All posts by Carly

Clemson, Friends

I’m Back!

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Oh it is good to be back to writing! I have missed this. Where have I been? Well, mostly at work – or should I say, at play? Allow me to elaborate:

As the Administrator of the US Play Coalition, my primary responsibility has been the planning and execution of the 2013 Conference on the Value of Play, which took place February 17-20 in Clemson, South Carolina. By all accounts, it was a huge success, and it could not have been more fun. We had over 300 people participate, 10 countries represented, 3 keynote speakers, 1 keynote panel, 70+ educational sessions, 1 full hour dedicated hour of play with many more short activities, 2 adult tricycles, 1 giant parachute, 20+ hula hoops, and more smiles than you can imagine. At the closing banquet, we awarded $6,000 in grant funding in the form of one $3,000 research grant and three $1,000 action grants. In conjunction with our conference and official play hour, Clemson Provost Dori Helms declared February 19 as Clemson University’s Official Play Day for the second year in a row. We also were covered by the Anderson Independent, The Tiger, and had three hours of live cut-ins on Fox Channel 4. All in all it was tremendous fun, and I am already looking forward to making the 2014 conference bigger and better! Plan to join us, you can ask me how.

13.2.20 Anderson Independent Conference Coverage 5
Just a regular “day in the office”

On top of the long hours both before, during, and after the conference. I have been doing my best to stay in touch with numerous friends, read for book club, watch awards season, complete my online coursework, rehab my injured foot, learn big ideas from TED, maintain awareness of current events, find a new place to live, oh and sleep too. There is so much I want to fill you in on all at once, but for now, we will both have to settle for this brief reconnection via the blogosphere. It’s good to be here, and thank you for reading. Be PLAYful!

My new book for... you guessed it!
My new book for… you guessed it!
Clemson, Discovery, Media Consumed

MOMIX

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On Thursday night, I saw MOMIX: Botanica, and I was dazzled. If you wanted to pigeon-hole MOMIX, I think “modern dance” would be the title given, but this does not even begin to do justice to the visual sorcery of the performance. From the moment the curtain rises, the dancers bring you under their spell.

Creating illusions with their bodies and their dress, the boundaries of reality were extended. I was amazed at how simple costume alterations, a black line here or an all-brown body suit there, could metamorphose the human figure into another being. The entire production was a demonstration of our ability to seamlessly transfigure ourselves.

Light and dark become play things as your perception is bent this way and that. For instance, a deep red backlight with no front, side, or above lights transforms the dancers into black shapes without distinct features, or the trickery of a black light on reflective sleeves worn on the arms and legs opens new stretches of the imagination.

The dancers also make deliberate use of props, objects that are often lithe in design and motion while bold in statement.

Altogether, the show is captivating. I highly recommend seeing it if you have the chance.

 

Media Consumed

Weekend Double Feature

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My original weekend plan – a 10k race in Asheville and spending time with good friends – was rudely altered by foul weather. Rather than sulk under grey skies, I made the most of the time with some much needed R&R, including two movies: Winter’s Bone and Gangster Squad. Read on for my reviews:

Winters_bone_posterAvailable on Netflix, Winter’s Bone starring Jennifer Lawrence, affectionately known as JLaw, hunts for her missing father in order to save her family. You may remember JLaw from Hunger Games and Silver Linings Playbook. The movie is excellent, dark and confrontational, about people whose lives are ruled by the decisions of others. You are also witness to the strength and love of a young person who has matured out of necessity and endures struggles most of us will never face. I was also struck by the similarity of the pretense of Winter’s Bone to Hunger Games: a young girl grown up too quickly, forced by tragedy to care for young sibling(s) and a “sick” mother, and willing to risk anything to protect her family. Watch this.

gangster squadWith surprising comedic moments, Gangster Squad proved better than I anticipated. However, there is not much new to report about a war between two tribes: the corrupt wealthy vs the loyal servicemen. We have all seen it, heard it, or read it before. In this particular installment, it does help that Ryan Gosling is easy on the eyes. I do wish that Robert Duvall had played the cowboy; I imagine him like he was in Lonesome Dove. There are other movies up for Oscars that I would recommend first, but if you are looking to be entertained, this will certainly do the trick.

Happy Watching!