Oh my. They are.

Me: "I'm really getting into this KPOP boy band. Do you know them?"
Celina: "LOL. Yeah, they're famous."
Me: "Oh, they are?"

 

Oh my.  They are.  Coachella 2025, sold-out world tours... 

In retrospect, they would have to be to seep under this rock I live under. The path (maybe not so usual): KPop Demon Hunters --> Kevin Woo (Mystery Saja's singing voice) --> Kevin Woo's AMA Reddit post, and then BAM!.  

Rawr! Like a tiger!

My dance moves aren't "performed" so much as unleashed.

Ballin'

"It's all about that bustle!" Tinkerbell exclaimed, in her faux English accent.  It's rather been a long time since I've actually thought I was deficient in that area... but skirt girth (!) was what was called for.  Oh, and really big moustaches.

Hours earlier, we were at Erik's putting on final touches to costumes and such for the Official Edmonton Steampunk Group's Steampunk Monsters Ball.

Steph, Rem, and I leaned on the side of steampunk, while Erik and Cynthia mixed in monsters.  Amy and Nathan came as Red Riding Hood and Wolf, all with a steampunk spin.

(Left: Our own league of extraordinary gentlemen / Right: And we're not going to take any sass. / Below: But will partake in some whimsy.)

The music and dancing wasn't to start until later, so we stopped for dinner at Under the High Wheel.  We caused more of a spectacle than the penny-farthing climbing up the wall...

The food was delicious, but did take a bit longer than we expected. When we made it to the TransAlta Arts Barn the party was in full swing. The costumes were fabulous - a light up bustle, full face makeup, horns, masks, and incredible dresses!  And if one felt a little under dressed (which I did) one could buy from the vendors corsets, goggles, parasols, amulets, pocket monsters, and others to supplement (which, of course, I didn't).

Rem laughed at me, asking if I planned on taking pictures all night.  A number of people did seem to be there not to "shake [their] tail coats", but I did want to dance.  You, know, once I closed my mouth and put down my camera.

In between the live band, Punch Drunk Cabaret (an incredibly energetic rockabilly swing band), the DJ played a sets of familiar favourites.  Thriller, Time Warp... were popular, but slow numbers cleared the floor.  That was o.k. it meant for a Viennese, Rem and Steph, and me and Amy had the whole place to ourselves.  (My dance with Amy wasn't as successful as I'd liked).

We took in tea in the tea room where we could trade some of our "extras" tickets for a real teacup and refreshments.  Or, what we ended up pooling for: Professional photos!

And then, there was more dancing.  

(Right: Rem commands the dance floor with his walking stick, while Erik was amazingly still upright in his non-breathable costume.) 

It wasn't ballroom, but still I loved it.  Unfortunately, the dancing stopped, multiple times for program items.  I would have liked to dance more, but it was pretty amazing to see the costume contest entrants on parade.  Oh, and the measuring of the Biggest Bustle and Biggest Moustache (winners below).


Afterwards, in our walk back to Erik's, Steph remarked it the dancing could have continued if the costume contest had been moved into the hallway (since the vendors had closed down by then).  And I would have been happier if all the program items had been announced in the hall area, so people knew where to go if they were interested in viewing them (we missed the parasol duels!)

But these were minor things.  I was still really happy to have gone.  A very big thanks to Steph and Rem for this birthday treat.


More photos of the ball here - don't worry, they're not all sepia.

Slang On

"Awks in a box."
"Awks turtle!"

Wendy, Weldon, Vivian, and Lisa laugh away at my bewilderment.  I had no clue what they were saying.  Oh, slang, really, you're for the young.  One explains this at least: they use "bunny" instead of "dude".  (It surprises me that they used "dude".)

As if hip hop class didn't make feel old already*, on the train listening to them, I was completely lost.  At some point I had to reveal just how much older I am.  They don't hold it against me, but I can see they're surprised.  And, maybe they choose their words a little more carefully... 


* Oh, yikes, choreography!  Botafogo hips?  Definitely not.  And kicks?  No, not like in jive! I can't remember what happens next. 

Do it anyway.

I knew I was going to hurt the next day, but I was so happy to have done them anyway:

1. Hip Hop Class "demo": Which turned out to be all-the-things-that-would-be-taught-in-the-first-4-classes crammed into 50 minutes.  It was way more intense and athletic than I expected for a demo.  I was all flailing arms and kicking feet.  But, oh my, that swagger!  It would be the coolest thing if I ever manage to pull it off. 

