Archive for the ‘Persistence’ Category
Practice Tonight, Concert Tomorrow
This week, I obviously haven’t blogged very much, and there’s a reason for that.
You see, even though I’m still far more “off” than “on” and have little energy due to being sick for nearly three months in a row, I was asked months ago to play a concert tomorrow evening at the Case High School theatre in Racine, Wisconsin with the Racine Concert Band. (I regularly play with the RCB, but mostly in the summer months.)
And of course, at the time, I said yes.
When this concert’s first rehearsal came up a few weeks ago, I told them that I was still recovering from bronchitis and that a new therapy had been started. (True.) I had hopes the new therapy would help, but I didn’t know how long that it would take to restore my energy level to the point where I could play. So I said at that point that I’d prefer not to play this concert — not because I didn’t want to play, but because I feared I would be completely and totally unable to play.
An aside: My degrees are in music performance, mostly. (My Bachelor’s of Arts from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside had enough credits that I could’ve taken a degree beyond music, had I wished, and I certainly had enough credits for both an English and history minor, if Parkside did minors. But I didn’t.) So performing music in front of people, no matter how terribly I feel at the time, is what I’ve trained for my entire life.
This is why, when the RCB wasn’t able to get a substitute clarinet player — they thought they had one, but that person backed out — I decided to play the concert and the subsequent rehearsals, even knowing that the rehearsals would take a good deal of my available energy along with my available concentration, and also would keep me from blogging very much or doing much in the way of editing, either.
Of course, there’s no guarantee even without playing this concert, as lousy as I’ve felt, that I’d have been able to do that much more. I’ve been told that I’m exhausted for the past five or six months, including before I was diagnosed in mid-April with acute bronchitis. And while for a time I was able to keep “bulling through” and accomplishing what I needed to accomplish as a writer, editor and musician, after that bronchitis hit me I had nothing left to “bull through” with.
What I’m trying to do now is to manage the exhaustion, get as much rest as I possibly can, and to limit stress. These are not easy things for me to do at all, but because I was able to do some of them, plus that medical therapy I discussed before (basically I’m taking twice as much of one type of medicine as before in order to limit acid reflux, as reflux plays into both bronchitis and asthma), I’ve been able to play the rehearsals and will play tomorrow’s concert. (Well, tonight‘s concert, as it’s clicked over past midnight as I’ve been editing this.)
Now, am I playing very well right now? In my own personal (and professional) estimation, no, I’m not. I’m at about fifty, maybe sixty percent of what I’m capable of when I’m healthy. (And that’s not what I’m capable of when I’m at the top of my game, mind you — that’s just when I’m healthy and able to play.) So I’ve been able to completely learn the parts, which is good, but I’m not able to fully play them, which isn’t.
What I’m doing to compensate for the areas I can’t play is to take longer breathing breaks than normal, so I don’t get too tired out to play. (I’ve also been smart about taking my asthma inhaler and such, as there’s no need to be any more stupid than I must.) And if I have to, I take things in two- or four-measure chunks . . . whatever it takes in order to play the music as written, at least as much of it as I’m able to play at this time.
But the band knew this. The conductor knew this. And they still wanted me to play.
Which is why I will take the stage and do my best on May 16, 2013, at 7:30 p.m. out at Case High School in Racine. The RCB has one “combined piece” with the Case High School’s best and/or senior class musicians, plus four other pieces by Robert Ward, Germaine Tailleferre, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Percy Grainger. The “big piece” is Tailleferre’s “Suite Divertimento,” written in 1977. It’s a mixture of 20th century French and Renaissance idioms, and if we play it as well as we’re capable of, it should be most impressive.
However, the piece I actually enjoy the most is “Prairie Overture” by Robert Ward. Ward is an underrated American composer who died in April at the age of 95, and his piece was written in 1957 for concert band and was only later transcribed by Ward for the orchestra. (Usually a composer writes for orchestra first and band later, if at all, which is why the concert band repertoire consists of so many arrangements.) This piece sounds both American and Western in flavor and style, but has some unique orchestration throughout that was Ward’s trademark.
I’m uncertain how many people in Racine even know about my blog, much less read it regularly. But if you live in Racine and you enjoy real, live music played by real, live musicians, you owe it to yourself to get yourself out to Case High School on Thursday night and hear these pieces for yourself.
