Stardance : : The Official Movie Blog

Some Good News

2011-01-29T11:42:00.001-08:00

Since Jeanne's passing I promised myself that I would not post again on this blog until I could share some good news. As most of you know, a little over a year ago - with a "faithful as possible to the original" feature screenplay adaptation about half done (ask anyone, the middle of a screenplay is the hardest) and with Jeanne's health failing, Jeanne and I brought famed SF and TV writer David Gerrold in to assist with the completion.

David reviewed everything we had created to that date; the original story, the previous treatments and beat sheets, the IMAX version of the screenplay we had started and abandoned, the 45 or so pages of feature screenplay and our notes, notes, notes. David then made a major change in perspective about one of the characters - a launching point for us to create a brand new treatment - we met every week and argued and refined and developed and ultimately created a completely new, more cinematic vision of Stardance guided by David's mastery of structure. We presented the new treatment to Jeanne on May 19th 2010, and she gave her glowing approval saying "All we have to do now is write the screenplay."

Jeanne passed away 10 days later. At that point I knew the most important thing in my life was to complete that task.

Since David did a lot of the heavy lifting for the treatment, I took on translating it into the screenplay - meeting with David as often as I could, especially when running into walls, until were were again about half way through. There it was again, that dreaded half way point. David and I would make great progress every time we met. I'd show him what I had done, he would edit or make suggestions, and I would be able to move forward a little. But those productive meetings were hard to schedule, both David and I are busy people with more than just this screenplay on our plates. What we needed was some dedicated time.

In December I came upon the answer: we would set aside an entire week in January and fly David to Memphis (away from the distractions of Los Angeles) with only one goal, to sit side by side and FINISH STARDANCE!

So, as Memphis was pummeled with Snow, David arrived for an uninterrupted week of writing and brainstorming and arguing and writing some more - and I'm proud to say that six days and 55 pages later David Gerrold and I finished the screenplay adaptation of Stardance.

That was two weeks ago: We're presently giving it a quick polish before sending it into the Hollywood machine. Wish us luck, you won't hear from us much until we have more real news to share.

In Jeanne's Name

2010-06-14T06:26:00.000-07:00

Questions have come up a few times about donations to honor Jeanne.

We are suggesting donations go to Green Gulch, Jeanne's zen center in California. A place that has meant so much to her for many years. If you wish, you can donate (and learn more) here.

Or you can simply memorialize and honor Jeanne by helping to bring peace to the world, and yourself. Thank you all for your kind wishes.

Buchi Eihei In pacem

2010-05-31T12:12:00.000-07:00

(from Spider)

Jeanne Robinson left this life at about 4:45 Sunday afternoon, a gentle smile on her face. Her departure was quite peaceful and she was in no pain at all.

Because her Palliative Care doctor, Paul Sugar, was able to forecast her passing almost to the hour, her daughter Terri, son-in-law Heron and granddaughter Marisa flew back from NYC just in time, and were with me at her side when Jeanne died; and her mother Dorothy and sister Laurie arrived from Massachusetts only a couple of hours later, after Terri had had time to expertly make Jeanne look better than she had for days. Zen priests Michael and Kate Newton were also present per Jeanne’s wishes, as were our oldest friends in this part of the world, Greg McKinnon, Anya Coveney-Hughes and Stevie McDowell. Over the next few hours more sangha buddies arrived, and chanting of the Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra was done. Her body was then bathed and dressed in her hand-sewn rakasu as per Zen tradition.

In accordance with her wishes she will be cremated. Half her ashes will be scattered off this coast, and half will be taken back to her childhood home, Cape Cod, so that her East Coast family will have a place to go and visit her.

Only moments after Jeanne had passed, Terri put little Marisa down on Jeanne’s breast and told her to give Nana a hug. Marisa did, one of the boneless-sprawl, cheek-rubbing, no-hurry hugs we’ve all come to know means she really loves and trusts whoever she’s hugging. And then she raised herself up on one arm, looked at Jeanne’s face....I swear this is true.....and waved bye-bye. The hairs stood up on the back of my neck.

If you’re in the Vancouver/North Vancouver area, you should receive a second message later, as soon as I know when her services will be held, at Cates Hill Chapel here on Bowen Island. At this point I don’t even know when or where she’ll be cremated: her social-worker sister Laurie O’Neil is, with characteristic kindness, fielding such practical matters for me and Terri.

One thing I can report: Jeanne, a lay-ordained Soto Zen monk, always yearned to become a full Buddhist priest.....but the five-year-period of intensive practice and fulltime study in the monastery required was logistically difficult for us, among other things, and we kept putting it off. In a recent farewell phone conversation, she told her personal teacher Tenshin Reb Anderson Zenki that her biggest regret was that she had never been able to find a way to study to become a priest. Reb (who gave her both her Dharma name, Buchi Eihei—”dancing wisdom; eternal peace”—and her nickname in the Zen community, “Wired Buddha”) immediately told her he would come to her funeral, and ordain her a priest on the spot. That brought her deep joy—and will, I have no doubt, assist her greatly in her travels through the bardos.

The only dying wish she missed was to be driven down to Seattle in a few weeks, to see/hear Crosby, Stills and Nash. I should probably go myself...but I doubt I’ll have the heart, that soon.

I cannot praise highly enough Dr. Paul Sugar and the entire staff of the Palliative Care Wing of North Vancouver’s Lion’s Gate Hospital. All nurses and nursing aides are heros, but those who work exclusively with the dying are a breed apart. (as are those who work Burn Units.) These boddhisattvas—over a dozen of them in the course of a week—were without exception willing to accede to absolutely any reasonable request by a family member, and any unreasonable request by a heavily drugged patient—with infinite patience, competence and compassion. They ignored regulations that were unreasonable, and enforced the important ones with firm kindness. Visiting hours are 24-7. They actively encourage the playing of instruments and singing, raucous laughter, and the sound of crying babies. They are not stingy with the dilaudid. When your loved one enters endgame, they offer you blankets, pillows and a special chair which can effortlessly become a startlingly comfortable bed, so you can stay at the bedside all night, for as many nights as necessary. If you’d rather get a nearby hotel or B&B, they’ll find one for you and get you a rate.

Maybe this will shorthand it. One of the nurses assigned to Jeanne got chatting with her as she worked, learned a bit of Jeanne’s story. Then, completely on her own initiative, she went to one of the computers in the nurse’s station, Googled up both our websites, found and printed out the best photos of Jeanne dancing, solo and with her company, and also driving across America in a red, white and blue VW microbus with her first husband Daniel Corrigan, and winning a Hugo Award in Phoenix with me—and then she taped them all those photos up to the closet door beside Jeanne’s bed. As James Taylor sang, “Whatcha gonna do with folks like that?”

I have lost my best friend, teacher, partner, lover and co-grandparent—seemingly forever as I understand that word. But by chance, on this same day, two different people emailed me links to a letter written by Robert A. Heinlein to Forrest J. Ackerman near the end of World War Two, consoling Forry on the loss of his brother in combat. In the middle of it, he suddenly wrote, “Forry, I have not a belief, not a conviction, but personal knowledge of survival after death. You will see your brother again.”

If that’s true—and who am I to doubt Robert Heinlein on a matter so important?—then all I have to do is find her again. I’ll simply track her across the universes and through the dimensions like Kimball Kinnison and his Clarissa, or Alexander Hergensheimer chasing his Margrethe to Hell itself, if I have to. Shit, for a minute there, I thought I had a problem. Merely a tedious delay. Have a lot to tell her about when we finally do find each other. Try to spend the downtime becoming a better, kinder man.

I believe the Tibetan Buddhist tradition says a dead person’s soul takes 49 days to get its act together and fully depart this plane of existence. So please keep an eye out for Jeanne, and continue to toss out an occasional prayer or good thought for her—at least until July 16 or so.

Thank you for being her friend and mine. I must sleep now, if that is possible.

Spider

Jeanne Robinson March 30th 1948 - May 30th 2010

2010-05-31T07:57:00.000-07:00

I met Jeanne very briefly in 2003 at TorCon in Toronto. I got to shake her and Spider's hand, get a picture with them, and that was it.

In July of 2007 I attend Robert Heinlein's 100th birthday party, otherwise known as the Heinlein Centennial, in Kansas City. There we met again, after she made a presentation about her plan and hope to create a short film featuring a zero-gravity dance. I asked her if I could help. I was looking for a new project and wanted to explore making a version of Stardance into an IMAX film. We hit it off and started working together on the project.

I won't recount the last three years for you - you can read through this blog from the beginning to get the gist. I'll just tell you that in the last three years Jeanne and I became very close friends. The last time I saw her in person was in January of 2009, just before she was diagnosed with Cancer – and just when we decided to forget IMAX and develop Stardance into a feature screenplay.

We had been working long distance, via skype and phone since then, making and postponing plans to get together as Jeanne rode the roller-coaster of treatment and recovery, relapse and more treatment. Our progress on the screenplay suffered as well, partially due to my loss of a collaborator much of the time as well as having painted ourselves into a corner adapting such a sprawling work into a filmable form. A few months ago we brought in author and screenwriter David Gerrold to ply his expertise to the project. Two weeks ago, David and I presented Jeanne with a new version of the story, and the first pages of the new version of the screenplay.

This was her response...

Dear David and James,

I’ve read the treatment, and I’m in awe. Applause, applause! It works on so many levels. You’ve distilled our over-sized opus into a manageable work of art that reads like a dream. It makes sense. It flows. It’s a page-turner. It’s fresh (even though the idea has been floating around for decades). What more can I say -- except deep bows of gratitude and love. Words can’t reach it. I’m just so happy to be sitting here -- overflowing with hope at this challenging moment in time. All thanks to you.

As you all know by now, Jeanne passed away Sunday afternoon (May 30th) at 4:45 PM Pacific Time. She is dancing free of this earth, free from the confines of body and gravity, and I am sure she is watching over all of us. David and I will finish the screenplay in her honor - and do our damnedest to get the thing made.

We love you , Jeanne.

Here are some moments I was privileged to share with Jeanne.

Jeanne, Spider, Me and Kathleen the night before the Zero-G flight.

Jeanne and I the day of the flight.

Jeanne at our at our booth during NewSpace promoting our project to potential sponsors .

Jeanne and I start the feature version of
the Stardance screenplay.

Spider sings to Jeanne in their home on Bowen Island. (The song he wrote to woo her shortly after they met.)

Spider, Jeanne and I waiting for the water taxi to Vancouver.

A New Auction

2010-04-27T09:08:00.000-07:00

Podcast Sci Fi Saturday Night is helping to raise funds on behalf of
author Spider Robinson's wife Jeanne, who is battling cancer and needs
assistance with her medical costs. On Saturday May 8th, Sci Fi
Saturday Night will have a special benefit episode starting at 8pm
eastern time featuring Spider Robinson, during which several pieces of
original artwork will be auctioned off on eBay. Among the many
artists donating to the auction are Mike Mignola, Sergio Aragones, Joe
Michael Linsner, Ben Templesmith, Mike Lilly, Bob Almond and Frankie
B. Washington; several more have contributed original artwork, signed
prints, and limited-edition comics.

Currently, donations for Jeanne Robinson can be made at
http://www.wedreamforjeanne.blogspot.com/. Please visit
http://www.scifisaturdaynight.com/?p=972 to see scans of the auction
items. Help Jeanne Robinson with her battle against cancer!

