Mood Mondays - Episode 16: "Holocene" by Bon Iver

As I sat down to write this blog entry, I couldn't remember what had happened back in September 2015 that inspired the mood for Episode 16. Luckily I have a pretty detailed Google Calendar that tracks all the events in my life, from major dance projects to yoga classes. 

I found that around the time this video was made and published was also the audition for Grease: Live (more on that experience in a later post). I remember that process being so intense yet inspiring. After the call was the call back, after the call back was the final call back, and after the final call back was the final final call back. I remember thinking to myself, "Man, everyone in this room is so dang talented." The caliber of dancers in the room was such that Zach Woodlee, the choreographer, could've closed his eyes, spun in a circle, chosen 10 dancers at random, and there still would've been some darn good dancing in the show. 

Really. Everyone was that awesome. 

But in the end, the dancers were likely cast based on a whole host of other factors outside of skill alone. Dancing is an art, and casting is an art too. It takes a very discerning eye to understand how specific individuals can mesh together to create a larger whole. After all good ingredients combined together don't always make a good dish. And while I may be biased, the dish our Grease: Live creative team whipped up was worthy of a Michelin star rating: 

Actors and dancers with director (Tommy) and choreographer (Zach)

The Grease: Live Cast

And that was the reason why I felt (and still feel) so humbled. LA is a competitive city filled with some of the nation's most talented professional dancers. My livelihood as a commercial dancer is booking jobs and beating out the sometimes hundreds of other dancers in the room. As a result, I generally forget to take a moment to simply marvel at how incredibly skilled my peers are. It's easy in this kind of environment to feel envy over admiration. 

But last year was also a year of great personal growth for me. I finally felt ready to face a few demons that I had shoved to the back of the closet when I first moved to LA 7 years ago. In so doing, my perception of LA and of commercial dance shifted. I began seeing it as one (but not the only one) outlet for me to find purpose and build identity. All of that trickled down into my every day life, so instead of feeling hyper-competitive (though I still felt anxious) in that final final call back I felt humbled. 

Now that you understand the intention and reasoning behind the video, I invite you to enjoy Episode 16 of my Mood Mondays series:

Episode 16: "Holocene" by Bon Iver 

Mood: Humbled

Location: Griffith Park, CA

Videographer: Selina Ruthe

You can find the rest of the series up to Episode 27 of Mood Mondays on my YouTube channel and website. 

Mood Mondays - Episode 14: " Open" by Rhye

For this episode Selina and I wanted to film in a different part of Griffith Park, and wound up on top of a hill right as the sun was setting. It was the perfect example of how being curious and experimental can lead to some beautiful results:

Episode 14: "Open" by Rhye

Mood: Letting go

Location: Griffith Park

Videographer: Selina Ruthe

Mood Mondays - Episode 13: "Apply" by Glasser

Sometimes in moments of intense anger or frustration, dance is the only thing that can keep me calm: 

Episode 13: "Apply: by Glasser

Mood: Frustrated

Location: Los Feliz, CA

Videographer: Selina Ruthe

Mood Mondays - Episode 12: "Bill Murray" by Phantogram

This mood wasn't inspired by a deep psychological state of confusion, but a reaction to the strange weather in Los Angeles. That got me thinking about the range of intensity of all emotions, and how different events can leave you feeling different levels of one emotion (a hurtful confusion versus a curious confusion). Then I thought about how living in the unknown can be very powerful. Being dazed and confused can be unsettling, but when I find myself in that state I remind myself that as long as I persevere there is clarity at the other side:

Episode 12: "Bill Murray" by Phantogram

Mood: Dazed and confused

Location: Vista Hermosa Natural Park

Videographer: Selina Ruthe

Mood Mondays - Episode 11: "Champion" by Cayucas

Sometimes, you just have to be a little silly:

Episode 11: "Champion" by Cayucas

Mood: Silly

Location: Barnsdall Art Park

Videographer: Selina Ruthe

Enjoy! 

Choreographing for Evoke Dance Company: "Living Like You Do" by SBTRKT

I was recently invited by Evoke Dance Company to choreograph a piece for their end of the year showcase in June. Of course I was very honored they asked me, and I was excited at the opportunity to conceptualize and choreograph an entire piece on my own!

