S3 Ep9 Rise Up Karaoke | Forming Community in Virtual Reality

S3 Ep9 Rise Up Karaoke | Forming Community in Virtual Reality

In this episode we step slightly out of the Finger Lakes and directly into virtual reality to meet with the members of the Rise Up Karaoke crew who have been hosting Friday night Karaoke in VR since 2021. I crossed paths with these lovely human beings while exploring VR spaces over a year ago and have been a regular at their events ever since. We talked about what it means to create a warm and inviting online community, the technical challenges and skillsets required to build VR worlds and spaces, the philosophical nature of reality itself, overcoming adversity and loss when VR platforms close their doors and how a community maintains its connections, finds the strength to rebuild, and flourishes when a new home is found. Please note that we recorded this online and you may detect a few digital glitches at different points in the recording. Enjoy! VrChat Hosting Platform [https://hello.vrchat.com/] Rise Up Karaoke Facebook Group [https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1DsCfURZkc/]

S3 Ep8 Susan The Burgundy Bullet & Robin Red Flag Danger Crush | Whiskey Tango Sideshow Burlesque Troupe

In this Episode we met with Susan The Burgundy Bullet and Robin Red Flag Danger Crush of the burlesque troupe Whiskey Tango Side Show. We learned about their history, the ways in which dance experience and expertise of current and past members has helped to contribute to performances, how costumes and attire are created and maintained, and the many ways in which this talented act has evolved since first appearing in the Ithaca area over a decade ago. Just a heads up this episode does contain adult themes and explicit language, so please consider where you are listening and who else may be listening along with you. We hope you enjoy this conversation and find it as entertaining and educational as we did. Enjoy!

S3 Ep7 Denise Milito - Artist, Educator, Creativity Coach

In this episode we met with Denise Milito who grew up in Grand Rapids Michigan, lived in Chicago for 20 years, and relocated to the Finger Lakes Region in 2011. She is a skilled artist across a menagerie of mediums including mosaic, crochet, and beautifully handcrafted mittens made from repurposed articles of clothing. Denise is very engaged with local schools to help encourage young people to examine their creative side and holds workshops in her home studio that she has aptly named, Studio Manifest. She also recently rediscovered her love of acting and has participated in several productions with the Encore Players in Trumansburg. If you’d like to check out her wares and say hello, You can find her at the Ithaca Farmers market under the business name of Cece and Lou Lou. Learn more about Denise here at her official website.  https://www.denisemilito.com/about [https://www.denisemilito.com/about]

S3 Ep6 Bethany Haswell & Marilla Gonzalez | TYFU Podcast Hosts | Small Business Owners in Geneva NY

In this episode we met with Bethany Haswell and Marilla Gonzalez, small business owners in Geneva NY and the hosts of the TYFU - Thank You For Understanding podcast. The two started the podcast as a much needed platform where they, along with other small business owners, could commiserate and share their many heartwarming, humorous, and bizarre stories that come with owning and managing small businesses. We learned about some of the challenges and successes that they have experienced, Bethany in her eclectic boutique Stomping Grounds, and Marilla in her refill store Marilla’s Mindful Supplies. We also had an opportunity to look behind the curtain of the TYFU podcast, we learned about the process of producing this entertaining and insightful show, and we also discussed our collective goals and aspirations as podcast hosts. Thank You For Understanding Podcast https://tyfupod.com/ [https://tyfupod.com/] Stomping Grounds https://www.stompinggrounds.com/ [https://www.stompinggrounds.com/] Marilla's Mindful Supplies https://marillas.com/ [https://marillas.com/]

S3 Ep5 Arlene Hewitt & Susanne Morgan - Threshold Singers - Hospicare of Ithaca

In this episode we met with Arlene Hewitt and Susanne Morgan to talk about their roles and experiences as threshold singers at Hospicare of Ithaca. Threshold singing is the practice of singing soft, gentle, and often repetitive songs (resembling lullabies) at the bedside of individuals who are very ill, dying, or facing significant life transitions as a means of bringing comfort, peace, and loving presence, rather than musical performance. There was a very distinct contemplative feel in the studio when we gathered to record and we wanted to maintain that feel for the duration of this episode for you our listeners by leaving out our standard opening and closing. The intentionality of each question was often met with long pauses and careful consideration by both Arlene and Susanne before providing us with the thoughtful and insightful answers that followed. We strongly encourage you to stop whatever you are doing now, set everything aside, and allow yourself to settle in and be completely present to listen carefully so that you may experience this conversation as we did in the studio. For more information regarding Hospicare of Ithaca and Threshold Singing.  * Hospicare of Ithaca https://hospicare.org/ [https://hospicare.org/] * Threshold Choir https://thresholdchoir.org/ [https://thresholdchoir.org/] Our sincere gratitude to Heather Houston for allowing us to use a recorded version of her song "You Are So Loved" in this episode. For more information on Heather, please visit her official website.  https://heatherhoustonmusic.com/ [https://heatherhoustonmusic.com/]