Sincerely,
Brian Belanger "Illustrator X"
www.scifisaturdaynight.com

Sci Fi Saturday Night is New England's premiere science fiction podcast,
with new episodes airing live every Saturday night at 8pm eastern time at
www.scifisaturdaynight.com. Sci Fi Saturday Night is the official podcast
of both the Boston Comic Con and ComicArtHouse.com.

Update on Jeanne

2010-04-05T13:06:00.000-07:00

From Spider (relayed through Jim.)

Dear friends,

This will be hard to read; it is certainly hard to write.

Jeanne’s doctors have ended her chemotherapy. There’s nothing more chemistry can do for/to her. Radiation was never an option. She is therefore now in Palliative Care Phase. We asked roughly how long this stage might last—repeatedly—and the only answer we got was, “somewhere between a month and a year—more or less.”

Some good news: the Palliative Care doctor she’s been assigned is considered one of the world’s best. His name, I swear, is Dr. Sugar. Dr. Paul Sugar. Jeanne and I both liked him on sight. Her best friend Anya has been a patient of his for many years, and gives him top marks. So do all his patient-reviewers online.

Jeanne has been in Lion’s Gate Hospital for the past week with digestive troubles, and may be there for as long as another week. She is extremely weak and tired, but not in pain. She is being well cared for. And today they finally diagnosed her problem, which should be easily fixable. It is hoped she will soon return home, and rally, now that the chemo is no longer battering at her system. We all know her strength and determination. Our pharmacist tells us she has many customers who’ve been in palliative stage for more than four years and are feeling fine.

Right now Jeanne welcomes prayers, good thoughts, short emails of love and support that don’t require an answer, flowers, letters, or cards. (NO FLOWERS, PLEASE!) Address the latter to Jeanne Robinson, Palliative Care Section, 7th floor, Lion’s Gate Hospital, 231 15th Street East, North Vancouver, BC V7L 2L7; her email is stardance@shaw.ca..

But please: NO VISITORS. NONE. THIS MEANS YOU. I’m serious: don’t even “pop in for a quick second.” She has blood family with her every day: me, her sister Laurie, her daughter and son-in-law and little 10-month-old Marisa. Her mom and her sister Dori is on the way. That’s all the fun she (or her immune system, or the nursing staff) can stand, at the moment.

And please, DON’T PHONE HER UNLESS/UNTIL YOU HEAR FROM ME THAT SHE’S BACK HOME AGAIN AND READY TO YAK. Right now talking on the phone exhausts her, especially with concerned friends. And no matter when you phone, you’re liable to wake her up. She needs to nap. Thanks for understanding; I know it’s frustrating.

Paypal donations for Jeanne and Spider are still being gratefully accepted at http://wedreamforjeanne.blogspot.com/ you'll find a hotlink halfway down that page.

I hope I’ll have better news to report next time. Meanwhile your loving thoughts are much appreciated.

Spider

And now there are three - Writing with David.

2010-01-04T19:30:00.000-08:00

As most of you know, Jeanne and I are now working with David Gerrold on the Stardance adaptation. How's it going, you say? Take three strong and passionate personalities and put them in a room together (or, actually, since I'm in Memphis, David is in L.A. and Jeanne is in BC...put them on a conference call together.) No, we haven't come to blows - but we're all learning to hear and be heard by each other, and making real progress. My wife tends to leave the house during these calls as my voice slowly gets louder and louder as our meetings progress and I begin shouting out run-on sentences that start out "What if we do this?" Jeanne is somewhat more reserved, but stern, David is...diplomatic.

David is quite direct, though he couches his directness in a cushion of tact and praise. He will stop us and throw a hand-grenade suggestion into our midsts, and while Jeanne or I might initially rail against the suggestion, we talk out the implications and see how this radical change in our thinking can send us in a direction that often makes the story come together.

While adapting a literary piece for the screen, one’s original intention is to be as true to the source as possible. That intention can become a fool’s errand in the screenwriting world. The things that bring the reader deep into a piece like Stardance, the sharing of the narrator's thoughts, are much harder to show cinematically. Even with the many adjustments that Jeanne and I have made in our adaptation, we have found ourselves lost in the caverns of some of our previous choices not knowing how to extract ourselves.

David is blasting us out. Spider is throwing us flares now and again, helping to light our way as well. I have the line belayed...I'm running out of metaphor. I better save it for the cows.

(Q: What's a metaphor? A: To keep cows in.)

Jeanne’s Dance — Inconceivable Mutual Benefit

2009-11-19T09:50:00.000-08:00

We've had quite a few requests to post this clip. Here's video of Jeanne's dance at the "We Dream for Jeanne" benefit.

It’ll Be No Tribble Atall, Now…

2009-10-15T09:30:00.000-07:00

We have BIG news to report, and a bigger favor to ask.

Short back story (if you’ve been on Mars) – Jeanne has been sick, and Jim is doing his best to continue writing “Stardance,” and so far Jeanne approves, but the going has been a bit slow as hospital stays, surgery, doctor visits and most recently chemotherapy have gotten in the way of Jeanne’s direct participation in the process.

End back story – here’s what’s new.

Jeanne says to Jim “What if we get a pro screenwriter to help?” Jim says, “Sounds good, as long as the screenwriter is good and we can afford her/him – it should speed us up and give us some new perspective.”

Jeanne, feeling “Time Pressure” asks some writer friends what it might cost to hire such a gun, and one of them says “Hey Jeanne, I’ll join your little team. I can carve out three months for you starting as soon as next month.” Jeanne and Jim say “You’re ON!”

Hopefully the title gave it away, that generous writer is David Gerrold. This is the man whose first pro sale was Star Trek’s “The Trouble with Tribbles,” way back when. More recently he penned the Nebula and Hugo winning “Martian Child,” and scripts for Babylon 5 and Twilight Zone, among others. In between these impressive bookends David has done a slew of television writing and script doctoring plus he has written loads of fantastic SF prose. Not only is he an old friend of Jeanne’s but Jim has been a fan of his novels for a long time.

So, here’s the pitch. Counting what we have in the donation kitty, a chunk directly from Jim’s savings, and the generous donations of a few special Starseeders, we have rustled up the first third of David’s fee. That buys us a month and gets us started. I know we’re asking a lot, but we’re holding out our Buddha Bowl one more time, to ask for your help.

There’s a Paypal link on the Supporters page http://www.stardancemovie.com/supporters.html
We promise to add your name to the list of Honorary Stardancers you’ll find there, if you can find it in your pants to help us. (Presuming your name isn’t listed there already. If it is, we’ll put it in boldface, with asterisks.)

David’s talent, experience, discipline, and ferocious energy will be a godsend to us both, particularly while one of us is dealing with chemotherapy. From here, things should go back into high gear again.

Oh, and if you’re listening to the theme music on this website’s home page, we recommend you not use your computer’s built-in speakers…or there’ll be no treble atall, Captain.

Love, Jeanne and Jim.

Inconceivable Mutual Benefit

2009-09-27T22:06:00.000-07:00

Before I danced at my benefit concert, I told the audience that my Zen teacher Reb Anderson Roshi describes the fourth and highest state of samadhi as the collective realization of "inconceivable mutual benefit"....exactly what we were all experiencing together at that moment. What an extraordinary event. I felt bathed in love and warmth and kindness and support. Matt Maxwell and Michelle Meyrink had everything running smoothly on tracks, and the musical talent was absolutely top notch, even for Bowen Island. My sister Laurie startled the dickens out of me by appearing as a Surprise Guest at the beginning of the evening, all the way from Dartmouth MA....bearing with her a video of my youngest sister Dori Legge singing a song she had just written for me, "Three Wishes," accompanied by her guitarist husband Donn.

After intermission I got up onstage and danced a dance of shared love and bliss. Spider was the last act, singing two love songs to me (one by him, and one written by my elder sister Kathy Rubbicco); then I joined him for his finale: James Raymond's beautiful song for Crosby & Nash, "Lay Me Down."
The concert took in a substantial amount of money which will be a huge help to us in the weeks to come. But more would still be most welcome: you can send donations via PayPal and Jan Schroeder continues to run her science fictional Dream For Jeanne Auctions on my behalf. I literally can never thank enough all of you who have contributed already, for your kindness and accompanying words of support and love. It means a lot to know that I've touched so many lives so intimately.

The Third Act

2009-08-29T22:22:00.001-07:00

For over 2500 years, Buddhists have studied the question of how one can best live in the presence of death. In a sense, a life-threatening disease makes Buddhists of us all, waking us from the illusion of immortality, suddenly and from that time forth.

As some of you know, I’ve been dealing with a rare biliary cancer for many months. It has already taken my gall bladder, bile duct and most of my liver…and it’s not done yet. It looks like in a matter of weeks I’ll be facing chemotherapy, in an attempt to at least slow its progress.

I originally came to Buddhism as a result of a Near Death Experience, or what I now call the Bodhicitta Awakening of arousing the mind of enlightenment. So for decades now, I’ve been studying the matter of living and dying. I’m not afraid of death. But I do fear pain, nausea, and diminished capacities.

Despite this I have been surrounded by loving friends and family. Above all else, I’ve been blessed with my beautiful granddaughter Marisa Alegria.

I feel I have so much to be thankful for….and whenever my time comes, I will not have a lengthy list of regrets, of opportunities missed or things left undone. As a matter of fact, my partner Jim and I are steaming away on the Stardance screenplay. With luck I’ll be there for its premiere.

There are many things I need as I prepare for my third act—supplements, prescription drugs, counseling, expensive alternative therapies, etc—and they all cost money…money I don’t have. So, after all these months of being silent and private about my illness, I recently said yes to my close friend Michelle Meyrink when she asked if she could organize a benefit concert for me. http://www.spiderrobinson.com/images/Dream%20for%20jeanne.pdf
Others have since jumped in, including my Vancouver Buddhist sangha, Mountain Rain Zen Community, and a dear friend in Florida, Jan Schroeder, who has been auctioning donated items (such as rare Babylon 5 scripts and other SF memorabilia) on eBay for me. Goods or services can be donated for the auction by contacting Jan at dreamforjeanne@aol.com. Several other methods of helping out, including a straightforward PayPal donation account, can be found at http://wedreamforjeanne.blogspot.com/.

Another way to help would be to buy our books from Amazon by clicking-through from Spider's site, so we can get the affiliate commission. We’ve spent decades holding up visions of humankind’s highest evolutionary potential while entertaining you enough to keep you turning pages.

Any help you can offer is gratefully appreciated by Spider and me.

In the meantime, I continue to work on, as Roshi Joan Halifax titled her latest book, BEING WITH DYING: Cultivating Compassion And Fearlessness In The Presence of Death. Which aptly describes the human condition, don’t you think?

A 40 year old vision of the future?

2009-07-24T20:52:00.000-07:00

I watched "Moon" today. This film is fantastic - true to form, hard science fiction, literary...yeah, this is one of the very rare ones. Kudos to director/co-writer Duncan Jones (David Bowie's son, no less, who should know a thing or two about existential astronauts.)

While watching this film, I noticed something; from a production design standpoint, the "future" hasn't changed much in the past 40 years. There are exceptions to point to, no doubt, but take a look at these images from various space based films of the last 40 years and you tell me, is this progress?

2001 (1968)
Solaris (1972)

Alien (1979)

Mission to Mars (2000)

Solaris (2002)

Moon (2009)

The most striking vision of the future seems to be "padded walls" - perhaps we will need them due to the high cost of health insurance, or due to a propensity for beating our heads against them.

