Awesome advertising: "I will what I want"

There is something amazing about the words "I will what I want" - sheer force of will resulting in the actions necessary to get yourself where you want to go - so this new Under Armour campaign is incredible.

It is inspirational, and dead on target. Under Armour has used storytelling with a message at it's best - and it honestly made me research more about the company, the campaign, their website for a solid hour. Job well done, marketers.

It has also made me jump right onto the Misty Copeland bus - the incredible extension and amazing lines she has makes her fame well deserved. You go girl!

Or, perhaps I should say: You will girl!




I've also included the other commercials because they made me want to go search my house for overweight suitcases and run around in the front yard with them.

No words. This is the kind of piece where everything is absolutely necessary: the lights, the stage, the props. Blown away.

Keone Madrid: just genius. (I know it's a group choreography but I am guessing he had a hand).

Pushing artists out of urban settings

We know, we know: New York City (and other urban environments) are becoming harder and harder to live in and create in as an artist.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/09/arts/design/rising-rents-leave-new-york-artists-out-in-the-cold.html?_r=1

http://observer.com/2014/03/the-last-frontier-artists-worry-theyve-run-of-neighborhoods-to-be-priced-out-of/

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/11/arts/report-says-artists-arrival-can-push-out-neighbors.html

It begs the question: what does a city which prides itself on art and culture become when it more or less forces every artist who is "based" in Manhattan to live outside of Manhattan and commute in? Is it truly even a city of art and culture anymore? Or just a space for artists to collect and disperse from? A commodity that is bought and viewed here and doesn't truly exist here?

Which is even sadder because it is such a huge part of our GDP: http://arts.gov/news/2013/us-bureau-economic-analysis-and-national-endowment-arts-release-preliminary-report-impact

But that's a post for another day.

Start off the New Year with Classical Music and Non-Classical Dance

This is where well thought out creation between musicians and dancers of genres who never normally cross paths can lead to some mind blowing work. We are starting to see some truly amazing stuff - far from the days of poor dancing and lack of musicality from choreographers (of absolutely any genre - classical or not, world music or not) -