As for my plans for after the concert, I plan to take it very slowly until I regain some more energy or strength, even though I really hate having to do so. The medical people I’ve consulted have all told me that since it took months to wreck my health, it’ll take months for me to regain the energy I no longer have. And the only way to regain that energy is to be smart, stay within myself, and try not to push myself overmuch.
All I can do right now is promise that I’ll do things as I’m able, as my health allows. This wasn’t a situation I’d expected to get into by any means, so I have no “playbook” in order to help me get back out of it.
That’s why you may, or may not, see regular blogs from me over the summer months as I do my best to slowly regain my health, strength and stamina. But if I’m able, I’ll continue to comment on whatever strikes my fancy, just as I’ve always done, in the hopes that it’ll intrigue you. Inflame you.
Or at least keep you amused. (Whatever works.)
Saturday Odds and Ends (May 2013)
Folks, there’s a number of things to cover, but I have only a limited amount of time to cover ’em all. So let’s get started with a shameless plug, shall we?
Since you already know about HOW BEER SAVED THE WORLD, please check it out. I would really appreciate it. (Links available in the prior post.)
Next, due to my health continuing to be problematic at best, I won’t be reviewing anything at Shiny Book Review this week. I do hope to review two books by Karen Myers — good, solid fantasies about fox-hunting, dogs, and just a bit of the Wild Hunt for good measure — very soon. I also have books by Ash Krafton and Chris Nuttall that I’ve read and am pondering, but am not quite ready to review . . . anyway, I plan to review these four books as soon as I can, starting with at least one book by Karen Myers next week over at SBR. So please, stay tuned.
As for everything else . . . my favorite baseball team, the Milwaukee Brewers, lost a heartbreaker at home this afternoon to the St. Louis Cardinals, 7-6. The Brewers had tied the game in the bottom of the 8th on a suicide squeeze, perfectly executed by Nori Aoki, so things looked as if the Brewers might actually be able to win against the Cardinals at home. Unfortunately, when Brewers closer Jim Henderson entered in the top of the ninth, he ended up giving up a run partly because he didn’t hold his runners on base very well. Had he done a bit better at that, the Brewers and Cardinals might still be in extras right now, tied with a score of 6-6, because Henderson pitched well aside from that.
A health update: I continue to have problems with what I’ve been told are “the remnants of bronchitis.” Because I have asthma, these remnants continue to cause me to feel completely wiped out. I’m able to concentrate better, providing I continue to rest much more than usual, and I have been able to resume work on a difficult edit in progress. I’m also thinking about various stories and worked on one of them, albeit in prose notes form only (no dialogue, a couple of brief character sketches, and scene setting), earlier today.
So that’s progress, of a sort. But it is slow.
I just have to remember that even incremental progress is still progress. And that it’s important that I keep trying . . . as if I could ever forget.
Anyway, there were a number of other stories that caught my eye this week — Howard Kurtz getting fired from the Daily Beast due to a factual inaccuracy in an article Kurtz wrote about NBA basketball player Jason Collins (Kurtz said initially that Collins didn’t explain that he’d actually been engaged to a woman for eight years, which wasn’t true — in Collins’ first-person Sports Illustrated piece, Collins clearly says that he was engaged to a woman. Kurtz’s newspaper made a correction later, saying that Collins had “downplayed” his engagement instead, which makes more sense, but apparently Kurtz himself did not make this correction.), Harper Lee suing to regain her own copyright for TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD due to what appears to be an unscrupulous agent giving her bad advice in order to profit himself, and, of all things, a second grade teacher in Colorado who taped the mouths of her twenty-eight students shut. She’s currently on paid administrative leave as, apparently, doing this to her twenty-eight students is not considered a crime in Colorado.
I’d love to write about those three things — any, or better yet, all. But right now is not the time, as I continue to have problems drawing a full breath. As long as this condition persists, my energy level is just not going to be what it should no matter how strong my will is that wishes it otherwise.
At any rate, all I can do is to get up every day and try my best. I’m doing that.