Speaking of which; I've been doing a lot of thinking about how the "future" we are envisioning in Stardance should be described, especially the space habitat and space factory and the like. I'm thinking perhaps we should be a little more vague...leave those thoughts up to a very talented art department during pre-production.

Oh well, back to the asteroid mines.

Zietgeist - Guy Laliberté - Space - Art

2009-06-15T10:06:00.000-07:00

It seems Mr. Cirque Du Soleil is on his way to the ISS on a "Poetic Social Mission" - we wish him well. Through Space Adventures (our friend Peter Diamandis' company, who helped us in our Weightless Research) he will embark on high to bring attention to his "One Drop" foundation. No word on weather he plans to dance, but he seems to be taking a page out of our fictional playbook, to unite humanity around an extraterrestrial artistic event.

We're so glad to witness again that, as with so much of SF, life not only imitates, but embraces art. I know that Spider and Jeanne are proud to see the concepts they brought forth in their Stardance series of novels begin to come to fruition in real life, and both Jeanne and I agree that this bodes well for our film.

Exciting times we live in, folks.

Birth Announcement!

2009-06-05T09:21:00.000-07:00

Our granddaughter, Marisa Alegria da Silva, arrived on planet Earth in New York City on Thursday, May 28th at 1:56 PM Eastern Standard Time, weighing 8 pounds 5, long and lean and hairy and impeccably beautiful in all respects. Mother and child are both in good health, save for a minor fever that showed up at the last possible second, controlled easily by antibiotics.

Terri Luanna was in labor for 36 hours, beating my record by 8 hours. She's exhausted but exceedingly happy....as is everyone here, especially her husband Heron.

Waiting Is…

2009-05-18T16:18:00.000-07:00

….as Valentine Michael Smith was always telling Jubal Harshaw in Robert Heinlein’s STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND.

Spider and I have been in New York City for a couple of weeks now, awaiting the birth of Marisa Alegria, our first grandchild. By now, we’re almost as eager for it to happen as our daughter Terri Luanna is.

While we’re here, though, we’ve been making good use of our time. For instance, on May 9 we both attended the NYC Aerial Dance Festival 2009, presented by Fly-By-Night Dance Theater.

It was inspirational. As I sat and watched I realized there will definitely have to be at least some aerial dance in the Stardance film. I’ve been following it closely for years to study how to adapt some of their rigging skills and harness work for the zero gee sequences. Now I realize the third and final earthbound dance I have in mind will definitely have to feature some aerial dance on its own terms, too.

And of course Spider and I both found ourselves a bit teary-eyed as we watched Sara Joel’s piece “Surface,” which opened with her inside a transparent Plexiglass sphere that unmistakably represented a womb, doing movement clearly designed to evoke fetal life. Then halfway through she hung upside down from the sphere’s opening…..and it became apparent that she was in fact pregnant, at least five or six months along. It was a transcendent moment, and everyone gasped, even those non-grandparents-to-be in the audience.

The entire evening inspired and informed my next script-meeting with Jim. We’re moving right along—somewhat interrupted by this and that of course—finding ways to adapt the storyline of the original novella to the differing demands and constraints of the screen. It’s an exciting process…..even compared to waiting for a grandchild.

Back to waiting. As soon as we have Marisa on film, we’ll post a snapshot or two for you.

Miracles of Each Moment

2009-05-02T12:50:00.000-07:00

Underneath the blazing orange-red Zen circle hanging above my altar, calligrapher Kazuaki Tanahashi wrote, “Miracles of each moment.” I’ve been studying those words daily since I became ill.

My latest miracle came last week on West 10th Avenue where Dr. Sharlene Gill and the board of specialists unanimously agreed that I’m healed enough to travel cross country to NY for our granddaughter’s birth. A true miracle!

For the moment, I’m off the hook, and in joyous disbelief. After weeks of lamenting the lost opportunity to be there for the birthing of my first grandchild, I find once again that as Mark Twain said, “The worst moments of my life…never happened.”

Spider and I found a fabulous cat-sitter for Symba, and now we’re busy packing for our early morning departure. So we’re happily heading east in time to meet baby Marisa Alegria da Silva, Buddha’s newest incarnation.

--Jeanne (aka: Nana Canada)

The Drain And I Are No Longer Circling Each Other

2009-04-04T15:08:00.000-07:00

...because I had it taken out last week by my brilliant surgeon, Dr. Buczkowski. I am once again a standalone, totally autonomous human person, without a five-pound weight and a bunch of circled tubing hanging from my side. I’m 5 weeks into a 6 to 8 week healing/recovery process following major abdominal surgery.

The public health nurses still come by to visit two days a week, to clean the wound and change the dressing. But it looks like I’m healing pretty well. I’ve even been encouraged to eat my favorite foods, to gain some weight back—so I’m having fun....but in small portions.

Things are looking good. I would like to thank my family, my husband, my sisters, for their amazing support and love throughout this ordeal. And now that I’m home, all the wonderful meals, home-made breads and other gifts that have turned up from my dear friends are deeply appreciated as well.

All this has served to remind me of the words of Suzuki Roshi, my first Zen teacher: “Don’t waste time.” I treasure each day as a gift, in a whole new way I’ve never experienced before. I’m so grateful for my 35 years of practicing Zen.

New news from Jeanne and Spider

2009-03-07T21:17:00.001-08:00

Hi Folks, Jim here - we didn't want to broadcast this at the time, but just before I went out to work with Jeanne she came down with...well...something (at the time the doctors were guessing at a few causes of her illness - ranging from somewhat minor to extremely scary.) We almost postponed, but the docs did something to tide Jeanne over and she felt good enough to work - and we did work, quite a bit. But during my trip out there Jeanne started to feel not-so-good again, and when I say "not-so-good" I mean to say TOP OF THE PAIN SCALE bad. She soldiered on, when she could, but shortly after my visit the docs finally figured out what was wrong - and they did something about it, pronto.

The pronto has lasted a few days now and Spider has asked me to post the following to the blog and get everyone up to speed. Take it away Spider...

FIRST THE GOOD NEWS:

Jeanne’s recent surgery at Vancouver General Hospital was a great success, from which she is expected to make a full complete recovery. YAY!!!

But it was far more complicated than expected, taking over 9 hours; that recovery will be slower and more difficult than anticipated. We’re now hoping she’ll be sent home Monday the 9th, by which time I’ll be over the flu I caught by hanging around hospitals all day and night. Her sister Laurie O’Neil has arrived from the east coast to help, with 2 others on standby.

PLEASE DON’T send flowers or cards; we appreciate the thought, a lot, but neither of us has the energy to deal. Emails that don’t call for response are OK, but please send them ONLY to my website, spiderweb@shaw.ca —I want to keep her personal In Box as empty as I possibly can. Prayers, healing thoughts of any sort, are more than welcome; thank you.

And God bless Tommy Douglas, who created Canada’s socialized medicine.

-- Spider

Two and a Half Weeks Later

2009-02-18T19:21:00.000-08:00

It's been two and a half weeks since I left the Island - and while there we got a good start on the screenplay adaptation - over 20 pages, and we've added about 6 pages since then. I had a blast with Spider and Jeanne as they hosted me in their lovely home. (That's the three of us waiting for a water taxi to take us into Vancouver to see a marvelous play called "SkyDive" - that happens to use some technology that might prove useful for our film - yes, research can be fun.)

As far as those 6 pages go we're a little behind schedule (having the stated goal of 3 to 5 pages per week) but I blame some of the slow progress to catching up on personal stuff left by the wayside while I was living on a island in Canada, though I can't rule out writer's block coupled with procrastination. I will tell you that BREAKTHROUGHS are happening in these few pages.

Other cool things happened during my "writing vacation": I got to play some tunes with Spider (he did most of the playing, but I sung along and tried to keep up on guitar...as any of you have seen Spider live can attest, he's the consummate showman, even when playing for an audience of one.) Also, we hiked out to Jeanne's Zen spot on the rocky north point of the island. But collaborating with Jeanne and getting a good deal of writing done eclipsed everything else.

Afterglow

2009-01-31T14:39:00.000-08:00

Here at Tottering-on-the Brink, my home, Jim’s radiant light continues to remain visible even though he’s currently in midflight, on his way home to his loving family.

We shared a remarkable week -- with Stardance at its centre. Not only did the screenplay progress, but Jim and I became a solid writing team. Collaboration is an intimate act of trust, respect, generosity, and faith. By the end of our first marathon session, we knew we were a solid karass, and will be able to complete the script long distance.

We’ve mapped out a schedule to keep us on track. Feel free to ask us questions about the work or our process, and we’ll do our best to respond as time allows.

Spider spent part of the week looking over our shoulders as we worked at the kitchen table. (He took the photo that accompanies this.) A few days ago we invited him to sit down at Jim’s largescreen monitor and read the work, and he says we’re nailing it.

(Spider here: it’s way better than I could have done. I’m dead chuffed, as they say on Coronation Street. Jim isn’t just a very good screenwriter, he’s compatible with Jeanne’s mindset: they make a good team.)

Continued thanks to all of you who have helped make this wonderful process possible. It’s gonna be great….

Writing Marathon

2009-01-24T21:10:00.000-08:00

Jim’s here! He arrived safely on the doorstep of our island cottage, Tottering-on-the-Brink, for a weeklong script conference/writing marathon. We’ve just come back from dinner at Doc Morgan’s, a local pub, and the coffee’s brewing in the background as I type this. Jim looks great, and we’re both excited about the opportunity to advance this project.

Spider will be looking over our shoulder and cheerleading, since Tor has not yet seen fit to grind out the contract for his new Orphan Stars Trilogy (check his website for details). Fortunately, the weather has finally decided to have mercy on us: it doesn’t look as though any snow or hail have been scheduled for this week. I have several “Muse-spots” on this island that I use for inspiration…and we can bring our laptops with us as long as the weather permits.

Wish us luck. I’m excited….

High Tech Collaboration

2009-01-07T20:54:00.000-08:00

Things just keep getting better and better.

I purchased a copy of Final Draft, an amazingly powerful screenwriting program, specifically for Stardance, and it makes formatting a breeze - anticipates every keystroke....I wouldn't be surprised if it warns us of tired plot devices and filters worn-out phrases.

It get's better - I get two installations with my license - so Jeanne and I both have FinalDraft installed on our respective mac-books, and today I discovered the feature to end all features. These puppies talk to each other over the Webbernet - allowing us to open ONE document together and take turns writing on the thing IN REAL TIME. (And here I thought we would only be able to do true "lets sit down and write together" stuff with the help of an airplane.)

Add SKYPE or YIM with sound and video into the mix and we'll be practically in the same room.

We're just steps away from stepping discs, Larry. WooHoo!

Happy New Year, thanks all for your support.

Our mission – a year later

2008-12-30T08:57:00.000-08:00

It’s the traditional time of year to look back and reflect—and we zero-G dancers are nothing if not traditional. So I’ve just finished rereading our earliest blog entries about last year’s zero-g ride on December 30th, 2007.

The entry I wrote a week later on January 6, 2007 says it best, marrying the past with the present. I’m as committed today as I was then, following our first zero-g research ride. The thrill of that gift will remain with me for lifetimes. And I have Dr. Peter Diamandis and Zero G Corp to thank for their visionary generosity in giving me and the Stardance team that extraordinary gift.

