The Rockstar Ballerina

The world has lost a light this night and she returns to the stars to shine brighter than she ever had before.

Where to begin...

I first met Rhian as a member of the Keith and the Girl forums, a community of listeners - fans - of the Keith and the Girl comedy talk show out of New York. It was around early 2007. I, like many at around that time, was still new to the idea of a forum community off the back of a podcast, but I quickly found my groove in the art of message board conversation - helped in no small part by Rhian. She welcomed me to this community with warmth from the get go and it was the beginning of a six year back and forth that was as enriching and as tangible as any friendship I have ever known.

So who was Rhian?

Rhian was a Canadian from Ottowa. A sunny and bright young woman, an extraordinary humanist who supported a variety of causes, an enthusiastic conversationalist and, as I was to discover, a passionate dancer who lived and breathed ballet. She learnt it, she performed it, she taught it. She brought dance to the most under privileged kids in her native Ottowa giving them inspiration and hope, a means of expression. But her love of this most visual of arts was cut short by illness in the form of the debilitating auto-immune disease Lupus.

Upon being diagnosed some time in 2007, Rhian took the positivity and energy she devoted to her ballet and focused it on conquering the disease. It was a battle that she fought with a courage that won her many admirers. She often spoke of her battle through her own podcast - Uncast, updating everyone on her progress, her fears and her hopes. She was confident of beating the disease. And through it all she remained one of the warmest presences around the community that has become known as the KaTG community. She was present at many of the official KaTG functions and meet ups, was a ubiquitous part of the fan community known as Team Drunk Ottowa and did much to advance the knowledge and love of Keith and the Girl around the world.

Rhian saw immense worth in everyone she met, no matter who they were. To Rhian, everyone was valuable, everyone had a voice she wanted to hear.

She was one of the earliest supporters of my first novel,  back when it was merely a weekly blog and all I hoped for it was that the story would be complete. It might sound a romantic notion now, and I can't remember if it is true, but I think Rhian always sensed that the novel was destined to find a publisher.

But my fondest memory of Rhian was the support and friendship she gave me a couple of years ago when my daughter was pretty ill. At the time my wife and I did not know what it was that was afflicting our daughter and I recall discussing our fears and frustrations with Rhian who was always willing to listen, to offer words of encouragement, of grace and of love. She invented a little twitter hashtag for my daughter - #teamweepeanut - that we often used when speaking over that particular platform. Her steadfast positivity and care for our particular situation was a great.comfort and for that, I shall always remember her kindness.

These are just two instances of the small but important friendship I had with her. There are others who knew and loved Rhian far more than I did. But she touched me none the less.

I had a sense maybe a year ago that the battle Rhian fought would ultimately claim her. A string of setbacks, false hopes from clinics offering treatments that came to little and the progression of the disease itself was alarming and only gave weight to the reality of her situation. In the end the reality overwhelmed and consumed.

She died leaving behind her husband, her family and a global community of those who championed her, who loved her and were better for having known her.

She dances now, free from the burden of her mortality.

Rest In Peace Rhian.

Donations to Rhian's favorite charity can be made via the following:

The Shanty Royce Memorial Dance Fund

c/o Sarah Thomas: Client Care Manager

RBC Royal Bank of Canada

Carlingwood Mall Branch*

2112 Carling Ave.

Ottawa, ON

K2A 1H2

Email: sarah.thomas @ rbc.com (remember to remove the spaces in the email address).

Call:  (613) 725-3119 or  (800) 769-2511

DFA.

Be In Love - There Need Be No Other Title.

I've had quite musical banquet in the past couple of weeks and it has led me to some new aural discoveries which are always welcome to my ears. 


I took my serioso to see Feist for her birthday at the 'Thebby' in Adelaide back on the 9th and I made the comment at the time that I would renounce my Australian citizenship tomorrow, just to become a Canadian and have the opportunity to see Feist live a lot more. She was, in a word, sumptuous. 


