title: Stick Figure

text: Stick Figure is an American reggae and dub band founded in 2006 and based in Southern California. The group has released seven full-length albums and one instrumental album, all of which were written and produced by frontman and self-taught multi-instrumentalist Scott Woodruff. The live band consists of vocalist, producer and guitarist Scott Woodruff, keyboardist Kevin Bong, drummer Kevin Offitzer, bassist Tommy Suliman and keyboardist, backup vocalist and guitarist Johnny Cosmic. Cocoa, an Australian Shepherd, often joins the band onstage, and has accordingly been nicknamed Cocoa the Tour Dog.


title: Stick Figure

text: Stick Figure was founded in 2006 as a one-man band by multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer Scott Woodruff. Woodruff, originally from his hometown of Duxbury, Massachusetts, began playing instruments at the age of 9, and was primarily drawn to reggae. His style of layering tracks to create songs was particularly inspired by Keller Williams who utilized a looping method to create music.


title: Stick Figure

text: Woodruff began writing and producing music in 2006, which incorporated roots reggae with dub, a subgenre of reggae.


title: Stick Figure

text: As a freshman in college, Woodruff began submitting instrumental tracks to the Sublime Archive website and consequently adopted the moniker "Stick Figure".


title: Stick Figure

text: On December 11, 2007, Woodruff released his first album "The Sound of My Addiction" under Ruffwood Records (a pun on his last name). Founded by Scott Woodruff, Ruffwood Records released all of Woodruff's albums to date. "The Sound of My Addiction" established Stick Figure's style of self-production. Woodruff created this album by "recording instruments individually, [and] layering tracks on top of one another in unison", a style he used to create subsequent albums.


title: Stick Figure

text: On January 16, 2008, Woodruff released his sophomore album, "Burnin' Ocean" under Ruffwood Records. This album was one of the Top 10 Best Reggae Albums in 2008 on the Apple iTunes charts; notable tracks include "Burnin' Ocean", "So Good" and "We Get High".


title: Stick Figure

text: In the summer of 2009, Woodruff moved to the San Diego area and shortly after released his subsequent album, "Smoke Stack". This album followed the same recording style of the previous two albums where he individually recorded and layered each track to create a song. Notable songs include "Livin' It", "Hawaii Song" and "Vibes Alive".


title: Stick Figure

text: "Smoke Stack" was well-received and peaked at #8 on the "Billboard" Reggae Albums chart and #17 on the Heatseekers Album Chart.


title: Stick Figure

text: Next, he released, "The Reprise Sessions" on August 3, 2010 under Ruffwood Records. This rarity album was an extension to "Smoke Stack". Notable tracks include "Your Way" and "Dead End Street".


title: Stick Figure

text: On June 12, 2012, two years after releasing "Reprise Sessions", Woodruff released the fourth Stick Figure studio album, "Burial Ground".


title: Stick Figure

text: All 14 tracks were written and produced by Woodruff, one of which features vocals by reggae singer Half Pint, and one of which features vocals from Woodruff's close friend, T.J. O'Neill. Woodruff co-wrote five of the tracks with O'Neill; the two had spent time traveling abroad together in Indonesia, Australia, Fiji, Thailand, and New Zealand starting in 2010, finding mutual inspiration for songwriting.


title: Stick Figure

text: The album reached #1 on the iTunes and Billboard Reggae charts, and reached #17 on the Heatseekers Albums chart in the United States.


title: Stick Figure

text: "Burial Ground" met with a positive critical response, with a number of critics noting the mixing of upbeat reggae and dub. According to "The Reggae Review", "Original, bass-heavy, one drop beats are consistent throughout the album, as are the subtle nuances...and sometimes not so subtle nuances...of dub. Stick Figure's digits remain firmly on the pulse of roots reggae/dub music." "The Pier" stated, "the album represents a new milestone in Stick Figure's musical growth and innovative abilities, with more layering, instrumental transcendence, and lyrical complexity [than their previous albums]."


title: Stick Figure

text: After the release of "Burial Ground" in 2012, Woodruff organized a live band, adding members Kevin Bong (KBong) on keyboards, Kevin Offitzer on drums, and Tommy Suliman on bass. The newly formed quartet then went on tour with reggae band The Green starting in September 2012. This tour included eighteen stops along the East Coast of the United States.


title: Stick Figure

text: In Spring 2013, Stick Figure embarked on their first headlining tour with stops in major cities including Boston, Austin, Denver and Chicago with multiple sold-out shows. That year they also went on three national tours alongside reggae bands Passafire, John Brown's Body, and Tribal Seeds.


title: Stick Figure

text: In 2014, they headlined their first national tour, with numerous sold-out shows including a performance at West Hollywood's renowned Roxy Theater that sold out two weeks before the show date.


title: Stick Figure

text: Within two years of forming a live band, Stick Figure toured with other major acts including Rebelution, Slightly Stoopid, Collie Buddz, Passafire, Tribal Seeds and The Expendables. They performed at various internationally recognized festivals including Reggae on the River, Cali Roots Festival, Life is Beautiful, Closer to the Sun, Levitate, and Bonnaroo, amongst others.


title: Stick Figure

text: In 2015, Scott Woodruff relocated from San Diego to a home in the woods in the outskirts of Santa Cruz. Immediately after relocating to his new home, Woodruff built Ruffwood Studios where he recorded the subsequent Stick Figure album, "Set in Stone". Woodruff found much inspiration for this album from the redwood forest just outside of his studio.


title: Stick Figure

text: On November 13, 2015, Woodruff released his fifth studio album, "Set in Stone". The album peaked at #1 on the "Billboard" Reggae Albums chart, and spent 78 weeks on the chart. It appeared on six "Billboard" charts overall, including #101 on the Billboard 200, #24 on Digital Albums, #1 on Heatseekers Albums, #7 on Independent Albums, and #65 on the Top Album Sales chart.


title: Stick Figure

text: Woodruff produced this album in the same way he produced the five previous albums. The 14-track album includes collaborations with Eric Rachmany of Rebelution, Slightly Stoopid, KBong, and Collie Buddz.


title: Stick Figure

text: Following the album's release, in January 2016, the live band embarked on a U.S. tour with the Southern California reggae band Fortunate Youth. John Gray (a.k.a. Johnny Cosmic), a multi-instrumentalist, made his debut appearance as a member of the Stick Figure live band on this tour playing keyboards, singing backup vocals and playing guitar.


title: Stick Figure

text: With the success and popularity of "Set In Stone", Stick Figure released their first instrumental album, "Set In Stone: Instrumentals" on April 1, 2016.


title: Stick Figure

text: Stick Figure collaborated with long-time friend and musician T.J. O'Neill on his first solo single, the Jimmy Buffett cover "A Pirate Looks at 40" also featuring KBong and Johnny Cosmic. The music video was shot live on location at a resort in Mexico with thousands of fans surrounding the band while performing.


title: Stick Figure

text: On August 30, 2019, Stick Figure released his sixth studio album, "World on Fire". Like previous projects, the album was written, recorded, and produced by Scott Woodruff, playing every instrument and recording each vocal himself. This time, however, the album was created at Stick Figure-owned Great Stone Studios in Oakland, California, former home of punk band Green Day. With assistance from associate producer Johnny Cosmic (Stick Figure live guitarist, keys, and back up vocals), the 15 track project included guest appearances from Slightly Stoopid, Citizen Cope, and longtime Stick Figure collaborator TJ O'Neill.


title: Stick Figure

text: The album debuted on a number of "Billboard charts", including #34 on the Top 200 chart, #1 Billboard Reggae Albums, #4 Digital Albums, #5 New Albums, #6 Current Albums, and #2 Independent Albums. The highest selling debut week album of the year, "World on Fire" sold more copies in week one (over 10,000) than the previous year's winner (Sting and Shaggy's "44/876"). The album remained at #1 on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart for four consecutive weeks.


title: Stick Figure

text: The album has garnered considerable radio play, including on SiriusXM's "The Joint", SiriusXM's "No Shoes Radio", and SiriusXM's "Margaritaville". Stick Figure was also the first artist to be named the face of Cali Reggae Countdown on Pandora Radio.


title: Stick Figure

text: In 2020, Stick Figure announced their first ever headline amphitheater tour. The tour featured support from Collie Buddz, Iya Terra, and The Movement, and visits to 19 cities nationwide. However, the tour was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.


title: Stick Figure

text: On March 18, 2021, Stick Figure released their second instrumental album, "World on Fire: Instrumentals".


title: Stick Figure

text: Stick Figure teamed up with UK producer and dub music master Prince Fatty to remix some of the band's favorite songs from albums, "Set in Stone" and "World on Fire". The full remix album titled after these albums, "Fire & Stone" was released on April 30, 2021. A single from the album, "Weary Eyes (Prince Fatty Presents)" premiered on April 9. The new tracks have a hundred percent new instrumentation, giving each song a "fresh new taste and roots feel".


title: Stick Figure

text: After three years in the making, Stick Figure recorded their seventh full-length studio album titled, "Wisdom", which was released on September 9, 2022. The 14-track album was once again recorded and mixed at Woodruff's Great Stone Studio with childhood friend TJ O'Neill assisting in the creative process, while original band members KBong, Kevin Offitzer, Tommy Suliman, and Johnny Cosmic, along with new member, percussionist Will Phillips bring their talents in Woodruff's songs to life. Woodruff also added a full brass section with Liam Robertson on saxophone, Quinn Carson on trombone and Glenn Holdaway on trumpet on some tracks. With beautiful cover art by Juan Manuel Orozco, the album features Barrington Levy, Collie Buddz, and Slightly Stoopid on two tracks.


title: Stick Figure

text: Woodruff describes the album's name, "Wisdom is a journey and a search for what matters in life—a search for meaning, purpose, place and belonging. Wisdom is a code to live by where we can accept that it is okay to start over, to make mistakes, to love, and to feel pain. It is a reminder to focus on the little things that bring joy and know that all of it is a part of our individual story."


title: Stick Figure

text: Wisdom debuted at No. 51 on the Billboard 200 chart, No. 1 on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart and No. 6 on the Billboard Independent Albums chart with 13,900 units sold from traditional sales and streaming during its first week of release. This made it the fourth consecutive Stick Figure album to debut at No. 1 on Billboard's Reggae Albums chart. By September 23rd, the album's total sales, including pre-released tracks, totaled over 41,000 units.


title: Stick Figure

text: "Wisdom" is also being "considered" for a Grammy Award nomination for "Best Reggae Album" at the 65th Grammy Awards in 2023.


