Re: thanx

Mary-Lou Michael (loulou@adam.com.au)
Sat, 30 Aug 1997 18:28:52 +0000

nik wrote:
>
> Johannes
>
> >>To Nik: I looked at the Blackbook and feel that this must have been a
> >>tremendous work to accomplish, and am trying to imagine how helpful it
> >>will be,
> >>and want to send congratulations.
>
> thanx.
>
> >
> >>I only spent a short while looking into its holding, searched under
> >>companies
> >>and cities (Houston, more or less empty, Los Angeles, 24 entries). Under
> >>companies I saw listings of some well known ones, but several I entered into
> >>search are not existent yet (Twyla Tharp is there, Bill T. Jones not), among
> >>others not there most of us folks here who have companies. mmmmh.mmmmh.
>
> >Some search results puzzled my, e.g. under presenting organizations I found a
> >listing of a high school in Houston.
> >In any case, this could be an invaluable guide and archive, so keep on,
> >and I am
> >sure you will be getting feedback and more input over time.
> >
>
> these addresses were gathered and sorted algormitically - and so the data
> has very strange inconsistancies. i have not gone thru it by hand yet,
> hopefully i'll never have to. i got an e-mail that the Tremaine Studio
> address i have is about ten years old. lots of wierd stuff, but computers
> and algorithms are basically stupid.
>
> my ONLY intent with the data as present would be to demonstrate how nice it
> would be to have a database that spread across many dance forms and
> provided very practical tools for dancers to find money, students,
> companies, etc.
>
> i hope very much that this data will completely be overhauled over the next
> few months by people finding themselves and adding themselves to the
> database.
>
> this weekend i'm writing the input/update tool which will allow people to
> get a password and add themselves to the database. i also have about 2000
> e-mail addresses and i'll mail everyone and ask them to please add/update
> their info.
>
> also over the next week i'll add a news ultitily so that companies in the
> database can post audition info, performance info, post class schedules and
> the like and that'll be linked to their entry in the blackbook as well as
> having a seperate news interface, a couple weeks after that this will all
> be integrated with e-mail alerts so someone can simply ask to be sent an
> e-mail based on some criteria, say, anytime someone posts an audition in
> Houston.
>
> but, whether a tool like this or any similar tools will mature into
> something really useful will depend not on technology, which requires some
> technical expertise but is no big deal. whether or not this database
> matures depends on the willingness of most dance people to submit and
> maintain info on themselves
>
> if everybody contributes a little, submits and maintains their data, then
> everyone benefits - the whole is greater than the sum.
>
> this is the bantaba - a Mandinka expression meaning dancing circle. if a
> bantaba exists among dancers, if a spirit of community exists, then i think
> the blackbook or something like it could be potential practically useful
> .... if not, then not
>
> either way it should be interesting.
>
> saludos,
>
> nik
>
> ~ voices
>
> http://www.yes.ucla.edu/voices/
>
> UCLA Youth Enhancement Service's political and media
> databases/index.
>
> ~ the dnc project - dance, networks, computing
>
> http://www.websciences.org/dnc/
>
> \|/ ____ \|/
> @~/ Oo \~@
> /_( \__/ )_\
> \__U_/

I visited your site, nick and I also think it is fabulous, well done!!
Have you received much information from dance companies, and
organisations in Australia? I haven't had a chance to check it yet,
but Ausdance is a fantastic Australian organisation for dance
specialists, from all feilds... Sometimes it is a little lonely when
everything is American and all these exciting things are happening so
far away... still I suppose that is where live internet performances
have so much potential, in terms of closing distances... anyway I
think you've done a great job...Well done!!
Mary-Lou

Also to those who gave me advice, I did eventually discover the ballet
international home page and am currently trying to subscribe. I.. well
the tool I'm using, sometimes has a memory problem, it is an old Mac
Powerbook 165.