15 August 2008

Archive: Pilobolus' astonishing dance of two bodies on TED.com

Here's the final installment in our exploration of the TEDTalks archives. Look for brand-new TEDTalks starting Monday, August 18. Thanks for sending us your own archive favorites -- and please continue, by writing to contact@ted.com or joining the conversation on TED.com.

Two dancers from Pilobolus perform the jaw-dropping duet "Symbiosis." Does it trace the birth of a relationship? Or the co-evolution of symbiotic species? One TED.com user calls this performance "stunning in all the places it took my mind without leaving my body behind." The equally intriguing music, recorded by the Kronos Quartet on Nonesuch Records, is a compilation of works: "God Music" from Black Angels by George Crumb, "Fratres" by Arvo Part, and "Morango ... Almost a Tango" by Thomas Oboe Lee. (Recorded February 2005 in Monterey, California. Duration: 13:56)

Watch Pilobolus perform "Symbiosis" on TED.com, where you can download this TEDTalk, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances from our archive of 270+ TEDTalks.

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Technorati tags: Pilobolus

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04 October 2007

Dance and magic: Kenichi Ebina on TED.com

Dancer Kenichi Ebina moves his body in a manner that appears to defy the limits imposed by the human skeleton. He combines breakdancing and hip-hop with mime using movements that are simultaneously precise and fluid. (Recorded March 2007 in Monterey, California. Duration: 03:44.)

Watch Kenichi Ebina's talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances.

Read more about Kenichi Ebina on TED.com.

Technorati tags: Kenichi Ebina

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20 February 2007

Pilobolus on TED.com

Dancers from Pilobolus perform the sensuous duet "Symbiosis." Does it trace the birth of a relationship? Or the co-evolution of simple, symbiotic species? That's for you to decide.

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Technorati tags: Pilobolus

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29 August 2006

Ze Frank on TEDTalks

Ze Frank rose to Internet fame in 2001 with his viral video How to Dance Properly, and has been a purveyor of imaginative online comedy ever since. His latest experiment, the show, is posted daily at zefrank.com. In this performance, drawn from the TED2004 archive, he offers the signature blend of comedy, technology and social theory that made him our favorite philosopher comic. (Recorded February 2004 in Monterey, CA. Duration: 19:42)

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27 June 2006

Sir Ken Robinson on TEDTalks

Sir Ken Robinson is author of Out of Our Minds: Learning to Be Creative, and a leading expert on innovation and human resources. In this talk, he makes an entertaining (and profoundly moving) case for creating an education system that nurtures creativity, rather than undermining it. (Recorded February 2006 in Monterey, CA. Duration: 20:02)

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Technorati tags: Ken Robinson

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31 May 2006

David Rockwell & Jerry Mitchell "choreograph" a JetBlue terminal

When architect and stage designer David Rockport (TED ‘97, ‘99, ‘02) was asked to design the interior of the new JetBlue terminal at JFK, he brought in a rather unlikely partner: Broadway choreographer Jerry Mitchell. The pair had collaborated before (on shows like Hairspray, Rocky Horror, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels). Now, they’re re-imagining airport foot traffic as a choreography challenge, finding ways to move people more smoothly and naturally through the pre- and post-flight experience.

"The original design made it hard to understand where you were supposed to go, either entering or leaving," Mitchell told The New York Times. "Traffic diagrams showed a huge amount of path-crossing. I started to think it would be fabulous to eliminate all this crisscrossing and straight edges, which cause anxiety when they go on too long. David asked me what dance patterns I would use, and I said, 'People move easiest in circles: off and on the merry-go-round.' "

Full story and slide show in The Times.

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01 May 2006

Hot Study Hall: The History Boys on Broadway

Alan Bennett's fabulous new play The History Boys opened on Broadway last week at the Broadhurst to uniformly wonderful reviews after sold-out runs in London and Sydney. Set in Thatcher-era England, History Boys takes place in a state school where sixth form boys are preparing to take exams that will admit them to their fantasy of Oxbridge, or to lesser schools. Hector, their larger-than-life "general studies" professor played by (Harry Potter's comically evil uncle in the films) Richard Griffiths teaches them the joy of learning with and by heart, for the love of knowledge itself. Because his unorthodox methods drive the headmaster around the bend, a new teacher (Stephen Campbell Moore) is brought in to help them prepare for Orals. The chaos, crushes, and manic energy of adolescence contrast with the faculty rivalries and intrigue that threaten to bring a vunerable teacher down.  More after the jump...

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30 April 2006

Does Smüg have an Umlaut? Martin Short in Fame Becomes Me

I had the pleasure of catching the very first public performance of Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me, now playing in San Francisco (April 25-May 21) and coming to Toronto (May 27-July 2) and Chicago (July 5-16) on its way to an August 10th Broadway debut. Written by Short and the hysterical Tony Award-winning musical team of Mark Shaiman and Scott Whittman (Hairspray, South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut, and Team America: World Police), Fame had me laughing so loud that the couple in front of me wished for my premature death.  This "comedy musical" with a cast of six sends up every maudlin one-person show you've ever seen seen including those of Elaine Stritch, Billy Crystal, and Liza Minelli. Because Short by all accounts has had a relatively trouble-free life, he tries desparately to invent the family dysfunction required by the genre. More after the jump...

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23 November 2005

Madonna goes a-krumpin'

TEDster Stuart Watson points out that there's a familiar TED face in the Madonna video Hung-Up currently all over MTV. Marquisa Gardner,( 'Miss Prissy') was one of the dancers who rocked TED last year showing off their new, ultra-exciting, ultra-aggressive form of dancing known as 'krumping'.  I'm pleased - tho' not surprised - to see it get picked up by the queen of pop.

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