Ladysmith Black Mambazo

Last Friday Daniel and I went with my parents to see Ladysmith Black Mambazo at the Strathmore Music Center. The legendary South African a capella group has been around for 5o years. They have sung for commercials, inaugurations, Nobel Peace Prize ceremonies and won Grammies. Most Americans know them by the work they completed with Paul Simon on his 1986 album Graceland. (In this old video they are the men in the orange shirts and Hugh Masekela is on the Trumpet.) Unlike the traditional ISICATHAMIYA (Is-Cot-A-Me-Ya) music the group sings when they are alone, Paul Simon incorporated their singing into his music and adopted a different yet truly South African sound--that of with township Jazz--for the album.

The traditional music sung by Ladysmith Black Mambazo is called ISICATHAMIYA (Is-Cot-A-Me-Ya) and Africans would sing it while working in the mines. Group founder, Joseph Shabalala, is now almost 80 years old but has 4 sons and a few other memorable characters in his group to continue his singing legacy. The dancing they do is traditional tribal dancing that men perform to prove their strength.

They invited everyone to attend the World Cup in Cape Town in June under the condition that they come to support the South African team. Someone at Daniel's work convinced him to wear his African shirt (I do not have such power over him) and I wore an African head dress which my grandfather's nurse, Debbie, taught me how to tie. Yes, I am an African American. The Africans in the crowed cheered and whistled. Overall, a joyful and vibrant time was had by all!

Daniel now wants a South African passport in addition to the Portuguese passport we plan on getting him. Of course this going to require moving through various bearaucratic channels, which we do not look forward to.

This is the quiet song they opened with. At some point in his carer Shabalala converted to Christianity, so you may hear Christian lyrics in their music (when they sing in English). Youtube won't let me post videos longer than 10 minutes. I'm going to try Vimeo.

I Love You!

Sam is pretty good at communicating with us. When he needs to go out he will start whining and go to the door. But this dog talks. So cool! She's also such good looking dog. Sorry Sam and Frodo, I'm cheating on you a little. But don't worry, I'm not thinking of replacing you.

The September Issue

The book The Devil Wears Prada was apparently written by one of Anna Wintour's previous assistants and then made into a movie. Merrill Streep's character is based on the iconic editor in chief at Vogue, Anna Wintour. Known as the ice queen of the fashion world her ill-famed ruthless personality is just as noted as the groundbreaking decisions she has made in the fashion world. Before fashion week, designers show her their collections in the hopes that she will support their clothes in her magazine. As one character in the The Devil Wears Prada says, "hers is the only opinion that matters."

The September Issue gives a more intimate portrait of the renound ice queen of fashion with personal interviews and stories about her decision to become an editor at Vogue. As well as showing all of the work that goes into creating the biggest issue of the year, you get to look at racks of beautiful clothes that were considered for the magazine. Grace Coddington, creative director, is a more likeable character who knows every piece of clothing to enter the building. She toils away each month and dreams up the whimsical editorials we see each month.

Unlike the writer of Devil Wears Prada, the director of The September Issue didn't fall into the trap of playing to the glamour of the industry. It shows a side of the industry that is not often seen by us lay men while still providing a beautiful and entertaining documentary.

Valentine's Day Weekend

Papa Joao, culture czar for the family, is very much like a walking, talking human version of the washington post's weekend edition. He is always up to date on the latest plays, movies and ballets frequenting the washington area and can give you a reasonable summary of various critics' disparate opinions on said performances. It goes without saying, however, that my dad is infinitely cooler than the Washington Post or Roger Ebert.

We call him the culture czar because growing up, he always knew what to see and where to go and got us tickets to countless events. For many years my brother and I had season tickets to the Shakepeare Theatre. We went to see ballet's and concerts. Although when we first started going, I was too young to fully understand Shakespeare, the words and scenes left an indelible mark on my imagination. I can still see the smoke rising above the caldron while the witches in Macbeth chanted their evil incantations. I can still remember sitting so close to I Musici that I discovered the power of five deceptively delicate string instruments combining to create beautiful music.

For my birthday this year he got us tickets to the ballet. This Saturday we will see the Mariinsky (formerly known as the Kirov during the Soviet era) perform The Sleeping Beauty. Russian ballet companies are known for their big, expressive style of dancing. The documentary Ballerina shows how young dancers at the mariinsky ballet embark on an arduous journey to turn their bodies into moving art. Yes, their technique must be precise and their turn-out perfect, but Russian dancers enjoy the same prestige in Russia as actors do in America. Each one has their own style and personality that comes through in their dancing. Most successful of these young Prima ballerinas is Diana Vishneva who is also a principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre. She has such a hectic schedule that she only danced in the first performance at the Kennedy Center.

Although I saw the company when I was young, I am really excited to see them now after having seen the documentary on their dancers and the operation of the company. Here is a review of the opening night's performance with Vishneva. Look for our review after we see the perfomance this weekend!

Planet Earth Extremes

Daniel and I have been recording and watching Planet Earth Extremes on the Discovery Channel. The mini-series is made up of a compilation of the best footage from the series Planet Earth. It is also some of the most impressive wild-life and nature footage ever captured by man.

It shows a full spectrum of creatures and organisms that, through years of adaptation, have been able to survive in extreme conditions. One of the more well known of these creatures (made famous in March of the Penguins) are Emperor Penguins. These adorable birds stand about 4-feet tall, weigh between 45-99 pounds and according to Wikipedia, walk between 31-75 miles to the same breeding ground every year. Not an easy feat considering their legs are about 4 inches long.

The males stand on their eggs for two months, huddling together for warmth in the middle of the coldest months of the antarctic winters. The formation of penguins constantly changes so that no one penguin is left out in the cold, so to speak, for too long. While the females walk back to the edge of the ice to dive for food, the males keep the eggs safely under a flap of skin near their feet. They withstand temperatures that plummet to 40 degrees below freezing and hundred mile an hour winds, all to ensure the reproduction of their species.

With our current weather conditions, it seemed fitting to write about an animal that endures months of winter by helping each other and working together. Daniel is currently out shoveling with neighbors whom we rarely see. However, I can't say our situation is similar to that of the penguins'. We have central heating and our main concern when braving the elements is where to dispose of our eh hem...doggie waste. Sam and Fro are too short to walk anywhere but the street and so, resorted to pooping right in the middle of street. I'm sure you wanted hear all these riveting details, but crap, whether literal or figurative, is a part of life I suppose. Haha.

Baby Bea

Since Daniel got a mini video camera for his birthday, I've been having fun editing clips and putting together videos.

Dad sent me some old videos from when Bea just starting to walk. This one is just too cute. Watch her big head sway from side to side.

Ugh

I'm getting bored just thinking about getting stuck inside for another weekend.

I'm thinking about going to redbox tomorrow night to get a few movies to entertain myself this weekend. If I get desperate, I may even bring home school supplies and my curriculum guides to plan for the next week or two.

Does anyone want to come over and provide entertainment and sleep on our daybed? We will feed you. Haha.

I'm pretty good about reading and keeping myself busy, but when the condo gets surrounded by ice and snow it feels smaller, darker, and a tad depressing.

Also, one more missed school day and they start adding days to the end of the school year.