter Culture Collective branding by Evan Rosen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Clara Bow Pt. II

What strikes me despite being seemingly all covered up, de-accentuating the female form, is that this era was an era of play - of gesture - of implication. Check out the glamour within the plunging back line and the way of the starlet robe!

Definitely brings to mind some ideas on teasing your audience and also, if nothing else, capturing that mature spirit we said we were looking for.
Nowadays, there is often confusion between sexuality and sensuality.
What do you think about the parallels one might draw between sensuality, gesture/implied movement, and a "mature" stage persona?

Clara Bow.

Sweet, loveable Clara Bow - one of the most well known silent film stars of her time.
Amazing resource for the aesthetic we're looking to build off of. Keep in mind as you browse these photos, how we can adopt and modify these looks for our purposes.

Something that comes to mind for me - is that the Roaring 20s was a period where the female figure was downplayed quite a bit. Though skirts and dresses were the norm, they were often at calf length or longer - kind of a bummer if you're a dancer trying to showcase your lines and legs.

Not entirely impossible to work through technical hybrid choreography whilst covered up in this manner...Isadora Duncan is a pioneer in modern and improvisational dance technique who very often was donned in similar designs.

P-Funk.

Ok - discussion time! Here is a photo of the members of Parliament Funkadelic. Looking at all of their gear, what do you see in the way of cohesion? What makes them stand out as a GROUP as opposed to as individuals? Does the type of art they create even call for group cohesion?

What can we learn from these particular style elements?

Eye's On You Kid!

Eyes - one of the most important features for a performer to accentuate. No eye make-up during showtime gives you a washed out, expressionless face. Too much makes the face look sloppy and takes away from the movement quality.

While club atmospheres lend to the smokey-eyed look due to the darkness and the disco lighting, I think it may be a good idea to play around with textures and color as well - giving us more of that dynamic pop! that will assist in setting us apart from the other party-goers.

Fake Lashes - Feathers - Rhinestones - Fake Flowers - Glitter - Eye Shadow - Liner

Pt. II

More headgear for your dome!

And What Do We Put On Our Heads? Pt. I

So during our first rehearsal we tried to come up with a few things that would set us apart aesthetically from what we have seen around as of late. We talked about the certain qualities our own personal styles held and how we could bring them all together to form some sort of cohesion...essentially defining us as a unit - not just a bunch of hot girls with 'tude.

Just a recap:
~ Paige: FUNK.
Parliament Funkadelic - glamour - disco

~ Amanda: CLASSIC.
Vintage aesthetic, 20s, 30s, 40s feeling - slight androgyny - polished look that speaks
maturity.

~ Mojo: PSYPHY.
Neon colors - re appropriation of old school motifs - edgy...almost bordering macabe
despite the color - utilization of couture styled elements/props that seem larger than
life.

~ K-Doll: INDIVIDUALITY.
Room for each of us to be who we are, despite wearing similar designs.

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What I thought was pretty wicked here was that on the surface, it seems as if none of these things go together. Much like the difference in our dance trainings. However, upon closer inspection - we already own the elements and the smarts to create a bomb mash-up.

Between the over the top way we don ourselves to party -- to the way we alter everyday apparel to simultaneously look polished and performance ready...I feel that we're already well on our way to creating something of a masterpiece collection.

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ALSO

Taking a closer look at Amanda's ideas on the classic aesthetic - it seems as if we're right on time! Capturing the essence of the prohibition era - the spirit that came out of the Great Depression - seems like it makes all too much sense, seeing as how we're currently in a bit of an economic fall-out and a shift in thinking...our generation returning to the ways of busking and traveling performance entities.

I feel like this motif gives us plenty of leeway because in many ways it also encompasses the "speakeasy" vibe, organized crime, whiskey and pearls...and if we wanna get totally carny about it...the dustbowl chic vibe as well.

What do we call this?
Urban Contemporary? Gypsy Funk? TommyGunn Royale?
Doesn't Matter - without further adieu, I give you the goods!