The Official 2008 Dance Thread

mark5 · Post by **mark5** » Sat Mar 15, 2008 3:30 am

General Information
+++++++++++++++++++

Finally, all of the information you dance fans have been waiting for. First, unfortunately due to circumstances beyond the convention staff's control, we are back down to a single dance room for this year. We are making the best of the situation for this year, though.

This year, we will be hosting two regular dances in addition to the Cerulean Ball. Friday night will run from approximately 11:30PM to 2:00AM. Saturday night will run approximately from 8:00PM to 2:00AM. Something very important to note for this year is that both dances will be preceded by live concerts this year (Tokyo Pinsalocks on Friday and MC Frontalot on Saturday). Even more important to note is that we will not be clearing the dance room before starting the the dances. So, come early and and enjoy our two of our fine musical guests and then stick around for the dancing to begin.

In order to curb water shortages this year, we are going to try a new policy for this year. We will be allowing each person to bring one sealed bottle of water. "Sealed" means a bottle that still has its tamper-proof seal in-tact. Once opened, the bottle may not taken from the event room and brought back in.

Props are prohibited from the dance because they take up space people could be using for dancing. Frisbees and similar toys are prohibited because they can literally stop the dance if they hit any of the DJ equipment the wrong way which is something we would very much prefer not to happen at all. Open containers are prohibited as well. Sorry, that includes Nalgene bottles.

Any personal belongings you bring to the dance are solely your responsibility. If you can, leave them in your hotel room or with a someone you know. Neither Anime Boston nor any of its staff are responsible for any of your personal belongings.

Wear shoes at all times. No telling what the attendees from the event before dropped on the floor and romping around the dance in that case is recipe for serious injury. Some excited dancing otaku with his shoes on might even stomp on your feet by accident. It is safer just to keep your shoes on. This is a convention-wide policy, by the way.

If you plan to dance near the speakers, wear ear-plugs. The sound system is really BIG and will be really LOUD. You can get ear plugs at a pharmacy, several of which are close to the convention center.

Lastly, this is something that we tried last year that seemed to work well until some things slipped through behind the scenes. There will be a special area set aside marked off with either chairs or rope for glowstringing and poi. Contrary to some people's beliefs, this is not a "sitting area", which is why chairs will be turned so that you cannot sit on them from the outside. Any glowstringing/poi performed outside this designated area is strictly prohibited. People that are are not glowstringing or swinging poi are strongly advised not to sit or stand within this designated area. Even novice glowstrings and poi artists are strongly advised not to stay within the designated area unless performing. This area is a compromise I designed for security and the poi artists. I ask that everyone respect this compromise. Swinging any object on a string in the middle of a large crowd of people is foolish and deserves to be punished. However, when skilled artists are given the proper space to display their work, they can create something for everyone to enjoy. Poi is an artform engrained in dance and music. For more information, read this wikipedia entry: Poi.

*update*
The skywalk between the Prudential Center and the Marriott will be closed at 2AM. If you are staying late at the dances or anywhere else in the convention, you can get to Marriott by walking down the stairs beside the skywalk entrance and crossing the street.

Bios
++++

Greg Ayres (www.gregayres.com) - This man needs no introduction. He has been pumping-up the dance floor at Anime Boston for the past few years in addition to countless other convention dance floors across the nation. Greg returns to us this year to once again drive you wild on the dance floor with his highly-adaptive track selection and showmanship developed on the Houston club circuit and underground scene. If you have yet to experience the power-house that is DJ Greg Ayres, then you will definitely regret it if you miss this opportunity.

binary (sonicbeating.org/binary, Sonic Beating/Boston sonicbeating.org) - binary made a name for himself in the psytrance scene as a DJ and co-founder of Sonic Beating, which has been responsible for throwing the Boston area's largest and most popular psytrance events. He has played out at various venues and psy events around the country. He has also been keeping a presence on the anime convention circuit with his anime and J-Pop sets. binary's sets have been pleasing convention dance crowds from Boston to Columbus. Be sure to catch his crowd-pleasing, unique set for this year.

DJ Angelus (myspace.com/angeldelvalle, Beat Forge Productions - beatforgeproductions.com) - Since last year, DJ Angelus has been dropping tracks on the northeastern anime convention circuit, the New England underground, and at private affairs here and there. When he is not spinning out, his passion for the music drives him to hone his skill in his bed room. Now that he is sharper with these skills and techniques, he is ready to drive the dance floor like never before.

ILP (ilp303.com, Beat Forge Productions - beatforgeproductions.com) - Last year, ILP threw down the breakbeat like never before at Anime Boston. This year, we invited him back to drop his breakbeat science on you. He has been working new equipment and researching the science so that he can better educate with his drum and bass.

Matt and Chris of MCM Transmissions (myspace.com/mcmtransmissions) - Matt and Chris are two of the men behind MCM Transmissions on WSCA 106.1 FM, which broadcasts on Saturdays from 8PM to 10PM, eastern time. They return this year for their second Anime Boston performance and plan to unleash a different type of sound on you this year. Details are hazy, but rumor has it that it will involve some anime and video game remixes.