2. Put plants into the ground: Dig, dig, dig.  Not sure if I waited too late.  Will the my plants be as hardy as the weeds? 

Crawl, Push, and Cadillac Ranch

It was on the school curriculum.  And was played at almost every wedding (probably because of the former).  So, while I'm not really into country line dances, Cadillac Ranch is part of my repertoire.  Watermelon Crawl and Tush Push?  They're completely new to me.

Gisele was instructing the Lunch and Learn class and thought I would pick them up fine.  Um... nope.  Well, the bits that are ballroomy were o.k. step-wise, but oh!  The weight changes and speed!  My foot definitely felt it.

And once back at work, I forgot it all.

Good thing there's youtube.

The Watermelon Crawl:

The Tush Push:

Kind of cool... But, I'm not really willing to put in the time to commit them to muscle memory.  Are these the new curriculum dances?

Kevin is 15.

Movie, pizza, cake, dance video games, and presents - that's what a birthday party is made of. 

The family mostly stayed out of the way of the group of boys that rumbled through the house.  But Paul and I did join in for a couple of rounds of the dance game. 

Everyone is growing up!

Oh right, one can't forget the distain of an older sister. (With really cute nails.) 

 

 

Making Moves

I'm so proud of Celina! 

Last night was her high school's Fine Arts Gala.  I'd been hearing (and reading) about her dance practices, but this was my first chance to see her in action. 

The Citadel's "jungle space" had been set up to display paintings and sculptures.  The Maclab Hall was where the performance arts were featured. 

I'd expected only dance numbers,  but the whole thing kicked off with music from the jazz band.  Ah!  That's Mr. Miller on trumpet!  He was my band and vocal jazz teacher! 

Discovering he was still at the school made me curious if my other teachers had stayed.  When I scanned the list, I saw a name extremely similar to Travis's (from the swing days - could Edmonton be so small?), but no one else familiar. 


A few drama performances had been squeezed in too, but the bulk of the program was dance.

Celina's first appearance was in a sequined. shimmery black halter top to  Propellerheads & Shirley Bassey's "History Repeating".

It was later followed by hip hop (with the Hip Hop Collective).  Other members of the group did smaller numbers and one with a swinging lights in the dark. 

 

 

And then Bang Bang by Nancy Sinatra.

For the night's finale, all the different dance groups joined together to cover the whole stage.  Unfortunately, by that time I'd run out of camera memory to tape or take additional photos. 

 

Afterwards, there were hugs and congratulations in the foyer.  I was so happy for Celina's great performance.  But her attention, understandably, was with her friends and fellow performers. 

 

Paul and I caught the bus home.  

 

I thought about this feeling of elation, seeing Celina dance, and again I want to use the word proud, but of course, this wasn't my achievement.  And with that, maybe that's why the secondary feelings mixed in were a bit more blue: Nostalgia and lacking. 

 

I'd liked the songs Celina danced to but Paul actually knew them. In turn, I was able to identify the show tunes and jazz numbers (so there!). Oh, such different musical spheres we have. 

Sushi Sweet

"I wonder what Celina is up to for her birthday..."
"Whatever.  As long as there's cake." 

Though not part of these mysterious plans for the actual day, Paul and I were invited to the "family" celebration dinner the day before.  Celina's Sweet Sixteen (for the family at least) was to include a lot of delicious sushi. 

There were a couple of location changes until Sakana in Old Strathcona was confirmed. 

Though on Whyte Ave (as The King & I), I managed to get lost and was the last to arrive.  By then my place had been set - the complete other end of the table from Celina. 

(Left and below: A couple swipes of the pen repurposes the Hello Kitty magic.) 

The boys crowded 'round the tech, while I tried to work my way to the other end to see what was happening.  

(Above: Seaweed salad / Left: A savoury rose.) 

Such as the fight between Esther and Stephen for the gorgeous, full tray of maki rolls and sushi. 

Despite the antics, Esther was actually really good making sure Stephen did get a share of everything (despite him being more interested in talking to Kevin and Paul). 

Dessert came in the form of mango and green tea ice cream.  I brought  spoonful of the green stuff to Paul, interrupting Stephen's math riddle challenge.  He refused. 