My hope is that I’ll be able to feel better soon and do much more of what I’m accustomed to doing — writing, editing, and playing music (I can’t do the last at all, and it’ll probably be at least a few more weeks before I can even make an attempt, considering) — rather than how I feel right now: more than a tad guilty for leaving three juicy blog subjects on the cutting room floor, all because my health just won’t allow me to do them justice right now.
Editorial Ramblings
Before I get into this long-overdue blog about my actual profession (writing and editing), let me say something important:
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!
Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s talk about editing.
Because I’ve been doing so much editing lately, I’ve had trouble snapping out of “editor mode” and back into whatever mode I’m in when I write. This makes it more difficult to write blogs — even short ones — as much of my energy is being applied elsewhere.
The ability to write words is something I’ve called the “alpha state,” also known as the best place to be for a writer. This is when words flow naturally, and it’s seemingly easy to tell a story. I say “seemingly” because once you’re in the editing phase, you realize how much more work there is yet to do.
That’s why I thought today might be a good day to say a few specific words about editing. Because even though I’ve not specifically talked much about editing, it’s an extremely important part of any writer’s job whether you call yourself a “writer/editor” or not.
Writers often consider editors to be a “necessary evil” even if they, too, are editors. This is one of the odder things about the whole “writing/editing” profession; you don’t start editing unless you know something about writing, and you also don’t start editing unless you really enjoy writing (or at the very least, enjoy reading).
Yet the myth of the “Evil Editor” can’t help but persist, especially among writers who are just starting out or those who haven’t worked with many editors over time. I don’t know how this myth got started, but it really needs to come to an end. Pronto.
I can guarantee to you that, as an editor, I don’t go out of my way to cause trouble for writers. I understand writers (I should, because I am one), and I also understand the worry that an editor possibly won’t understand what you’re writing, and thus won’t be of any use to you.
For those extremely nervous writers out there (I won’t call you “nervous Nellies,” as at least some of your nerves are justifiable, if not actually justified), you need to remember that a good editor helps you clarify your thoughts and clean up your manuscript. Editors exist to help writers, to help polish up that gem of a story you have that’s ready to go out into the big, wide world — otherwise, what would be the point?
I mean, if editors were out there hoping for “perks,” the profession would’ve died out long ago.
Smart writers want editors to look over their work and give suggestions for improvement — at least, I know I want as much editorial help as I can find. Because while my writing is sound, and my ideas are fresh, why not run it by an editor and make my book even better?
Also, remember that even if you, the writer, don’t always agree with your editor, usually some sort of consensus can be reached if the lines of communication remain open. And if you’re willing to trust in the process — and not just eschew all editing because your book is perfect as it is, thank you.
Bottom line? You need to stop fearing the editor, or at least fearing the editorial process. Because your editor — whomever he or she may turn out to be — can help you improve your manuscript.
And really, isn’t that what it’s all about?
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Note: For those of you who would prefer not to deal with editors, and think your work is perfect as it stands, thank you very many — I have news.
It isn’t.
We all need editing. Every single last solitary one of us.
So rather than fearing the editorial process, or worse, disdaining it as unnecessary, you need to work with it.
Because it’s part of being a professional writer.
And if you’re in this business to be an obnoxious boor, and are insistent that you do not need editing or editors because you are perfect in every conceivable way and the words you’ve written don’t need editing because of your self-same perfection . . . and you then proceed to denigrate editors and editing whenever you can . . . all I can say to you is this:
Grow up. (Seriously.)
Finished and Sent Off a Short Story
While I remain more under the weather than not — and boy, am I tired of having to write those words — I was able to complete a short story and send it off to an anthology over the weekend. (For those of you also on Facebook who’ve seen my recent status updates, this is the same story I discussed on Friday evening.)
Mind you, this is the first short story I’ve written in at least four months. And as such, I’m pleased with it.
Of course, as with just about all of my shorter efforts, my story has a plot that would probably better befit a novel. And I’ve already had one offer from a friend to help me turn it into just that down the line, so I guess there must be some promise in it.
Let us hope the anthology editor thinks so as well, whether she is able to buy it or not. (I take all the reassurance I can get.)
As far as everything else . . . you might be wondering why I checked both “remembrance” and “persistence” with regards to this post as far as categories go. It’s simple: the reason I came up with this particular short story has a great deal to do with my (deceased) good friend Jeff Wilson. In this newest of my short stories, I showed an unlikely friendship between a human and an alien and how many things were left unspoken between the pair that seemed to be in complete accord.
