Voidy conductors!
I feel so badass. Dan, Kristina, Jeremy, and I had gotten tickets for the farthest balcony seats in Segerstrom Hall in Orange County. Andre Watts and the grand piano looked mighty small from where we were. We spied some empty seats up in the first and second rows in the orchestra level, and threw around the idea of sneaking down there during intermission.Dan finally said, "Aaaah you only live once" and Mission Get-Better-Seats was underway. I have no idea why the usher didn't notice four new people sitting in the second row, but we weren't stopped despite our conspicuous behavior. You know, looking around for ushers, standing near the seats we were planning to jack...But we were eye level with the double basses for the second half of the performance.
If we were watching the double bass players, anyway. Conductors are the most fun to watch, really, because they get all voidy. What's this word, you say? The FAQ of the Figure Skating Universe webpage documents the history of the word "voidy" as such:
It stems from...watching an old documentary about (legendary ice dancers) Torvill and Dean where we peed ourselves laughing at the following quote from Chris (Dean), which he said, erm, very dramatically:So all of the conductors I've ever encountered fall under the category of "voidy." Everything they do seems over-the-top and simply for show, but I can tell you (as a member of an ensemble) that part of it is the conductor trying to dissipate energy. If the conductor conducts like he's in a coma, the ensemble is going to respond accordingly, and play as if they are in a coma. If your conductor is waving his arms wildly, stamping his feet, and making funny faces, there's nothing you can do but channel that energy.
"....and suddenly, we found ourselves in this...hole...this huge, big VOID!! We could do anything we wanted to, our only limits were our own imagination!! It's like floating free, it's like being in outer space!!"
So we use the term "voidy" to describe anything in skating which is a drama fest a la Dean. You know the sort of thing: angsty expressions, hands outstretched, weird programs with weird music, skaters who clearly think they are skating as ar-TEESTES and creating an artsy masterpiece...it's all "voidy."
That still doesn't explain why most conductors have really long hair that bounces when they get all voidy...
I also hadn't realized how far away we were until I saw the conductor. From the boonies, his arms didn't match up with the tempo. It was like half an arm wave off. I was wondering how the orchestra coordinated that delay, since there usually is a split-second delay between the conductor's signal and its corresponding action in the ensemble. But..half an arm wave?! When we were up in the front, it made more sense. We were just really really really far away from the orchestra, and that's why the tempo didn't match the conducting, LOL...
Random quotes from tonight, mostly from Dan:
Dan decides to take a shower 13 minutes before we're supposed to meet at the bus:
B (6:02:33 PM): gotta shower/etc.
azncupycake18 (6:02:36 PM): o wow
azncupycake18 (6:02:40 PM): gogogogogogo!
B (6:02:43 PM): haha
B is away at 6:03:05 PM.
azncupycake18 (6:06:59 PM): hahaha
Auto response from B (6:06:59 PM): Proving to the world once again that I am its speediest showerer.
azncupycake18 (6:07:03 PM): if you say so..
B returned at 6:07:21 PM.
azncupycake18 (6:07:29 PM): O.O
B (6:07:29 PM): see?
azncupycake18 (6:07:31 PM): i am amazed
azncupycake18 (6:07:33 PM): haha
Dan, scolding me and Kristina for not waking him up when someone announced the lunar eclipse on the bus: It's not like I could go out and see the lunar eclipse tomorrow!
Dan: It's not like I'm wearing a corset..
Dan, taking off his shoes and putting his feet on the chair in front of him: Ahhh, much better!
Me:*looks down* Hah, your socks don't even match!
Dan: Yes, they do! *looks down* Oh, shit...
The conductor, before introducing the composer for one of their new pieces: Oh, and by the way...3-0.
Yup, glad to know that conductors of classical music keep up with baseball too...
posted by sugarfiend @ 11:19 PM
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