- Joined
- Feb 19, 1999
- Messages
- 2,959
Last Friday afternoon, four of us from our local Live Steel group headed up to Little Rock to perform at the Arkansas School for the Deaf.
We had originally been scheduled to do a stage combat demonstration and do a workshop, teaching selected students a bit of stage combat technique.
Now as those of you who know me know, We don't DO stage combat. We fight Live Steel. (Live steel being real blades with blunted edges and tips. Real blades withOUT blunts are called SHARPS)
Well, as will sometimes happen, plans got changed, not everyone got notified, and our time with the kids was cut down to about 45 minutes on stage doing a demo.
We immediately tossed out the "stage" aspect and went into a series of un-choreographed, full tilt duels. (staged stuff always looks staged) Much flashing steel, and great efforts by all involved not only to WIN but to LOOK GOOD and we had the effect we'd been going for. The crowd went NUTS!
We called a few kids up on stage and let them have a little time learning the VERY basics of the sword, then a Q&A period with some surprisingly good questions coming from the kids!(I'll have to re-evaluate my opinion of High School kids!)
All this was followed by a couple hundred kids mobbing us as we left the auditorium and demanding we let them have their pictures taken with us.
To see the excitement and smiles on those kid's faces did something for me way down deep.
My Grandmother is a Court Interpreter for the Deaf and I grew up learing ASL. I've forgotten most of it now, but I remembered enough to be able to be friendly with the kids.
It's been a long time since I've done something like this, something just for someone else and nothing to gain from it and I have to admit, It felt GOOD.
The Admin said they would DEFINITELY invite us back again and not short us for time next time. I hope they do. It was one of the most worthwhile things I've done in a long while and I'd like to do it again.
All in all,
A REALLY good day.
------------------
Tráceme no sin la razón, envoltura mi no sin honor
Usual Suspect
We had originally been scheduled to do a stage combat demonstration and do a workshop, teaching selected students a bit of stage combat technique.
Now as those of you who know me know, We don't DO stage combat. We fight Live Steel. (Live steel being real blades with blunted edges and tips. Real blades withOUT blunts are called SHARPS)
Well, as will sometimes happen, plans got changed, not everyone got notified, and our time with the kids was cut down to about 45 minutes on stage doing a demo.
We immediately tossed out the "stage" aspect and went into a series of un-choreographed, full tilt duels. (staged stuff always looks staged) Much flashing steel, and great efforts by all involved not only to WIN but to LOOK GOOD and we had the effect we'd been going for. The crowd went NUTS!
We called a few kids up on stage and let them have a little time learning the VERY basics of the sword, then a Q&A period with some surprisingly good questions coming from the kids!(I'll have to re-evaluate my opinion of High School kids!)
All this was followed by a couple hundred kids mobbing us as we left the auditorium and demanding we let them have their pictures taken with us.
To see the excitement and smiles on those kid's faces did something for me way down deep.
My Grandmother is a Court Interpreter for the Deaf and I grew up learing ASL. I've forgotten most of it now, but I remembered enough to be able to be friendly with the kids.
It's been a long time since I've done something like this, something just for someone else and nothing to gain from it and I have to admit, It felt GOOD.
The Admin said they would DEFINITELY invite us back again and not short us for time next time. I hope they do. It was one of the most worthwhile things I've done in a long while and I'd like to do it again.
All in all,
A REALLY good day.
------------------
Tráceme no sin la razón, envoltura mi no sin honor
Usual Suspect