title: Stick Figure

text: Stick Figure is currently collaborating with Wachusett Brewing Company to promote the new Cocoanut IPA, which is currently being distributed in New England.


title: Stick Figure

text: Stick Figure collaborated with Flying Embers of Ojai, California to create a limited-edition special release called Stick Figure X Flying Embers Mango Coconut Hard Kombucha. The tropical flavor combines mangos blended with coconut with hints of turmeric and chili in a 16-ounce can featuring the band's artwork with Cocoa the tour dog.


title: Stick Figure

text: Stick Figure (Scott Woodruff) has collaborated or was featured on songs with artists and bands throughout the years.


title: Shawne Merriman

text: Shawne DeAndre Merriman (born May 25, 1984), nicknamed "Lights Out", is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Maryland Terrapins and was selected 12th overall by the San Diego Chargers in the 2005 NFL Draft. He earned NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in his first season and recorded quarterback sacks in his first three seasons, also making three Pro Bowls as well as two All-Pro selections. He was hampered by injuries his next three seasons, and the Chargers waived Merriman midseason in 2010. He was picked up through waivers by the Buffalo Bills that season, but he only played minimally with the Bills due to continued injuries. He was released by the Bills before the 2012 season before they re-signed him mid-season. He retired at the end of the 2012 season.


title: Shawne Merriman

text: Merriman grew up in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. He earned his nickname "Lights Out" at Frederick Douglass High School, where he rendered four opposing players unconscious in one game, three in the first half and one in the second half.


title: Shawne Merriman

text: Merriman started three years on both the varsity football and basketball teams. On the hardwood, Merriman was named one of the top five basketball defenders in the D.C. area by "The Washington Post". For his football performance during his senior year, he was selected to the first team all-state and named Maryland Defensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press. He also played some tight end in high school.


title: Shawne Merriman

text: Despite being heavily recruited, Merriman stayed in-state for college and attended the University of Maryland, where he played for the Maryland Terrapins football team. During his freshman campaign in 2002, Merriman appeared in 13 games and finished third on the team with 5 sacks.


title: Shawne Merriman

text: He battled injuries for the bulk of his sophomore season, but never missed a game. He broke onto the national scene his junior year, in which he was named to the ACC All-Conference team and earned the Iron Terp award for the "strongest pound for pound player" on the Maryland football roster.


title: Shawne Merriman

text: Merriman was drafted in the 1st round (12th overall) in the 2005 NFL Draft out of the University of Maryland by the San Diego Chargers. He was selected using a pick acquired from the New York Giants as part of the Rivers-Manning trade during the 2004 NFL Draft.


title: Shawne Merriman

text: The Giants traded Philip Rivers (selected 4th overall in the 2004 Draft), and their 1st round selection for the following year (amongst others) for the rights to sign Eli Manning, who had been selected by the San Diego Chargers with the 1st overall pick that year. Manning had made it clear he was not interested in playing for the Chargers, in a similar fashion to John Elway in 1983 when selected by the Baltimore Colts.


title: Shawne Merriman

text: The Giants draft pick ended up being the 12th overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft. The Chargers used that selection to take Merriman.


title: Shawne Merriman

text: On August 1, after a long holdout period, Merriman signed a 5-year, $11.5 million contract that included $9 million in guarantees and $4 million in incentives.


title: Shawne Merriman

text: Merriman started off his 2005 rookie year on the inactive list and completed a 10-day hold out from training camp. He did not break the starting lineup until week 7, but recorded 6 sacks in his first 4 starts. He was voted into the Pro Bowl as an OLB after playing the position for the San Diego Chargers in their 3–4 defensive scheme which is the same position he played at the University of Maryland. Merriman's best game of the year came in week 15 when the Chargers handed the Indianapolis Colts their first loss of the season. Merriman recorded 2 sacks and 2 tackles for a loss, one of which stopped Peyton Manning for a 6-yard loss on 4th and goal. It was during this game that Shawne Merriman garnered much national media coverage and in the following week made the Pro Bowl.


title: Shawne Merriman

text: The Chargers would go 9–7 in 2005, taking down both the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots and the 14–0 Indianapolis Colts


title: Shawne Merriman

text: On January 4, 2006, Merriman was awarded with The Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year award. He received 28 votes of a panel of 50 NFL sportswriters and broadcasters. He beat Seattle Seahawks linebacker Lofa Tatupu, who received 16 votes, Cincinnati linebacker Odell Thurman, with 4, and Dallas linebacker DeMarcus Ware, with one. On February 12, 2006, Merriman participated in the 2006 NFL Pro Bowl in Honolulu, Hawaii. Although in a losing effort, Merriman made 3 tackles and forced one fumble. "I enjoyed myself the whole entire week", said Merriman. "I topped it off today by playing the entire game with all the guys I grew up watching. It's going to be my first of many if I just keep working hard."


title: Shawne Merriman

text: On October 22, 2006, reports were made public by CNN that Merriman would face a 4-game suspension for violating the NFL's steroid policy. ESPN's Chris Mortensen cited a source that claimed the suspension was "definitely for steroid use and not a 'supplement-type' suspension." Mortenson's report later came under scrutiny from Merriman's attorney, David Cornwell, who called the report "irresponsible and erroneous." Under NFL league policy, no player's suspension proceedings are to be announced before the suspension takes place. Subsequently, Cornwell stated that he believed the substance his client tested positive for was the anabolic steroid nandrolone, and that Merriman claimed it must have been in a tainted nutritional supplement he took regularly. Merriman never identified the supplement.


title: Shawne Merriman

text: The incident led to the passage of a rule that forbids a player who tests positive for steroids from being selected to the Pro Bowl or winning any performance awards in the year in which they tested positive. The rule is commonly referred as the "Merriman Rule". However, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has tried to distance the policy from being associated with the player, stating that Merriman tested clean on 19 of 20 random tests for performance-enhancing drugs since entering the league.


title: Shawne Merriman

text: At the start of his 2006 season after the 4-game suspension, Merriman again began his season with success, recording 3 sacks and an interception in his first 2 games. Merriman went on to record 8.5 sacks and make ESPN's midseason All-pro team, prior to dropping an appeal against an NFL enforced 4-week suspension due to testing positive for steroids. In the 2006 regular season, Merriman led the league in sacks with 17 while playing only 12 games. He also added 4 forced fumbles to his career (2 against both the Buffalo Bills and the Denver Broncos). Merriman finished third in the balloting for 2006 Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year, behind Jason Taylor and Champ Bailey, after having tested positive for using steroids which is against the league's drug abuse policy. Taylor commented that Merriman should not have been considered for the award because of his suspension. Merriman reportedly responded by sending Taylor a "Lights Out" t-shirt and a box of popcorn with a note saying enjoy watching him in the playoffs. Merriman, nicknamed "Lights Out", performed a dance to celebrate each of his 17 sacks in 2006–2009. After the Chargers were eliminated in the playoffs by the New England Patriots that season, members of the Patriots began performing Merriman's "Lights Out" dance on the field in celebration. Merriman's Chargers teammate LaDainian Tomlinson, referred to the act as showing no class and being disrespectful.


title: Shawne Merriman

text: In 2007, he announced that he would no longer perform this celebration. In week 4, however, Merriman performed the dance after sacking Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Damon Huard. After the Chargers' slow 1–3 start to the season, Merriman exclaimed that he decided to do the sack dance again due to the urge of his teammates and to help revive the spirits of the Charger fans.


title: Shawne Merriman

text: Merriman finished the season with 68 total tackles, with 54 solo and 14 assisted tackles, performing to his usual caliber by tallying 12.5 sacks. His prowess was shown during the season when it was said that his 9.5 sacks through to week 13 was seen as a decline in performance, a quote to which Merriman took a great compliment. The Chargers finished the season with a loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game.


title: Shawne Merriman

text: Merriman was named to the Pro Bowl for a third consecutive year. At that point had a total of 39.5 sacks in three seasons. His 39.5 sacks are the most for any player from 2005 to 2007, edging out Jason Taylor by just one full sack. He had also been named First-Team All-Pro in his first 2 seasons, while earning a Second-Team All-Pro selection in his 3rd season.


title: Shawne Merriman

text: During the 2008 training camp, Merriman had difficulty with his injured knee and sat out of practice for over two weeks. Initial reports were that his recovery would take a few weeks, but on August 23, Merriman reported that he had a tear in both his posterior cruciate ligament and lateral collateral ligament. He was told by doctors that he could sustain a possible career-threatening injury should he choose to play without having surgery. Merriman withheld his decision whether or not to play while seeking several different professional opinions, including that of well-known surgeon James Andrews of Birmingham, Alabama. ESPN's Mike Tirico reported in the Chargers' Monday Night Football game that Merriman went to Miami, Florida to get a final opinion on his knee. On August 27, Merriman told Fox Sports that he would go against the advice of the doctors and will try to play through the injury, stating that he simply wants to play and that the career-ending possibilities were "misquoted."


title: Shawne Merriman

text: On September 9, it was announced that Merriman would indeed go through with the reconstructive knee surgery to repair his torn knee ligaments and would be placed on the Injured Reserve, missing the rest of the 2008 NFL Season.


title: Shawne Merriman

text: In the 2009 season, Merriman was suffering from a painful foot injury as well as his troubled knees. He had only four sacks for the season.


title: Shawne Merriman

text: At the beginning of the calendar year, Merriman expressed concern that the Chargers may no longer want him, but said that his goal was to remain a Charger if possible. On March 4, 2010, the San Diego Chargers announced that they would place their first and third round franchise tender on Merriman, thus retaining him as a Charger. On August 13, 2010, after two weeks of hold out, Shawne Merriman signed tender and reported to camp.


title: Shawne Merriman

text: On October 13, the Chargers announced that Merriman was being placed on injured reserve and, per NFL rules, would be released when he became healthy. Merriman had re-injured his calf against Oakland and had been limited in the first five weeks of the season. Merriman was put on waivers by the Chargers on November 2, 2010. He had only four sacks in his last three seasons in San Diego.


title: Shawne Merriman

text: On November 10, Merriman suffered an Achilles injury during his first workout with his new team. Subsequently, on November 27, the Bills placed Merriman on season-ending injury reserve.


title: Shawne Merriman

text: He signed a two-year contract extension worth $10.5 million with the Bills on January 1, 2011. The deal contained $5 million guaranteed, including $3 million of his 2012 salary.


title: Shawne Merriman

text: On October 25, 2011, Merriman was placed on Injured Reserve list for the second consecutive season after suffering a partially torn Achilles tendon. Merriman finished the season with nine tackles and a sack in five starts. During the 2012 offseason, Merriman was moved from outside linebacker to defensive end due to the switch of 3–4 to 4–3. On August 20, the team released Merriman.


