VEMF!

I'm in the process of picking out shirts, shorts, and the most comfortable shoes I own in preparation for VEMF.

VEMF is the Victoria Electronic Music Festival. Upon reading the words "Electronic Music", half of the people that are reading this blog (so, 7.5 people, roughly) have shut down their browsers. I don't know exactly why that is, but electronic music seems to have some magical tendency to remain significantly underground in the public eye. People have either never heard any of it, or love it, and there's very little middle ground in between.

I'm not sure why this is. It could be related to the fact that electronic music at a genre is not reducible to just one style - even it's nomenclature really only implies the general type of sounds that are used, and the means of production involved in creating that music. We can also add into the mixture the fact that most people associate electronic music with RAEVERS. Don't get me wrong, I was once also a raever, and could be found dancing late into the morning - however, and this may be a news flash to some, raevers in general are not seen in a particularly positive light (though I think they're faring better than Emo kids are these days).

VEMF started about 7 years ago, in a format that I like to describe as "shitty". I didn't complain at the time, and I still wouldn't - whoever had organized it had taken the effort to rent out the Open Air stage in Centenniel square, brought in DJ's to play, and suddenly we had a place to dance during the day! There were no beer gardens, and the whole affair was pretty sketchy in general, but it was a start.

There was a hiatus for a few years after that, and then things started back up proper - the last four years have been a testament to the popularity and strength of the electronic music scene on the island - there's been a lot of people helping out, and as time has passed, the festival has built up from a grungy open air stage to a well organized, recognized event, with interactive workshops, and, yah, some beer gardens too.

In the past I have participated solely by dancing, but this year, I'm volunteering as well, which is cool, because I'm looking forward to the chance to interact with people. At the end of the last festival, my friend Davin and I had talked about the possibility of me running a dance workshop to break down some of the dance styles that most people will see when out around this kind of music. I loved the idea, and I've always loved teaching the art, but with a wedding to plan and a condo purchase in the works, I figured it would be spreading myself much too thin to take on any other tasks, especially one of this scale.

Why a dance workshop? Well, pretty much because I'm selfish. I don't like putting myself on stage or showing off. As a matter of fact, I find it very hard to dance when I'm being watched, because it makes it very hard for me to separate myself from the audience. But, I love meeting and talking with other dancers, and I love sharing ideas with other people related to the art (that doesn't mean I like to pontificate about dancing at them - I like to hear their opinions and trade mine). I can't think of a better way to make that happen than to do a workshop.

Secondary to that is the fact that the urban dance scene on our island is pretty weak. My friend Graham and I learned to dance from watching video tapes of much music performances in slow motion. There was nowhere to go and take classes, and talking to anyone about popping was a great way to get a blank stare in return. It's been a frustrating nine years, broken up with the scant two dance workshops that I've been able to go and take, and I've had to unlearn many mistakes along the way. It would feel good, for a variety of reasons, to be able to help provide some direction and visibility to the art forms.

Third, is the fact that I want to counteract the negative connotation that learning to dance a certain way seems to have earned itself in the scene. The most common response when suggesting something like a workshop or tutorial videos, at least from my experience dealing specifically with rave boards and forums, is, "You shouldn't teach someone how to dance. They should just do what feels right".

This is true, to an extent, but within every form of self-expression, there are basic building blocks that we all must learn to use. This blog is broken up into paragraphs, and I'm using grammar to make my writing semi-legible. An artist learns the fundamentals of paint and brush-strokes prior to going and painting his masterpiece. So too must a dancer learn the foundations for the styles of dance that they wish to pursue.

Don't get me wrong - true geniuses in various forms of art often succeed by breaking those molds and rules, and creating new styles in their own right. But not before learning the original foundations themselves. I always see great art as being that which derives new ways to creatively bend and break the rules - it's a little like Neo from The Matrix when he learns how to defeat Agent Smith. That was pretty sweet hey? I liked when he did Kung Fu.

Uh, right.. VEMF. So, I've waited since BC Day last year for this weekend, and I'm pretty damn excited. And you should be too! Come on down and check out some great beats, and maybe cut some rug while you're out there. The festival is free, and runs from 12 noon to 10:00 PM on Saturday and Sunday - after that there are after parties planned at both Hush and The Jungle Room. And if you see me dancing, come say hey - just don't let me know you're watching!