As I’ve said before, being free of falling is an unforgettable experience. For a fleeting eternity, you feel bathed in a delicious, unspeakable delight. It’s a universally familiar experience the first time it ever happens to you; one whose memory lingers. Odd, really, when you consider that not one of my evolutionary ancestors was ever in zero-G for longer than it took them to fall off a roof. (Or maybe I’m just not going far enough back into my ancestry. Spider may be right: we may all be descended from stardwellers.)

Last year on the day of our flight my Zen Calendar offered a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson: "The days come and go like muffled and veiled figures sent from a distant party, but they say nothing, and if we do not use the gifts they bring, they carry them as silently away."

I said it then and I’ll say it now: be assured that I won't be silent about the gifts I've been given, and they are being fully used.

The Stardance team continues on its mission of discovery to expand the vocabulary of human feeling by presenting us with something we've never experienced before. Last year's zero-g ride was a breathtakingly weightless step toward the realization of our mission.

And the year just past has been a period of long, slow reentry, which as you know is a process of building energy that only starts to seem really exciting to an observer right at the end. Jim and I are now at that stage Spider calls the most paradoxical part of writing, where we are busting our chops so hard that to a hypothetical outsider it looks as though we’re both just staring into space, doing nothing at all. Things will continue like that, Spider says, for a hundred million billion years…and then we’ll suddenly look up and realize we’re holding a completed screenplay (our third) in our hands, ready for the cameras. And meanwhile we continue to beat the bushes for our angel: the funding source who can greenlight us to make the film. Exciting, satisfying times, for Jim and I both.

(There’s an added layer of meaning for me. I’ve spent a lot of time recently trying to establish telepathic communication with my first grandchild—who is, at this moment, in free fall, being a zero-G dancer…in my daughter’s womb. But more on that after I’ve seen the kid, sometime in May.)

Today, right now, Jim and I just want to honor and thank all of you who have joined the Stardance mission of discovery. We could not have come this far without you—and we’ll continue thanks to you. We’re creating a new artform together: what could be cooler than that?

That is after all (somebody once said) what it is to be human: to persist.

Happy New Year!

--Jeanne

Family Matters

2008-11-24T21:30:00.000-08:00

Spider is celebrating his 60th cycle-around-the-sun today. Actually we’ve been celebrating for months, at any excuse. We’ve had parties in NY, MA, at home on Bowen Island, and now on-line. He says he doesn’t feel a day over 59.

In addition to our advancing ages, family news includes a story of extreme youth. Like Mike Callahan says, "Shared joy is increased." So I’d like to share the joyous news that our daughter, Terri Luanna and her husband, Heron, are pregnant! Spider and I are overjoyed, and looking forward to joining the ranks of Grandparenthood. Here’s the first sonogram of the little one, making baby Nameless even more real to us. Terri’s due date is May 11th. We plan on being in NY for the big event.

All of this happiness has made me reminisce about Terri Luanna’s childhood. Lots of great memories. When Terri and Heron got married, Spider and I posted a selection of photos with a poem to reflect where we were and what we were doing at the age she was on her wedding day. I’d like to share them with you.

Here’s another inspired reminiscence written by Spider in his Online Diary to Terri Luanna on her 28th birthday, including Terri’s response.

As for the Stardance project, Jim and I continue our efforts. He’s been busy re-designing the website to reflect our new direction. I’ve been working on updating the story. Jim will be here in January to work with me on the screenplay.

This weekend I’ll be off to Green Gulch Farm Zen Center, just north of San Francisco for the 7-day Rohatsu sesshin with Tenshin Reb Anderson Roshi. At the end of his life Buddha said, "Life is very short; please investigate it closely." Sesshins are traditional Soto Zen meditation retreats that include formal zendo meals, Dharma talks, sitting and walking meditation – offering practioners like me the opportunity for true investigation and to “wake up from our dream and help our world.” This is useful even when the dream you’re waking up from is a happy one, like the past few months have been.

Lastly, Happy Thanksgiving to all my American family and friends. Heaven knows all of America (and the world) have much to be thankful for this election year.

Many bows,
Jeanne

A New Direction

2008-11-04T10:11:00.000-08:00

When I originally approached Jeanne about creating an IMAX (or Giant Screen) version of Stardance, my strategy had to do with expanding on her short-film vision - in a kind of parallel track. Traditionally, short films don't really have markets - and with something as ambitious as Stardance, the budget would require SOME kind of market to justify it. Large format (up to this very moment, as you have read in Jeanne's recent posts) seemed a viable venue that created a market for shorter pieces - and though large format films aren't traditional big moneymakers, they nonetheless have financing opportunities beyond the traditional investor/producer relationship, be they grants or sponsorships. Sounds good, and even with the change in the industry it would still be a valid choice.

But with the giant screen choice there come limitations. The main limitation being that we have to take the TEETH out of the original award winning story to make it fit this semi-educational and agenda filled entertainment format. That's a shame, because Stardance is such a wonderful and powerful story with real conflict and heartbreak, hope and transcendence. Our newly derived story is filled with hope and transcendence, but like so many large format films the story really serves as a vehicle to get to the cool parts, the giant screen set-pieces that give the visceral thrill of immersion. But our giant-screen story doesn't really immerse the viewer in the drama - and since we've been collaborating on this new story my main cry has been "Where's The Conflict?"

The answer to this ancient question bandied about by aspiring and veteran screenwriters alike, was staring us in the face the whole time. Forget the "Stardance Experience" in IMAX, and make Stardance as a feature. The original story that caught the hearts and minds of so many, once updated beyond its prescient view from the mid 70s, has everything we need. And so much of what we have discussed and written together for this project WILL apply.

Jeanne and I are beginning the task of adapting the original story for the screen. Our primrose path has just taken a turn into the woods, and we have promises to keep (and miles to go before we sleep.)

Thank you all.

Full Circle: Maitreya’s Circuitous Seat

2008-10-27T21:03:00.000-07:00

I’ve been working part time on filming Stardance for four years. Originally I conceived Stardance as a short film. (For details, go to the June 19th blog.) When I started I was working alone, and thought I had a reasonable chance of raising enough financing for a 10 minute short.

That meant I’d have to re-imagine the story. The Stardance novella had too much story for a film that short. I needed just a thimble-full of story to frame the zero-gravity dance which was the heart of the film I was now imagining.

Here’s an excerpt from a February blog, "Holding Up Visions," about the first script: .
"When I began work on the original short film script, I named the protagonist, Treya. She is named after Maitreya, the Future Buddha of all-encompassing love -- the fifth and last of the earthly Buddhas. I feel we need to aspire to do all we can to bring the Future Buddha of Love here now. Our world can't wait several thousands of years. Iconographically Maitreya is depicted on a raised seat with her feet resting on the ground in a state of readiness -- ready to appear in the world to give us whatever is needed."

So I spent a lot of time and donated money creating a team, writing several drafts of the screenplay, setting up the website, doing photo shoots for posters and a brochure, and a lot more, all based on a 10-minute film featuring a new character, Treya Anderson.

Then on 07/07/07 I brought all that to the Heinlein Centennial Gala and made my pitch—and two remarkable things happened: first, Peter Diamandis gave me two free tickets to experience zero gravity aboard his Zero-G Corp’s 727, and second, Jim Sposto came aboard as producer/co-director.

One of Jim’s first achievements was to convince me we could find sufficient financing for a 44-minute film in IMAX-sized large-screen format. That would obviously allow for more and better dance, and some real story—though it still would not be long enough for even a compressed version of the original novella. So Jim and I invested a lot of time and energy and money retrofitting the project for longer length. We created a new website, a sponsor’s kit and other publicity material, and several more outlines and treatments.

Then, last month, Jim and I both attended the Giant Screen Cinema Association Conference in New York…..and Everything Changed yet again.

If you read the blog entry immediately preceding this one (below), "Change: the only constant," you’ll better understand what I mean by that. Basically, the whole large-screen-format industry is in free fall. This is the worst time in history to try and interest it in a 44-minute offbeat film with a story.

It took me nearly a month to fully realize what an incredible blessing in disguise that is.

If we’re not going to be able to make a 44-minute film, and we don’t want to go back to 10 minutes, the logical next step is to go up to a feature length film.

There is no need to reinvent Stardance a third time. Not at feature length. It’s already done. Spider and I got it right the first time. We won a Hugo and Nebula doing it.

Treya Anderson was originally created as a shorthand substitute for Shara Drummond, because Shara wouldn’t fit into ten minutes. Or 44. But that problem is now gone. We can have Shara, AND Charlie.

Movie industry people will love the fact that the public demanded, and bought, three books’ worth of sequels. It’s a franchise. They’ll also love that it was voted Best Radio Play in Australia.

All we’ll need to do is set the story 20 years from now, and most of it still works. And we can come up with fixes for things that don’t work.

Believe me, there’ll be plenty of hard work for us to do as writers, turning it into a workable screenplay. But the story part is solid, with character arcs already worked out and developed. And a novella is the perfect length for adapting to a feature film.

And the weirdest part is, none of the last four years was wasted work. This version of Stardance will, I think, be even better than the first, because it will be informed by the visions of Treya, engaged in Maitreya’s Mission—accelerating our evolution with a picture of a new, enlightened paradigm of humanity.

All I can say is, what a long strange trip it’s been, and still is.

Change: the only constant

2008-10-25T14:10:00.000-07:00

Where to begin…

The latest issue of the LF Examiner – The Independent Journal Of The Large Format Motion Picture Industry just arrived. Here’s the top headline: GELFORD: IMAX IS NOT “GIANT SCREEN”

Gelford is Richard Gelford, co-CEO of IMAX Corp. On the first day of the Giant Screen Cinema Association (GSCA) conference Jim and I attended last month (see our last 2 blog entries below), Mr. Gelford stunned the GSCA with the news that IMAX is reversing 4 decades of company branding. Of the IMAX experience he said, “we don’t think of it as giant screen.” Rather, he said, “it is the best immersive experience on the planet.” Mr. Gelford’s announcement coincided with the rollout of the IMAX company’s new digital projection system, intended to be retrofitted into 35mm multiplex theaters. IMAX is going digital with Hollywood movies in Multiplex theaters.

The news was not well-received by most of the GSCA operators of IMAX large screen film-based theaters. They contend that the “wow factor” is gone when viewing a film in an ordinary multiplex house that has been modified slightly. The screens are only a fraction of the size of the “real” IMAX theater screen.

The changes the giant-screen association is going through as a result of the new IMAX branding are unlike anything the industry has seen in the last 25 years.

The transitional fallout from this digital revolution will be on-going for several years. The GSCA is in an “identity crisis” brought on by outside forces, leaving them very unclear on their market segment. They claim that, “if we’re confused, our audiences are very confused.”

I can tell you that this conference experience left me very confused. For the last month I’ve been trying to figure out what the implications of this change mean for Stardance. That’s why I haven’t written a new blog entry. Jim and I both needed time.

Earlier this week I made a decision. I sent Jim a long email laying out my reasons for deciding to switch from making a 44 minute IMAX to a full-length feature film. The events at the GSCA conference forced me to re-access our plans. A few days ago, Jim concurred with my decision. The result is we’ve agreed to forgo the Giant Screen.

My next entry will explain in more detail the effect our decision will have on our film.

In closing, I again want to thank all of you for your ongoing interest and support. Stardance lives!

Warm, grateful smiles,
Jeanne

New Jersey to New York to New England

2008-09-16T13:00:00.001-07:00

Spider here--since this system just today arbitrarily decided there is no such person as Jeanne, and never has been. Because we're on the road at the moment there is no easy way to fix this. So for now I'm going to pretend I'm Jeanne and type for her.....much as I did back in the day, when we were writing novels together.