title: Shawne Merriman

text: On September 6, 2009, Merriman was arrested and charged with battery and false imprisonment. Merriman's former girlfriend, reality TV star Tila Tequila, claimed in an arrest complaint that he choked and restrained her when she tried to leave his home. The charges were dismissed less than a week later on September 11, 2009.


title: Shawne Merriman

text: In December 2009, Merriman filed a civil suit against Tequila, alleging intentional interference with contract, unfair competition, and trademark infringement. He claimed that Tequila improperly used his own "Lights Out" logo and disrupted negotiations for T-shirts to be marketed by Wal-Mart. She failed to respond to the suit at all, and a default judgment was entered in his favor for $2 million. However, the default judgment was later set aside in January 2010. In February 2010, both sides jointly moved the court to dismiss the claim, and the court dismissed the case on the same day.


title: Shawne Merriman

text: On July 21, 2017, Kimberly Fattorini was found dead from an apparent overdose. Fattorini's parents, Deann and Ferdinand, filed the wrongful death lawsuit against Merriman, a nightclub, and others, alleging the girl was drugged and possibly assaulted before her death. Merriman was present when Fattorini passed out and a friend of hers called 911. In the suit, Fattorini's parents claim their daughter sent texts earlier that night saying Merriman poured something in her drink. They now believe that something was GHB - a powerful depressant commonly referred to as “the date rape drug.” When paramedics arrived midday July 21, 2017, they found Fattorini unresponsive on the floor, half-naked, “with her jeans unzipped and unbuttoned, as though someone had tried to pull her jeans on to her body before the police or paramedics arrived.” Her bra was twisted. She was not wearing underwear, though she had been earlier that night. The coroner did not perform a sexual assault exam; by the time an LASD detective requested one, “in light of additional information he had received,” it was no longer possible.


title: Shawne Merriman

text: Merriman was featured on an episode of "MTV Exposed". On October 10, 2007, Merriman was chosen as the cover athlete for EA Sports' "NFL Tour" video game. Merriman appears in Keri Hilson's "Knock You Down" music video and made a special appearance at WWE's One Night Stand 2008 on June 1, 2008, where he hit superstar Chavo Guerrero with a Singapore Cane. He returned to WWE as a WrestleMania XXX pre-show analyst on April 6, 2014, and again the following night on "Monday Night RAW"'s pre- and post-show on the WWE Network.


title: Shawne Merriman

text: Merriman is featured in the Nike football "Leave Nothing" advertisement. Merriman made a cameo in season 7 of HBO's "Entourage". Merriman also appeared on Cartoon Network's "Destroy Build Destroy" along with Antonio Gates. Merriman appeared on GNC's Athlete Tour 2010 under his MusclePharm sponsorship. Merriman appeared on WGR Sports Radio 550's "Schopp and the Bulldog" in Buffalo, New York on July 27, 2012. He visited the show's studio at Bills' training camp in Rochester, New York.


title: Shawne Merriman

text: He showed off his tattoos in PETA's "Ink Not Mink" campaign, encouraging people not to wear animal furs.


title: Shawne Merriman

text: In 2018, he appeared as a guest on the popular sports and comedy podcast The Dirty Sports Podcast hosted by comedians Andy Ruther and Joe Praino. He also appeared on FS1 as an NFL analyst.


title: Shawne Merriman

text: In April 2014, Merriman appeared on the pre-show of WrestleMania XXX. Shortly after, it was reported on "The JBL & Cole Show" that Merriman had "joined the WWE family" and would report to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. On August 27, reports surfaced indicating Merriman was no longer contracted to WWE.


title: Shawne Merriman

text: In January 2015, Japanese martial arts event "GANRYUJIMA" announced that they were negotiating with Merriman for him to be a fighter, but they were unable to reach an agreement.


title: Shawne Merriman

text: In 2017, Merriman partnered with NASCAR K&N Pro Series West driver and Naval officer Jesse Iwuji, serving as the owner of Iwuji's No. 36 car. The two met during a fashion show in Los Angeles promoting Merriman's new clothing line, "Lights Out"; Merriman, a longtime motorsports fan, agreed to join Iwuji's Patriot Motorsports Group team.


title: Shawne Merriman

text: In August 2018, Merriman signed with the World Bare Knuckle Fighting Federation to appear in a fight later that year. Merriman was expected to face Mike Bourke in the inaugural WBKFF event on November 9, 2018. According to the promotion's president Bas Rutten, Wyoming athletic commission had suspicions that Bourke's previous fight in Romania was fixed and – him being from the same management team as Merriman – the commission would not license him to fight. In addition, Merriman and WBKFF had contract pay dispute and after the promotion allegedly agreed to pay the contracted sum, Merriman's management team wouldn't agree. The promotion eventually refused to pay Merriman for "not" fighting, as his management demanded, leading Merriman to withdraw from the bout.


title: Shawne Merriman

text: In April 2019, Merriman announced that he is starting his own MMA promotion, Lights Out Xtreme Fighting, which is expected to have its inaugural event on May 11, 2019.


title: Brad Arnold

text: Bradley Kirk Arnold (born September 27, 1978) is an American musician, best known as the lead singer and drummer (and only remaining original member) of the rock band 3 Doors Down.


title: Brad Arnold

text: Arnold grew up in Escatawpa, Mississippi. He wrote the song "Kryptonite" in high school during math class at age 15.


title: Brad Arnold

text: Arnold is a founding member of 3 Doors Down, and was 16 years old at the time of the band's formation. Arnold was initially both a drummer and a singer, before focusing on the latter role around the time guitarist Chris Henderson joined the band. He has been sober for over 5 years and the only clean member of the original band. Matt Roberts left and later died from substance overdose and Harrel was arrested for a buzzed car crash.


title: Brad Arnold

text: Arnold is a recovering alcoholic who stopped drinking in 2016. He was married to his first wife Terika Roberts from 2001 to 2007. He married his second wife, Jennifer Sanderford, in 2009. One of Brad's hobbies is deep sea fishing.


title: Dutch Cape Colony

text: The Cape Colony () was a Dutch United East India Company (VOC) colony in Southern Africa, centered on the Cape of Good Hope, from where it derived its name. The original colony and its successive states that the colony was incorporated into occupied much of modern South Africa. Between 1652 and 1691 it was a Commandment, and between 1691 and 1795 a Governorate of the United East India Company (VOC). Jan van Riebeeck established the colony as a re-supply and layover port for vessels of the VOC trading with Asia. The Cape came under VOC rule from 1652 to 1795 and from 1803 to 1806 was ruled by the Batavian Republic. Much to the dismay of the shareholders of the VOC, who focused primarily on making profits from the Asian trade, the colony rapidly expanded into a settler colony in the years after its founding.


title: Dutch Cape Colony

text: As the only permanent settlement of the Dutch United East India Company not serving as a trading post, it proved an ideal retirement place for employees of the company. After several years of service in the company, an employee could lease a piece of land in the colony as a Vryburgher ('free citizen'), on which he had to cultivate crops that he had to sell to the United East India Company for a fixed price. As these farms were labour-intensive, Vryburghers imported slaves from Madagascar, Mozambique and Asia (Dutch East Indies and Dutch Ceylon), which rapidly increased the number of inhabitants. After King Louis XIV of France revoked the Edict of Nantes (October 1685), which had protected the right of Huguenots in France to practise Protestant worship without persecution from the state, the colony attracted many Huguenot settlers, who eventually mixed with the general Vryburgher population.


title: Dutch Cape Colony

text: Due to the authoritarian rule of the company (telling farmers what to grow for what price, controlling immigration, and monopolising trade), some farmers tried to escape the rule of the company by moving further inland. The company, in an effort to control these migrants, established a magistracy at Swellendam in 1745 and another at Graaff Reinet in 1786, and declared the Gamtoos River as the eastern frontier of the colony, only to see the Trekboers cross it soon afterwards. In order to avoid collision with the Bantu peoples advancing south and west from east central Africa, the VOC agreed in 1780 to make the Great Fish River the boundary of the colony.


title: Dutch Cape Colony

text: In 1795, after the Battle of Muizenberg in present-day Cape Town, the British occupied the colony. Under the terms of the Peace of Amiens of 1802, Britain acceded the colony to the Dutch on 1 March 1803, but as the Batavian Republic had since nationalized the United East India Company (1796), the colony came under the direct rule of The Hague. Dutch control did not last long, however, as the outbreak of the Napoleonic Wars (18 May 1803) invalidated the Peace of Amiens. In January 1806, the British occupied the colony for a second time after the Battle of Blaauwberg at present-day Bloubergstrand. The Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814 confirmed the transfer of sovereignty to Great Britain.


title: Dutch Cape Colony

text: Traders of the United East India Company ("VOC"), under the command of Jan van Riebieeck, were the first people to establish a European colony in South Africa. The Cape settlement was built by them in 1652 as a re-supply point and way-station for United East India Company vessels on their way back and forth between the Netherlands and Batavia (Jakarta) in the Dutch East Indies. The support station gradually became a settler community, the forebears of the Boers, and the Cape Dutch who collectively became modern-day Afrikaners.


title: Dutch Cape Colony

text: At the time of first European settlement in the Cape, the southwest of Africa was inhabited by Sān ("Foragers") and Khoi-Khoi people, the latter being primarily pastoral people with a population estimated between 13,000 and 15,000. The Khoena ("People") were disgruntled by the disruption of their seasonal visit to the area for which purpose they grazed their cattle at the foot of Table Mountain only to find European settlers occupying and farming the land, leading to the first Khoi-Dutch War as part of a series of Khoekhoe-Dutch Wars. After the war, the natives ceded the land to the settlers in 1660. During a visit in 1672, the high-ranking Commissioner Arnout van Overbeke made a formal purchase of the Cape territory, although already ceded in 1660, his reason was to "prevent future disputes".


title: Dutch Cape Colony

text: The ability of the European settlers to produce food at the Cape initiated the decline of the nomadic lifestyle of the Khoe and !Ui speaking peoples since food was produced at a fixed location. Thus by 1672, the permanent indigenous residents living at the Cape had grown substantially. The first school to be built in South Africa by the settlers were for the sake of the slaves who had been rescued from a Portuguese slave ship and arrived at the Cape with the "Amersfoort" in 1658. Later on, the school was also attended by the children of the indigenes and the Free Burghers. The Dutch language was taught at schools as the main medium for commercial purposes, with the result that the indigenous people and even the French settlers found themselves speaking Dutch more than their native languages. The principles of Christianity were also introduced at the school resulting in the baptisms of many slaves and indigenous residents.


