Yesterday I had the good fortune to have my first lesson with Pablo Nievas and Valeria Zunion. I’ve heard, over the last couple of years a great deal about this professional couple and their amazing tango skills but until now I hadn’t had a chance to take a lesson with them despite the fact that they have been to Australia on several occasions.
After 90 minutes of learning this sequence I have only the rudiments of the sequence but with some practice I look forward to reinforcing it and eventually developing the skills to feel comfortable with it.
This little video is what we recorded as a take away to remind us of the sequence to add to the knowledge that they gave us. It’s actually quite difficult to remember the sequence and it’s a huge help to have this resource.
The grace and ease in which they move is a far cry from where mortals like I live but being in their company give others the chance to learn from the masters of this dance form. Check out their site from the link above.
I’m in Buenos Aires, Argentina on a trip with some friends doing Tango and having a look at the culture of this European city in South America. After several days off settling in, getting my feet and dealing with a bit of a cold(that I think I’ve thrown) I’m now able to send you this quick addendum episode about my inital reactions of arriving in Buenos Aires.
I’m still getting things orginised and hopefully soon I’ll have more content out for you.
Although only 21, Grace has had a lifetime of experiences as a sex worker in the few short years since she started at only 17 years of age.
As a prostitute she has worked both in brothels and independent as an escort. Now out of the sex industry and for someone of such a young age she already has and shares a fascinating and mature insight into her motivations of how the industry is for a working girl.
What is amazing and wonderful in this story is how genuinely proud Grace is of her work, who she has touched and the good that she has participated in with the people she has meet through being involved in the sex industry. Both with the clients and the other girls she worked with.
Outrageous, vivacious and exuberant(along with some off mic cussing) is what you get when you meet Patty Beecham. It’s a name I haven’t heard for years but there it is in my twitter stream. Fancy that, you can meet celebrities on twitter, well you can decide where on the A to Z celebrity line she sits.
As someone who recognised her name I had to go and check out her site and see what she’s been up to all these years. That’s where I listened to her radio cross as she climbed the Story Bridge(long before the safety harnesses of bridge climb) and where I discovered her Funeral Photography and Living Wakes.
Being the daughter of an Anglican Priest, Patty respectfully captures the farewell moments of a persons funeral, that in time when the grieving relatives are ready can be viewed remembering the day they said goodbye with slide shows and DVD’s.
As I’ve mentioned, in the beginning in why I’m doing this I wanted to shake up my life. I had been searching for 25 years for something that impassioned me. Then I discovered and decided to start producing my own podcast. My intention was to dive in and see where it goes with little regard for the financial side of it. I see all of this initially as education. However in this world, finance is necessary and although I don’t actively ask for money I’ve had a couple of unsolicited donations.
A few months back I received a donation from the very wonderful and generous Adam Daniel Mezei who you may remember for Episode 25 of Your Story. I recorded that episode while I was in Prague last year, where Adam had generously invited me to visit, then proceeded to look after me for 3 days showing me the sites of the Golden City as only a local can.
At the time of his donation I was considering purchasing two mono lapel microphones from Giant Squid Audio Labs. That donation went a long way towards the lapel mics and power supplies. I have since purchased an additional stereo lapel mic, also from Giant Squid.
I want to put in a plug for Giant Squid Audio Labs as a small but remarkable operation that builds beautiful microphones at a price that is well below what you would expect to pay for the quality. I initially found out about them listening to Mark Jensen’s, New Media Gear podcast where he raved about them. Mark is the man when it comes to having this knowledge rather than me and his recommendation was correct.
I’ve also received another donation from someone who wishes to remain anonymous who appreciates what I’m doing and sent me enough to purchase a shotgun mic for my video camera. I was discussing with him how I was thinking of getting one and then a couple of days later there was an email saying that a donation was in my PayPal account.
I just want to say thanks to both of you for your assistance. I’ve heard many podcasters say and I agree, that it sometimes feels lonely producing episodes and we get little feed back (it’s all about percentages) but when things like this happen it heartens and encourages me more than any one can appreciate.