After just three sessions with 19 of the team's members, I finished the three minute piece to SBTRKT's, "Living Like You Do."

I don't have footage of the routine in its entirety, but here is a snippet of choreography from the piece that I taught in a class at Edge PAC:

Thank you Josephine, Justine, Jennifer, and Evoke Dance Company for having me! I can't wait to see it on stage!

The ORG Spring Camp 2013

About two weeks ago I was invited to teach at The Organization's Spring 2013 Contemporary Camp. I was honored to be included in the eclectic lineup of industry and community powerhouses:

The ORG Spring Camp 2013 Flier

Established in 2010, The ORG is a junior team that participates and performs in various competitions in the dance community. What makes The ORG so unique is its dedication to philanthropy. It hosts workshops and dance camps throughout the year benefitting different charities; all the proceeds of The ORG Spring Camp 2013 went to Equality Now.

I was struck by the level of professionalism with which David Nguyen, The ORG's director, and the staff ran the entire event. From start to finish I felt as if I was a part of a well-oiled machine. There was a pre-class briefing, an in-class music supervisor, and even a post-class gift bag!

My class!

Here is the class footage that The ORG staff recorded and edited together, and this is another edited video that I put together for my own channel:

Thank you so much to everyone who came and danced with me, and a huge thank you to The ORG and David for having me! 

A Childhood Dream

Between the ages of 15-18, I went religiously every Sunday evening to the open hip-hop classes held by Funkanometry SF. I even had my mom drive me the 45 minutes to and from Westlake School for the Performing Arts (and later on to City Dance) when I couldn't drive on my own. It was my one and only opportunity to take hip-hop, and I looked forward to it every week.

There was one class and instructor that particularly inspired me: Patrick Cruz. It was my first introduction to a hip-hop style that was controlled and smooth yet funky and groovy. I was a 16 year-old girl trained mainly in jazz and contemporary, and I think I butchered his choreography (in the worst way possible). But I loved it, and his class lead me to discover The Company, Gen2, and Shaun Evaristo.

From then on I was ravenous to improve my hip-hop skills. I used videos like the one below as a measure of hip-hop perfection, and probably watched this about 1,000 times:

Okay, maybe I watched it 2,000 times. And each time I watched, I dreamed of one day being able to dance hip-hop with as much style and finesse as they did.

Now fast forward seven years after hundreds of hip-hop classes and a collegiate team later. On March 16, 2013, I along with 14 other talented dancers including Amanda Grind, Anthony Lee, and Mr. Patrick Cruz himself performed at Urban Paradise 2013:

The number was choreographed and staged by Pat in just a few days, and I'm astounded by how well everything came together in that short amount of time. I thoroughly enjoyed the creative process and learned a lot along the way. Pat is not only a talented dancer and artist, but also an effective leader and smart choreographer. While it was an honor to perform at Urban Paradise with Entity, it was an even greater personal triumph to be at the event dancing with Pat.

So here's a special shout out to the Bay Area folk: Thank you for inspiring me, and thank you for allowing me to fulfill a (not so) silly childhood dream. 

Biding My Time at the Echo Park Time Travel Mart

Today marks the end of my first week as a volunteer and tutor at the always fascinating and ever-enchanting 826LA in Echo Park.

A Typical Item Sold at the Time Travel Mart 

826LA is a chapter of the non-profit organization 826National which has a total of 8 writing and tutoring centers all over the U.S. The first center was established in the Mission District of San Francisco by author Dave Eggers in 2002. Read more about the organization's interesting start here.

I first heard about 826LA during a dinner last year with my friend Kally. She told me about a friend of hers who worked at the infamous Pirate Supply Store on Valencia St. in San Francisco. Kally described 826Valencia as a wonderfully quirky institution who's purpose was not in fact, to sell pirate supplies, but to provide a space for kids to exercise and cultivate creativity. She mentioned that The Time Travel Mart in Echo Park was identical in concept. 

Though it had only been a few weeks since my "full-time" position as a freelance artist started, I already felt impatient and somewhat useless to society. Dancing is incredibly fulfilling. But it fulfills a very specific kind of void in my heart. I wanted to do something that wasn't self-serving; after looking up 826LA and reading about the various projects it put on, I applied to be a volunteer/tutor. 