title: Dutch Cape Colony

text: Conflicts with the settlers and the effects of smallpox decimated their numbers in 1713 and 1755, until gradually the breakdown of their society led them to work for the colonists, mostly as shepherds and herdsmen.


title: Dutch Cape Colony

text: The VOC favoured the idea of freemen at the Cape and many settlers requested to be discharged in order to become free burghers; as a result, Jan van Riebeeck approved the notion on favorable conditions and earmarked two areas near the Liesbeek River for farming purposes in 1657. The two areas which were allocated to the freemen, for agricultural purposes, were named Groeneveld and Dutch Garden. These areas were separated by the Amstel River (Liesbeek River). Nine of the best applicants were selected to use the land for agricultural purposes. The freemen or free burghers as they were afterwards termed, thus became subjects, and were no longer servants, of the company.


title: Dutch Cape Colony

text: After the first settlers spread out around the Company station, nomadic European livestock farmers, or Trekboeren, moved more widely afield, leaving the richer, but limited, farming lands of the coast for the drier interior tableland. There they contested still wider groups of Khoe-speaking cattle herders for the best grazing lands. By 1700, the traditional "Khoekhoe" lifestyle of pastoralism.


title: Dutch Cape Colony

text: The Cape society in this period was thus a diverse one. The emergence of Afrikaans reflects this diversity, from its roots as a Khoe-Dutch pidgin, to its subsequent creolisation and use as "Kitchen Dutch" by slaves and serfs of the colonials, and its later use in Cape Islam by them when it first became a written language that used the Arabic letters. By the time of British rule after 1795, the sociopolitical foundations were firmly laid.


title: Dutch Cape Colony

text: In 1795, France occupied the Dutch Republic. This prompted Great Britain, at war with France, to occupy the territory that same year as a way to better control the seas on the way to India. The British sent a fleet of nine warships which anchored at Simon's Town and, following the defeat of the Dutch militia at the Battle of Muizenberg, took control of the territory. The United East India Company transferred its territories and claims to the Batavian Republic (the Dutch sister republic established by France) in 1798, then ceased to exist in 1799. Improving relations between Britain and Napoleonic France, and its vassal state the Batavian Republic, led the British to hand the Cape Colony over to the Batavian Republic in 1803, under the terms of the Treaty of Amiens.


title: Dutch Cape Colony

text: In 1806, the Cape, now nominally controlled by the Batavian Republic, was occupied again by the British after their victory in the Battle of Blaauwberg. The peace between Britain and Napoleonic France had broken after one year, while Napoleon had been strengthening his influence on the Batavian Republic (which he would replace with a monarchy later that year). The British established their colony to control the Far East trade routes. In 1814 the Dutch government formally ceded sovereignty over the Cape to the British, under the terms of the Convention of London.


title: Dutch Cape Colony

text: The title of the founder of the Cape Colony, Jan van Riebeeck, was installed as "Commander of the Cape", a position he held from 1652 to 1662. During the tenure of Simon van der Stel, the colony was elevated to the rank of a governorate, hence he was promoted to the position of "Governor of the Cape".


title: Tybalt

text: Tybalt () is a character in William Shakespeare's play "Romeo and Juliet". He is the son of Lady Capulet's brother, Juliet's short-tempered first cousin, and Romeo's rival. Tybalt shares the same name as the character Tibert / Tybalt ""the prince of cats"" in the popular story "Reynard the Fox", a point of mockery in the play. Mercutio repeatedly calls Tybalt ""prince of cats"" , in reference to his sleek, yet violent manner.


title: Tybalt

text: Luigi da Porto adapted the story as "Giulietta e Romeo" and included it in his "Historia novellamente ritrovata di due Nobili Amanti" (Newly found tale of two Noble lovers) published in 1530. Da Porto drew on "Pyramus and Thisbe",Giovanni Boccaccio's "Decameron" and a novella by Masuccio Salernitano. Da Porto gave it much of its modern form, including the lovers' names, the rival families of Montecchi and Capuleti, and their location in Verona. He also introduces characters corresponding to Shakespeare's Mercutio, Tybalt, and Paris. Da Porto presents his tale as historically true and claims it took place in the days of Bartolomeo II della Scala (a century earlier than Salernitano). Montague and Capulet were actual 13th century political factions, but the only known connection between them is a mention in Dante's "Purgatorio" as an example of civil dissension.


title: Tybalt

text: In Act I, Scene I, Tybalt enters and helps his own servants, Sampson and Gregory, who are fighting in the streets with servants of the Montagues, Abraham and Balthasar. Seeing Benvolio (Romeo's friend) trying to stop the fight, Tybalt draws his sword to fight Benvolio, saying:


title: Tybalt

text: Later, at the Capulets' ball, Tybalt is the first to recognize Romeo through his disguise, and would kill him if not forbidden by his uncle, Lord Capulet. His lust for revenge unsated, Tybalt sends a challenge letter to Romeo for a duel to the death. At the beginning of Act III, he enters looking for Romeo, only to create tensions with Mercutio, who was mocking Tybalt even before he walked into the scene. Tybalt initially ignores Mercutio and confronts Romeo, who refuses to fight because of his secret recent marriage to Juliet. Tybalt becomes even angrier; he does not know Romeo cannot fight him because they are now relatives.


title: Tybalt

text: Mercutio loses his temper and begins fighting Tybalt himself. Romeo tries to stop the combat by rushing between them, and Tybalt then stabs Mercutio under his arm. Mercutio dies from the wound, angering an already emotional Romeo. Enraged, Romeo duels and kills Tybalt in return, leading to his own exile by prince Escalus.


title: Tybalt

text: Tybalt is revealed to be Juliet's maternal first cousin, when Lady Capulet arrives at the scene where Tybalt lies dead, and cries


title: Tybalt

text: Draper (1939) points out the parallels between the Elizabethan belief in the four humours and the main characters of the play; Tybalt is choleric: Violent, vengeful, short-tempered, ambitious.


title: Tybalt

text: Interpreting the text in the light of humours reduces the amount of plot attributed to chance by modern audiences.


title: Jim Corr

text: James Steven Ignatius Corr, (born 31 July 1964) is an Irish musician, singer, songwriter and DJ. He is a member of the Irish folk/rock band The Corrs, the other members being his three younger sisters Andrea, Sharon and Caroline.


title: Jim Corr

text: Corr first took guitar lessons in his hometown of Dundalk, a large industrial town in County Louth. Corr plays acoustic and electric guitar as well as piano, keyboard, accordion and singing background vocals. He has also had an active role in the production aspects of all of The Corrs' albums to date, working with David Foster and Olle Romo on two separate albums.


title: Jim Corr

text: The Corr siblings were appointed as honorary MBEs in 2005 by Queen Elizabeth II, in recognition of their musical talents and also their charitable work which raised money for Freeman Hospital in Newcastle (where their mother was treated), victims of the Omagh Bombing, The Prince's Trust, and other charities.


title: Jim Corr

text: Jim and his sisters were also involved in the Live 8 series of concerts, performing at Edinburgh in mid-2005 alongside Bono and other acts such as Annie Lennox, Eddie Izzard and Bob Geldof. He also performed at Nelson Mandela's "46664" concert in South Africa, to help raise awareness of the growing AIDS epidemic in Africa.


title: Jim Corr

text: Corr is a member of the 9/11 Truth Movement and operates a website on which he writes about the New World Order, including the notion that 11 September 2001, was an inside job. Following the death of Osama bin Laden in May 2011, Corr maintained that bin Laden had actually died in 2001. At some point in September 2015, all conspiracy related content was removed from his site and the URL began to redirect to the main Corrs website.


title: Jim Corr

text: Corr opposed lifting Ireland's constitutional ban on abortion in the 2018 Repeal the Eighth referendum.


title: Probability space

text: In probability theory, a probability space or a probability triple formula_1 is a mathematical construct that provides a formal model of a random process or "experiment". For example, one can define a probability space which models the throwing of a die.


title: Probability space

text: In order to provide a sensible model of probability, these elements must satisfy a number of axioms, detailed in this article.


title: Probability space

text: In the example of the throw of a standard die, we would take the sample space to be formula_4. For the event space, we could simply use the set of all subsets of the sample space, which would then contain simple events such as formula_5 ("the die lands on 5"), as well as complex events such as formula_6 ("the die lands on an even number"). Finally, for the probability function, we would map each event to the number of outcomes in that event divided by 6 — so for example, formula_5 would be mapped to formula_8, and formula_6 would be mapped to formula_10.


title: Probability space

text: When an experiment is conducted, we imagine that "nature" "selects" a single outcome, formula_11, from the sample space formula_2. All the events in the event space formula_3 that contain the selected outcome formula_11 are said to "have occurred". This "selection" happens in such a way that if the experiment were repeated many times, the number of occurrences of each event, as a fraction of the total number of experiments, would most likely tend towards the probability assigned to that event by the probability function formula_15.


title: Probability space

text: The Soviet mathematician Andrey Kolmogorov introduced the notion of probability space, together with other axioms of probability, in the 1930s. In modern probability theory there are a number of alternative approaches for axiomatization — for example, algebra of random variables.


title: Probability space

text: A probability space is a mathematical triplet formula_1 that presents a model for a particular class of real-world situations.


title: Probability space

text: As with other models, its author ultimately defines which elements formula_2, formula_3, and formula_15 will contain.


title: Probability space

text: Not every subset of the sample space formula_2 must necessarily be considered an event: some of the subsets are simply not of interest, others cannot be "measured". This is not so obvious in a case like a coin toss. In a different example, one could consider javelin throw lengths, where the events typically are intervals like "between 60 and 65 meters" and unions of such intervals, but not sets like the "irrational numbers between 60 and 65 meters".


title: Probability space

text: In short, a probability space is a measure space such that the measure of the whole space is equal to one.


title: Probability space

text: Discrete probability theory needs only at most countable sample spaces formula_2. Probabilities can be ascribed to points of formula_2 by the probability mass function formula_60 such that formula_61. All subsets of formula_2 can be treated as events (thus, formula_63 is the power set). The probability measure takes the simple form


title: Probability space

text: The greatest σ-algebra formula_63 describes the complete information. In general, a σ-algebra formula_65 corresponds to a finite or countable partition formula_66, the general form of an event formula_43 being formula_68. See also the examples.


title: Probability space

text: The case formula_69 is permitted by the definition, but rarely used, since such formula_11 can safely be excluded from the sample space.


