Back in the Groove!

Back in October, I suffered a very painful knee injury. As I was walking down a flight of stairs, I kept my hand on the rail (as I always do) and came to a part that was detached. I lost my balance and my knee twisted. I felt and heard a loud pop! I had to keep it stabilized and walk with a cane. An MRI revealed that there were no tears. I only suffered a severe sprain. Whew! So after months of healing and physical therapy, I was given the clearance to live my active life again. 

In January, I got back on the dance floor slowly. I did my performance with my dance troupe, DJ'd our events, and then had two or three dances thereafter. I started going to the gym to strengthen the muscles around my knees. I considered going to Verdi, but I'd hesitate and sit it out another week thinking the following Tuesday would be the night to go. 

This past week, my friend, Burnie, asked me to DJ his event at Berkeley's Ashkenaz. I obliged and considered it a test-run of my endurance. It was also a live band performance so I made it a point to dance as the band played and not during my set. With pre-recorded music, you already know the duration, beats, stops, and the melodic shifts of each song. A live performance is unpredictable. I had several dances without missing a beat. The leaders complimented me on my grace. A few ladies approached me complimenting my dance skills. This has definitely motivated me to get back on the floor on a regular basis.

This morning I awoke and felt no soreness in or around my knee. I am completely healed! Yay!

At Ashkenaz - Band: Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers
The selfie was more about showing my tattoos more than the hair.

Shifting on to a related topic, Burnie had introduced me by several names since I have so many: First my real name, then The Painted Lady, RoseRed, Rosie etc. The Painted Lady is just a profile handle. RoseRed is my chorus girl name. I'm considering ditching the name Rosie all together and just using my true name. However, being introduced as "The Painted Lady...Noemi" has a good ring to it.

The dancers out there loved my setlist. The one song that wowed them the most was Lalo Guerrero's Chicas Patas Boogie. It is a Spanish language cover of Oh Babe. One of my friends asked if it was a modern cover. She was surprised to learn that the recording is actually much older. I informed her that Lalo Guerrero was a Chicano musician very prominent during the late 30s-50s, and he performed during the height of the Pachuco subculture. This song, itself, was recorded in 1950.

Here is my setlist from last night's dance good for Lindy Hop, EC Swing, Balboa, and Shag.

Estate sales

Antique and vintage fairs and flea markets are by far the best way to amass vintage clothing, accessories, furniture and other wares. My favorites are Alameda, Treasure Island and The Fashion Expo. I've gone to other antique fairs with moderate success, and I've attended music festivals that have vendors but most items are overpriced, cheaply made reproduced clothing.  I used to buy vintage clothing through ebay but after awhile, the prices started to increase due to multiple bidding and often the items were not as described. Forget storefronts. Unless you know the employees, there is no negotiating the price.

The only downside to these fairs is the timing. They occur once a month, and the Expo is twice a year. What's a vintage loving shopaholic to do? Estate sales. They happen every weekend, anywhere and everywhere. So during the lull between Alameda and Treasure Island, I research the next estate sales around the bay. It's not so much finding them, but really looking into what's available. There are several aspect of vintage. You have to consider the culture, the era, the design of its time, etc. Keywords I look for are: Americana, mid-century, art deco, Edwardian, classic. 

It's definitely a hit or miss. Most of the time I walk away empty handed, but when it's a good day, the effort is well worth it. I've bought a few dresses, some furniture and 78s for my victrola. The biggest purchase was my 1940s Wedgewood stove. It's currently stored at my parents' house, but when I buy my house, it will be the focal point of my kitchen. The prices tend to be dirt cheap. I pay an average $10. Of course the stove was pricey at $500, but it was very reasonable considering a stove in poor condition is at least $1200.

Not everything I purchase is true vintage, either. My latest buy was a few CDs that are Big Band compilations; more music to add to my library since I moonlight as a DJ. I also found a couple of DVDs that were set in the early 20th century. Aside from the entertainment value, I study the hair and makeup, the wardrobe and dialect. 