Thank you Adam and ???? for you financal help and thank you to everyone out there for the feed back, downloading and sharing the episodes.
Note: Yesterday a total of 10,000 downloads of the podcasts have been served. Everday back episodes are downloaded and new people come along. Welcome and thanks to everyone, particually the folk I chat with.
Bernard King intrigued me when I first meet him 6 months ago. I’m sure you know the type of person. They are the quiet individuals who remain discreet, don’t say a lot but have a particular grace and efficiency with movement, words and thoughts that convinces you that there is more to them than is at first obvious.
Bernard is one of these people, quietly spoken but the waters run deep, but how deep?
That’s the reason for asking him onto Your Story and as it proved he shares with us a life of becoming the Junior World Ballroom Dance Champion at 15 and 16 years of age. Dance was eventually left behind but not before moving into professional stage and cabaret.
He tells of the life of Reilly in his youth as a qualified hairdresser living for years in Spain and Italy mixing with the European Royalty and the Glitterati of the ’60’s. Amongst those he brushing shoulders with were Grace Kelly and Jackie Kennedy. But not all is as wonderful as it may at first seem and there is a price to be paid both for the famous and also for him moving amongst them.
In the mix of a full life Bernard happened to be held hostage not once but twice, first by The Kray Twins in his teenage years and later by The Red Brigade in Italy.
Tragically later in life Bernard describes how difficult it was to lose his wife and soulmate to the slow slide of Alzheimer’s Disease. Continue Reading »
Welcome To Episode 37 of Your Story. Today we talk with Adrian Fabila known professionally for his outstanding musical performances as Tjupurru. This is an episode that I wanted to produce two years ago, before the launch of Your Story, when I saw a live performance of Tjupurru at the Brisbane Power House.
Tjupurru plays a distinctive modern version of the traditional Didjeridu(Didjeribone) blended with the sounds of the FaceBass, distorted and looped through electronics and punched out in a style that would make any party or stadium rock. The sound is unique, organic and ever evolving with every performance different to all others due to the improvisation constantly evolving the sounds as they develop.
Tjupurru’s relationship as an audio engineer with Charlie McMahon of Gondwanaland fame led him to use both the Didjerbone and FaceBass, (both invented by Charlie) and now his involvement with the Continue Reading »
Today we talk with Chris Booth artist and maker of things.
Chris is now starting to have real success in the art scene in Australia after years of being a struggling artist. We discuss the artist life, how difficult it is to make a success in the art world and the compromises that are made to get to that success. Chris mentions how Metro Gallery in Melbourne have given him a leg up, supporting him with a regular retainer income so he can concentrate on making the art rather than having to compromise his passion to find the income for his basic human needs.
As today is Anzac Day I thought I’d do a recording of the dawn service to share with you a little of the atmosphere of the morning. If your an Australian and you’ve never been to a Dawn Service give yourself the experience, at least once, if your from elsewhere here is a little of what it’s like.
The Eternal Flame
I’ve been attending the Anzac Day Dawn service in county towns and city squares for fifteen or twenty years and I’m always moved by the spirit of the occasion however I don’t understand why I feel the need to attend and why it always brings a lump to my throat and a tear to my eye. I seem to have a deep intimacy with the spirit of World War One and find that attending the Dawn Service quite cathartic. It’s just one of those things that I feel compelled to do.
Brisbane Dawn Service
At 4:28 am the city is still asleep and although there are many thousands of people in the small Anzac square I find the quiet of the service extraordinary so much so that you can still hear a cough across the square.
I’m in Buenos Aires, Argentina on a trip with some friends doing Tango and having a look at the culture of this European city in South America. After several days off settling in, getting my feet and dealing with a bit of a cold(that I think I’ve thrown) I’m now able to send you this quick addendum episode about my inital reactions of arriving in Buenos Aires.
Amongst those he brushing shoulders with were 
This is an episode that I wanted to produce two years ago, before the launch of Your Story, when I saw a live performance of Tjupurru at the Brisbane Power House.