title: Probability space

text: If is uncountable, still, it may happen that for some ; such are called atoms. They are an at most countable (maybe empty) set, whose probability is the sum of probabilities of all atoms. If this sum is equal to 1 then all other points can safely be excluded from the sample space, returning us to the discrete case. Otherwise, if the sum of probabilities of all atoms is between 0 and 1, then the probability space decomposes into a discrete (atomic) part (maybe empty) and a non-atomic part.


title: Probability space

text: If for all (in this case, Ω must be uncountable, because otherwise could not be satisfied), then equation () fails: the probability of a set is not necessarily the sum over the probabilities of its elements, as summation is only defined for countable numbers of elements. This makes the probability space theory much more technical. A formulation stronger than summation, measure theory is applicable. Initially the probabilities are ascribed to some "generator" sets (see the examples). Then a limiting procedure allows assigning probabilities to sets that are limits of sequences of generator sets, or limits of limits, and so on. All these sets are the σ-algebra formula_71. For technical details see Carathéodory's extension theorem. Sets belonging to formula_71 are called measurable. In general they are much more complicated than generator sets, but much better than non-measurable sets.


title: Probability space

text: A probability space formula_73 is said to be a complete probability space if for all formula_74 with formula_75 and all formula_76 one has formula_77. Often, the study of probability spaces is restricted to complete probability spaces.


title: Probability space

text: If the experiment consists of just one flip of a fair coin, then the outcome is either heads or tails: formula_78. The σ-algebra formula_79 contains formula_80 events, namely: formula_81 ("heads"), formula_82 ("tails"), formula_83 ("neither heads nor tails"), and formula_84 ("either heads or tails"); in other words, formula_85. There is a fifty percent chance of tossing heads and fifty percent for tails, so the probability measure in this example is formula_86, formula_87, formula_88, formula_89.


title: Probability space

text: The fair coin is tossed three times. There are 8 possible outcomes: (here "HTH" for example means that first time the coin landed heads, the second time tails, and the last time heads again). The complete information is described by the σ-algebra formula_90 of events, where each of the events is a subset of Ω.


title: Probability space

text: Alice knows the outcome of the second toss only. Thus her incomplete information is described by the partition , where ⊔ is the "disjoint union", and the corresponding σ-algebra formula_91. Bryan knows only the total number of tails. His partition contains four parts: ; accordingly, his σ-algebra formula_92 contains 2 = 16 events.


title: Probability space

text: The two σ-algebras are incomparable: neither formula_93 nor formula_94; both are sub-σ-algebras of 2.


title: Probability space

text: If 100 voters are to be drawn randomly from among all voters in California and asked whom they will vote for governor, then the set of all sequences of 100 Californian voters would be the sample space Ω. We assume that sampling without replacement is used: only sequences of 100 "different" voters are allowed. For simplicity an ordered sample is considered, that is a sequence {Alice, Bryan} is different from {Bryan, Alice}. We also take for granted that each potential voter knows exactly his/her future choice, that is he/she doesn’t choose randomly.


title: Probability space

text: Alice knows only whether or not Arnold Schwarzenegger has received at least 60 votes. Her incomplete information is described by the σ-algebra formula_95 that contains: (1) the set of all sequences in Ω where at least 60 people vote for Schwarzenegger; (2) the set of all sequences where fewer than 60 vote for Schwarzenegger; (3) the whole sample space Ω; and (4) the empty set ∅.


title: Probability space

text: Bryan knows the exact number of voters who are going to vote for Schwarzenegger. His incomplete information is described by the corresponding partition and the σ-algebra formula_92 consists of 2 events.


title: Probability space

text: In this case Alice’s σ-algebra is a subset of Bryan’s: formula_97. Bryan’s σ-algebra is in turn a subset of the much larger "complete information" σ-algebra 2 consisting of events, where "n" is the number of all potential voters in California.


title: Probability space

text: A number between 0 and 1 is chosen at random, uniformly. Here Ω = [0,1], formula_71 is the σ-algebra of Borel sets on Ω, and "P" is the Lebesgue measure on [0,1].


title: Probability space

text: In this case the open intervals of the form , where , could be taken as the generator sets. Each such set can be ascribed the probability of , which generates the Lebesgue measure on [0,1], and the Borel σ-algebra on Ω.


title: Probability space

text: A fair coin is tossed endlessly. Here one can take Ω = {0,1}, the set of all infinite sequences of numbers 0 and 1. Cylinder sets may be used as the generator sets. Each such set describes an event in which the first "n" tosses have resulted in a fixed sequence , and the rest of the sequence may be arbitrary. Each such event can be naturally given the probability of 2.


title: Probability space

text: These two non-atomic examples are closely related: a sequence leads to the number . This is not a one-to-one correspondence between {0,1} and [0,1] however: it is an isomorphism modulo zero, which allows for treating the two probability spaces as two forms of the same probability space. In fact, all non-pathological non-atomic probability spaces are the same in this sense. They are so-called standard probability spaces. Basic applications of probability spaces are insensitive to standardness. However, non-discrete conditioning is easy and natural on standard probability spaces, otherwise it becomes obscure.


title: Probability space

text: A random variable "X" is a measurable function "X": Ω → "S" from the sample space Ω to another measurable space "S" called the "state space".


title: Probability space

text: If Ω is countable we almost always define formula_71 as the power set of Ω, i.e. formula_101 which is trivially a σ-algebra and the biggest one we can create using Ω. We can therefore omit formula_71 and just write (Ω,P) to define the probability space.


title: Probability space

text: On the other hand, if Ω is uncountable and we use formula_101 we get into trouble defining our probability measure "P" because formula_71 is too "large", i.e. there will often be sets to which it will be impossible to assign a unique measure. In this case, we have to use a smaller σ-algebra formula_71, for example the Borel algebra of Ω, which is the smallest σ-algebra that makes all open sets measurable.


title: Probability space

text: Kolmogorov’s definition of probability spaces gives rise to the natural concept of conditional probability. Every set with non-zero probability (that is, ) defines another probability measure


title: Probability space

text: Two random variables, and , are said to be independent if any event defined in terms of is independent of any event defined in terms of . Formally, they generate independent σ-algebras, where two σ-algebras and , which are subsets of are said to be independent if any element of is independent of any element of .


title: Probability space

text: Two events, and are said to be mutually exclusive or "disjoint" if the occurrence of one implies the non-occurrence of the other, i.e., their intersection is empty. This is a stronger condition than the probability of their intersection being zero.


title: Probability space

text: If and are disjoint events, then . This extends to a (finite or countably infinite) sequence of events. However, the probability of the union of an uncountable set of events is not the sum of their probabilities. For example, if is a normally distributed random variable, then is 0 for any , but .


title: Noname (rapper)

text: Fatimah Nyeema Warner (born September 18, 1991), known professionally as Noname (pronounced "no name"), is an American rapper, poet, and record producer. Since 2019, Noname has run a book club focused on radical texts by authors of color. She is also one-third of the musical supergroup Ghetto Sage with fellow rappers Smino and Saba.


title: Noname (rapper)

text: Noname began rapping and performing slam poetry in 2010, and gained wider recognition in 2013 for her appearance on the track "Lost" from Chance the Rapper's mixtape "Acid Rap". Noname released her debut mixtape, "Telefone", on July 31, 2016, to critical acclaim. Her debut album, "Room 25", was released on September 14, 2018 and received further critical acclaim.


title: Noname (rapper)

text: Noname grew up in the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago. She was raised by her grandparents until she was in middle school. When she returned to live with her mother, she had a new sibling and she and her mother did not get along.


title: Noname (rapper)

text: As a teenager, she listened to blues musicians Buddy Guy and Howlin' Wolf, and spent time in her mother's bookstore. She started writing poetry after taking a creative writing class in high school. As a teen, she spent time in the YOUMedia project, a space for young artists to create and network then based at the Harold Washington Library. There, she befriended many local talents, including Chance the Rapper.


title: Noname (rapper)

text: Noname's interest in poetry led her to compete in local open mics and slam poetry competitions; she took third place in Chicago's annual Louder Than a Bomb competition. Noname then started to freestyle rap with friends, collaborating with local Chicago artists including Chance the Rapper, Saba, and Mick Jenkins.


title: Noname (rapper)

text: In 2013, she appeared on Chance the Rapper's second mixtape, "Acid Rap", contributing a verse to the track "Lost" and singing the chorus. She later contributed a verse to the song "Finish Line/Drown" from Chance the Rapper's 2016 mixtape "Coloring Book". In December 2016, she appeared with Chance the Rapper on "Saturday Night Live". She announced her first tour on November 13, 2016.


title: Noname (rapper)

text: In 2014, she was featured on Mick Jenkins's mixtape "The Waters", contributing to the track "Comfortable". In 2015, she was featured on multiple tracks from Kirk Knight's album "Late Knight Special." That year, she also featured on fellow Chicago rapper Ramaj Eroc's single "I Love You More".


title: Noname (rapper)

text: Noname first used the stage name "Noname Gypsy", which she chose as a teenager when she was transitioning from poetry to music, believing "gypsies were very nomadic, just not about staying in one space for a long time". In March 2016, she removed "Gypsy" from her stage name after learning of its racial connotation, saying she had been unaware of its negative connotations and did not want to offend Romani people. In a 2016 interview with "The Fader", she explained her current stage name, following the change:


title: Noname (rapper)

text: I try to exist without binding myself to labels. I’m not really into labels at all, even the way I dress; I usually don't wear anything with a name brand. For me, not having a name expands my creativity. I’m able to do anything. Noname could potentially be a nurse. Noname could be a screenwriter. I’m not limited to any one category of art or other existence, on a more existential level.


title: Noname (rapper)

text: Noname released her first mixtape, "Telefone", on July 31, 2016, after three years of production. "Telefone" publicized her new stage name through songs presented as open-ended telephone conversations. The album centers on important telephone conversations Noname has had. Her rap speaks of black women's pain and highlights the struggles of growing up in Chicago. The album was originally released as a free download on Bandcamp, and then on vinyl in September 2017."Rolling Stone" called it one of 2016's "most thought-provoking hip-hop." "Stereogum" wrote that Noname possessed "a potency and urgency in her complicated, spoken word-esque cadences and subdued delivery that escapes many of her more animated peers." "Consequence of Sound" wrote that "the louder her music is played, the brighter her cadence glows, giving her lyrics a type of 3D craft that makes "Telefone" a diary of lessons too relevant to keep to yourself."


title: Noname (rapper)

text: In October 2016, Noname and fellow Chicago resident Saba collaborated to produce "Church/Liquor Store", a song that explores the Westside of Chicago, where liquor stores sit directly next to places of worship. Noname critiques the gentrification of the neighborhood and the erasure of crime believed to accompany it.