Then something happens where the alien is no longer able to speak for himself. (I know aliens don’t have to be male or female, but in this case this particular alien is male. So let’s go with it, shall we?)
The human friend does her best to figure out what’s going on even though her alien friend is no longer available to discuss all the options with her. And she solves a mystery — or perhaps comes up with a new one — while vowing all the while to never, ever forget her friend.
As I said, this story was prompted because of how much I miss my friend Jeff. It’s not a story that I would’ve come up with otherwise, though I have had a few stories since my late husband Michael’s death that, to one extent or another, were greatly impacted by his passing. (Most of them, to be honest. Save this one.)
I’d like to think that my friend would be honored by the fact that I’ve written this story, even though it’s far from perfect. (I know I shouldn’t say that, as the story hasn’t even been read by the anthology’s editor as of yet. But I tend to think none of my stories are perfect — not even ELFY, though that one comes the closest by miles to what I’d dreamed it should be — which perhaps means I’m being overly perfectionistic again.) I also think he’d be pleased that I’d written a science fiction story — when he had to know I’m more conversant with fantasy — because it means I’m better able to let the story tell me where it wants to go, rather than go where I think it should.
(This last may make no sense to non-writers. But it is still the truth.)
I would like to think that our loved ones — friends, husbands, makes no nevermind — will live on as long as we remember them.
All I know is, I will never forget Jeff Wilson. Not ever.
I just hope he knew that.
And I hope, someday, in some faraway place, that I’ll be able to ask him what he thinks of this story. Because when I wrote it, I thought a great deal about him.
And smiled.
Vinny Rottino Signs with Orix Buffaloes, Will Play in Japan in 2013
Vinny Rottino has found a new baseball home — in Japan.
According to this article written by Peter Jackel of the Racine Journal-Times, Rottino signed a contract with the Orix Buffaloes, a Japanese baseball team based in Osaka and Kobe, Japan, this past Friday. He’s scheduled to meet with a representative of the Buffaloes on Wednesday, and will report to Spring Training on January 21, 2013, in Osaka.
Here’s a quote from the article:
Vinny Rottino’s ultimate reward for grinding out a professional baseball career the last 10 years just might be more than 6,000 miles away.
The latest — and most lucrative — in a long list of baseball destinations for the 1998 St. Catherine’s High School graduate is Japan. The 32-year-old Rottino signed a one-year contract Friday with the Orix Buffaloes, a Nippon Professional team in the Pacific League. The contract guarantees him $350,000 with the potential of another $100,000 in incentives.
Now what’s the most interesting thing to me in all of this was this following quote:
Rottino said he received offers from the Brewers, Chicago White Sox, Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs after the season, but his decision to head overseas was easy.
“I heard it’s awesome in Japan,” Rottino said. “Everyone’s so polite and it’s got a lot to offer, from what I hear.”
Now, the fascination with Japanese baseball makes some sense here, especially from Rottino’s perspective. Rottino steals bases, can gain an infield hit from time to time, plays good and steady defense, and can be relied upon to be professional at all times while still having fun. These are qualities the Japanese league should appreciate.
And the parks, I’ve heard, are a bit smaller, too, so Rottino’s home run and doubles totals should go up (much less his RBI total).
So here I was, worried about where Rottino would go after the Indians DFA’d him, mostly because I was afraid no one would want him in MLB-land due to his age (32). Yet he got four offers.
Including one from the Brewers (yay!).
Of course, as Greg Giesen of the Journal-Times just confirmed at Twitter right now (in answer to my question, “Was this about the money?”), there was a potential problem with these four offers:
@barbcaffrey Yes. His contract is for $350,000. The MLB offers were minor league deals with an chance to make the majors out of spring.
I told Giesen in reply:
@GregGiesenJT Then it makes perfect sense, Greg. I’d have taken the guaranteed money, too. Plus, his style of play may really fit in there.
At any rate, it’s great that Rottino has signed a guaranteed contract worth $350,000 (with another $100,000 in incentives, no less). I wish him much success in Japan . . . and I hope that I’ll be able to figure out how to start translating Japanese baseball’s stat-lines, stat.