Me (confused): Why?  You like ice cream. 
Paul: Oh, I thought it was wasabi.

Back on the other side of the table, the trickster gears in Esther's brain turned. She stuck a green spoonful in front of Stephen's face.

Esther: You will eat what I feed you! 

He did.  It was ice cream.  Oh, the trust! 

Though Stephen did turn around and asked us all another riddle:

A woman met the man of her dreams (who she's never met before) at her mother's funeral.  Unfortunately, she wasn't able to get his number.  A few days later, she killed her sister.  Why?* 

The answer (and conclusion from it), which Esther had answered correctly before (without having read it in the past like me) didn't cast her in a particularly good light. 

Lilian, her mom, Esther and Stephen took off to Dream Tea House (just two doors down) -- unable to resist a bubble tea while they were in the neighbourhood.  But Paul and I headed over to Theresa, Carl, Celina and Kevin's.  I had heard about and really wanted to play this new dancing game they had. 

Apparently the game system could detect and know what the players were doing, without having to strap on any equipment. 

I walked within range and saw myself on the screen. 

"I'm so fat."  

The words came out loud before I could stop them.  And sadly, I realised a part of me knew it didn't matter if I pretended anymore and that's why it allowed me to slip.* 

There was a time when I tried to hide my body and weight issues, and promote a healthier outlook to all this for Celina because I thought it mattered.  I didn't want her to be caught up thinking physical beauty all important or that what we saw on television / magazines / internet was the beauty standard... I didn't want her to think about dieting for looks rather than health or that it was healthy to obsess weight... So I made sure I didn't do it in front of her.  Or atleast I really tried. 

* The happy side of this calculation was knowing she was strong and beautiful.

Anyway, she and Kevin just laughed.  I took off my big hoodie and got into the dancing.  Or really, playing the game. 

The screen showed computer animated dancers doing the moves we were supposed to follow.  Some of these moves had names, but some seemed rather random.  Points were awarded for hitting the proper moves with the proper beats.  And we were immediately rewarded with bursts of lights and colour on the screen. 

Na had once talked about this game before... and she was right - it's hilarious to watch. 

In between the songs and challenges, the dancers would also trash talk to each other. All the more funny since I knew how bad I looked.

Celina was by far the best - and since they just got the game she hadn't practiced.  (Right: Stayin' alive by striking an awesome pose.)

I suspect her secret plans today will involve playing this with her girlfriends. 

It kind of makes me wish we had a television... and a games system... and the game...

Happy Sweet Sixteen, Celina
<3 p="">
* The riddle and answer is here, and also at snopes, where origins of it are also debunked. 

Noodle Noodle, Noodle, Noodle

Manoj's car was parked in front of the Winspear and his car stereo volume was turned to max.  And we were listening to rumbas.  Thankfully the square was mostly deserted given it was Easter Monday and past 4 p.m. 

He zipped through CD tracks pronouncing songs either too boring or not catchy enough... I'd hoped our time would be spent practicing for this week's performance, not doing all this logistics stuff - which seemed to start with helping Tony find Churchill Square (and parking) to figuring out a unified look for us three couples. 

When we finally got to dancing, it was good.  Dancing with Manoj makes me laugh (he's so cheerful) and I got over the small slight that Tony had decided to dance with (brunette) Ashley this time around.  I was also glad to actually test our moves on concrete and to figure out alternatives since there was too much friction for usual floor pressure. 

Manoj and I stuck around a bit longer to solidify our routine.  It was feeling pretty good, dancing in the streets in the sunlight, and then it was even better when someone walking by gave us some shouts of encouragement.

Still with that extra practicing, I arrived at Noodle Noodle a little (1 hour) early for our Early Mother's Day dinner celebration. But I had my latest read to entertain me. 

On Sharing: “I’m sorry, but if your brother doesn’t want you to play with his shit, then you can’t play with it. It’s his shit. If he wants to be an asshole and not share, then that’s his right. You always have the right to be an asshole – you just shouldn’t use that right very often.”   ~Justin Halpern, Sh*t My Dad Says

I tried to cover the book cover, but I guess I didn't do that well.  The old man from a nearby table came up to me: "Isn't it the funniest thing ever?"  After my surprise: "Yes, yes it is." 