Jeanne here now, speaking through Spider's fingers:

As Spider just explained, we've been on the road for awhile, so this has been my first opportunity to blog since Jim and I attended the Giant Screen Cinema Association conference in New Jersey last week. And to my absolute lack of surprise, Jim has already given you a thorough, accurate and articulate account of our adventures there. It leaves me little to comment on except to say that the more we pursue this, the longer and more complex the path before us seems to get.

You might think that would be dismaying--but it's just the opposite. Working with Jim at yet another conference continues to build my confidence that we're going to reach the end of that path with success. Each time I get a closer look at the process, I better understand just how good my partner is at this, and how fortunate I am to be working with him.

We'll be on the road for some time yet. We just had a Robinson family reunion last week in New York, and of course we've been lucky enough to also spend time with our daughter Terri Luanna and son-in-law Heron in the Bronx. And this week will be spent with my family in Massachusetts.

Meanwhile work continues on the script, and Jim has some interesting new strategy ideas I'm sure he'll be discussing in days and weeks to come. I give my continuing thanks to all of you for your ongoing support; filmmaking is an expensive game.

Meanwhile, for a quick reminder of how this all got started, go to Spider's website or the iTunes Store, and check his latest podcast, SPIDER ON THE WEB #54, which contains a short excerpt read by Spider from Blackstone Audio's newly released audiobook of STARDANCE. The next podcast will contain an even longer excerpt from the next book in the trilogy, STARSEED. And as soon as Blackstone can get it out there, STARMIND (which has already been recorded) will be available too. Astute friends of Stardance will notice that Jim designed the covers for Blackstone's editions. Aren't they pretty?

Warm, weightless smiles to you all,

Jeanne

GSCA Conference

2008-09-11T15:51:00.000-07:00

This week Jeanne and I are attending the Giant Screen Cinema Association conference in NYC. We're meeting all sorts of great folks here, and getting a warm reception to boot.

The nice thing about this crowd? No Hollywood Attitude - these are all incredibly sharp and dedicated people who love Large Format film. We've met people from IMAX, representatives of Technicolor, various theater principals and independent producers, film buyers and folks from various production companies. Greg McGillvray of McGillivray Freeman films was kind enough to invite us onto their chartered party boat on our first night here (that's a pic from our trip around Manhattan - under the Manhattan bridge, with the Brooklyn Bridge and the twin towers lights in the background.) A gorgeous night made all the more fun by good company, including our "mentor" Andrew Gellis - a man also responsible for some very successful giant screen films. He's been quite a boon to us as well.

We've seen a slew of large-format films, especially notable was Van Gogh: Brush with Genius - surprisingly good use of the giant screen. And today we had a speaker talking about marketing through blogging and viral video, etc. And Jeanne and I looked at each other and thought "We're way ahead of you, Buddy." (Well, I thought "buddy", she man have thought "man".)

But that reminded me, hence this post.

Speaking of which, jump out to YouTube, people, and share our clip some more - we'll get something new soon. Also, tell us what you think of the new home page intro on Stardancemovie.com.

Links To Us

2008-08-22T23:23:00.000-07:00

Wow, lots of blogs linking to us. Nice to see - check them out.

In Russian: http://arisingmagic.info/tag/zvezdnyj-tanec/
In Verse: http://yldann.livejournal.com/49886.html
In Dance: http://blog.danceruniverse.com/blog/story/2008/8/11/111919/774
And more dance: http://danceadvantage.wordpress.com/2008/07/25/dancing-with-the-stars/

We're loving the attention. We love the support, and of course we love you all.

From the Earth to NewSpace

2008-08-10T09:40:00.000-07:00

We made First Contact. Lots of them—with minds so different from my own they might as well have been aliens. But they were all there in pursuit of the same ultimate dream, manned spaceflight, so these “aliens” weren’t strange to me at all.

The difference was, they want manned spaceflight so they can make money. I want it so I can make new art. But there was absolutely no conflict at all. Everyone James Sposto and I spoke with at Newspace 2008 in Crystal City VA got us at once, and without exception they were thrilled by our plans to film zero-G dance. None actually pulled out a chequebook—these are not flush times for most astropreneurs—but many rushed forward to offer us connections, contacts, referrals, ideas and advice, and we’ll be following those up for weeks and months to come. All agreed that the Stardance story is an excellent, indeed an iconic way to sell space to ordinary civilians and bureaucrats.

My only major disappointment was that, despite tall effort, I never managed to fight my way through the crowds to meet Esther Dyson.

Right now, James and I are getting ready to attend the Giant Screen Cinema Association’s International Conference in NYC and Jersey City, September 8-12th. There we will talk to distributors and other folks in the large screen format business to get them interested in the Stardance movie. As members we're privy to information that tells us one complaint most often heard from IMAX audiences is the lack of any IMAX movies that tell stories; they’d like some to balance out all those documentaries.

We’ve had lots of expenses recently: travel and accommodations, of course, and conference fees, and printing expenses for our sponsor’s kit and other graphic materials, and a dozen other things. In consequence, our Stardance Movie seed money account is nearly dry.

You readers and fans have helped us bring the Stardance Movie this far. Like the protagonists of Spider’s story “The Magnificent Conspiracy,” we are still in the early stages of this conspiracy. I need to ask for your continued help and support as we approach the most critical juncture in our quest. I’m once again Calling All Visionaries...

Ad Astra!

--Jeanne

Big Trip to DC

2008-07-10T16:05:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting in the Charlotte Airport - in my limited travels this is consistently THE MOST civilized airport I have been to in the USA. Courteous people, beautiful architecture, nifty airplanes hanging from the rafters...free internet access.

I feel like royalty - the spaceports of the future can take a lesson. I get to take some inspiration here, in this lush terminal of modern travel, while I play futurist and imagine the spaces (and space) that we will eventually bring to a very big screen. But I digress. I'm starting a trip that will take me from my home in TN to my offices in PA to culminate in capitol of these United States where I will meet up with my Canadian counterpart, one Jeanne Robinson.

What's in DC, you say?

Why "NewSpace 2008" is all - a convention of space entrepreneurs, or "astropreneurs" that Jeanne and I are attending. Not only attending, though, we are Exhibiting. We will have a booth, we will have assistants, we will have audio/visual presentation materials - and we will be sharpening our pitch as we believe that STARDANCE is set squarely (Tesseractly? - hows about thems references?) in the zeitgeist of this space-culture wave of 2008/2009.

The aspect of our film that is "a love letter to the future of space exploration" is rife for sponsorship from these self-same space-based businesses. The independents, the mavericks, the old establishment - all will benefit from our film's representation of (repeat after me) "an attainable, realistic and positive future of mankind in space."

All sorts of fascinating speakers will be there as well, including our friend David Beaver who will be discussing "The Overview Effect" and the philosophy behind the change of map that space-travelers experience by being in space and separate from this pebble in the sky we presently call home.

Jeanne and I are also attending a black-tie dinner in honor of Sir Arthur Clarke, and we're sure there will be a mindquake with this many thoughtful and inspired folks in one place.

Wish us luck, send us your love, do unto others (and when you do, do really nice things.)

The Story of our Founding Angel

2008-06-19T13:34:00.000-07:00

In early June Spider and I were graced by a visit from our dear friend, John Barnstead. (That's him in a painting by Halifax artist Brooks Kind.) On the website's Supporters page there is a short piece about John's contribution to our film titled "Stardance's First Angel." Making this film was his idea, and he's been generously supporting our effort ever since. A true patron of the arts.

John has been a friend of ours for many years. Our friendship goes back to our time in Halifax when I was AD of Nova Dance Theatre and DancExchange. While he was recently visiting, we enjoyed long talks along the island trails and by the edge of the sea. During one of our conversations, he surprised me with the story of what inspired him to ask me the life-altering question about making a zero-gravity dance on film.

John told me he got the idea while we were watching the historic video of Walter Cronkite interviewing Robert Heinlein on the day of the moon landing in July 1969. The video was featured as part of the celebration at the first Robert A. Heinlein Literary Award Presentation at the 2003 WorldCon in Toronto. Near the end of the interview Robert talked about mankind's future in space, including the amazing new art forms like zero-gravity dance that will be inspired by the experience of being set free by weightlessness. In that moment, John observed me turning in amazement toward Spider and excitedly grabbing his arm. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I had never seen this interview before. My astonishment was profound. Apparently John noticed my reaction.

Later that evening while standing in a small circle of friends discussing the plans for the 2007 Heinlein Centennial, John asked me if it would be possible to create a zero-G dance on film, perhaps as part of the Centennial. That was the big moment. It was the beginning of what has become the making of the movie, The Stardance Experience.

As you know, John has done much more than ask that all-important question. Following that eventful evening, John went on to offer a 6-week course in SF&F at Dalhousie University for 2 summers, and sent me his entire pay cheque -- both times. That was the seed money I needed to start the Stardance Project. After that, he began giving me a monthly honorarium to continue work on the film. Today, without that support, I'd be working for a living, and not creating art.

Words can't reach the depth of my gratitude to this visionary man. Even though I make my living making things up, I couldn't have imagined a man like John. He's truly a member of Spider's MAGNIFICENT CONSPIRACY.

But I've left the best for last. John regularly insists that I remember the terms of our agreement. From the start he said he wanted me to work on this project in my own way, in my own time, and that he trusted me completely. More importantly, he told me he didn't expect anything in return -- not even a movie. He simply wanted me to be able to work on it.

How are you not going to love somebody like that? I ask you all to join me in saying "Spasebo, Professor Barnstead!"

--Jeanne

News from the front

2008-05-13T22:59:00.000-07:00

Jim and I will be attending the Space Frontier Foundation's next annual conference in Washington, D.C. -- "NewSpace 2008: Creating the Future or Living in the Past" from July 17 to 19. We plan to be exhibitors at the conference. Our intention is to dazzle the attendees -- a mix of revolutionary space entrepreneurs, investors, scientists, engineers and space policy leaders -- important contacts for us, as well as potential sponsors for the film.

We've also joined the Giant Screen Cinema Association. We'll be attending their International Conference and Trade Show in Jersey City and New York City in September. The GSCA is the professional development network to advance the international business of producing and presenting giant screen experiences for the public. Networking with our fellow GSCA members will be quite useful for us as well.

In other news, our novel STARDANCE was recently released as a Blackstone Audiobook read by Spider. My partner Jim created the fabulous cover art for the audiobook using a brilliant visual tie-in to our film. Check it out at Blackstone's site. And while you're there, listen to a sample of Spider reading our story. Perhaps it will inspire you to listen to him read the entire novel.

Over the next few months Blackstone will release the other two novels in the trilogy, STARSEED and STARMIND, also recorded by Spider with cover art by Jim.

That's the latest news from the Stardance front. Many thanks for your continued interest and ongoing support.

Warm weightless smiles,

Jeanne

The Daze of my Youth

2008-04-26T23:07:00.000-07:00

I realize that most of you who are following this blog are big fans of Jeanne and Spider Robinson. You may have seen Jeanne dance, you have almost certainly read their collaborations, and likely have read a bit of Spider's fiction to boot.

