Dance: Olivia Rodrigo - Happier

 Choreography: Loriane Cateloy-Rose

via Loriane Cateloy-Rose

SXSW 2022 Favorites

SXSW 2022 was extremely special. For one: two years ago, the City of Austin and Travis County canceled the event because of the unknown COVID-19 pandemic. This devastated not only music artists and fans, but also the local economy. 

So, this year, it was somewhat of a renaissance. An emergence of new sound and fashion. A revival.

I got to see Jackie Venson play at Central Machine Works in East Austin. It was freaking cold to the point, during the performance, the soul singer said, "I can't feel my fingers." She then accepted the challenge and continued to play an amazing show.

Jackie Venson (@jackievenson)

via Jackie Venson

The cool think about SXSW week is that artists will play a condensed show featuring their hottest songs. This gives audience a snapshot of their work in 45 minute sets. 

Hotel Vegas and Volstead Lounge in East Austin provides perhaps the best venue to watch three sets at the same time. In other words, if you get tired of a sound, you can move and listen to a different band at another stage.

There were a couple of bands where I stayed listening through the whole set. One of those bands was Annabelle Chairlegs. Singer Lindsey Mackin's strong voice and guitar riffs along with the rest of the band made the show enjoyable.

Annabelle Chairlegs (@annabellechairlegs)

via Annabelle Chairlegs

Another great venue to listen to live music during SXSW week is at the South By San Jose, which is held at the San Jose Hotel parking lot in South Austin. 

Mini Trees, a band out of California, caught my attention. Described on their Facebook page as "living room pop," the voice of Lexi Vega filled with the sound from the band is nostalgic. I quickly added Mini Trees to my audio playlist. 

Mini Trees (@minitreesband)

via Mini Trees

Perhaps one of the most entertaining show I experienced during SXSW week was held at Central Machine Works in East Austin with drag queens, LGBTQ+ artists. Austin pop artist Kady Rain was one I absolutely loved watch perform from the very start of her set. Her song "Crooked," which is about an ex-boyfriend's crooked penis, had me laughing and then singing along. 

Kady Rain (@kadyrain)

via Kady Rain Official

There were so many other bands I enjoyed during SXSW week from the indie soul sound of Kendra Sells and BluMoon, folk pop sound from singer-songwriter Marta Casanova and MAVICA, indie rocker Matthew Logan Vasquez, queer southern rock band Thelma & The Sleaze lead by badass Lauren "LG" Gilbert, soul and rock sound of S.G. Goodman, and the punk industrial sound of Jonathan Horstmann and Urban Heat to the fun sound of Benjamin Violet and Pelvis Wrestley.

BluMoon (@blumoontx)

via BluMoon TX

MAVICA (@iammavica)

via MAVICA

Matthew Logan Vasquez (@matthewloganvasquez)

via Matthew Logan Vasquez

Thelma & The Sleaze (@thelmaandthesleaze)

via Thelma Sleaze

S.G. Goodman (@s.g.goodman)

via S.G. Goodman

Urban Heat (@urbanheatmusic)

via Urban Heat

Pelvis Wresley (@pelvis_wrestley)

via Pelvis Wrestley

Others: 

Billy Glitter

Fake Fruit Band

AntennaTheEnd

Strawberry Guy

Nuevo Musica

Fashion is DEFINITELY Art: On Aura Tout Vu Couture Spring/Summer 2022

Designers: Livia Stoianova and Yassen Samouilov

via Fashion Feed

Harry Houdini

Acting Appreciation

At some point in our lives, the name "Houdini" has come up in conversation.  Usually following some sort of unexplained escape, "Who do you think you are, Houdini?"

Born on March 24, 1874, Harry Houdini, born Erik Weisz, was known as an escape artist, illusionist, stunt performer, and actor. He took the pseudonym Harry Houdini after his spiritual master, French magician Robert-Houdin. 

Houdini was born in Budapest, Kingdom of Hungary to a Jewish family. At age 4, he and his family immigrated to the United States and settled in Appleton, Wisconsin. 

At nine years old, Houdini made his public début as a trapeze artist, Ehrich, the Prince of the Air."

As a teenager, Houdini was coached by magician Joseph Rinn, before beginning his magic career in 1891. He performed in dime museums--entertainment centers targeted for the working class--sideshows, and circuses. His act was at first card tricks and close-up magic but then moved to escape acts.

In 1894, he and his brother, Dash, performed at Coney Island as The Brothers Houdini. Dash was then replaced by Wilhelmina Beatrice "Bess" Rahner, who became Houdini's wife. Bess would work as Houdini's assistant throughout his career.

In 1899, his escape acts were recognized and he was booked on the Orpheum vaudeville circuit. Vaudeville is a French theatre variety show. 

The next couple of decades, Houdini would trill spectators with performances where he freed himself from jails, handcuffs, chains, ropes, straitjackets, and buried alive. I'm sure I left some performances out.

English comedian Alan Davies explores Harry Houdini in a short documentary for Timeline.

via Timeline

Source: Wikipedia, Youtube

Ruslan Miru: Mojocat - Cосуд

 Film director: Ruslan Miru

via Ruslan Miru Film Director

Dorothy Tennant

Art Appreciation

Born on March 22, 1855, Dorothy Tennant was an English painter of the Victorian era Neoclassicism, illustrator, and author. 

Married to Sir Henry Morton Stanley, the Welsh-American explorer, she studied painting under Edward Poynter at the Slade School of Fine Arts in London and Jean-Jacques Henner in Paris. 

Leap Frog

L'Amour Blesse 

Suspiria

Sources:

Wikipedia, Christies.com, Artnet.com

Dance: B-Hybrid Dance - 'Just Movement'

Choreography by Brian Gillespie

via B-Hybrid Dance