It's January! Throw a banana on your head, pick up a trumpet and dance on a cactus in an interactive celebration of the extraordinary talents of cultural trailblazer Josephine Baker, queen of the trumpet Valaida Snow, the lampshade-hatted dancers of the Casino de Paris and the offbeat irony of Jacques Dutronc.
So put on your dancing shoes and head on down to Le Cactus at Virtual Montmartre, then continue to the extended version at SBCC
***How does it work?
1- First collect your free costumes. You can choose to be "human", OR...go on... wear the invisible avatar then mix and match parts of all the costumes to create your own combinations.
*Flickr- you can add pictures to the " Le Cactus " flickr group http://www.flickr.com/groups/lecactus/
2- Create your own impromptu Revue- click everywhere for dance animations- try the revolving bananas, a cactus or hop on a turntable.
**There's 1920's-30's music on the stream from Radio Dismuke http://radiodismuke.com/
3- USE the HUD to listen to music by and watch video about Josephine and Valaida Snow, rated next best trumpet-player in the world to himself by Louis Armstrong. (Never heard of her? Neither had i until recently, bloody shame. )
4- There's always someone having a row in the corner, tickle a tentacle if you want to blow off some steam.
5- Relax by the bar (free drinks). Dive into a giant cocktail. Recline on a tentacle. Sit and smoulder.
Enjoy
**CLICK HERE to teleport to the introductory version of "Le Cactus" at the Casino de Paris in Montmartre
**CLICK HERE to visit the larger "Le Cactus" at SBCC
A huge thank you to Mick Huet, who asked me to participate in the Virtual Montmartre project, to project leaders Dr Bryan Carter, Indea Vaher, Insenara Siamendes and to Liz Rusotti/Zil Jewell, who is so generously hosting the larger version of Le Cactus at the Santa Barbara City College sim ( SBCC).
Credits: Sculpt maps: cactus - Lemondrop Serendipity, tentacle - Ona Ra, banana - Juliea Diesel, snake -Neema Chester
Animations: Easy Babcock, Nomasha Syka, dais Papp, Jackie Jetcity, Actingill Igaly.
Thank you all!
Le Cactus -Music and video links:
Valaida Snow- I Can't Dance, I've got Ants in my Pants http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MONC3QtheXg
Josephine Baker- I Love Dancing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWj_2brB_1k&feature=related
Jacques Dutronc- Cactus http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sakr_xgWXLQ
Valaida Snow-movie http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6e7ye-fiJA
Josephine Baker- movie http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ps7m7bUHq2E
More information on Virtual Harlem and Montmartre:
Virtual Montmartre and Harlem blog http://virtualmontmartre.wordpress.com/category/home-page/
The University of Paris IV-Sorbonne funded the development of Virtual Montmartre in 2004. The Montmartre relationship to Virtual Harlem is clear to scholars of the Jazz Age/Harlem Renaissance, for it was there that Jazz was introduced and popularized in Europe by African American troops who fought under the French flag in World War I.
These prestigious Sims (Montmartre and Harlem) have been cosponsored by the National Black Programming Consortium and the Government of Norway for the development of Virtual Harlem and Virtual Montmartre in Second Life. Virtual Harlem and Virtual Montmartre are owned by Dr. Bryan Mnemonic/Dr. Bryan Carter.
The Virtual Harlem Project is a collaborative learning network whose purpose is to study the Harlem Renaissance through the construction and use of scenarios developed in Virtual Reality.
http://www.evl.uic.edu/cavern/harlem/
http://www.montmartre-virt.paris4.sorbonne.fr/
Harlem in Montmartre; The New School Lecture http://youtu.be/qQ-xXA7D6YA Louis Mitchell http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/episodes/harlem-in-montmartre/the-story-of-louis-mitchell/917/ Harlem in Montmartre http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/episodes/harlem-in-montmartre/historian-tyler-stovall-on-montmartre/829/
Ada Bricktop Smith http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/episodes/harlem-in-montmartre/historian-tyler-stovall-on-bricktops/830/
Arthur Brigs http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/episodes/harlem-in-montmartre/historian-tyler-stovall-on-wwii-post-war-and-bebop/831/
