Finally, I’ve found a plugin/widget that allows users to connect their social network account (Facebook, Myspace, Twitter etc) to my WordPress blog. I’m still in the early development (learning) stages so please bear with me as I tweak and refine the admin side of things.

For anyone who’s the slightest bit interested in getting their fingers into this sort of code here’s a link to the WordPress plugin I’m using: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/gigya-socialize-for-wordpress/. However you may want to take a look at what’s required for the setup before you dive in http://wiki.gigya.com/030_Gigya_Socialize_API_2.0/050_Socialize_Plugins/Wordpress_plugin.

Part of the Gigya Socialize set up requires getting a Social Network Application key for each social network you want users to connect to your blog through. I spent some time (40min) setting up a Facebook Application (Annette Walker’s blog) to get up and running straight away, but you can fill out a form on the Gigya website to do all this for you (5 business days). I’m filling out the form to get other Social Network Application keys (for Myspace, LinkedIn, Yahoo and one for when I join Twitter). In the meantime users can login to comment on blog posts through Facebook only (login available in the sidebar on the right).

Comments are allowed on this post so give it ago!

The LUTSF supports travel to attend a conference, to pursue a research project or undertake a short course of study in the field of movement or dance. For further details of how and when to apply go to www.lutsf.org.uk

It’s certainly proving to be good year so far when it comes to my professional development project in tap dance.

Annette Walker be covering for Junior Laniyan’s Rhythm Tap classes at Pineapple Dance Studios from Saturday 9th January until early February 2010.

Every Saturday, 2-3pm (Starts back 9 Jan 2010)

Level: Intermediate-Advanced

Cost: £6 + membership
(See www.pineapple.uk.com for details)

Address:
Pineapple Studios,
7 Langley Street, London,
WC2H 9JA

Tel: +44(0)20 7836 4004

As well as the latest news about me, including the latest on my ADAD Trailblazer Fellowship, there’s a post about my first Glastonbury Festival experience and a summary of my journal for the first part of 2009.

For a full list of all categories see Blog categories in the sidebar on the right.

Today I attended the Service and reception of A Celebration for the Life of James Maddison Clark (23rd July 1922 – 30 October 2009) in Dunstable. The service was held at the gorgeous Priory Church in Dunstable at 12.30pm. Jimmy’s close brother Steve, members of his family, friends and those whose lives he had touched filled the church to attend the service and show their love and support. It was a beautiful and moving service with hymns, prayers, a reading and tributes to Jimmy from his family and members of The Grand Order of Water Rats.

As well as refreshments the reception provided the space for old friends to catch up, new friends to meet. Old memories and stories were shared and new ones created, all under the shadow of Jimmy’s living memory. Steve was sure Jimmy would have been pleased at the proceedings and had a warm and giving smile, though touched by sadness.

Before leaving Dunstable for the 2 hour drive back to London I went, with several tap friends, to visit Jimmy’s grave. We soon realised that it might turn into an impossible task with the fading light and lack of directions. But whilst walking through the cemetary, amongst the many burial sites and plots and having no idea where we needed to go, we somehow found ourselves at Jimmy’s grave. After paying respects we headed back to our cars whilst reflecting on the seemingly miraculous occurence of actually finding Jimmy’s final resting place in the early dark and cold of a November evening.

I plan to use this opportunity for research and development in tap and jazz music practice, and also towards building an independent tap and live music group. This project idea had been floating around in my head for sometime but things started to fall into place when I first sat down and wrote out my plans earlier this year before I found out about the bursary. Writing the proposal helped me to refine the project idea and had already made up my mind that I would make a start even before I had applied.

One of the tasks I assigned myself to compliment my continuing professional development as a tap dancer was to take up playing the piano again so I could expand my jazz musical prowess! Grateful for all those classical piano lessons and grades I did until I was 19 (plus a short introduction to jazz I did back in 2002) I was able to sign up to an Intemediate Blues Piano course at Goldsmiths College.

I’ll be keeping an online journal on the details and progress of my project over the next few months so keep an eye out under the blog sub-category Trailblazer Fellowship. I’ll also be blogging about how the piano lessons are going and the first entry is Blues Piano 29 September – 9 November 2009.

Find out about ADAD’s Trailblazer Fellowship

I’m always open to new ideas so when London-based poet, writer, producer and DJ Charlie Dark contacted me in May 2009 to find out if I’d be interested in taking a part in a performance based on experimental collaborations at The Albany in October I accepted the offer. At first there was speculation that I would collaborate with a poet (my partner happens to be a poet) but when it turned out that my partner was not available I suggested to Charlie that I could work with a musician.

Within a few weeks Charlie called me back to let me know he had found a great drummer for with me – Soliheen. It was only after the conversation had ended that I realised I had no idea what kind of performance to do with just tap and a drummer. So this was a new challenge for me and I was a little nervous.