"But what of this Jim guy who sometimes contributes to this blog, and about whom Jeanne says nice things?" you say. "I haven't seen any of his fiction stuff." Well you may have seen "The Intelligent Designer Speaks" but if you met me you might say that the piece doesn't qualify as fiction, and I wouldn't consider Designer Speaks cinematic in any case. So travel with me back in time, back when Jeanne and Spider were publishing Starseed - back then we didn't do "HD Digital Video" - when young filmmakers like that earlier version of James Sposto shot in good-old-fashioned Eastman T-Grained film stock - and didn't know if we "got" the shot until we saw it in the dailies, and we had to trust our guts to know when to say "that's a keeper" and move to the next setup.

A quick note of thanks: You are seeing this through the auspices of my good friend Mike Trevarthen, who still had a VHS copy of the film and digitized it for me. (I have all the original prints, but they are getting kind of scratched up - not to mention difficult to project over the Web.)

So sit back and enjoy Gin and Tonic. It has very little to do with space travel, but a lot to do with aspiration, self image and the nature of success as indicated by choice of drink.

GRATITUDE

2008-04-21T01:10:00.000-07:00

For weeks I've been searching. Waiting for inspiration — looking for a new way to express my wholehearted gratitude to you visionaries who have supported Stardance. The list of supporters continues to grow. Each of you is responsible for helping the film emerge from darkness. Words can't reach the depth of my gratitude.

Jim and I continue to make pre-production advances. Whether we're flying parabolic arcs on G-Force One, expanding the script from a 10-minute short to a 45-minute treatment, rewriting our site's About The Film page, becoming members of the Giant Screen Cinema Organization, making media kits and sponsor kits, writing press releases, or pitching articles to international magazines, Jim and I are hard at work. There's much to do, and we have a long way to go. In future we'll try to fill you in on our activities with more frequency and hopefully more details....until you tell us we're boring you.

Again, I want to express my gratitude for your generous support, and your belief in the Stardance vision. It's something special we share; a way we can inspire humanity to return to space....the only road to its long-term survival. If we keep pushing, we'll get to the stars yet.

Ad Astra!

—Jeanne

Le Morte d'Arthur

2008-03-18T15:13:00.000-07:00

Dear Sir Arthur,

Thank you for being a beacon of light, leading Humankind to transcendence, giving a vision of our future, and staying true to science. As you join your brothers in arms - the masters who have influenced us all - bring them our best wishes.

You will be missed.

Feel the love - for Spider and Jeanne and Stardance

2008-02-27T22:05:00.000-08:00

Having the Stardance Film described as "The Coolest Thing Ever" and Labeled "Things that do NOT suck." I would consider a compliment.

Check out this post from February 14th - a valentine to be proud of.

Creative Partner, True Friend

2008-02-27T20:25:00.000-08:00

There are many degrees of creative collaboration - and I can't speak for Dance, because dance is NOT my art, but I can speak for film - and how one collaborates in film varies in the degree of involvement and focus.

I have always subscribed to the Auteur theory - that the director is author of the film.

This doesn't necessarily mean the director WRITES the screenplay (though the director can) but that the director is doing the equivalent of pressing pen to paper when the director MAKES the film. There are so many disciplines involved, highly specialized craftspersons and technicians and artists (often all three at once) working on a film - that the director must carefully select these artists and technicians and craftspeople - and get them to each bring their best game to the table, to concentrate on their art and pour forth their personal best to add to the final piece. It is a true team effort, and a good film requires an all-star team.

Through this team the director "authors" the film - In other words, the Director keeps and communicates the vision, guides the performance, specifies some details, but otherwise gets the hell out of the way.

In that kind of collaboration seeing the sum of the parts become something even greater is the biggest thrill for everyone involved. But there is another form of collaboration - when TWO directors collaborate - a dual role, and I am so blessed in this case to be co-directing this picture with Jeanne. I am proud to say that Jeanne and I have become good friends during these nascent stages of our collaboration, and we complement and support each other's talent and vision in this endeavor in such a way that I know our creative partnership in making this film will be as successful as Jeanne's creative partnership with her true-love and life partner Spider when they wrote the Stardance series.

Of course, we'll be authoring a film together instead of a novel. We each have things to say and communicate, we each have our own concentrations of vision, and the sum of THESE parts will make Stardance something even greater.

Humanity aspires.

Holding Up Visions

2008-02-05T20:17:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile. Jim and I have been hard at work with our post-flight media blitz.

Now that it's dropped back, we have turned our attention to the treatment. Originally STARDANCE was written as a short 10 minute film. When Jim came on board as my producer/co-director, we decided to make STARDANCE a large-format film, which means expanding its length to fit the 44 minute IMAX experience. Working from an outline, the treatment will be a written condensation of our film. One of its primary purposes is to help us sell our story to sponsors and investors.

So I'm asking myself again what vision do I want to put on the screen -- what vision do I want to hold up this time? As an artist, I've always been interested in moving forward, in doing the next thing, in pushing the boundaries in new ways. Much of my work has been a direct invitation to recognize and realize the deeper dimension of the silent bond between us. In this film, I want to take the STARDANCE novels, and re-work them in a new way. And I want to include my 35 years of Buddhist practice and study in a new way.

Collaborating with Jim on this film has been a true joy. Our artistic lives share a transcendent compatibility that endeavors to create work that confronts us with the best we can be, the deepest we can feel, and the highest we can see. We aspire to have our audience leave the theatre a little better than they were only minutes ago. And his ability to think in pictures perfectly dovetails my own visual abilities. During this incubation stage, his contribution of outlining our story for the treatment has been invaluable.

When I began work on the original short film script, I named the protagonist, Treya. She is named after Maitreya, the Future Buddha of all-encompassing love -- the fifth and last of the earthly Buddhas. I feel we need to aspire to do all we can to bring the Future Buddha of Love here now. Our world can't wait several thousands of years. Iconographically Maitreya is depicted on a raised seat with her feet resting on the ground in a state of readiness -- ready to appear in the world to give us whatever is needed.

Whether it's a dance , a poem, a novel, or a film, my work aspires to hold up visions that exemplify the best in humanity, reflecting our highest evolutionary potential. Spider simply says we peddle hopes.

Whatever you call it, as Jim and I write the treatment, our intention is to accelerate our evolution with a picture of a new paradigm of humanity. We ask you to hold that aspiration with us.

--Jeanne

Pre-Dawn Interview

2008-01-16T11:40:00.000-08:00

It was 3:30am. I decided not to wait for the alarm clock to sing. By 5am, Kathleen and I were on our way to CTV's downtown studios to tape a segment for Canada AM. Once we arrived, it was suddenly awfully bright for the middle of the night. (Since the show runs nationally, a west coast segment must be taped quite early.)

A "live" remote interview is a strange and awkward experience. Your interviewer in Toronto is visible to you in the Vancouver studio--but on a monitor located several feet from the camera you're supposed to look at to answer his queries. So you find yourself trying to look in two directions at once, while listening to questions in your earpiece that the person on the monitor asked you several seconds ago, about something that was on the screen then and no longer is. Weird.

Despite the built-in confusion, Kathleen and I managed to survive alright. See for yourself - click here (this links to CTV's footage on their site, tell us if it doesn't work for you.) We remembered to say pretty much everything we needed to, except for the URL for this site....but it did get posted on the Canada AM website. And of course, we aren't hard to google. They used a lot of our footage. They spelled our names right--Spider's definition of a successful interview. (Except on the closed captions, where "Jim Sposto" somehow morphed into "Jim Fastow.")

One of my favorite moments came after the interview, as they were closing the show. The co-hosts were asked whether they'd care to try that crazy zero-G dancing stuff. "Oh yes," one woman said enthusiastically. "Oh my, yes. Definitely." Now that's the kind of response we like...

--Jeanne

Footage Added

2008-01-16T09:38:00.001-08:00

Hey Folks - I've updated Jeanne post with a new link to the interview.

Explanded Footage

2008-01-15T21:01:00.000-08:00

Here's the official press clip used by CTV's AM Canada - it features a few more moments of Kathleen and Jeanne getting used to Zero-G and a few more attempted phrases (notice the drift I mention in the previous post.) The actual interview with Jeanne and Kathleen is linked from the next post.

Enjoy!

Stardance II : : Las Vegas Drift

2008-01-14T06:07:00.000-08:00

The stillness and perfection of simulated Zero G...is neither still nor perfect. Immensely cool? Yes. Loads of fun? You betcha! Stillness and perfection? I think we will have to be on board an orbiting vessel to experience that. In addition to the noise (see footage, wait for the end) there is "the drift".

First of all: there is a highly competent captain at the helm of Zero-G's 727, and he doesn't just press a button that makes the plane go into perfect parabolic arcs - no, he's a true artist, creating this experience by the seat of his pants. He pulls the yoke back and puts the 727 into a powerful climb, and we fliers (we are called fliers because we cannot legally be passengers, as we have no final destination - no passage made) are pressed into the padding with 2Gs of force - all the time marveling at the Zero-G staffers who can WALK AROUND IN THIS GRAVITY SOUP!

As we approach apogee of the arc we fliers start to magically lift off the padding and float up into the cabin - we are experiencing microgravity, and loving it. Drifting about. And there is the thing we didn't quite expect - DRIFT. Not only does one drift from that measly quarter newton push against the bulkhead that caroms you across the cabin - there is another relative motion effect at work. Remember the captain's job - making the airplane travel in a way that we groundhogs in the cabin experience as Zero G?

You will notice that a Boeing 727 has 3 engines at the rear of the plane - two placed in nacelles on either side of the eppenage, and one at true centerline - shooting straight out the back. As the plane approaches apogee the pilot IDLES the two outside engines, and then performs a controlled stall as the plane glides slightly belly first through the arc - during this entire time he is adjusting the ride by varying the thrust of the centerline engine - more thrust....less thrust...more thrust - artistically keeping the fliers inside the belly of the plane, and the aircraft itself, moving at the same relative speed.

Nobody is perfect, but this pilot comes pretty damned close (sorry Spider) and he does a great job of keeping us in play. But ultimately he must adjust, and from a flyer's point of view we drift. My feet were firmly strapped in as I shot the footage of Kathleen - but Kathleen would find herself floating either toward the bulkhead (away from the camera) or toward the cabin (closer to me) without any apparent motive force.

We will release some footage tomorrow evening that shows this a little more, stay tuned. And speaking of staying tuned - tune in tomorrow morning to Canada AM (I can't since I am State-Side) and see our beloved Jeanne and Kathleen chat about their experiences live on honest-to-god TV. (You remember TV, right?)

Canada AM TV Interview rescheduled to January 15th

2008-01-08T12:52:00.000-08:00

I just got a call from our Canada AM producer. We've been bumped to next Tuesday, January 15th. Our segment will be broadcast at the same time -- just after the 8:30am news.

Apparently this happens frequently in the live tv news business. Between the NH primary and other stories that need to run tomorrow, she said our interview had to be re-scheduled. We're now in the line-up for next Tuesday with a tag from our producer that supposedly commits the staff to running our segment. Let's hope her magic tag-trick works.

We plan on posting our interview for all of you to enjoy. With any luck, it will be up next Tuesday, before the end of day.

--Jeanne

Interview on CTV's Canada AM

2008-01-07T18:15:00.000-08:00

This morning we got word from CTV Canada AM producer, Janis Narun, that Kathleen and I will be guests on the show this Wednesday, January 9th around 8:30am. During the segment we'll be running our 30-second zero-g press footage for the first time. Hope you can tune in.

--Jeanne

Our mission

2008-01-06T12:19:00.000-08:00

Just 7 days ago during this exact moment, the Stardance team was falling freely. Being free of falling is an unforgettable experience. For a fleeting eternity, I felt bathed in a delicious, unspeakable delight. The experience continues to linger in my dreams, and in my wakeful state.

