Facing the Music

This evening I have a Tango class. I just started up again and should be doing it twice a week now as I feel as I am catching up since I started last October and when I came back to London waited till April to start again.

Over the weekend I did a ‘bootcamp’ of Salsa taught by a Irene Miguel. I had shot her instructional DVD over a year and a half ago and they want to do more. Unfortunately, they aren’t doing so well financially so I suggested that they can pay me in classes and they agreed. I come as a guest and learn the Salsa that she teaches. And she is one amazing dancer and great person.

Taiji level one beginners classes have come to an end and now will be starting level one proper and I guess perfecting the form that we have learned already. Taiji is nothing without correct posture, breathing and attaining the control of ones qi.

All these classes are very related. They all centre on posture, body awareness and left/right weight balance- so closely related you’d think they originated from one source of philosophy. Granted the Irene has also done Taiji and bases some of her philosophies on her Salsa to Taiji. Even still, they can all complement each other while I learn them at the same time.

For some reason, I never took classes in my twenties. Perhaps it was laziness or a lack of money. Nonetheless, in recent years I have been active in engaging with and learning the things I want with little procrastination. With these classes and home studies of languages, I still want to learn two more things I always wanted to- the piano and guitar.

Speaking of music, I am finally going to get my arse in gear and forward my showreel to RSA, Partizan and Agile Films, this week. Agile Films, who I have already done work for when they were tiny, should be okay. In fact, the recruitment officer for them who I spoke to today was the runner on the shoot I did for them. Ironically, the biggie- RSA should be ok since I shot most of David Mullett’s video prior to him getting repp’d by them. Partizan is a sling shot but they do quirky stuff and I do have a chance of working with them. We’ll see. I could have forward my reel a while ago but I just wanted to be ready. I didn’t want to come very fresh, lacking in experience, begging for an opportunity. I wanted to get hired with little question. For years I have been building enough experience to worl for these production companies. I have been biding my time. And although I am a little nervous, I think I am just about ready.

I am aware that in both my action to learn and to forward my showreel were both things I could only have done now despite a small regret I hadn’t done it sooner. Taiji and Tango students are certainly are a bit mature in age so I know I am not ‘late’ in that. In all classes, it will take years to practice any of those disciplines well so before I am 40, which isn’t bad. If I can make a good living shooting decent music videos and some commercials in the meantime, that would be pretty good too.

- J