6 posts tagged “kdi”

I think I'm going to like this Creative Nonfiction class I signed up for.  Our first assignment was to bring to class three photos that represent important periods or moments in our lives, and then write six-word memoirs on each of them.  (In case you're not familiar with six-word memoirs, check this out.)

I can't show you the pictures I chose, since I'm not at my regular computer and probably won't be for another week or so (long and irritating story; don't really feel like going into it), so instead I'll have to describe them.

1) A cast shot from this year's shadow cast.  I chose this year instead of last year because, although both years are highly significant and involve people I hold dear to my heart, there were several things involved with this year's cast and performance that I think have a greater potential for affecting my life long-term.  (Not the least of which involved me realizing that sometimes I have to put my own sanity ahead of other people's enjoyment.  Big step, I think.)

2) A picture of Chris, Dave and Veronica from KDI a few years ago.  I chose them because they are some of the KDI people I feel closest to, and KDI is such a big part of my life that it would be something akin to blasphemy not to include it in my photos.

3) A postcard with a bunch of religious and tolerance symbols in papercut style.  I don't remember at exactly what point in my life I started to really notice the people around me and the situation the world was in, but whenever it was, it made up a huge chunk of my personality today, so I felt like I needed to find something that represented that.

Some possible six-word memoirs for these (I'm not telling you which is which, as most of them should be fairly obvious):

"Show's over.  Goodnight, not goodbye...yet."

"Tonight's work is not yet done."

"Who knows why we all dance?"

"Brothers and sisters - not by blood."

"And then I became aware.  Finally."

"Straight woman, 21, frequents gay clubs."

"Love is indeed all you need."

"As adults, we still play dress-up."

"Yes, we are always this crazy."

"After the candles, before the tears."

tootsie roll addiction.

scaring a turkish man.

lemon cake.

autographed photos of kristin chenoweth.

laughing at david.

a big empty dance hall.

spinning around and around.

pelting people with balloons.

a phone call in an empty stairwell.

yelling random fast food names.

sore arches and blisters.

foam swords from toys 'r us.

spiritual experiences in a circle.

prepubescent boys and their fear of bras.

harry possiblymanlegs.

peanut butter molasses taffy.

strobe light monkey in the middle.

magic gingerbread.

daily trips to wal-mart.

eating twice our weight in cake pizza.

really shitty dorm rooms.

games that cause bodily harm.

elijah talking to sara's stomach.

teachers who rely heavily on sound effects.

random testing of fire and tornado alarms.

sharing crazy cat stories with michelle.

dancing in the rain.

dessert at every meal.

all manner of crazy hats.

ahmet on ecstasy.

babyhawks.

fries that taste like micie.

milkshakes from backyard burgers.

guitar lessons.

conversations about george's "roommate".

paying for two and a half people.

having a creepy invisible roommate.

winning the heptathlon.

tyler's obsession with mime.

lynch mobs.

people who touch their tattoos in the elevator.

watching the sun rise.

using toilet paper left over from a room "decoration".

the flirtation of ahmet and taylor.

being set off by howard and taylor and chase.

struggling through a badly taught dance.

the square-cam (TM).

Which cultural festivals will you be attending this summer?

Well, I already went to the St. Louis Renaissance Faire on Sunday, and there's some chance that Lauren and I will be attending the one in Springfield sometime next month.  We're just missing the Fremont Fair in Seattle when we go, although I may be wrong about that.  (I hope I am.)

Seriously, though - and I don't know how many people would consider this a cultural festival, although it is definitely cultural and has many aspects of a festival - my biggest "cultural festival" this summer will be KDI.*  Considering that only three of my Vox neighbors are people I actually know in real life, I feel like I should elaborate on this oft-mentioned event. 

KDI - or Kentucky Dance Institute for the less casual - is the week-long folk dance camp I attend with my family every summer.  Folk dancing, in this case, is international; the classes we have this year are English country dancing, international folk, Turkish, square dancing/contras, and Israeli.  Most of these are regular; however, we've also had classes in the past of Balkan dancing, Scottish dancing, clogging, swing, children's dances, etc.

At its most basic level, KDI is an education program - we attend classes in the daytime and then review them in the evening dance programs.  However, those who've actually been can add that KDI is also a community, an extended family, a week-long party and the event that everyone looks forward to all year.  (Other regular KDI occurrences, particularly at after-parties, are a talent show, a now-discontinued scavenger hunt, the notorious Shoe Game, nightly TP-ings, pool and/or ping-pong, food sculptures, strange video footage, and the formation of countless inside jokes.)

