Good Boys

WATCH DOGS:  For about 24 hours, we had four dogs, two fish and a cat sharing our space. The 'extra' pets were a pair of Doberman, Pretzel and Strudel.

Sweet and strong, they kept us busy!  I'm certain they didn't get anywhere near as many dog naps as they're used to during their visit with us. I'll bet they're sacked out right now, trying to make up for lost time.

INSIGHTFUL:  Launch alert! On Saturday, May 5, NASA's InSight Mars lander is set to launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in Southern California.

Above, you see NASA's InSight Mars lander inside its protective payload fairing and moved to the launchpad to be attached to its United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Credit: USAF 30th Space Wing/Daniel Herrera

Annabelle can tell you more about the mission. ... 

NASA’s InSight (short for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations) mission will launch on May 5^th, 4:05 AM PT. It will be the first interplanetary mission launched from the West coast, specifically California. The mission will give Mars a “check-up” and perform a deep analysis on its inner parts. InSight will check Mars’ “vital signs” beneath the surface, including its seismology (“pulse”), heat flow (“temperature”), and precision tracking (“reflexes”). The lander will be followed by two smaller satellites known as “MarCO”- Mars Cube One- due to their cubed shape. The mini-spacecraft MarCOs will arrive at Mars just behind InSight and help transmit info back to Earth. Once InSight and the MarCOs do their job, we can learn much more about Mars’ past, how it was formed, and even a little bit about other rocky planets like it.

An artist's illustration of NASA's InSight Mars lander on the Red Planet. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

West (U.S.) Coasters will have to be up early to watch the launch, as it's scheduled for 4:05 a.m. our time.

You can watch live online at Space.com courtesy of NASA TV, beginning at 3:30 a.m. Pacific time. Of course, NASA TV will also have coverage: https://www.nasa.gov/live

Here's a little bit more about the mission. ...
https://youtu.be/LKLITDmm4NA

Operatic

A NIGHT AT THE OPERA: Thanks to a friend of mine and some sweet, discount tickets, this spring we have been introduced to the stunning spectacle that is the Seattle Opera. 

Wednesday evening, we attended the epic "Aida." Following is what Annabelle had to say about the production. ...

The Seattle Opera is currently running their production of Aida, a story where “Conflicted loyalties spell doom for star-crossed lovers”, as the program puts it. The titular character is a servant in Egypt after her capture during an ongoing war. She falls in love with a soldier named Radamès, who is then selected to lead the charge against Aida’s home country. Aida, torn between love for Radamès or her home, accidentally lets her feelings spill to the princess, Amneris- who also wishes to win Radamès’ heart! When Radamès returns from battle successful, Amneris has already convinced her father to let her marry Radamès as a reward for his deeds! Aida is heartbroken, especially once she sees, among the prisoners, her father- the king of the rival country.

Aida’s beautiful set was designed by Los Angeles graffiti artist RETNA, and it has a very distinct style that lends well to the story. There is almost no dialogue outside of songs- and all of it is in Italian. A lot of thought obviously went into the costumes, which were intricate and brightly colored, contrasting the mostly monotonous background of red, black, and white. It’s a stunning production and the theater gives it a PG rating- meaning you could bring kids if you’re alright with themes of war and death. The theater will show Aida until May 19, so if you want a chance to see the show you should go quickly!

https://youtu.be/WwXrV56iYH0

DOG DAYS: This afternoon, we spent most of our time herding canines. In the house we had two fish, four dogs and one cat. It keeps a person busy. 

Below is a quieter moment. :)

Arts Aplenty

THE SOUND OF SILENCE: While Annabelle and I were busy working elsewhere, CJ and Christian had a chance to visit the historic Paramount Theatre and enjoy a midday matinee featuring a silent movie and live organ accompaniment.

CJ will be happy to tell you more about it. ...

Monday morning, I went to the Paramount Theatre in downtown for a Silent Movie Monday event, where multiple silent films (films generally dating from 1904 to 1928, according to the host) were shown. I went as part of a field trip with Cascade Parent Partnership Program students.

The first silent movie we were shown, Alice the Whaler, was actually a Walt Disney project, from his early days in the animation industry. Alice the Whaler was one of many "Alice Comedies", projects Disney made featuring various actresses playing the title character, Alice, with animated visuals as a background. Alice the Whaler was a six-minute long short featuring Alice, accompanied by several other characters, on a boat and dancing instead of, well, whaling (until the very end of the short).

The second silent movie we were shown, Love at First Flight, is an obscure live-action short that came out in 1928, the same year the Paramount Theatre opened. Love at First Flight is mostly dedicated to showing off several attractive women in swimsuits (gee, that sounds familiar), with the plot serving as an excuse.

Both films had live soundtracks played by organist Christian Elliott, who stated that he worked with multiple silent-era film industry people. Elliott often improvises sections of the soundtracks, according to what he said at the event.

In addition to the show being entertaining, the lovely Paramount is always a star in its own right.

IN ADVANCE: Tomorrow night we'll be attending Seattle Opera's producion of "Aida."

In preparation, we checked out some videos today. One was all about the costumes for the production. It turns out that the wardrobe for Verdi’s epic love story includes over 200 costumes for singers, dancers, and the chorus. We watched an interview with designer Anita Yavich. From it, we learned about the color theory and historical influences behind her design choices. https://youtu.be/KwUXuwREl4g


Verdi’s Aida also includes several dance sequences, so we watched a video with show choreographer and contemporary dance leader Jessica Lang, whose work has been presented by Pacific Northwest Ballet. We learned the show will feature nine dancers.
https://youtu.be/1dlQEI9q3Hk

Let's Dance

MOVING: Last Friday we found ourselves in downtown Seattle for a cool performance and Q&A with the world-renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. 

I'll have CJ tell you a bit more about the experience. ... 

This morning, we went to the Moore Theatre downtown to see an hour-long performance by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT), a dance company from New York City.  The show was at The Moore Theatre in downtown Seattle. 

The company was founded in 1958 by Alvin Ailey, a dancer and choreographer from Rogers, Texas. AAADT's most well-known production is Revelations, a three-part dance that was shown in part at the event we went to.

Alvin Ailey was born in 1931 and died in 1989 from complications relating to HIV/AIDS.

The performers at today's show included Michael Jackson Jr. (no, not related to the MJ you're thinking of), Jacqueline, Danica, Solomon, and Kanji. Aside from the aforementioned Revelations, AAADT performed excerpts from two other productions, from 1992 and 2005.

At the end of the show, the audience was given the opportunity to ask questions. I asked is the backup music was recorded, or played live. I was told by the performers that in the majority of performances (including this one), the music was recorded. However, AAADT does an annual Revelations Live event in New York City, where they have an orchestra play the backup music.

So that's CJ's take. (What he doesn't mention is that there were hundreds of hands up in the theater and he was lucky to get his question answered.) My impression(s)? My goodness, the dancers were so light on their feet! And they were *so* engaging, not just while dancing, but when connecting with the audience. It was lovely.

Below, you can see a video of one presentation of  "Revelations," Alvin Ailey's signature work. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZuBFz6WYfs