I can admit that my love for vintage is a bit of an extreme, but I never really considered it a hobby as it is a lifestyle for me. Plus, there's nothing wrong with bringing back class.

My newest (and greatest) vintage acquisition!

Though I'd been updating my previous post (Antique/Vintage Hunting) with my latest vintage finds, today's purchase needed to be a post of its own.

After many years of fawning over old gramophones at various antique flea markets, antique shops, estate sales sold for astronomically high prices, I finally FINALLY purchased one today at Alameda Pointe Antique Faire.

Let's start from the beginning...

I originally came across a seller (whom I nicknamed "The Victrola Man") back in January, but I didn't have the money at the time. He was an older gentleman who restored old gramophones. I asked if he often sold at Alameda.  He said that he lived in Sacramento so he didn't always sell there every month. I told him, "if it's meant to be, I'll find you again." Well, I wanted it to definitely be. For the past three months, I drove to antique fairs in Sacramento, Concord, Santa Cruz, Alameda (again and again), Treasure Island and Cow Palace. I had no luck; not even in his hometown! Even though there were other sellers who had gramophones, the Victrola man would add extra needles and about thirty 78s; all for a relatively low price. Plus, Victrola was (and is) THE brand to own. No knockoffs, Edisons or RCAs for this vintage gal.

This morning, I met my friend for breakfast (Marti's Place has the best darn blueberry pancakes) and he asked, "what are we all looking for today?" I immediately said, "I'm still on the hunt for Victrola Man. I want a Victrola." And of course, I had to stop and visit my vintage clothing seller (Tracy) who always provides me with 1920s-40s clothing and accessories.

I beelined toward Tracy's selling space, but, unfortunately, the 1930s dresses she bought had yet to arrive from Canada. I have to wait a few more weeks. She was sorry not to have any items for me this time around, but I took it all as a positive sign; less money to spend especially if I'd find the Victrola Man. So I walked toward the back of the market (as I always do) to weave around the selling spaces until I reached the front. I walked past five rows before I heard classic jazz music playing not from some satellite radio, but from a gramophone. I turned to my left and there was Mr. Victrola Man. He had five gramophones for sale; three of them were Victrolas. I was relieved to have finally found him and even told him that I had been searching for him for three months. He smiled and said, "well here I am."

One Victrola was marked sold, but he had two others to choose from or I can take the cheaper, some other brand named gramophones. Nope, I wanted the real thing. So I forked over the cash and told him that I'd be back with a cart to roll it away (it's surprisingly heavy). He asked what type of music I wanted. I answered, "anything I can dance to. I'm a swing dancer." He gave me thirty 78s. We shook hands before I departed with my Victrola.

I already had a space cleared for my Victor Talking Machine and I was all too eager to begin playing it. As I was listening to a few 78s, I decided to research its age. I Googled the the model and seriel numbers and learned that it was originally manufactured in 1912. It is 101 years old. Imagine that. Who would have ever thought that back in 1912 as someone was purchasing this machine for their home, it would still be playing music in someone's living room in 2013. Amazing.

Below are images of my newest antique purchase and a sampling of its playing (Toot Toot Tootsie by Al Jolson). 

Enjoy.

Purchased 4/7/13 at Alameda Antique Faire

Definitely a great addition in my living room.

Renaissance Lady

Since moving back to San Francisco a few years ago, I'd been thinking a lot about what to do with my future since it took a couple of dramatic turns. Then I asked myself, "do I really have to do just one thing?" There's so much I love doing, and I feel that if I settle on just one type of activity (i.e. career),  I'd have cheated myself on fully enjoying my time on earth. I consider my talents and wonder how I can put them into productive use simultaneously. Of course my career will always remain in education; I love teaching college, and eventually I will teach at the university level. However, I am not JUST a professor and scholar. I am other things; a linguist, a dancer, an artist and model who occasionally dabbles in music supervision.