I'd like to say more, but the problem is, I really can't communicate to any non-member what an amazing place KDI really is.  Everyone's had something like it in their lives, but no one can really describe it.

*Come to think of it, under those criteria, you could almost call Rocky Horror a cultural festival.  Or rather, one that puts the "cult" in cultural.  Ha ha, I made a funny.

Contradicting my usual reaction, I felt like defending an evangelist today.  (And would have, too, if I hadn't already been late for German class.)

Here's what happened - I was leaving the library, and this guy was standing with an umbrella on the planter outside University Theatre, giving his spiel about how we must resist the temptation of our marijuana and fornication.  You know, the usual.  I was about to roll my eyes and just walk away when I heard someone yelling "Booooo!  Boooooo!"  from the loading dock just behind the guy.

Now, I'm sorry; I think this guy's sermon was as ridiculous as the next girl does, but 1) He wasn't hurting anyone physically or verbally, 2) He was being polite, not insulting people like that Brother Jed guy does, 3) He was obviously devoted enough to his beliefs to stand out in the rain and yell to people who weren't even listening, 4) He wasn't shoving pamphlets in people's faces, and 5) He had every right to be there.

I may not agree with a single thing this guy said, but he has my respect.

~

I think KDI brings out my "good ol' down-home" side.  It's a very strange phenomenon.  When I am at KDI or listening to KDI music, I take great joy in 1) square and line dancing, 2) dressing and acting like the stereotypical hillbilly, and 3) listening to songs like "Salty Dog Rag" or "Tennessee Wig Walk", which involve overly drawly singers and typically bluegrass instrumentals.

Of course, KDI is so much in my blood that it's hard to tell whether I would have liked this stuff anyway.

Have you ever had a day when you woke up one morning and just knew it was going to be a bad day?

It's really gross outside.  It's damp and windy and sleeting and my mood would be much improved if I could just curl up with a book and some hot chocolate, but no, I have one other class to go to today (for which, I might add, I am supposed to be reading Song of Roland, but Stephen King and blogging are so much more appealing).

Aviva joined my folk dance class.  While that is a great thing in general, since it means I'll get to see her at least twice a week, which I haven't been able to do all year, it also means that particularly today, I miss KDI more than ever.  It's impossible not to think of KDI when two-thirds of the dances we've done are ones I've been doing for years, especially when the teacher is also someone I've known for years through the same venue.

I need to get a job, but I can't yet, because to even apply for one on campus you have to have proof of citizenship, which means I have to wait until my passport gets here later this week.  I didn't need a job last semester, and not finding one now wouldn't be such a big deal, except for the fact that the only way I'm going to get a new iPod now is out of my own pocket.  Plus, I have to pay for the Tegan & Sara concert ticket I bought last night (!!!) and probably save up some money for a trip to the Nederlander this spring, if such a thing is going to happen.

It's amazing, sometimes, how one situation can so closely resemble another under the right circumstances.

I'm talking, of course, about yesterday's experience at the Indianapolis Oktoberfest.  The other situation it resembles was, of course, KDI.

Factor 1: People.  I already was there with all of the Bauchles and Erin.  We were then joined by Howard, Marie and Gordon.

Factor 2: Dancing.  Most of the dances I learned quickly were German dances I was unfamiliar with, but included were Der Hammerschmidtsgesellen, as well as the old favorite La Barranca (which is obviously not a German dance, but it was included to illustrate how the polka step can be used across cultures).  Later, we adapted other favorites (Dance Above the Rainbow, Cripple Creek, Pata Pata) to whatever music happened to be playing, usually polkas.

Factor 3: Sleep deprivation.  We got back the house around 11, after which we watched KDI videos for a couple of hours (further adding to the strange impression).  Howard finally went home about 1:30, in the midst of massive brownie-batter sampling, and we spent another hour and a half watching Weird Al music videos on YouTube and finally fell asleep to Alice in Wonderland around 3.

Factor 4: Food.  Particularly the buffet food we ate right before Erin and I left to go back to Muncie.  Bonnie even commented on how we all had the vague impression that, after dinner we would all go back to the dorm and change for tonight's dance.  What are you wearing?

Amongst the non-KDI parts of the weekend were a bunch of little kids in dirndles and lederhosen (not entirely un-KDI, I admit), getting very wet in massive amounts of rain (again, it's been done), potato pancakes, dancing Numa Numa in the car, and a slightly psychotic kitten.  I am tired and I need a shower, but this was the best weekend I've had since I started school.  No joke.