But in all of my gushing about Feist and Canadians being the most beautiful people on Earth, I received a new Twitter follower who instantly caught my attention and had me eagerly checking out her website and her music. As such, I just had to add her to my growing list of "There Need Be No Other Title" entries.


Amanda Abizaid, though not immediately recognizable to me, is a songstress and composer of formidable talent and one who has amassed a seriously impressive portfolio since she first emerged onto the scene in the late 90's.

Born in Beirut, Lebanon and migrating to the U.S. in the middle 90's, Amanda has worked as both a model and actress garnering critical success for her work but it is to her music I am drawn and her vocal talent in particular which is truly something to behold.


Her body of work as a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist (piano, guitar, and flute) Amanda is best known as the captivating vocalist on the theme song “A Place In Time” from Paramount’s The 4400, the featured song “Dreams in Ashes” from Lifetime Television’s Odd Girl Out, as well as other lead vocal appearances in songs appearing in Smallville, Ed, One Tree Hill, Felicity, and Charmed. Amanda has also contributed compositions for feature films such as 3 Below, 13th Alley, and an independent short film, Facing the Lion, by writer director, Joe Plonsky, and executive producer, Scott Spiegel, in which she has a starring role.


"Be In Love" is Amanda Abizaid's latest solo release, an eight track EP that show cases Abizaid's wide ranging vocal talent, her skill across a number of instruments and her ambitious fusion of a number of musical styles.

Abizaid's voice has a smoky, sensual and passionate sensibility which is incredibly attractive and she has quite a range too, which allows her to vary her ability effortlessly across the six vocal tracks. Her Middle Eastern roots shine through which adds a earthy texture to her voice and I have to say that I am a sucker for these influences. I have been listening to a number of artists who have drawn from Middle Eastern musical styles - both Chemda Khalili and Lisa Gerrard come to mind instantly - and I'm happy say Amanda Abizaid is a beautiful addition to my catalog.


Her music fuses those Middle Eastern rhythms and instruments with an urban flavor that floats from jazz to world music to even a little bit of hip-hop. It has the potential to get a bit messy but here, on each track of the EP, it totally works. It sounds effortless and well polished. You will be bouncing your head after a while, I guarantee it. 


Thematically "Be In Love" speaks of love and life and personal growth from Amanda's perspective and it has been influenced largely from her life thus far, growing up in Lebanon and migrating to America. It feel is positive and reflective and it's a refreshingly individual work, created with a lot of care and constructed meticulously. 


At $5.99 "Be In Love" is a worthy addition to your library and one that connects you directly with the artist - avoiding the various middle men/women along the way. As with previous entries to my "There Need Be No Other Title" series, I am pleased knowing that 100% of my hard earned goes directly to artist. 


Amanda Abizaid is one of those gems that you find when you least expect it. And they are truly the best ones. 


DFA.  

Pioneer One - There Need Be No Other Title.

Throughout 2011 I had the pleasure of discovering a lot of new media via the web. From independent musical projects, to movies, to 'television programs' produced exclusively for the web - there is a great deal out there to discover and enjoy and, in many cases, a lot of this content is free to download legitimately. 


I've mentioned Creative Commons attributions in previous posts here at DFA Dot Com which is basically a fancy way of describing the availability of independent media to end users for free, but in almost all cases, the projects depend upon the generosity of the end user who can contribute to the projects they have discovered both financially through donation or by spreading the word about that particular project via social media. Both these methods are a wonderfully entrepreneurial way of ensure the success of new media and, because donations and support come from like minded people, often the projects flourish without the intrusion of commercial interests which can and has neutered such media with their particular agendas.


One project that really got me excited over the course of the past few months is a 'television' series called "Pioneer One". I've italicized 'television' you'll note, because, although it is presented as a six episode series, it hasn't (yet) been actually broadcast on television. It's broadcast space has been the exclusive and more powerful environment of the web. 


So what is "Pioneer One"?


