This next dancer is one known all over the grid for her fantastic sets and amazing particle effects. If you haven’t seen a show at Club IMAGE, you’re missing out! Please welcome Misse Tigerpaw (if you look close, you’ll see her rezz day is coming up, so if you see her, tell her happy rezz day)!
SL Name: misse tigerpaw
Display Name: misse
Rez Day: December 19, 2007
Location: Club IMAGE
Questions:
What led you to/How did you start dancing in SL?
MT: First I saw someone dancing with particles and I wanted to make the particles. I started making particles, then I started making the set and a year later finally I made something like an act with dance sequences.
How long have you been dancing?
MT: Since September 2012.
Where do you dance?
MT: Club IMAGE.
How much time, on average, do you spend in SL each week?
MT: About 40 hours.
Of that time, how much (%) is spent working on dances/performances?
MT: 90%.
How long does it take you to create a set (start to finish)?
MT: 1-4 months.
Name your ‘go-to’ store for dance animations.
MT: Abranimations
What dance HUD do you primarily use?
MT: Barre HUD and HUDDLES EZ Animator.
Do you use a movement system? Which one? Is there a reason you prefer one over the other?
MT: *NDS formation system – it has Japanese instructions and it’s easier for me to understand.
Do you build your own sets or work with a scripter/builder?
MT: I make my own sets.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever gotten about dancing?
MT: Cache your animations before the show.
Do you emote? Why or why not?
MT: No, I don’t. We don’t usually emote in Japanese.
Where do you find your music?
MT: YouTube, internet radio, iTunes, or some royalty-free music on the internet.
Do you make your own mixes? If yes, where do you find music and/or sound effects?
MT: I make some mixes using Audacity.
What are your preferences when it comes to dance performances? – Large/small sets; particles/none; effects/none; faders/none; emotes/none; movers/none; lighting/none;
MT: I like small sets with particles, effects, faders, movers, and lighting.
What’s the most embarrassing or frustrating thing that has happened to you during a performance?
MT: I guess I was nervous and my hands were shaking while I was dancing. I accidentally clicked on something and I jumped out of the stage. That was kind of embarrassing. Of course, I got back to the dance sheet right away and pretended like nothing happened. 😀
Do you ever consider how an audience member’s computer setup might affect their enjoyment of your performance? (ie. – particles, effects, lag, etc.)
MT: At IMAGE, we set our graphic setting to “High” and set particles number to 2056. But we do not using “Advanced Lighting Model.” We try to make the effect work with lower settings as well. Also, we ask the audience to turn off their HUDs, face lights, and remove scripted objects to reduce lag and ensure everyone can view the show effects properly.
What’s the best comment/compliment you’ve ever received about your dancing?
MT: Some people told me that they never thought we could do something like this in SL.
Do you have a blog/website/flickr/facebook/other account you’d like to share?
MT: I have a blog and an instructional website for making particle effects.
What’s the most helpful piece of advice you would give someone new to dancing in SL?
MT: Start making something simple and take time making it and enjoy making it. And remember, more practice makes it better. 😀
How long do you think a show should be in SL? Is there an ‘optimum’ max length?
MT: About an hour.
Where is your favorite spot to spend time in SL if you are not dancing?
MT: Shopping for hair!
Any other thoughts/ideas/comments you’d like to share?
MT: I hope more people will start dancing and make more dance acts, and I hope more people will go to see dance shows.
I second Misse’s thoughts – I would love to see more dancers creating in SL. Again, a huge thank you (Doumo arigatou gozaimasu – hope I spelled that right!) to Misse for allowing me to interview her. Catch her amazing sets at Club IMAGE. Their shows are on Sundays at 6am SLT. (It’s early for some of us, but it’s well worth the missed sleep!)
A Kat and A Mouse 