So
much happens to us outside of performances, whether on the road, in
the bathroom (what!? You’ve never had an idea on the toilet?), or
during the creative process, and it is these moments we’d like to
continue to share with you, our fans and supporters…
…but we’d also like to keep the conversation going, so here is a place where you can voice your opinion, share your thoughts, tell your own story, drop a line, and—most of all—help keep that kinetic affect alive…
Peace.
June 20, 2008
Here it is. Finally uploaded on YouTube
and our blog for you to see, espcially if you missed it at
Miller Auditorium on May 30th, is the graduation and good-bye speech I
gave to Portage Northern High School's graduating class of 2008. I had a
time limit of 5 minutes and ended up having to move a bit faster through
the speech to compensate for the large amoung of time used up by
audience applause. Regardless, I meant and still mean every
word.
As a side note, Gabriel and I are working on
the graduation poem and in the midst of making it a duo performance.
We'll let you know how it goes.
June 19, 2008
As
Kinetic Affect continues to grow, we're pursuing different avenues besides
just performance. This lead us to a 15 day workshop at Maple Street Middle
School in Kalamazoo. Since Kirk was still busy teaching at portage
Northern, this left me to take on this endeavor on my own. Needless
to say, I was extremely terrified of having five classes of seventh
graders to teach without having Kirk there to provide some of his
guidance. Okay, I mean crutch.
Overall, it was a great experience.
Every day Kirk and I would sit down, gameplan, write lesson plans and talk
about each step for these students. And at the end of the 15 days, there
was a final performance which was recorded for the school and the
foundation that provided the grant for us to be there.
I have to be
honest in saying that the students did more than just represent; they blew
us away. These young voices were far more honest, vulnerable and provoking
than many of the slam poets I've seen on stage (no disrespect).
Here is a sampling of some of the student's poems
and voices on our workshop page at http://www.kineticaffect.com/booking_c.htm
We
could all learn a little something by going back to when sharing our
stories was brand new and not just about getting a high score,
winning the competition or getting the audience to "oh" and "ah." It
is wonderful to see and hear young voices who have so much to
teach us. I was honored to be a part of the process and hope we can
continue our work in schools everywhere.
Actually, working with
others is often more rewarding than just performing. Giving back and
helping others find their voice provides a longer-lasting fulfillment
than inflating your own ego with stage time.
Thanks to Rose
Mcmanus-Scamehorn and Diane Eberts for bringing us into Maple Street
Middle School and trusting us with their students. We'll see you next
year!
Peace,
Gabriel
June 13, 2008
So we finally have a logo designed and are down to making some last moment tweaks to polish it up. Finally.
Yesterday, Gabriel and I took part in Summer Mania, downtown Kalamazoo, and it was a blast. And after our performance, all sorts of people approached us to chat, from police men, to middle schoolers, to Kalamazoo City event planners, to children's parents, to other artists and rappers. And although all of them complimented us in unique ways, what struck both Gabriel and I was that every one of them said the word TRUTH to us when refering to our work.
This is what led to solidifying this logo as our first full-fledged design. The white symbol inside is the Ancient Egyptian symbol for truth. And the black circle on the outside of it is known as a zen circle, meant to symbolize simplicity in existence and the cycle of beginnings and endings. We have several color combinations to look at. Here they are:
Not only is it symbolic and complex, this logo is also just plain cool, I think. But more importantly is if it's cool to you, if you feel it captures the spirit of Kinetic Affect and can stand long term as a recognizable logo for what we do. And which one do we use? Once we have a confirmation of its impact, we'll go a head and have this baby cleaned up and ready for the front page.
Drop us a line via e-mail or on Facebook and let us know what you think. We look forward to hearing from you.
Thanks!
June 2, 2008
Graduation.
I don't feel I really deserved the honor, but I was asked and so delivered
the graduation speech for Portage Northern High School's graduating class
of 2008.
I suppose to some
degree both of us are graduating. My seniors are moving out beyond high
school, and--to be honest--so am I. It's certainly a big and scary-as-hell
step, but uncertainty is sometimes all we have to remind ourselves that
life is about change and growth. When things stay the same, they're
usually dead. Even then, nothing really remains the same. Time and life
wash away the old and make way for the new.
I have to thank my
students so much for all they've done to change me, or at least help me to
realize who I am. And even more so, I hope they can find in themselves
what they have helped me to discover, and that is how you treat yourself
is how you will treat others. I look forward to growing every day, from
every encounter I have. My hope is that I can continue to share all I've
learned and all I still need to learn with Kinetic Affect.
I will
miss my energetic students, the lively classroom, and even having to grade
papers on the weekend (ok...so maybe not the grading). I am a little
scared of what life will be like for me without a school to make me who I
am. I'm scared that I may be nothing but regular--an average guy who
once had a dream he was some crazy teacher, maybe one time, a long while
ago. And I think this fear is okay to have. To be honest, I think I need
it. I need it as a reminder that I will always care about others, that I
will always care about making an impact on people's lives and that no job,
no change in life, no sickness, no petition could ever erode my
passion.
I will soon be posting the gradation speech I gave at
Miller Auditorium. It was my final good bye to the students whom I have
loved so much for so long. And to the students who showed me not only was
it important to love myself, but essential to helping me grow
up.
Thank
you.