Baseball’s Winter Meetings, or, Why Your GM Should Sign Vinny Rottino
On December 3, 2012, the baseball Winter Meetings will be held in Nashville, TN. All thirty major league clubs, plus many minor league teams as well, will be at the Winter Meetings; much will be said, much will be hinted at, and maybe a few deals will be made to the benefit of all and sundry.
My take? I’d like to see one of these MLB GMs actually pick up a player who will help their team in every aspect of the game — Vinny Rottino.
Rottino, you see, is now a free agent. (Again.) Yet he plays many positions, has a winning attitude, and has worked incredibly hard at improving himself and his abilities over the years. And he’s been so good at keeping his body free from injury that even though he’s now chronologically thirty-two years of age, he probably can keep playing at the same level or higher for six or seven more years yet.
Ah, but you’re probably thinking, “Why do you care so much about a guy who has a lifetime major league batting average of .165, Barb?”
I care because Rottino has hit at every level, providing he’s been given a good chance to play every day. And when someone has worked this hard for this long and does have the skills, yet never gets the chance to prove himself, that just doesn’t seem right.
So to all you MLB GMs out there, listen up. Rottino is smart, hard-working, has never taken a performance-enhancing drug of any sort, plays multiple positions and plays them well, and when given a chance has hit at every level. His lifetime minor league stats of .294 with 598 RBI, 82 HR and 116 SBs over ten seasons proves that.
Rather than throwing Rottino out because he’s going to be thirty-three in April of ’13, why not sign him and give him a chance to be in your lineup every day or every other day (as Rottino hits lefthanders particularly well)? Or at least put him on your bench, as Rottino is a capable and versatile defender who can play many, many positions.
As there are some terrible teams out there (such as the Houston Astros, about to go to the American League, or the Miami Marlins after their recent fire sale), it would seem to me that Rottino has more than enough skills to be given a flyer. And once he’s there, it’s quite possible that Rottino will do more than enough to start the season in the major leagues — that is, unless the GMs wish to be ageist and insist that since Rottino’s never done all that well, he never will do all that well, either, because he’s about to turn thirty-three and only the rarest of the rare improve after that age.
That sort of argument is impossible to disprove unless Rottino gets another chance to play somewhere. And since he’s done very, very well at the AAA level (seven years and counting of AAA service), it seems likely that he’ll be offered a minor-league deal with an invitation to Spring Training by some team.
So once again, GMs, I urge you not to be stupid. Sign Vinny Rottino. Know that the minor league players in your system will look up to him. And maybe, just maybe, your other players will learn so much from him that he’ll be like another coach — which to my mind seems like his most likely career option once his playing days are done.
Several years in the future.
Ill Here . . . but Getting Better
Folks, the last week has been quite interesting — at least in the Chinese curse sense of, “May you live in interesting times” — which is why I haven’t blogged in several days.
To be blunt, I’ve been quite ill with the flu and a sinus infection and a number of other things that got kicked up because of that. No new writing has gotten done, and my edits are behind (now three edits are in progress, the two longer-term ones plus a short-term job). And I had to take three days away from my editorial internship, too, which of course doesn’t help anything.
Some days, the minuses definitely seem like more than the pluses, but I have to keep getting up and get whatever done that I possibly can. And if the best I can do is rest? Well, then, I guess I’ll rest with the best of ’em.
At least, as much as I can.
There are some positives to report in the past week, though not a whole lot. I edited a few more chapters of AN ELFY ABROAD (the direct sequel to ELFY). I was able to do my three-hour shift for my internship tonight. I attended the most recent Racine Concert Band rehearsal (for our December 13, 2012 concert at Park High School), and while I didn’t play really well, I also didn’t perform horribly. And I’ve sketched out a few possible scenes for another of my works-in-progress (WIPs for short), while reading at least fifteen books in the past week. (If I had a Kindle or something akin to it, I’d probably have read even more.)
The other things that I’ve noted in the past week or two that I haven’t blogged about:
The Milwaukee Brewers have parted with pitchers Kameron Loe and José Veras, who weren’t the worst relievers on the roster by a mile. I’m waiting to see if the Brewers re-sign either of these pitchers at lower salaries.