title: Noname (rapper)

text: In August 2018, Noname announced that her second album, "Room 25", would be released in fall 2018. The album, which took about a month to record, chronicles the two years since the release of "Telefone", during which she moved from Chicago to Los Angeles and had a short romantic relationship.


title: Noname (rapper)

text: Noname compared her maturity on "Room 25" to "Telefone", saying ""Telefone" was a very PG record because I was very PG. I just hadn't had sex." Unlike "Telefone", "Room 25" was created due to a financial obligation. Noname said in an interview, "It came to a point where it was, like, I needed to make an album because I need to pay my rent. I could've done another "Telefone" tour, but I can't play those songs anymore. Like, I could, but I physically hate it because I've just been playing them for so long." Noname paid for the entire album herself using money from touring and guest appearances on Chance the Rapper projects.


title: Noname (rapper)

text: The album was released on September 14, 2018. El Hunt of "NME" called the album "flawless" and "smartly constructed and laced with intricate subtlety." "Rolling Stone" said Noname was "One of the best rappers alive" and included her on a list of "Artists You Need to Know". "Pitchfork" designated "Room 25" as "Best New Music" and wrote that it is "a transcendent coming-of-age tale built around cosmic jazz and neo-soul, delivered by a woman deeply invested in her interiority and that of the world around her." "PopMatters" said the album was "vintage neo-soul and future rap hand in hand; a soulful sanctuary for those turned off by the austerity of mainstream mumble rap". Noname performed a three-song medley of "Blaxploitation," "Prayer Song," and "Don't Forget About Me" from the album in her solo television debut on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" on October 17, 2018.


title: Noname (rapper)

text: On May 15, 2019, Noname announced that her upcoming second studio album would be titled "Factory Baby". She also formed the trio Ghetto Sage with Smino and Saba.


title: Noname (rapper)

text: In November 2019, Noname announced she was considering quitting music and expressed frustration with her predominantly white audience. She went on to say that the demographics of her fanbase made her want to quit music: "I refuse to keep making music and putting it online for free for people who won’t support me. If y'all don't wanna leave the crib I feel it. I don't want to dance on a stage for white people." In 2020, she reiterated that her music career was on pause to focus on education and her book club.


title: Noname (rapper)

text: On June 18, 2020, two days after J. Cole had seemingly criticized her activism in his song "Snow on tha Bluff", Noname released the Madlib-produced "Song 33", in which she alluded to Cole and reflected on violence against black women, mainly the death of 19-year-old Black Lives Matter activist Oluwatoyin Salau. She expressed regret at responding to Cole, saying that although she had tried to "use it as a moment to draw attention back to the issues" she cares about, she apologized "for any further distraction this caused." She did not take the song down, instead donating all proceeds to black mutual aid funds.


title: Noname (rapper)

text: On August 7, 2020, Noname appeared on a remix to Anderson Paak's "Lockdown", along with JID and Jay Rock. In February 2021, she revealed she had turned down an offer to be on the soundtrack for "Judas and the Black Messiah" after seeing the film, criticizing the film for not centering Fred Hampton's "radical communist politics".


title: Noname (rapper)

text: On December 5, 2021, Noname announced on Instagram that her album "Factory Baby", originally due to be released in 2021, had been canceled and that she would be taking an indefinite hiatus from music.


title: Noname (rapper)

text: In early April 2022, Noname posted to her Instagram that "maybe 30 is too young to retire." She has also posted several pictures of herself in her home studio working on new material. For the first time since before the pandemic, Noname performed at the Afropunk festival in Minneapolis on April 19, 2022. She also performed at the 2022 Pitchfork Music Festival. She then announced that she will release her long-awaited third studio album.


title: Noname (rapper)

text: In July 2019, Noname created a book club. She came up with the idea after a fan commented on Twitter that they were reading the same book as her, "Jackson Rising", about Cooperation Jackson. The book club encourages support of locally owned bookstores, with her website providing a directory of bookstores owned by people of color. Noname described the book club as "a little bit of a fuck you to Amazon, and kind of a fuck you to the FBI," referencing how the FBI's COINTELPRO program had targeted Black independent booksellers. The book club has partnerships with libraries in Oakland, Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles, where the libraries promote and help readers find the chosen books. It also hosts discussions on the literature and donates books to prisons.


title: Noname (rapper)

text: The book club chooses two books a month. The first two books chosen were "Pedagogy of the Oppressed" by Paulo Freire and "We Are Never Meeting in Real Life" by Samantha Irby. Celebrities sometimes choose a book, including Kehlani (choosing "Parable of the Sower" by Octavia E. Butler) and Earl Sweatshirt (choosing "Faces & Masks (Memory of Fire, Vol. 2)" by Eduardo Galeano). The book club aims to provide a "radical curated book list" and has been described by "Vogue" as focusing on "anti-capitalist and radical leftist literature".


title: Noname (rapper)

text: In January 2020, Noname created "Library Card Registration Day" asking people to go to their local libraries on January 11 and register for a library card. She called the day "basically an 'F you' to major corporations who have privatized the way we consume goods and services," specifically referencing how her mother's bookstore had closed due to Amazon. Noname also called for her followers to end their subscriptions with Amazon, tweeting that Amazon had "created a consumer model that is extremely addictive and removes human compassion. We don’t think about the workers who are underpaid and exploited. We just want our next-day delivery."


title: Noname (rapper)

text: In March 2021, Noname revealed on her Instagram story that work on a physical headquarters for Noname Book Club had begun, which would act as a center for political education classes, book drives, a library, food drives, book club meet-ups, tent drives, free art shows, free movie screenings, and more. In April 2021, Haymarket Books donated 180 titles to the book club's personal collection of reading material, which Noname called a "radical community library."


title: Noname (rapper)

text: Musically and stylistically, Noname has credited Avril Lavigne, Nina Simone, André 3000, Kanye West, and Missy Elliott as her influences. She cites the author Toni Morrison and poet Patricia Smith as notable influences on her writing style. Her most recent work revolves around themes of social injustices, inspired by anti-capitalist theories.


title: Rock ptarmigan

text: The rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta) is a medium-sized game bird in the grouse family. It is known simply as the ptarmigan in the UK. It is the official bird for the Canadian territory of Nunavut, where it is known as the "aqiggiq" (ᐊᕿᒡᒋᖅ), and the official game bird for the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. In Japan, it is known as the "raichō" (雷鳥), which means "thunder bird". It is the official bird of Gifu, Nagano, and Toyama Prefectures and is a protected species nationwide. Unlike many arctic bird species, ptarmigan do not gain substantial mass to hibernate over winter.


title: Rock ptarmigan

text: The ptarmigan's genus name, "Lagopus", is derived from Ancient Greek "lagos" (λαγώς "lagṓs"), meaning "hare", + "pous" (πούς "poús"), "foot", in reference to the bird's feathered legs.


title: Rock ptarmigan

text: The species name, "muta", comes from New Latin and means "mute", referring to the simple croaking song of the male. It was for a long time misspelt "mutus", in the erroneous belief that the ending of "Lagopus" denotes masculine gender. However, as the Ancient Greek term λαγώπους "lagṓpous" is of feminine gender, and the species name has to agree with that, the feminine "muta" is correct.


title: Rock ptarmigan

text: The word ptarmigan comes from the Scottish Gaelic "tàrmachan", meaning croaker. The silent initial p was added in 1684 by Robert Sibbald through the influence of Greek, especially "pteron" (πτερόν "pterón"), "wing", "feather", or "pinion".


title: Rock ptarmigan

text: The rock ptarmigan is long with an tail and with a wingspan of and a weight of . It is smaller than the willow ptarmigan by about ten percent.


title: Rock ptarmigan

text: The rock ptarmigan is seasonally camouflaged; its feathers moult from white in winter to brown in spring or summer. The breeding male has greyish upper parts with white wings and under parts. In winter, its plumage becomes completely white except for the black outer tail feathers and eye line. It can be distinguished from the winter willow ptarmigan by habitat and markings—the rock ptarmigan prefers higher elevations and more barren habitat. It also has a slender bill and a black eye stripe, which is absent in the willow ptarmigan.


title: Rock ptarmigan

text: Male rock ptarmigans emit a repertoire of guttural snores and rattles, most often directed to other males during breeding season. On open leks, single or multiple males also carry out displays on the ground and in the air to assert their territory, including chasing other males while flying.


title: Rock ptarmigan

text: Aerial courtship rituals involve fast forward flight with rapidly-beating wings followed by an upward glide, tail fanned out. The male, at the peak of the display, belts out a rasping ""ah-AAH-ah-AAAAH-a-a-a-a-a-a!"", with the sung latter part coinciding with a gliding descent afterwards. The sound is often described as that of a stick being pulled rapidly across the slats of a picket fence.


title: Rock ptarmigan

text: On the ground, male ptarmigans defend their space by calling and giving chase to other males. Physical conflicts between territorial males rarely occur, while confrontations between the former toward subordinate males are intensified. Other signals via fanning their tails, extended necks, lowered wings and circling a receptive female are also utilized.


title: Rock ptarmigan

text: The rock ptarmigan is a sedentary species which breeds across Arctic and Subarctic Eurasia and North America (including Greenland) on rocky mountainsides and tundra. It is widespread in the Arctic Cordillera and is found in isolated populations in the mountains of Norway, Scotland, the Pyrenees, the Alps, Bulgaria, the Urals, the Pamir Mountains, the Altay Mountains, and Japan—where it occurs only in the Japanese Alps and on Mount Haku. Because of the remote habitat in which it lives, it has only a few predators—such as golden eagles—and it can be surprisingly approachable. It has been introduced to New Zealand, South Georgia, the Kerguelen Islands, and the Crozet Islands.


title: Rock ptarmigan

text: The small population living on Franz Josef Land in the Russian High Arctic overwinters during the polar night and survives by feeding on rich vegetation on and underneath high cliffs where seabird colonies are located in summer.<ref name="FJL/">Dinets, V. (2001) Winter ecology of Willow Ptarmigan "Lagopus lagopus" and Rock Ptarmigan "L. mutus" at the northern limit of their range. "Ornitologia" 29: 326–327 (in Russian with English summary).</ref>


title: Rock ptarmigan

text: Food sources can vary tremendously depending on the region of their distribution. In Alaska, rock ptarmigans consume aspen buds, dwarf birch and willow buds and catkins as a staple winter diet. They transition their diets over to crowberries and lingonberry shrubs during the spring. The greatest variety in its diet occurs during early summer, when it feeds on willow leaves, as well as the leaves and flowers of "Dryas" and locoweed. It also feeds on berries, bistort seeds, and birch buds from late summer to autumn. Insects, larvae and snails are eaten by chicks.