Goatone (Beat Forge Productions - beatforgeproductions.com) - Since his first desert trance party in Arizona in 2000, Goatone has never taken out the electronic music IV. When he started to DJ in 2003, it came with a promise that it was not a simply a hobby but an all-consuming passion. Since then, he has dedicated his entire being to bringing music to the dance floor that simply makes people think, smile, and dance. One of the few DJ's that knows how to sit behind the decks and tell a story, Goatone presents each track with the energy it deserves. Whether performing for a crowd of 5 or 1000, he puts his whole body, mind and soul into each set, dancing until drenched with sweat, smiling the whole way. This will be his Anime Boston debut performance, so please give them a warm Anime Boston welcome.

mark5 (www.mark5.us, Beat Forge Productions - beatforgeproductions.com) - Back once again to launch a Hard Attack... Last year, the hard beats specialist presented you with a special beat mix of a song that girl named Haruhi has a special dance for. This time, he will be mixing, cutting, and scratching the hardcore onto the dance floor. Over the past year, he has been increasing his presence in the local New England underground, further developing his turntable trickery, increasing his understanding of sound-wave manipulation, and forging alliances (like with T2Kazuya). mark5's audio arsenal continues to grow as each day passes and is undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with. He plans to carry out a hardcore onslaught that will surely incite the dance floor. Are you willing to rise to the call and dance with the hardcore hitman? Then, join the ranks and show him what you're made of!

Line-Up
+++++++

Friday
======
11:30 - 12:00 mark5 [UK Hardcore, Japanese Hardcore]
12:00 - 1:00 Goatone [Psytrance, Goa, Techno, Progressive, Breaks]
1:00 - 2:00 ILP [Drum and Bass]

Saturday
========
8:00 - 9:00 Matt and Chris of MCM Transmissions [Trance, Breaks, House, Progressive House, Anime, Video Game]
9:00 - 10:00 DJ Angelus [Trance, Electro, Tribal Progressive]
10:00 - 11:00 binary [Anime, J-Pop]
11:00 - 12:00 mark5 [Anime Hardcore, Video Game Hardcore]
12:00 - 2:00 Greg Ayres [Dance, Hard Techno, Video Game, Drum and Bass]

mark5 · Post by **mark5** » Sat Mar 15, 2008 4:02 am

Just to address a few things I have seen in the other regular dance related threads...

The regular dances will always be all-ages. It is one of the very few late-night programming offerings that we can present to those younger than 18 and I prefer to keep it that way. Music and dance should be enjoyed by people of any age.

From my list of tips printed in the program guide: Wear comfortable shoes and clothing. You can still dress to impress, but keeping things comfortable will allow you to show people your moves on the dance floor for longer periods of time.

I will stress comfortable shoes. Sneakers are going to be your best bet.

[strike]We will not have black lights.[/strike] [strike]The tech director has pulled a few strings and there will be black lighting.[/strike]
The blacklights did not show up at the con. No black lights again.

Dances have never gone until past 3AM at Anime Boston. They will end at [strike]3AM[/strike] 2AM this year. I need to sleep too.

Electronic music does have lyrics depending on what genres you are talking about. Listen to either of my hardcore sets for tracks with traditional lyrical structure.

I am quite aware of who Ravine is. I am never awake for the Aussie Hardcore show, but I have seen his youtube stuff. It seems that all he does is micromix routines, which is not really condusive to the way I structure our dance program. Second, if you are a skilled DJ and you watch his routines, you can see how he does what he does, which makes him less impressive in my opinion. Third, the dance's budget is not really big enough to fly someone out from Australia to spin.

mangamannumber1 · Post by **mangamannumber1** » Sat Mar 15, 2008 3:37 pm

i am very pleased that the glowstringing/poi thing has been cleared up this year, last year i had people tell me it was ok in the area blocked of by the chairs and other people telling me not at all. It was really confusing and pissed me off a bit.

though i have a feeling that there won't be any poi, unless you plan to let people spin fire on at your dance-_-

mark5 · Post by **mark5** » Sat Mar 15, 2008 6:13 pm

[quote=mangamannumber1]i am very pleased that the glowstringing/poi thing has been cleared up this year, last year i had people tell me it was ok in the area blocked of by the chairs and other people telling me not at all. It was really confusing and pissed me off a bit.

though i have a feeling that there won't be any poi, unless you plan to let people spin fire on at your dance-_-[/quote]

I use poi to refer to the art form as opposed to the actual objects. The objects could be glow sticks, photons, comets, glow poi, fuzz balls, blinky balls... And they do not necessarily need to be attached to strings either. They could be in socks or lycra tubes. And there could be not of that at all if you are using scarves or flags. The art of using it all stems from the Maori art of poi.

BTW, fire poi are not allowed all, just to make it clear.

Post by **The_Finn** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 10:13 am

[quote=mark5]BTW, fire poi are not allowed all, just to make it clear.[/quote]

man... no fire?!?!??!!? talk about raining on my parade...

mark5 · Post by **mark5** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 10:30 pm

The line-up has been updated to reflect the new 2AM end time.

mangamannumber1 · Post by **mangamannumber1** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 4:24 pm

just out of curiosity why was the end time changed to two instead of three? I'm guessing it's some hotel or convention center policy that wasn't in place last year-_-

mark5 · Post by **mark5** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 2:23 pm

Yes, pretty much strict policy. I am pretty bummed about it too. -_- It should not be an issue next year.

mark5 · Post by **mark5** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 4:16 pm

No black lights, again.

See second post above.