Whew!  Here I was worried other patrons would think I was rude for reading Sh*t My Dad Says... and laughing (though I did try to keep it quiet).  There were just so many surreal gems.  And straight talking that somehow also translated into touching wisdom.

On Fair Play: “Cheating is not easy. You probably think it is, but it ain’t. I bet you’d suck more at cheating than whatever it was you were trying to do legitimately."  ~Justin Halpern, Sh*t My Dad Says

And some were just hilarious

 “You worry too much. Eat some bacon...What? No, I got no idea if it'll make you feel better. I just made too much bacon.”  ~Justin Halpern, Sh*t My Dad Says

When the Paul arrived, followed by my parents and Theresa and the kids, I was in a pretty good mood.  The adults ordered the meal, while we kids talked. 

Paul: So, have you heard the news?
Kevin: No. 
Me: I'm sure I told you.
Kevin: Oh, yeah, I thought you meant CBC. 

Contrasted with this rather blasé reponse, was Celina's indignant, "You didn't tell me first!" 

Well, as long as everyone knew. 

Food arrived, we ate.  Kevin and Celina's attention was mostly on their screens, but they did resurface for several bites when new plates arrived.  When Paul made the comment that tubas were set for left-handed, he, Kevin, and I switched briefly to using our chopsticks left-handed (with perhaps a little glaring from Mom and Theresa).  Mom questioned the cashews in one dish - reconstituted and formed into that shape?  They have the technology.  Dessert came, and Celina was so happy for the taro tapioca soup she took a photo. 

THAT Masquerade

"Now be taller... now shorter..."

Paul and I go through being "many", being "the sides", being "the middle", before finally being declared "finished".  Ah, the life of a model.  We were helping Jamie (one of the official photographers for the night) do some light testing.  And it was light work for some really nice photos. 

(Below: photos by Jamie / Further below: The man himself).

It was a good solid start to the evening after an afternoon of mini last minute rushes to get ready for the event.  (E.g. Paul stuffing onion bag tags into the top hat to make it fit better, me adding embellishments to my mask...) 

There was a small scramble too to figure out who would be at our table (Maria had to cancel last minute...)  When the dust cleared, I was pleasantly surprised to see Ryan H.  Darren named him our resident (don't call him a foodie) "culinary guru" and "ettiquette master" and he playfully gave us pointers on the meal. 

Amanda shared that her and Darren's last private lesson concentrated on changing facial expressions during a routine in order to further enhance and emote during particular moves. She quickly switched between coyness, delight, contentment... Darren, not missing a beat, showed that he was not only Master of Ceremonies for the night, but also was "Master of Expressions" - a look of surprise, a look of horror...

And someone asked if a turkey was really just a Grade B chicken...

The TA first dance was called.  I'm usually a bundle a nerves at this point, and eventhough I was dancing with Tony (and with all these pointers from Benoit), I was the same.  Why the heck were we fumbling with masks?!  Did we really need another item of complication (as if floor length gowns, slippery and uneven tile floors weren't enough)?!  I forewent mine, but Tony kept his. 

And then after - yes!  Time to dance for fun!

After some (more) pictures (of course). 

"Evil John" (regular John with a goatee) missed out on phoots with the girls.  But didn't miss at all on his ingenious plan: Using a tent of programs to hide the water jug, the catering staff were foiled, and it wasn't cleared away.  We managed to have easy access to water for the rest of the evening.

I was delighted Darren still danced with me, making up social moves (since I wasn't up on all his competition stuff). And I got a dance too with Shane (who dressed up as a pirate and wore a really cute little mask pin).

Performances came next mid-dance.  We cleared the floors and settled down excitedly for the exhibition. 

Don and Angeline glided across the floor, so graceful and elegant. 

Sheena and Kevin's tango was powerfully intense, set to more Gotan Project.

Christiana sat in a chair in the middle of the dance floor and for a moment we asked, "Um, where's Ryan?"  And then we saw him walk purposefully to her.  They danced a rumba to Duffy's Warwick Avenue. 

To cap it all off, Jim and Elena, blew in with a Samba that was too fast for any of my pictures to turn out.  (I should really know by now when they appear, to just put the camera down.)

It was all so gorgeous I clapped until my hands vibrated. 

And then we clapped some more for TA and volunteer awards.  And guess what?  They remembered!  I was called up for my 5 years of TA service. 

It was a pretty spectacular night.