Politics is in a holding pattern; everyone’s wondering if the United States Congress will ever learn the meaning of the word “compromise” (much less the words “fiscal restraint”), while the term “fiscal cliff” has dominated the headlines along with the stalwart refusal of Congress to do any work whatsoever.
Wisconsin politics is also in a holding pattern. State Senator Jessica King (D-Oshkosh) has conceded to Republican Rick Gudex of Fond du Lac, and is now an outgoing Senator after losing by only 590 votes. The Republicans regained control of the state Senate; currently, with one seat vacant, the state Senate stands at 17-15.
And there’s no news regarding the “John Doe” probe of Gov. Scott Walker (R) and his aides, except the fact that the probe is continuing. (This wouldn’t even be news except that Walker himself believed that the probe was in its final days.)
Anyway, as I start to feel better, I should be able to do more writing, on this blog and for Shiny Book Review and of course for my works-in-progress. The hope now is to get a book review done for tomorrow night for John Amen and Daniel Y. Harris’s poetry extravaganza THE NEW ARCANA, and another review on Saturday (possibly one of the three-book set by K.E. Kimbriel, as all of them are good, enjoyable novels; if I wait, though, it’s only to do a “two-for-one SBR special”).
So my intentions are to get better, keep writing and editing, and keep posting updates as I have ’em.
Business as usual, no matter how long it takes. (Right?)
Started an Editorial Internship
A few weeks ago, I applied for an editorial internship at a the large sports Web site. The internship is unpaid, but it’s good experience — and I got it. (It started as of Friday evening.)
Note that working for a sports Web site, paid or unpaid, is a distinct challenge. I haven’t ever been called upon to edit so quickly before, much less while learning a new “house style” and all the various rules and regs in the process.
But what is life without a challenge?
However, as there’s only so much time in a day — and I’m already working on two major book edits, one of which is to be completed by November 10 if at all possible — this week my blog definitely suffered the consequences, as aside from this mini-blog right here I’ve only managed to sit down and write one other blog.
Next week, I should be able to do at least a bit more writing. But getting the hang of the new editing internship is the priority right now, right along with the in-process book edits.
But for now, I thought I’d reinforce a few of the well-thumbed messages I’ve received over the years, to wit:
- Follow your dreams wherever they may lead you. Even if your dreams take unwieldy detours. Even if they doesn’t seem to make sense to anyone but you.
- Don’t let anything stop you from the pursuit of your dreams if you know you’re right.
- Don’t be afraid to admit when you’re wrong, as that’s the only way to learn.
- Stay humble, if possible; avoid annoying people unnecessarily, if not.
- Most importantly, hold fast to your dreams no matter what.
All I know is, without dreams, why should we keep trying? And without goals, what would be our motivation?
Our dreams give us purpose. Our dreams give us meaning. And best of all, our dreams can give us hope, which is why if you know you’re right — if you know you have the talent, drive, and ability to learn — you shouldn’t let anyone set your dreams aside for anything.
This is why I tell you to persist. And keep on persisting. Because persistence plus effort plus willingness to learn is the winning strategy no matter what your dream is — and the only way you can access that strategy is to “keep on keepin’ on” in good times, bad times, and just-plain-mediocre times.
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Note: look for my book review of Patricia C. Wrede’s THE FAR WEST over at SBR in the coming days. (If I’m fortunate, it’ll go up sometime Saturday night/Sunday morning. If I’m not — if I’m bogged down with the book edits — then it’ll have to be put back to next Thursday or so.)
Musing about Three Former SYTYCD Champions
I thought tonight, especially as I’m under the weather (see previous blog post), I’d look up a few former “So You Think You Can Dance” champions and see what’s going on with them.
First, I looked up season seven winner Lauren Froderman. She’s been extremely active in the dance world with convention appearances (she dances and teaches), is a student at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, and was an All-Star dancer during season eight of SYTYCD.
If you put Lauren Froderman’s name into any search engine, you’ll find all sorts of notes about her, from YouTube videos to convention appearances. One thing’s for certain — she’s energetic, she loves to dance, and she is a great ambassador for the sport.