826LA organizes the coolest programs for local students. It does everything from after school tutoring to bookmaking field trips. I participated in a little bit of everything this week: 

Tuesday and Wednesday - I helped 3rd grade students from Gabriella Charter School write, for the very first time, multi-paragraph narratives. 

Thursday - I was an after school tutor for 3 students, all of whom were either in the 3rd or 4th grade. Who knew "perimeter" would be a difficult concept to explain?

A Student Drew this Endearing Picture For Me

Saturday - The center put on a morning program called, "I Wanna Rock: How to From Your Own Air Band". Air guitarist Dan Crane came and taught students the fundamentals of playing air instruments. Clad in wacky wigs and leather goods we created rock-and-roll alter-egos (mine was "KareBear"), wrote lyrics to accompany a pre-chosen rock song, and performed our masterpieces.

Our Rock and Roll Costume Pieces

My Air Guitar Playing Debut

Today I plan on volunteering at the "Storytelling and Bookmaking Field Trip" during which an elementary school class visits 826LA (which is transformed into "_______ and _______ Publishing" for the day) and collaborates with us (the "writers" for said publishing company) to write a brand new story. By the end of the field trip, the students leave with a personalized published book complete with illustrations and professional binding. 

Sounds like fun, huh?

Daily Bruin Article

The Daily Bruin is the student-run newspaper at UCLA. It details important events and news that occur on and around campus. I always made sure to grab a copy of the day's paper at Ackerman Student Union when I was at UCLA to stay up-to-date with the goings-on in Westwood.

In 2010 the paper did an article on me that described my journey as a student and profesional dancer. The writer knew of me through a mutual friend and was curious to know more about my experiences. I was really excited to have my "story" documented and felt that she did a great job.

A few weeks ago, a Daily Bruin writer contacted me and expressed interest in doing a piece on my travels with Nicki Minaj. I was honored to be featured again in the "Arts and Entertainment" section of the paper last week:

While the piece in 2010 looked at my career from a broader standpoint, this article focused on a specific gig that I did after graduating from college. Until last week, I hadn't thought much about the job except that I was very proud to have been on a tour. But the writer, Karli Komoto, dug deeper beyond the surface. Her questions made me think about the tour's significance and helped me understand why touring for Nicki means so much to me as a professional dancer. You can read the awesome article here.

Thank you Karli, Blaine Ohigashi (photographer), and all the wonderful staff at Daily Bruin!

My Boogiezone Class to Haim's "Don't Save Me"

I taught my third Boogeizone Contemporary class this past Wednesday at Focus Dance Center in Irvine, CA:

And while some of you may have considered my comment regarding my obsession with choreographing to Haim's music a joke, it wasn't. So here it is. My choreography to the last song in my small but powerful Haim music library:

Thankfully, the Haim sisters recently tweeted about a much anticipated (at least to me) release of a new EP! I look forward to hearing the jams these groovy ladies will come up with next.

Photo courtesy of Haim/Twitter

Thank you so much to Elm Pizarro, Boogiezone, and all the wonderful dancers who came to class (especially Marissa Osato and Will Johnston) for your continued support. I hope I'll be back at Boogiezone soon!

Movement is a Lifestyle

I have set many goals for myself this year, and one of them is to further develop my own craft as a dancer and artist. There are many ways to accomplish this, but the approach that I am taking this year is to choreograph and teach more.

That is why I snatched up the opportunity to teach at Movement Lifestyle when the studio manager asked if I was interested. And for the entire month of January I am the featured contemporary teacher. I will even start subbing at Edge PAC as a contemporary/jazz teacher very soon. In fact, my very first class is next Friday (2/1) at 1:00PM!

While I am not exactly a novice at teaching class, I am completely new to the dance education scene in LA. To me, teaching in LA is drastically different from teaching in my home town. For one, a majority of the dance population in LA are professionals. These kind of dancers seek a different kind of training than that sought by recreational and non-professional students. 

For what it's worth, I've very much enjoyed my 3:30PM slot at ML thus far. My classes have been small and therefore very intimate. 

Tomorrow will be my 4th class of the month, and I will be teaching to an awesome Haim song:

You only have 2 more opportunities to boogie with me on Thursdays this month at Movement Lifestyle at 3:30PM, so come while you can!!