#and how the person buddy cole is based on was the first feminine guy he ever fell in love with

[magentagalaxies]

the fact that i haven't run out of things to say about scott thompson is honestly ridiculous but i need to put on my comedy-analysis-hat bc i just listened to another episode of PTSDIVA to cheer myself up and there was a sketch at the beginning of this episode that i'm fucking fascinated by

ok so basically PTSDIVA is a podcast scott thompson did in 2019 exploring various traumas he went through with humor as well as empathy, and each episode starts with a comedic bit related to the topic at hand. this episode (the finale) was about the trauma of being born as a gay man in the time scott grew up in and having to unlearn a lot of the self-loathing that came with that (fun!)

the opening sketch was scott reading the introduction to the episode (introducing the podcast and explaining the topic like he does every episode) except when he gets to the end he tells his producer he wants to retake it because he thinks he "sounded too gay." the producer says he didn't notice anything and lets scott do another take, where he comedically lisps even harder (not doing the buddy voice but same ballpark). he then asks the producer to do it again, the producer says he didn't think it was a problem but sure whatever, scott then goes on to reread it in a completely monotone "straight" voice but then asks for a retake because he was overcompensating. this dynamic goes on until scott goes to record the intro and ends up accidentally just ranting about how his cishet male producer keeps saying his voice sounds fine and how would he know because he never had to deal with being harassed for sounding gay and this is obviously just a trick to take over the podcast for himself etc etc etc. his producer then goes "uh, scott? i think i just accidentally recorded your inner voice instead," but both the producer and scott like this take so they're done for the day

and of course i'm obsessed with this opening sketch bc it is a really great examination of how being seen as an outcast for an inherent part of your identity can lead you to constantly fixating on how obvious these things are about yourself, which must be even more intense for a gay man of scott's generation, and this kind of resentment towards people who can just go through life without having to think about it

but that's not the reason this fascinates me. this fascinates me because it is the literal inverse of a kids in the hall sketch scott did decades earlier

this sketch has scott just existing as a gay man in the 90s and not even being able to walk down the street without immediately being clocked as gay for his appearance and harassed over it. he changes his appearance several times, trying on different supposedly-more-masculine identities that only make him more obvious, before eventually just showing up in a bear costume and mauling the homophobe and calling him a fag in return. this sketch itself is one of my favorites, the fact that it's able to say so much in its simplicity with only one word is so powerful

but it's fascinating to me comparing this with the 2019 revisiting of this concept. the fact that in the kith sketch the homophobia is coming from an external force but in 2019 the homophobia is an internal conflict with a well-meaning straight ally telling him the problem doesn't exist. the fact that the endings are equally surreal and somewhat similar - in one scott wears a bear costume and attacks the homophobe getting his revenge, in the other his "inner voice" is recorded with all its anger and resentment on full display and the producer loves it. i could write a whole essay on just these two sketches on their own (and i guess i just did). scott thompson's comedy speaks to my soul in a way few other comedians can and the fact that he isn't more recognized for it is honestly criminal

[kartiavelino]

How same-sex pairs are reinventing stuffy ballroom dancing

The primary time Ernesto Palma requested Nikolai Shpakov to cha-cha at a Chelsea dance studio, again in 2014, the Russian ballroom-dancing champ demurred. “The concept of dancing with one other man was complicated,” the 40-year-old Shpakov tells The Put up. “Who leads? Who follows? I had been dancing with women since I used to be 10 — I simply didn’t have an curiosity.” However after cheek-to-cheeking with Palma for a fund-raiser that yr, the Westchester-based dancer modified his tune. Now, the light-footed pair star in “Scorching To Trot,” in regards to the world of same-sex ballroom-dancing competitions. Gail Freedman’s documentary, now enjoying on the Quad Cinema, follows 4 dancers in 2014 as they put together to compete within the worldwide Homosexual Video games, which happen each 4 years. “Conventional ballroom dancing is so established and formal, however I discovered [dancing with a man] to be releasing,” says Shpakov, who got here to the US in 1998 and now runs his personal studio, Solely Dance, in Hawthorne, NY. “I discovered a lot from it, each professionally and about myself.” Emily Coles and Kieren Jameson in “Scorching to Trot.”Shell Jiang Freedman first heard about same-sex ballroom dancing in 2012, when her cameraman instructed her a couple of lesbian dance group on the West Coast. It turned out that same-gender-couple dancing was flourishing in cities like San Francisco and New York, the place homosexual golf equipment and dance halls had been more and more providing LGBT-friendly ballroom, salsa and tango courses and socials. “I used to be drawn to the great thing about it and the individuality,” Freedman tells The Put up. After discovering a San Francisco-based feminine duo to give attention to, she met Palma, who’s been dancing salsa with each guys and gals since his childhood in Costa Rica. “He’s simply so heat and open,” she says. “Inside minutes, I knew his life story.” After we first see him within the doc, Palma is coaching together with his longtime buddy Robbie Tristan, who teaches with him at Chelsea’s Stepping Out Studios. A well being scare then forces 37-year-old Tristan to return to the Czech Republic to be together with his household. That’s when Shpakov steps in. “Scorching To Trot” traces the intricacies of same-gender {couples} dancing: Not solely are there no designated elements as chief and follower, however companions should work out how one can raise somebody who’s roughly the identical measurement. The movie additionally follows its stars’ personal dramatic journeys. Palma, who struggled with bullying and medicines in his youth, says that dancing saved his life. But it surely’s Shpakov who has the largest awakening within the movie. The dancer didn’t come out until he was 30, surprising his conservative Russian household — and his spouse. (They divorced, and he’s now fortunately married to a person.) He says dancing with Palma helped him embrace his newfound id. “Dancing is a superb automobile for self-expression,” he says. “I hope the film opens extra individuals as much as it.” The place to bop in NYC Massive Apple Ranch This homosexual country-western dance membership provides extra than simply line dancing, with classes that incorporate waltz, two-step, swing and extra. Classes each second and fourth Saturday of the month. 151 W. 46th St., 11th flooring; BigAppleRanch.com The NYC All Evening Milonga Sarah La Rocca, the host of this pansexual twice-monthly tango social, is straight, however prefers dancing with ladies. All combos are welcome, and classes are supplied for inexperienced persons. Classes each second and final Saturday of the month. Stepping Out Studios, 37 W. 26th St., ninth flooring; SteppingOutStudios.com/ Homosexual Ballroom “Scorching To Trot” star Robbie Tristan provides same-gender group dance courses at Stepping Out Studios. The autumn season begins Sept. 8, and Tristan additionally hosts LGBT Latin-dance nights all through town. Saturdays at 5:30 p.m. Stepping Out Studios; Homosexual-Ballroom.com Share this: https://nypost.com/2018/08/24/how-same-sex-pairs-are-reinventing-stuffy-ballroom-dancing/ The post How same-sex pairs are reinventing stuffy ballroom dancing appeared first on My style by Kartia. https://www.kartiavelino.com/2018/08/how-same-sex-pairs-are-reinventing-stuffy-ballroom-dancing.html