On the day of our flight, December 30th, my Zen Calendar offered a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson: "The days come and go like muffled and veiled figures sent from a distant party, but they say nothing, and if we do not use the gifts they bring, they carry them as silently away."

Be assured that I won't be silent about the gift I've been given.

The Stardance team is on a mission of discovery. Our mission is to expand the vocabulary of human feeling by presenting us with something we've never experienced before. With your help, the Stardance Experience will be a large format film that gives us the opportunity to explore the feelings of space travel. It will offer us the experience of drifting freely in the vastness of space, as we look back at our beautiful blue planet.

Last week's zero-g ride was a breathtakingly weightless step toward the realization of our mission.

--Jeanne

some of what we learned

2008-01-02T21:00:00.000-08:00

The suitcases have been unpacked, the emails answered, and only a few media interviews remain to be done. I've had at least a few minutes to try and assimilate the zero-g experience, start integrating all the different information we acquired in so short a time.

The first thing we learned was that all our choreography presupposed arcs several seconds longer than the ones we got....but much more important, assumed a much smaller amount of lateral drift than we had, with every arc.

You never knew whether Kathleen would lurch left as she went weightless, or gently right....or forward or back. But the instants of total stasis we had been expecting and hoping for just were never an option.

She basically partnered each parabola in a duet with the experience, using many of the preconceived ideas and phrases we had prepared, but adapting them on the fly to the constant change she was experiencing. I think Jim did a truly incredible job of capturing unpredictable movement in a small frame, while keeping track of his own position and his own neighbors' flying feet. Between us, we accomplished what we set out to do: made choreographic discoveries, experienced zero-g kinesthetically deep in our bones, got some images that will help us with promotion.....and I confirmed for myself and proved to others that zero gee dance is going to be beautiful almost beyond imagining, the next great art form. That's a proud thing to finally know in your cells, as well as you always knew it in your mind.

The stars are here....

--Jeanne

the (w)rite stuff - 2

2008-01-02T20:47:00.000-08:00

What is it to prepare for dancing in zero gravity?

The beginning like all performances requires a strong immersion to the imaginative world except this time I am very aware of the lack of one critical element I have been able to count on from day one of my existence - the pull of our gravitational force. At times I have made friends with it, other times agonized over it's consistency and dreamt of its abolishment on occasion. But I am a realist and it is something I attend to regularly perhaps in a more heightened sense than most homosapiens.

It is my business after all.....peripheral to this large part of the equation are all the other constraints that will exist within the freedom of zero g. What of the spatial limitations, dynamic restrictions (no fast movements or at least tempered due to their implications), what of the interpretation of Jeanne's choreography and translating that amidst a romper room of other flyers present that are there with the singular and most worthy of pursuits: play? There are timing issues, how long a duration for each arc? There is the discovery of the 'drift'.....drifting, drifting...... I am a sizable woman with a seven and a half foot stretch from fingertip to toe tip - expansion - will I be able to expand?

Preceding hopping off to Las Vegas I have read and listened to Jeanne, we have had much dialog and I feel an empathy with her aesthetic. I have a strong affinity with her ideas, her interests and I fall in love with her passion. It is easy to get on board with her and I have total admiration for her commitment and desire to fulfill her vision. I am also honoured that she has asked me to go on this journey with her, long before the zero g flight was even a possibility. From a purely physical/technical point of view there are 2 practices in my life that dominate and serve this work, the Gyrotonic® method and Contact Improvisation. These have followed a lifetime of dance that has seen me engage in numerous practices that have informed my 'body of work'. Gyrotonic® has a spherical 3 dimensional intention, works with arcs and spirals, undulations, while contact promotes a responsivity in the body by constantly addressing a mind/body connectivity and attention to gravity - a hyper inner ear attunement if ever there was one. I have always felt Gyrotonic® and Contact to be complimentary but never knew how much they would serve the zero g space. At the centre of all the elements in the soup and all the preparation with my imagination preceding the flight was the recognition that foremost is presence. We spoke of and worked on choreographed movement but there was always the very real 'but who knows?'

And indeed ambition takes a side seat to presence, not to say the effort to fulfill objectives wasn't present, it was, but assessment in the air came quickly as individuals and collectively and so we pursued the highest objective of space travel, 'exploration'. Wow, did I write that? Yes, it was short but somehow epic and I feel blessed. I hovered into a new year and though I feel firmly rooted back on earth I am truly grateful for this most unique experience of levity - a real physical imprint of what I have only before imagined. Big thanks to Jeanne and Spider, James Sposto and Zero G and all those who have been moved to participate in supporting this vision. In my dreams I'll revisit this land and look forward to more with the Stardance team!!! And yes, Spider from the moment we walked onto the tarmac with Maverick Helicopters nosing into lift-off and circling in for landing I felt my dad - rotors are like a lullaby to me - I call these my Mike fly-bys. nothing like slipping the surly bonds!

Kathleen McDonagh (kosmonaut kate)

Now THAT's a happy new year....

2008-01-01T05:30:00.000-08:00

We're finally home from Lost Wages, more or less unpacked, back on our regular reliable internet connection, the email and mail have been....well, glanced at.....nourishment has been taken, and I'm just about to crash, several hours earlier than usual for me. But I do have the strength left to say that I am so proud of Jeanne I could float off the floor myself. She and her two fabulous free-fall friends accomplished something truly remarkable. She's tasted something she's been dreaming about since 1976. Awesome. Before she fell asleep tonight I had the honour and warm pleasure of hanging her blue Zero-G jumpsuit in our closet.

One day, perhaps, it'll be her pressure-suit. It wouldn't surprise ME.

That Prince Humperdinck, he must be some kind of fella....

Good night/morning to all you family, friends and strangers from all around the planet who joined Jim, Kathleen and Jeanne on their journey, whether through this blog or just through the noosphere; your presence and warm support were palpable and deeply appreciated.

The stars are HERE...

A Taste of Zero-G Dance

2007-12-30T20:38:00.000-08:00

As you can gather by the previous posts we got some good footage, but not in the exact way we had hoped. We haven't edited anything together yet, but we did promise a taste of the results.

Here's Kathleen dancing in Zero-G - accompanied by the music of our composer James Raymond.

You've been patient, thanks. (Our apologies in advance for the reduced quality of the YouTube conversion - we will optimize in the next week.)

In the mean time - Here you go.

The best laid plans...

2007-12-30T17:44:00.000-08:00

I am happy to say, that for my money, we had a successful flight in Zero-G. As I write this I am capturing the footage from the day's shoot. You will all be able to see SOMETHING soon, if only a single clip teaser of what's to come.

As Jeanne mentioned, our plans went out the window with Marry Poppins when we discovered the conditions far less controllable than we had originally planned.

(Below is some random footage from our pre-flight inspection of the airplane.)

Yes, we had an idea of what it would be like, and we knew what we wanted to accomplish up there, but nothing could prepare us for the real thing. And we had planned for that too.

Result: We have footage, good footage. We have experienced microgravity. The information we have gathered will be very important to our film. But most importantly, we have ALL had the time of our lives.

More footage soon. Cheers friends.

James

Back on earth again.....

2007-12-30T15:20:00.000-08:00

"This certifies," says the piece of paper, "that JEANNE ROBINSON has defied gravity, communed with floating objects, levitated, and otherwise successfully completed the zero-gee weightless experience."

Damn right.

We're back, safe and sound, but exhausted. Jim will be spending the next few hours looking over the video footage; it'll be a while before we have something to post. But in the meantime, he did show me the edited version of yesterday's tech rehearsal, and with any luck he'll post it soon.

As for me, I'm just getting over the disorientation they told us would typically happen. I may have it worse than my two companions--because I was also more troubled by airsickness than they were. Which might have been the byproduct of all the things I was trying to do at once in order to help Kathleen, combined with my own excitement.

Things were a bit more chaotic than we'd expected--a lot of our plans went right out the window in the first few weightless arcs. But we'd anticipated that, and were able to just do what we could and adapt as well as possible to circumstances.

Kathleen said the tendency to drift changed everything. You never knew whether you were liable to find yourself moving left, right, up or down, or some combination thereof. In her next breath, she said she looks forward to working with this more, now that she's had some experience of it and knows what to expect. It's a challenge, but one she found enjoyable. Dancers love physical challenges.

The first few arcs we just enjoyed ourselves, and I had the greatest of times imaginable. After that, I was just so busy I barely had time to register how I was feeling.

We both agreed we wished each arc could be about three times as long. No wonder the APOLLO 13 film crew had to go through 1500 of those arcs, just to get the few minutes of real zero gee seen in the movie.

The Zero-G Corporation folks MORE than accommodated us--they went miles out of their way to help us and adapt to our special needs. To start they surprisingly cut back the numbers in our section. In addition to the 3 of us, there were only 4 others in the Gold Section, who were all very respectful of our needs. I'm more grateful to the staff than I can say, especially our personal Coach, Chace, and JT, a newcomer to the staff, who held the light for us through each arc. They were all superb at what they do, from Guest Services Manager Phil Clark to the pilot to the folks who gave us the standard airport TSA "wand" search before boarding.

Upon return we all were taken to a "Re-gravitation Party" complete with a champagne toast. It gave us all a chance to share our experiences....and also to begin to come out of that disorientation I mentioned earlier. Each of us got to keep our Zero-Go flight suit, duffel bag, a t-shirt, and a framed 8X10 photo of our whole flight team, with the certificate attesting to our flight mentioned above. And a dvd which includes both video and stills will be sent to us later.

In mid-flight, by the way, one young man topped all great-memory moments by tossing his partner a diamond ring and asking her to marry him. Fortunately she said yes, so gravity probably has not returned to him YET. (She told me later she had been wondering why he was so uncharacteristically nervous before we lifted....)

It couldn't have been a more breathtaking and memorable experience--everything I imagined and more, and as you know, I've been imagining this for decades. My deepest thanks go to Dr. Peter Diamandis, without whom I'd still be at home imagining it instead of remembering it. We found everything about Zero-G Corporation's operation to be impeccable.

I hope some of you readers will get the chance to enjoy the Zero-G experience yourselves.

And now I'm going to rest. Oddly tiring, floating....

--Jeanne

The View From Down Here

2007-12-30T10:47:00.000-08:00

Spider here, using Jeanne's laptop to blog. They just left the ground--Jeanne, Kathleen and Jim--bubbling with excitement and happy as pigs in Parliament. I've got a couple of hours to kill now while I wait for them to come back down. As I type this, I can't stop thinking of Anousheh Ansari, who, to the best of my knowledge, was the first woman ever to blog from space--an achievement for which I once nominated her for the annual Heinlein Award for fiction and nonfiction promoting spaceflight. We all owe her a great deal; the Stardance Team salutes her.

The preflight briefing was most impressive: thorough, careful, thoughtful. The video they showed of people experiencing parabolas featured Dr. Peter Diamandis himself, front and center, clearly and unmistakably having the time of his life. No question, he GETS space. I think of him as the closest living equivalent to Robert Heinlein's immortal character Delos D. Harriman, The Man Who Sold The Moon. Dr. Diamandis makes him look like a piker, really, because he's The Man Who Sold Space itself.