title: Rock ptarmigan

text: Apart from the red eye combs, male rock ptarmigans have no 'distinct' plumage (other than the black eye stripe) that are more typical for other grouse in temperate regions. Studies on other grouses have shown that much variation in comb size and colour exists between the species, and that the comb is used in courtship display and aggressive interactions between males. Many studies have shown that there is a strong correlation between the comb size and the level of testosterone in males; one report from 1981 showed that the amount of testosterone is correlated to aggressiveness against other males.


title: Rock ptarmigan

text: The male's comb has been the focus of studies regarding sexual selection. Studies of a population of male rock ptarmigans in Scarpa Lake, Nunavut, have shown that during the first year, mating success among males was influenced by comb size and condition, and bigamous males had larger combs than monogamous males. The correlation to size disappeared after the first year, but the correlation to comb condition remained. This is consistent with another study of the same population of "L. muta" that showed that mating success overall is correlated to comb condition. Exceptions were first-time breeders, in which the size of the comb influenced mating success.


title: Rock ptarmigan

text: The rock ptarmigan becomes sexually mature at six months of age and commonly has up to six chicks. Because of this high breeding rate, the size of the population is affected very little by factors such as hunting.


title: Rock ptarmigan

text: Rock ptarmigan have a limited capacity for fat storage, which requires overwintering birds to forage frequently. Most of the minuscule mass gained over winter is to the ovary, oviduct and hypertrophy, in preparation for the spring breeding season. Rock ptarmigan maximize assimilation of nutrient poor foods with their elongated ceca. Metabolic requirements can be partially supplemented by fermentation, the energy gain from fermentation alone, however, is not independently significant.


title: Rock ptarmigan

text: The Svalbard subspecies of rock ptarmigan is the only subspecies that exhibits a significant seasonal mass gain. Larger fat deposits can help them survive during periods of low food availability. However, this alone is not an adequate source of energy to survive during winter. Locomotion appears to have no energetic cost in these birds. This adaptation is key for a species that must move frequently to forage. Fat assimilation in these birds is correlated to changes in liver weight. Most rock ptarmigan have no more than 20 grams of adipose tissue year round. Without food, these reserves can supplement energy for 2 days. The Svalbard rock ptarmigan, however, gains about 100 grams of adipose tissue. This can serve as an energy source for up to 10 days of starvation.


title: Rock ptarmigan

text: The Svalbard subspecies inhabits the northern extent of the rock ptarmigans range. During winter, food availability is lower in Svalbard than in other parts of their range, which accounts for the necessary increased fat reserves not found in other sub populations.


title: Rock ptarmigan

text: Rock ptarmigan meat is a popular part of festive meals in Icelandic cuisine. Hunting of rock ptarmigans was banned in Iceland in 2003 and 2004 due to its declining population. Hunting has been allowed again since 2005, but is restricted to selected days, which are revised yearly and all trade of rock ptarmigan is illegal.


title: Rock ptarmigan

text: In Thomas Bewick's "A History of British Birds" (1797) the species is named as "White Grouse" with alternatives "White Game, or Ptarmigan". The birds feed, records Bewick, "on the wild productions of the hills, which sometimes give the flesh a bitter, but not unpalatable taste: it is dark coloured, and has somewhat the flavour of the hare."


title: Rock ptarmigan

text: The rock ptarmigan is the official territorial bird of Nunavut, Canada. Its Inuktitut name is "ᐊᕐᑭᒡᒋᖅ ᐊᑕᔪᓕᒃ, aqiggiq atajulik." It is the official game bird of Newfoundland and Labrador.


title: Glossary of ballet

text: Because ballet became formalized in France, a significant part of ballet terminology is in the French language.


title: Glossary of ballet

text: () (Literally "to second") If a step is done "à la seconde," it is done to the side. 'Second position'. It can also be a balance extending one foot off the ground in ‘Second Position’.


title: Glossary of ballet

text: () One of the directions of body, facing the audience ("en face"), arms in second position, with one leg extended either to fourth position in front ("quatrième devant") or fourth position behind ("quatrième derrière").


title: Glossary of ballet

text: (; meaning 'elongated.') Refers to a foot and leg position when the toes and knees are extended and elongated, rather than forming the usual soft curve.


title: Glossary of ballet

text: In dance (particularly ballet), arabesque (French: [aʁabɛsk]; literally, "in Arabic fashion") is a body position in which a dancer stands on one leg (the supporting leg) with the other leg (the working leg) extended, straight, behind the body. The arm positions can vary and are generally allongé. The foot of the supporting leg may be flat on the floor, on the ball of the foot (demi-pointe/relevé), or on the tips of the toes (en pointe).


title: Glossary of ballet

text: (; meaning 'rounded') A position of the hand. Rounded, in contrast with "allongé" ('stretched out', as in arabesque).


title: Glossary of ballet

text: (; literally 'assembled') Sometimes also "pas assemblé". A jump that takes off from one foot and lands on two feet. When initiated with two feet on the ground (e.g. from fifth position) the working leg performs a "battement glissé"/"dégagé", brushing out. The dancer launches into a jump, with the second foot then meeting the first foot before landing. A petit assemblé is when a dancer is standing on one foot with the other extended. The dancer then does a small jump to meet the first foot.


title: Glossary of ballet

text: () A position in which a dancer stands on one leg (the "supporting" leg) while the other leg ("working" leg) is raised and turned out with knee bent to form an angle of approximately 90° between the thigh and the lower leg. The height of the knee versus the foot and the angle of the knee flexion will vary depending on the techniques. The working leg can be held behind ("derrière"), in front ("devant"), or to the side ("à la seconde") of the body. The alignment of the thigh compared to the midline in Attitude derrière will vary depending on the techniques. The foot of the supporting leg may be flat on the floor, en demi-pointe (ball of the foot), or en pointe (tips of the toes). The standing leg can be straight or bent ("fondu").


title: Glossary of ballet

text: (; meaning 'forwards') A movement towards the front, as opposed to "en arrière", which is conversely a movement towards the back. For example, a step travelling "en avant" moves forwards towards the audience, as in "sissonne en avant".


title: Glossary of ballet

text: (; "balanced") A rocking sequence of three steps—"fondu", "relevé", "fondu" (down, up, down)—executed in three counts. Before the first count, one foot extends in a "dégagé" to second position ("balancé de côté") or to the front ("balancé en avant") or rear ("balancé en arrière"). The second foot in the sequence (in any direction) assembles behind the first to relevé in fifth or fourth position.


title: Glossary of ballet

text: (; "swing [children's toy]") Swinging the working leg between front (devant) and back (derrière) through first position, usually in conjunction with "grands battements" or "attitudes" and involving seesaw like shifting of the upper body in opposition to the legs. Similar to en cloche.


title: Glossary of ballet

text: A ballet fan or enthusiast. The word is of Russian origin c. 1930, with the suffix "-mane" coming from "maniya" (mania).


title: Glossary of ballet

text: Showing lightness of movement in leaps and jumps. A dancer exhibiting "ballon" will appear to spring effortlessly, float in mid-air, and land softly like a balloon.


title: Glossary of ballet

text: In classical ballet, the term ballonné is a step where the leg is extended (can be front, side, or back) at 45 degrees. The knee is then bent and the foot brought to a sur le cou-de-pied position. This can also be done as a relevé or jump.


title: Glossary of ballet

text: A ballotté is a jumping step in classical ballet that consists of coupé dessous and small developpés performed with a rocking and swinging movement. The step can be performed with the leg extensions at 45 or 90 degrees.


title: Glossary of ballet

text: A sturdy horizontal bar, approximately waist height, used during ballet warm-up exercises and training. Fixed barres are typically mounted on


title: Glossary of ballet

text: -covered walls; portable barres can be relocated as needed. Used for balance, not support. A barre is a tool, not a necessary item to dance.


title: Glossary of ballet

text: An alternating side-to-side movement of the working (non-supporting) leg. Typically performed in multiples, quickly and in rapid succession so that the working foot appears to be fluttering or vibrating.


title: Glossary of ballet

text: (; literally 'broken') A jump consisting of an "assemblé" traveling either forward (en avant) or backward (en arrière), with an extra beat that "breaks" the jump in its travel. To execute a brisé en avant, the dancer demi-pliés in fifth position and brushes the back leg (through first position) to the front, then springs into the air and brings the second foot to meet it in the back before switching to the front to land, creating a beating action with the legs. In a brisé en arrière, the process is reversed, with the front leg brushing to the back and beating to land in front.


title: Glossary of ballet

text: (; literally 'crossed arms') Arm placement in which one arm is extended in second position away from the audience while the other is curved in first position (Cecchetti fourth position "en avant" or RAD/French third position).


title: Glossary of ballet

text: () A flashy, showy and elaborate style of dance that involves a lot of elaborate steps and style to similar music. Usually during a key solo.


title: Glossary of ballet

text: Quick movement of the feet, can be performed on pointe or on demi-pointe. The dancer straightens one leg (the leg in back) and bends a leg and picks it up(the leg in front). Then the bent leg is straighted on the floor and the straight leg is picked off the floor and bent. These steps are repeated over and over again. The dancer looks as if he or she is flying across the floor.


title: Glossary of ballet

text: (; meaning 'caper.') An allegro step in which the extended legs are beaten in the air. Cabrioles are divided into two categories: petite, which are executed at 45 degrees, and grande, which are executed at 90 degrees. The working leg is thrust into the air, the underneath leg follows and beats against the first leg, sending it higher. The landing is then made on the underneath leg. Cabriole may be done devant, derrière and à la seconde in any given position of the body such as croisé, effacé, écarté, and so on.


title: Glossary of ballet

text: (; 'chained', plural.) Also known as "chaînés turns," a common abbreviation for "tours chaînés déboulés", a series of quick, 360 degree turns that alternate the feet while traveling along a straight line or in a circular path. Each foot performs a half turn, with feet held in a tight first position en pointe or demi-pointe.


title: Glossary of ballet

text: (; literally 'change, changing.') A jump in which the feet change positions in the air. For example, beginning in fifth position with the right foot front, "plié", jump switching the right leg to the back, and land in fifth position with the left foot front. In the Vaganova vocabulary, "petit changement de pieds" indicates a "changement" where the feet barely leave the floor.