The premise of the series is described thus: 


A mysterious spaceship enters Earth's atmosphere, triggering a massive response from the American government. Since the ship has spread radiation over hundreds of miles of rural Montana, officials are quick to bring up the possibility of a terrorist attack, specifically the detonation of a dirty bomb, however, that idea is discarded subtly by the leading investigator, asking the rhetorical question "Who would launch an attack on Montana?". 


Debris is found in Canada, where an investigation of the crash discovers a live human being in a Soviet space suit. Federal agents working for the American Department of Homeland Security get involved, receiving permission from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to operate in Canada. The man is in an unstable condition and his initial blood work shows signs of severe cancer, with his doctors proclaiming him too badly injured to transport. A note handwritten in Russian found at the crash site says that the man is the child of cosmonauts living at a base on Mars. 

Not believing the note and wanting to announce a Department of Homeland Security success to the press, the American DHS orders Agent Tom Taylor (James Rich) to bring the man back to the United States as a suspected terrorist, despite his severe condition. Believing the note could be true, Taylor ignores his orders and destroys the permission from the RCMP, forcing his team to stay on site. He also brings in Dr. Walzer, an expert who has written several books about the possibility of human survival on Mars, to discuss the incident. Over the course of the series, we are introduced to an eclectic team of investigators, scientists and medics - all of whom are drawn to the stranger who seems to have fallen from the sky. As they work to unravel the mystery, they will discover truths that will change their lives forever.


Though the series was essentially filmed on a shoe string - you would not know it. The production values on Pioneer One are on par with any of the big network TV shows and it presents as a taut, ensemble piece with plenty of drama and enough mystery to keep the viewer invested from the get go. The cast are exceptional - headed up by James Rich who portrays DHS agent Taylor who is conflicted from the start by the situation he is faced with. The arrival of the Russian cosmonaut Yuri (Aleksandr Evtushenko) - who may or may not actually be the child of a Russian mission to Mars - sets off a chain of events that will affect all those who come face to face with him. Rich is ably supported by actors who, because they aren't necessarily big names, totally inhabit their characters. From Alexandra Blatt as Taylor's 2IC Sofie Larson, to Jack Haley as the eccentric Mars expert Zachary Walzer to Laura Graham as the compassionate therapist Jane Campbell. These are names that you might not know, which is actually a plus because they become their characters. This adds to the overall sense of believability in the story.

James Rich as DHS Agent Thomas Taylor.

Production on Pioneer One began back in 2010 by Josh Bernhard and Bracey Smith who conceived the idea of producing a totally web based drama series and funding it almost entirely out of their own pockets - along with some generous support through capital raising portals such as Kickstarter. As the series progressed and it garnered a solid and dedicated fan-base, the producers were able to raise enough money to continue production on the series through it's entire 6 episode schedule.


The response to Pioneer One has been phenomenal. Within it's first week of release, Episode 1 was downloaded some 420,000 times and, according to the producers, by December of 2011 it had  collectively been downloaded over 3.5 million times through it's hosting partner, VODO and it raised almost $100,000 in fan donations, ensuring that the entire first season would see completion.

And now as I write this, the first season is now complete and can be viewed in it's entirety via the download links at Pioneer 1's Vodo Portal.

If there was to be one criticism of the series - and this is entirely not the fault of anyone associated with the project - is that, because of the disparate funding streams coming into the project, there was a long time between episodes of the show. This was kinda frustrating for fans like myself who had hopped on board the series from the beginning but, given the high value of the production, the casting and the writing, it was impossible for me not to stay the course. 


And so now the Pioneer 1 team and the fan base look forward to the production of a second season and a continuation of the story that was left by an awesome cliff hanger at the end of the first season. The sneak peek trailer for season 2 hints at heightened geopolitical tension, changing alliances and answers to questions that were tantalizing all through out season 1. 


Make no mistake. This is a new paradigm in dramatic serial television that removes all of the  big TV network impediments to great drama and offers us pure entertainment. 


I urge you to check this series out.  


Official Pioneer One website.

Official Download portal. 


DFA.