Now Charlie was happy for Soliheen and I to jam on the night of the event and see what happened but I wanted to have a session before the event. So the evening before the Word Sound Power event I met Soliheen for the first time. (The world is small and it turns out that not only had Soliheen worked with my partner several years ago but that he is going out with a friend of mine so he knew a little about me.)

The Albany technician was great in setting up a the tap performance area for me and Soliheen’s kit all set we were ready to jam. After a quick call to Charlie to check a few details I realised I had a 30 minute set (it seemed I had forgotten this small detail), so I worked with Soliheen for a couple of hours in the studio at The Albany to develop some ideas. By the end of the evening I had a rough idea of what we would do but since it was a jam there was nothing set in stone – I had rough idea on how to start the jam but decided to trust our instincts on how it would develop on the night!

Well the event was finally upon us and despite my calm exterior I was extremely nervous. It was the longest set I had ever done with the smallest number of performers – just 2. But the beauty about improvisation is that you never know what’s going to happen. It’s about the risk. At first I was certain that we couldn’t fill 30 minutes and keep it interesting – for ourselves or the audience – but on the contrary it was quite the opposite. In fact I had told Charlie we only had about 20min and so the plan was to include a Q&A after our peformance.

As it turned out the jam went really well for both myself and Soliheen and I was relieved to find the audience had also enjoyed it. In fact it went so well I had Albany staff telling me how they’d heard good things about it when I visited the venue for another event a week later – and that was by people who hadn’t seen it!

Obviously not all experiements have happy endings but when you have good people to work with the odds are higher. So thanks to Charlie for the great opportunity, and to Soliheen for his hardwork, patience and great drumming.

Dec 2008 – Feb 2009 – On tour
I was away, tap dancing on tour in Europe and Russia. It was hard work but fun times despite the intense travel schedule and a few hiccups including getting stuck in a barrel during a performance, and nearly being kidnapped with a friend by a crazy taxi driver in Russia! Thankfully we were in a group and had other friends to prevent us being whisked away. Whilst on tour I was looking forward to coming home but when I got home I found I missed being on tour with all my tour buddies. Doh!

March 2009 – Get my acts together
Now recovered from tour and back in London I created a new dance and aerial training schedule for myself. This was me time to work on both my tap and silks projects.

April 2009 – Spain
I spent several days working as a dance judge for a sports festival in Spain. With a few thousand British uni students there for the festival taking part in various sports and dance activities it was certainly an interesting experience. I made the most of being by the sea and stayed on a few days in Spain for a holiday although it rained alot.

June 2009 – Glastonbury Festival
This was my first festival camping experience and my first festival gig. It didn’t exactly go smoothly to begin. First there was a delay in the set up for the circus performance. Then my friends and I had to spent an afternoon moving with all our stuff – inbetween the down pours of rain – to a quieter campsite where we might get some sleep at night. It all worked out in the end. We got to perform and got some sleep!

I drove back to London (3-4hrs drive) and made my way to the London Tap Jam to do the renegade stage and jam. It was nice to jam with some old tap friends from tour that were visiting. Then a couple of days later, still exhausted from Glasto, I managed to muster enough energy for a tap performance at the private view for the Jazzonia & the Harlem Diaspora exhibition. It took a while to recover from everything and get cracking with training/rehearsing.

July 2009 – Pop!
Rehearsing my aerial silks act for a gig, I managed to pop a rib midroll in a Double Curly Wurly. Very painful. So I missed out on performing (both silks and other tap gigs), missed out on an interesting audition opportunity and spent my birthday resting. I’m recovering, no longer in pain and looking forward to my rib healing extra strong. Oh and looking forward to going on my summer holiday before returning to my activities later next month.

This year has been great so far and the rib cracking drama makes the good time extra memorable. I’ve enjoyed making new friends, reuniting with old friends, catching up with family and all the lovely parties and events there have been.

I had a great time. I travelled to the festival with Hangar Arts Trust, AirTime circus artists Danilo, Gemma, Clara & Alcina in my little Peugeot 206 in true contorted fashion with all our stuff and camping gear. I’m not sure how we all fit but somehow we made it work. Fun times!

Highlights:
- Sunshine
- Finding random, small bands
- Dancing
- Fun activities with fun circus people
- Chilling outdoors (although I needed hayfever tablets)
- Watching other circus acts
- Finding the quieter crew camp site
- Meeting lovely people
- Performing in Bassline Circus tent at Shangri-La

Lowlights:
- Porta loos
- Showers too hot or too cold
- Rain, mud and dirt
- 2 days delay before rigging and performance – bit of stress and missed the big stage gigs but all went well in the end!
- Noisy campsite with drunk people falling onto tent so having to spend Friday afternoon moving to a quieter campsite after the rain
- Slightly damp and cramped tent
- 2x 30-40min walk to car with heavy bags
- Leaving a day early