title: Glossary of ballet

text: (; meaning 'like a bell.') Refers to brushing through first position from fourth devant or fourth derrière to the opposite fourth with the upper body held upright. Can be done continuously, as is often done with grands battements and attitudes. Similar to Balançoire, which additionally allows seesaw like upper-body shifting in counterpoint to the legs.


title: Glossary of ballet

text: (); literally 'tail.') The concluding segment of a performance or suite of dances comprising a "grand pas" (e.g., grand pas de deux). A particularly large or complex coda may be called a "grand coda". If a large group of dancers participate, the terms "coda générale" or "grand coda générale" may be used.


title: Glossary of ballet

text: The ensemble of a ballet company, especially the ensemble apart from the featured dancers. Being a part of the corps means one is neither a soloist nor a principal dancer.


title: Glossary of ballet

text: () In some systems, a dancer of higher rank than a member of the corps de ballet, performing in small ensembles and small solo roles but not ranked as a soloist.


title: Glossary of ballet

text: (; 'neck of the foot.') Position of the arched working foot raised to, and resting on, the ankle. This could be in front (["conditional"] "devant"), behind ("derrière"), or wrapped ("sur le cou-de-pied": arch of the foot wrapped around the ankle with the heel in front of the ankle and the toes behind, often interchangeable with the devant/conditional position), depending on the activity and the school/method of ballet.


title: Glossary of ballet

text: (; meaning 'cut.') Coupé is both a step and action. It is commonly executed from "cou-de-pied" front to "cou-de-pied" back or vice versa. It may also be done from an extended leg position into "fondu" or directly through fifth position (as in concluding a "jeté"). Coupé can only be performed through a closed leg position.


title: Glossary of ballet

text: The Vaganova School rarely uses the term "coupé" except as the preparation for specific allegros. Rather, "tombé through fifth position" is more commonly used.


title: Glossary of ballet

text: In the United States, "coupé" may be used to denote the position "cou-de-pied," not unlike "passé" is used to denote the position "retiré" in addition to the action of passing through retiré.


title: Glossary of ballet

text: (; 'run,' past participle, as in 'making small quick steps.') In most cases, this holds the calves together and the feet in a tight fifth position en pointe or demi-pointe and travels forward, backward, or to either side. E.g. "pas de bourrée couru" (also called bourrée for short).


title: Glossary of ballet

text: (; meaning 'crossed.') One of the positions of the body or "épaulement". Facing one of the corners of the stage, the body presents at an oblique angle to the audience, such that the audience can see still both shoulders and hips. The working leg may be crossed to the front (devant) or to the back (derrière).


title: Glossary of ballet

text: "Croisé" is used in the third, fourth, and fifth positions of the legs. A dancer is in "croisé devant" if at a 45 angle to the audience, the downstage leg (closest to the audience) is working to the front and the arms are open in third or fourth with the downstage arm being the one in second. A dancer is in "croisé derrière" if at a 45 degree angle to the audience, the upstage leg (farthest from the audience) is working to the back and the arms are open in third, fourth, or allongé in arabesque with the upstage arm being the one out towards second, e.g. "arabesque croisée" or Russian fourth arabesque. "Croisé derrière" in the Russian school alternatively has the upstage leg working to the back, but the downstage arm out to second.


title: Glossary of ballet

text: Examples of "croisé": the front leg is the right leg and the dancer is facing the front-left corner of the stage; or the front leg is the left, and the dancer is facing his/her front-right corner.


title: Glossary of ballet

text: (; meaning 'in the shape of a cross.') Term often used during barre exercises to indicate that a step is done to the front, to the side, to the back, and then again to the side (as in the shape of a cross), finishing closed in either first or fifth position.


title: Glossary of ballet

text: () A male ballet dancer who excels in refined classical roles, often playing the prince or other royalty in a classical ballet.


title: Glossary of ballet

text: (); literally 'hurtled,' as in 'with great speed.') Another name denoting the same move as a chaîné (i.e. "les tours chaînés déboulés"). Small, very quick half-turns performed by stepping onto one leg, and completing the turn by stepping onto the other, performed on the balls of the feet or high on the toes, with the legs held very close together.


title: Glossary of ballet

text: (; 'disengaged.') Common abbreviation for "battement dégagé," the foot of the working leg sharply brushes through the floor through tendu pointed in the air 45 degrees or lower. Dégagé is part of the (initiating) execution of jumps such as jeté, assemblé, brisé, and glissade.


title: Glossary of ballet

text: Primarily a Cecchetti/RAD term, this is known as "battement tendu jeté" in the Russian School or "battement glissé" in the French School.


title: Glossary of ballet

text: (; 'outwards.') Circular movement where a leg that starts at the front or the side moves towards the back. For a right working leg, this is a clockwise circle. For example, in a "rond de jambe en dehors", starting from first position, the foot (either left or right) would first extend "tendu" front, move to "tendu" to the side, and then "tendu" back, and back in again to first position. In a "pirouette en dehors", the body turns in the direction of the working leg (the leg raised in "retiré passé"). Opposite of "en dedans".


title: Glossary of ballet

text: (; meaning 'half.') Applied to "plié", "pointe", and other movements or positions to indicate a smaller or lesser version.


title: Glossary of ballet

text: () A pivoted half turn executed on both feet. For example, if starting right foot front in fifth position, demi-plié and relevé onto demi-pointe while pivoting a half turn inwards/"en dedans" towards the direction of the back foot (here left). The feet will have now changed position with the left foot in front in fifth position.


title: Glossary of ballet

text: (; literally 'behind.') At or to the back. For example, a "battement tendu derrière" is a "battement tendu" to the rear.


title: Glossary of ballet

text: (; literally 'under.') Used to indicate that the front leg should be brought to close behind the other leg during a step. For example, "assemblé", "pas de bourrée", and "glissade" can be designated as "under" or "dessous".


title: Glossary of ballet

text: (; literally 'over.') Used to indicate that the back leg should be brought to close in front of the other leg during a step. For example, "assemblé", "pas de bourrée", and "glissade" can be designated as "over" or "dessus".


title: Glossary of ballet

text: () Common abbreviation for "temps développé". A movement in which the leg is lifted to cou-de-pied or retiré and then fully extended outward, passing through "attitude". It can be done to the front ("devant"), to the side ("à la seconde"), or to the back ("derrière").


title: Glossary of ballet

text: (; literally 'spread,' as in 'separated.') One of the basic positions of the body facing the audience at an oblique angle and with the downstage leg open to the side of the body, along the other diagonal, either touching the floor or "en l'air". The arm on the same side as the working leg (i.e. the downstage arm) is raised "en haut" and the other arm is in second position. The gaze is directed to the raised arm along the same diagonal


title: Glossary of ballet

text: In schools that recognize an "écarté derrière", such as the French school, "écarté devant" is described above, and "écarté derrière" differs in having the working leg in second being on the same side as the corner the body is facing, i.e. the upstage leg is the working leg; the upstage arm is "en haut," and the gaze is directed down the length of the arm in second.


title: Glossary of ballet

text: (; literally 'escaped.') A movement done from a closed (first or fifth) position to an open (second or fourth) position. There are two kinds of "échappés": "échappé sauté" and "échappé sur les pointes" or "demi-pointes". In an "échappé sauté", a dancer takes a deep "plié" followed by a jump in which the legs "escape" into either second (usually when initiating from first position) or fourth position (usually when initiating from fifth position) landing in "demi-plié". In "échappé sur le pointes/demi-pointes" a dancer begins with a deep "plié", springs onto "les pointes" or "demi-pointes", ending in either second position (when starting from first position) or fourth (when starting from fifth) with knees straight. The dancer may or may not return to the initial position, depending on the choreography.


title: Glossary of ballet

text: (; 'raised, lifted.') Rising to "pointe" or "demi-pointe" from straight legs and flat feet. This term is used in some schools in contrast with relevé (in effect, 'relifted'), which is taken to indicate a rise from plié (bent knees). In other schools (French, Russian, textbook Cecchetti), "relevé" covers both these concepts.


title: Glossary of ballet

text: (; meaning 'in.') A preposition used in description of a dancer's position (e.g., "en plié", "en relevé", "en pointe") or holding the meaning 'towards' when describing direction of a movement ("en avant", "en arrière", "en dedans", "en dehors" = 'to the front,' 'to the back', 'to the inside,' 'to the outside').


title: Glossary of ballet

text: (; from Italian "intrecciata", 'intertwined.') "A step of beating in which the dancer jumps into the air and rapidly crosses the legs before and behind." In an "entrechat quatre" ('four'), starting from fifth position, right foot front, a dancer will jump up with legs crossed, execute a changement beating the right thigh at the back of the left thigh, then bring the right leg in front again beating the front of the left thigh, and land in the same position as started. In an "entrechat six" ('six'), three changes of the feet are made in the air, ultimately changing which foot is in front. Even-numbered entrechats indicate the number of times the legs cross in and out in the air: a regular changement is two (one out, one in), entrechat quatre is two outs, two ins; six is three and three; huit is four and four. Odd-numbered entrechats refer to the previous number, but done landing on one foot with the other in cou-de-pied: for example, an "entrechat cinq" (five) is the same as an entrechat-quatre, but done landing on one leg.


title: Glossary of ballet

text: An autonomous scene of ballet de cour, divertissement, comédie-ballet, opéra-ballet, even tragédie lyrique, which brings together several dancers in and out of the scenario.


title: Glossary of ballet

text: (; 'shouldered.') One of the positions of the body or "épaulement" where the body is at an oblique angle to the audience, the downstage arm is "allongé" in front and the downstage shoulder appears prominent to the audience as the downstage leg works to the back (e.g. second arabesque).


title: Glossary of ballet

text: (; 'shouldering.') Rotation of the shoulders and head relative to the hips in a pose or a step. This term relates only to the movement of the body from the waist up. The head generally looks over shoulder that is forward (downstage).


title: Glossary of ballet

text: ( 'given way', past participle.) A slide or brush-through transition step following a preceding jump or position. "Failli" is often used as shorthand for a "sissonne (ouverte +pas) failli," indicating a jump from two feet landing on one ("sissonne") with the back foot then sliding through to the front ("chassé passé"), and this is often done in conjunction with an assemblé: "(sissonne) failli assemblé". E.g. From croisé, the upstage leg opens behind on the sissonne as the body changes direction in the air to land ouverte effacé; the back leg which is now downstage slides through in a chassé passé to fourth in front, ending the dancer croisé the corner opposite the original. This chassé passé is the (pas) failli. An assemblé (dessus/over) to the opposite corner would reorient the body back to its original position. "Failli" phrased with "arabesque" indicates the brushed follow-through of an arabesqued leg from elevated behind to fourth in front as lead-in to a following step.