By the way, has everyone heard by now the story about where he originally got the money for the famous ten million dollar X Prize? Talk about a Delos D. Harriman: when he first announced the X Prize.......Dr. Diamandis was BLUFFING. Up there on stage with astronauts and politicians, announcing the ten megabuck prize, he didn't have ten million CENTS. "Nobody ever asked me," he told me with a grin when I met him this summer in Kansas City at Robert Heinlein's 100th birthday party. Fortunately, one day he was reading an article in FORBES about the Ansari family and their fabulous achievements, and it mentioned peripherally that one of the Ansaris, Anousheh, had always cherished a deep interest in space and space travel. Peter was on the phone to her five minutes later....and the rest, as they say, is social studies. And seriously, I recommend you hunt down her blogs on the net: they're well worth reading even if you've spent your life imagining this stuff. She observes well, and she writes well.

I'd like to take this opportunity to say that the jumpsuit Zero-G Corporation uses was designed specifically to make my wife even more beautiful than Nature did--a formidable accomplishment. Kathleen too looks stunning in the outfit. Jim doesn't look bad either, for that matter. Me, while nobody was looking I snaffled a pair of gold Zero-G socks, so I have at least some of a "spacesuit" I can wear when I get home.

I'm totally impressed by the whole Zero-G Corp package, start to finish. These folks are really really good at what they do. I have absolute confidence in Jeanne's safety--but more than that, everyone here rates at least 11 on a scale of 10 for friendliness and kindness. They're all the kind of people you instantly wish you knew socially. And they have more than gone out of their way to accommodate us and our special needs. Jeanne and Kathleen and Jim are sharing their section of the plane with 7 or 8 other people, but I have the feeling some good video will come out of it.

Perhaps someone else in this blog has been correcting the impression being given by some newspaper copy-rewriters....difficult for me to tell on this flaky wi-fi interface......but just in case The Three have all been too busy, I'd like to make it clear that, contrary to what one or two newspapers have said, no Imax footage is even being attempted here. For one thing, we don't have that kind of gear to play with yet. And as I say, we're sharing a space with 8 strangers this time, and our basic purposes are to familiarize Jeanne and Kathleen with zero gee, to check out at least some of the choreography Jeanne has been creating in her mind for the last 31 years and see how well it works in practice, to get some footage that will hopeably help us in fundraising efforts for the movie......and to have fun.

By my calculations their plane, G-Force One, should have just about reached their dedicated flying area by now, which means any minute they'll start their evolution. So I'm going to sign off now and try to join my wife telepathically as she and Kathleen slip the surly bonds. (Oh, and one last thing to mention: last night when we got back to our hotel room I put on the TV....and the very first image to appear was, incredibly, Jeanne's sister Kathy, conducting and playing piano for Dionne Warwick! Talk about good omens....)

Join me now as I wander the spaceways with my beloved and her buddies......

(Thank you all so much for the help, support and encouragement that got us this far! All the way back to those of you who voted us the 1977 Best Novella Hugo for "Stardance"...)

Finally On G-Force One

2007-12-29T19:16:00.001-08:00

We've made it, we are in VEGAS. And we have just gotten back to the hotel after some pre-production and full-g rehearsal time aboard G-Force one. The folks at Zero-G are a wonderful bunch, and they are doing their level best (no pun intended, sorry Spider) to accommodate our particular needs.
Here are the four of us are on G-Force one - the plane that will take Jeanne, Kathleen and I aloft. More to come this evening, but it's dinnertime for some weary travelers.

The Rite Stuff

2007-12-28T01:00:00.000-08:00

I thought perhaps I ought to mention that AFTER Jeanne chose and hired Kathleen as her Stardancer, we learned that Kathleen has a kind of personal interest in the project. Her own father was a Canadian helicopter test pilot--a contemporary and cohort of the men who were the first to go into space, men like Yeager, Glenn, Grissom, and Young. Sadly, he was one of the all-too-many unlucky test pilots who "augured in," as they say. The Right Stuff can kill you just as easily as put you on the moon. Anyway, I think Kathleen may feel a personal connection to this project--and if her father is still aware of events on this plane, I'm quite sure he'll be wearing a proud grin on Sunday, as she slips the surly bonds. So will we all.

--Spider

Stardance podcasted

2007-12-27T20:21:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to mention that this week's Spider On The Web podcast () contains a lengthy reading from the last section of the original "Stardance" novella that started all this, and made Jeanne the first woman ever to win a Hugo and a Nebula with her first published work. There's also some amazing music as usual, this time by Graham Nash and Janis Ian.

It will be posted on Friday Dec 28, and can be accessed either through my website, or by going to the iTunes Store and searching for Spider On The Web.

Back to packing for the flight to Vegas!

--Spider

No Fear (but hand me that lorazepam)

2007-12-26T18:14:00.000-08:00

With four days left until we lift off on our Zero-G journey there are a few thoughts going through my mind. (This is James speaking - co-director and producer of this flick - FYI)

My first thought is this: Very few directors have gotten to experience Zero-G before directing a picture that includes extended Zero-Gravity scenes. (I can only think of Ron Howard...and he actually directed scenes shot in Zero-G, depending on how things work we might too.) But hey, I'm ahead of Kubrick in at least this regard...and we'll see if it makes a difference in the end product.

FADE IN

To a darkened screening room, the light from the projector lamp above silhouettes the DIRECTOR and the PRODUCER. The producer is agitated, gesticulating wildly.

PRODUCER
They ain't gonna buy it, Jimmy.

DIRECTOR
But this is how it really is in Zero-G,
I was there. It's an exact representation.

PRODUCER
The public don't care...see. They know
it ain't real floatin' - and they won't buy it
even if you give each of 'em a certificate of
authenticity with their thee-aa-ter ticket.

DIRECTOR
I don't care if they "won't buy it." It's
the truth, and it will set the new standard
for what an audience expects a space picture
to be. I'm going to change what they'll buy.

The director storms out and leaves the producer shaking his head and lighting a cigar - the producer suddenly remembers that it's not 1957 but in fact 2007, and searches in vain for an ashtray in the non-smoking facility.

FADE OUT

My second thought is the BIG QUESTION: "Will we be able to function in Zero-G as we imagine?"

Needless to say, neither Jeanne, Kathleen nor I have even experienced microgravity (in my case the closest experience would be the 12 foot drop into the local pool from the high board) - and though we have imagined what it might be like for as long as we can remember, we won't know until we're there whether we will react and move in the ways we are rehearsing in our heads.

Our fellow passengers will be at a distinct advantage, as they will NOT have our same concerns. They will be there for the experience only, to have fun and frolic. Our party will be both adapting to free-fall and, at the same time, trying to get things done. Even in Spider and Jeanne's Stardance series of novels (and scores of other speculative fiction stories that attempt to realistically depict space) parts of the plot center around the length of time it takes to adapt to this wonderful yet strange environment.

I'm not telling this to "manage your expectations", because I fully intend to focus on creating fantastic and inspiring footage of Jeanne's choreography and Kathleen's performance.

I'm just thinking...this isn't going to be any float in the park.

Brave souls, we are.

Co-Captain's Log Entry -- Stardate minus four

2007-12-26T17:34:00.000-08:00

Today was mostly another day of details and prep.....until Spider called from the other end of the house, "Put on Channel Four!" And there it was: the community channel's traditional Christmas log. At once my shoulders relaxed. NOW it's officially Christmas. For some reason they didn't run the Yule log as usual yesterday, replacing it with some dopey decorated Christmas tree, and we both phoned in to request its return.

It just didn't feel like Christmas until I heard logs crackling. We didn't have time to light a fire ourselves....because every minute we're busy burning the Stardance Log, preparing for liftoff, working away at those details I mentioned.

But don't get the idea I'm feeling harassed: I feel blessed. The crackling Christmas fire reminds me of what an incredible gift I'm receiving this year....and leaves me exhilarated, warm, and grateful.

--Co-Captain Jeanne

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-25T09:09:00.000-08:00

The three wise men pursued a single star in the East. They came back with Christianity and Christmas.

We Stardancers are after all the stars. Who knows what we'll bring back.

--Jeanne

Signing On

2007-12-25T00:50:00.000-08:00

It's the night before Christmas, and all through the house not a creature is stirring....because I'm outside in my office, getting ready for bed. We've been working long hours preparing for Jeanne's liftoff, and Christmas has more or less taken care of itself. It's getting exciting.

I'll be there in Vegas--though I'm not actually going up with Jeanne, Kathleen and Jim—and I'll do as much reporting as I can, while holding Jeanne's hand with at least one of mine....so expect poor typing skills. Jeanne has waited a long time for this, and I've waited a long time to see it happen for her.....pretty much ever since I made her sit down beside me, and added her name to the byline of a story in progress called "Stardance,"

Happy Christmas to you all, and to all a good night....

--Spider

Details

2007-12-24T18:55:00.000-08:00

In between today's list of details of preparing to enter zero gee--e.g., finding a Vancouver pharmacist who can concoct Zero-G Corp's required motion-sickness brew (if you live in the US, that is done for you), and scheduling a final costume fitting for Kathleen with brilliant dancewear designer Ainslie Cyopik, working out the final details for our Zero G Corp media release with Jim, taking care of last-minute Christmas details, and hugging my husband, I still found time to sit zazen in the sun today. I try to meditate every day--but a day warm and dry enough to do it outdoors is always a gift at this time of year.

If you're wondering where choreography was in that list of tasks, rest assured that part has been ongoing for weeks. Kathleen and I think/hope we're prepared for whatever the experience throws at us, and the choreography has been memorized even down to the details of the possible improvs. We're ready on that front.

It's Christmas Eve and Spider was just looking for the burning Christmas log channel to have in the background while Maria Rita sings to us as we begin to prepare dinner. The music is helping us feel more connected to our daughter, Terri Luanna, in Rio. She and her husband, Heron, are visiting his family in Brazil for the holidays.

All the details add up to a warm glow, and I'm going to go enjoy. I wish the same for you.

--Stardancer Jeanne

Countdown...

2007-12-23T14:02:00.000-08:00

In just 7 days, we'll be flying high in Zero-G Corp's refitted 727 out of Vegas. Dreams really do come true! Thank you, Dr. Peter Diamandis.

We'll be sharing the Gold Section of the plane with several other guests, making it challenging for Captain Jim to film Kathleen McDonagh dancing in zero-g. I've choreographed several sequences for Kathleen. We're prepared to adapt the movement, and improvise, if need be. Like my Zen teacher wisely told me the first time we met, "Be ready." I assure you, we are doing our best.

If we're lucky, each of the 12 weightless parabolas will be 20 to 30 seconds long. I've watched footage of past rides and noticed that parabolas can be as short as 16 to 18 seconds each on any given ride. Not a lot of time to dance. But I've designed the movements to be broken down into shorter phrases. If we're lucky, we may get enough time and space on our flight to shoot Kathleen performing the entire dance. It depends on several factors, all out of our control.

This is the opportunity I've been waiting for since Spider came up from his pit and announced he was going to write a story about a zero gravity dancer. That was 30 years ago. As you can imagine, I'm ready for this ride.

Stardancer Jeanne

Thank you for traveling with Stardance Spaceways

2007-12-23T07:43:00.001-08:00

Things are starting to ROLL with "Jeanne Robinson's Stardance Experience" the Large Format (you know, IMAX) film we are developing. And as our first foray into honest-to-God microgravity is eminent it has been brought to our attention that certain folks will want to share in the ride (not only the ride into Zero G, but the far more perilous ride into Large Format Film Development and Production.)

Welcome aboard, please strap into your acceleration couches.

Captain Jim