As for season two winner Benji Schwimmer, I’ve seen him pop up from time to time on television, mostly due to guest appearances on “Dancing with the Stars” (with his sister and DWTS pro, Lacey). But he, too, has remained active; one of his most high-profile performances was in Washington, D.C., in 2011 with the United States Air Force Band, along with season three winner Sabra Johnson and season one finalist Jamile McGee. And like Ms. Froderman, it’s very easy to see Mr. Schwimmer in action; just put his name into any search engine, and all sorts of videos of his dancing will show up.**
Season three winner Sabra Johnson is a bit harder for a non-dancer like myself to find out information about, but she also appears to have remained active in the sport and continues to dance and teach.
More about these champions is available at this link . . . that should give you some idea as to what these dancers have been up to lately.
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Now to the personal observations. I enjoyed watching season two of SYTYCD mostly because Benji Schwimmer’s story was extremely compelling; here’s this guy who came back from a two-year Mormon mission, nearly didn’t make the show, then wins the whole, frickin’ thing because of his excellent ballroom dancing skills and his obvious joy whenever he danced. Astonishing. (And his sweet friendship with fellow contestant Donyelle Jones certainly didn’t hurt, either.)
Season three was interesting to me mostly because I enjoyed watching Lacey Schwimmer and Danny Tidwell (both finalists; Danny T. came in second), but I also enjoyed Sabra Johnson’s dancing and personal story. Sabra didn’t start dancing until age sixteen; she took to it like a house on fire, and her joy and expressive movement was contagious.
As for season eight, I really liked Alex Wong, but he got injured. Lauren Froderman was the last female contestant standing, and she outlasted all of the men to win; she’s enthusiastic, bubbly, and mastered all the dance styles she was assigned.
Of course, if you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know that I wrote a blog about how I disliked the way the judges framed her win. (One of my most popular blogs I’ve ever written for a strange reason; most of the commentators, especially the recent ones, think I was way too harsh when it came to Lauren Froderman.) It’s important to note that I never disliked her or her dancing. (How could I? I’m astonished by what all of these dancers can do, as dance is decidedly not my talent.) But I definitely disliked the judges.
Mostly, I follow dance because it’s a creative art, it’s a good way for extremely athletic, talented sorts to express themselves, and as a musician, I enjoy seeing what visual artists like dancers can do to bring out the music. I think all three of these winners are creative, talented, and worked very hard for their respective wins.
It’s good to know that they’ve all continued in the sport — granted, it’s been longer since Benji Schwimmer won (six years), or Sabra Johnson won (five years), than Lauren Froderman (two years). But to see all the different references to the conventions Lauren F. has danced/taught at, or all of the videos available on YouTube that feature her, it’s obvious that she deeply enjoys dance and is very, very good at it; she appears to have the energy of any three other dancers, and seems like the type of person who is likely to succeed at anything she tries.
It’s far easier for me to empathize with someone like Benji Schwimmer, who had some ups and downs before he finally hit it big, or Sabra Johnson, due to her late start and compelling personal story, than it is with Lauren Froderman — I’ll readily admit that. But every dancer has to audition; that means every dancer must face rejection no matter how good he or she is or how well he or she knows the choreography.
And that part I can empathize with Lauren F. about, because as a musician, I’ve been there. (Many times.) While musicians don’t have to worry about choreography, we do have to worry about interpretation, how well we sight-read new music, and how quickly we can pick up parts, so there’s at least some cognates there to how quickly any given dancer can pick up the choreography for any given piece.
See, that’s what every SYTYCD winner or finalist has shown he or she can do — these people have the ability to pick up choreography fast, then learn the pieces so well that it seems like they’ve been dancing them all their lives. That’s a rare and special talent, one that very few people have, and it should be embraced.
That’s why it’s good to know that all three of these former champions have continued on with their dancing. They’re doing what they can to give others some of the infectious joy they have when they dance by teaching, choreographing other dance routines, or performing. And that’s great.
In other words — they know they’re talented. They’re using their talents accordingly. And they’re still in demand.
To quote Lawrence Welk: “Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!” (Though of course it sounded like “wunnerful, wunnerful, wunnerful.”)
**And yes, before anyone asks, I know that Benji Schwimmer came out as gay earlier this year. (So what? This impacts his dancing how, again? But I do feel for him and his struggles as a gay man who was raised as a Mormon. He’s since left that faith.)
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