Language
I've always wanted to be a polyglot and learn as many languages as possible. I speak three languages fluently (English, Spanish, Italian), and I have a basic knowledge of Japanese.  I know some phrases in Korean and Turkish, too, but not enough to have a simple conversation. Part of the requirements for a Ph.D. at Stanford is to complete two foreign language requirements. I could take the easy way out and just use Spanish and Italian, but I love a challenge; perhaps French and Portuguese.

Swing Dancing
I enjoy dancing; it is not only physically healthy, but it is also emotionally healthy. I'm always happiest when I'm dancing. Swing dancing is an umbrella term and most lay people have no idea that there are various styles and techniques: Lindy Hop (Savoy and Hollywood styles), Charleston, Balboa, Bal-swing, Collegiate Shag, East Coast Swing, Jive. I am able to dance all of them, but my favorite is Collegiate Shag. It's high energy and super fun. The problem is, not many people know how or are too intimidated to shag. We're trying to build that community.

Before I left Southern California, I was asked if I'd be interested in being part of a dance troupe. I had already committed myself to starting my life anew in the Bay Area and respectfully declined. I tried to find some troupes and inquired about one. However, one look at my heavily tattooed arms and I knew the answer was no. There were others that had auditions but the locales were too far away to be able to commute between home, work, and graduate school. Then a friend introduced me to a fledgling troupe looking for swing dancers. It's a 1920s-30s chorus girl troupe performing Charleston. I accepted the invitation once I learned their acceptance of tattooed women. I'm about two weeks into my practice with the troupe, and I'm absolutely thrilled.

Ultimately I would love to assist other teachers at various swing dance festivals; I already have the experience having assisted three different leads. I'd also love the opportunity to swing dance around the world. The additional language skills would come in handy here.

Art
Very few people know that I'm an artist. I usually sketch pencil to paper often transforming my friends' pictures into Día de los Muertos themed portraits. What I'd like to do is transfer my sketches to canvas and be able to paint a background with depth. I don't expect to make money off them, but I wouldn't mind having them displayed around local galleries. We'll see.

Portrait of my prima

Music
I don't make music, but I can make a very good compilation. One thing Dem complimented me on was my talent for putting good tunes together. I moonlight as a DJ from time to time, and yes, I've had a paid gig here and there. I'd like to be good enough to DJ larger swing dance festivals just so I can travel and dance for free. Swing dancing is always the main priority. My music library literally has several thousand songs. When you put it all together, it's mind-boggling to see how many songs you know. Most of my compilations consist of various swing dance music, rockabilly (original and modern), psychobilly, and 80s. Perhaps I'll just make several copies and sell them for dirt cheap. I've known some L.A. DJ's who've done the same. Hmm...we'll see.

DJ Rose Red. I need to do another shoot now that I have red hair.

Modeling
My first shoot ever was when I was only 20 years old. I had been living in San Francisco for barely a year when I was approached by two gay men in the Castro. They looked at me and said, "Bettie Page!" They encouraged me to do some modeling since I had "that look" so I figured, "why not?" I used to work at a corsetry shop and the owner often used her employees to model her products. I regret not having asked for those photos. I don't even think the store exists anymore as I've tried looking for it recently. Lesson learned. I occasionally shot photos with a few amateur photographers in the late 90s so they could build a portfolio, but then I stopped in favor of getting a real job. I'd never taken it seriously. In recent years, I was encouraged to go back into modeling and I'm finding that although I am older than the average model, I find that I have more confidence in front of the camera. I guess that comes with age. Once this dance troupe gets underway, I'm pretty sure I'll be doing more current pictures. Although I already have a photographer who wants to shoot me, he's been pretty lax, lately. I need to get his bum in gear.

Life should not be spent doing one thing. We live an average 80 years, and I just find it unfortunate that people spend most of that time doing the same thing day after day. Once retirement kicks in, what is there left except to just deteriorate and die? I've seen it happen to many good people who forget to enjoy life more. When I retire from teaching (which won't be for at least 30 years), I expect to live another 25 years after that. After all, I'm seeing all these original swing dancers living well into their 90s (and still dancing!). And that's what I will continue to do. Utilize all my talents from here on out so that I live a long, healthy, fruitful life.

Cheers!