Dance life

I’ve been performing one way or another most of my life, so I’ve gotten used to the feeling of being on stage.  Of course every performance is nerve raking, but the nerves and the “fake pee” feeling seem to disappear as soon as I’ve taken my place in front of the audience.

There was one moment this weekend where the entire experience of performing was perfectly captured.  The feeling of intoxication euphoria mixed with sickening nerves combines to define bliss.  It was one moment, one second that seemed to stretch on, when I stood behind my teammates on stage, the lights shining in my eyes, as we all raised our arms simultaneously.  The dancers in front of me were only dark silhouettes against the shining stage lights and as I raised my arms along with them; it felt indescribable and unimaginable to anyone who has never been on stage.  In that moment everything was perfect.  I was part of something real and beautiful and everyone was watching. 

That is what it feels like to perform, that is what it feels like not just to dance, but to be a dancer. 

It’s that time of year and the pre-competition buzz is in the air. The first competition of the season is this weekend!  My dance school, along with many other local dance teams, will be going to SuperStar in hopes of living up to our unbelievable results last competition season. 

Our school is the proud winner of SuperStar’s Galaxy award for best choreography, the most prestigious award given at the competition.  After having the best choreography of the entire competition, we’re going back with some great new dances hoping to bring home some more top prizes. 

We had our dress rehearsal last weekend, and that was when things really kicked in.  Our team was using a school gym instead of our dance studio, so things felt more intense since we weren’t in our own comforting environment. 

Half the fun of dancing, asides from competing yourself, is watching other great dances at competition.  At our dress rehearsal I got to watch some of the other dances our school is entering into the competition and I’m so excited for everyone to perform.  Seeing the hard work everyone else has been putting into the competition makes everything seem more real.  I mean, the competition starts TOMORROW!

I’m so excited and this past week has been great because I love drilling dances since you get to go over the dance from beginning to end.  After working step by step on all our dances for months it’s so surreal to see them come together.

I’m getting really nervous just writing about it, but I hope everything goes perfectly this weekend, but regardless I know I’ll have A LOT of fun because this really is the most wonderful time of the year at dance. 

This season there have been so many injuries on the show ‘Dancing with the Stars.’ Haha I hope you guys aren’t sick of reading about this show yet, but everyone seems to be so surprised that ‘for some reason’ everyone is getting hurt.  Shows like Etalk call it a curse, but I know what it really is…

IF YOU CAN’T DANCE, DON’T DO IT. YOU WILL HURT AND EMBARRASS YOURSELF.  YOU ARE NOT CURSED, YOU ARE JUST PATHETIC. 

These are this season’s injuries…so far:

·       Jewel also left before the competition started because of swollen knees and ‘over-working.’ She was the first injury of the season.

·       Nancy O’dell, who also did not make it on the show because of her injury, just had knee surgery.

·       Stevo-O injured his back and couldn’t be there for one of the episodes.

·       Gilles, the best one in the competition, has tendonitis in his shoulder

·       Steve Wozniak fractured his foot

Point is, it’s not working well for the non-dancers, what a shocker…

Steve Wozniak, the Apple co-founder on ‘Dancing with the Stars’, has once again piqued my interest and I think his dancing should be shared with everyone so they experience the sadness and disgust I experienced. 

This guy is so cute when he’s just standing there smiling, you even feel bad for him because he’s doing so badly, but I just saw his dancing for the first time today and it was wrong.  Watching it, I felt dirty.  This old sweaty man is dancing with this hot young thing and you feel bad, like a bad person, watching it.  I saw him dance for the first time, and I felt like I just got kicked in the stomach I felt so sad and embarrassed for him.  He has sweat under his man boobs, and when he was trying to do a dance move over his partner I saw her helplessly on the floor and I just knew she was thinking, “this big sweaty pathetic man is smothering me and I’m scared he’ll find a way to crush me.”

What made me write this blog was one specific move he did last week, the worm.  If anyone knows me they know that the worm is “my move.”  When I saw him do it I realized how lame it is, and I’m a little less proud of my ability to do the worm now.  As one of the judges said he wasn’t so much doing the worm, it looked more like an earth worm or a little slug. 

So here it is guys, the creepy video itself (the professional dancer’s little glance away from her partner like ‘Oh God help me’ is priceless):

My school is having its dance show the first weekend of May, but the tickets went on sale this weekend. 

Our school was having problems with our old system of selling tickets.  Parents of dancers used to have no trouble buying their tickets, but they had to go to the show early and wait in line to get a good seat.  Parents would line up outside the Auditorium doors for hours behind dozens of people who cut in front of them claiming their spots were saved.  When they finally got inside the auditorium there would be seats saved everywhere.  There was always that group of seats saved which remained empty half way through the show, meanwhile you keep starring at those empty seats you could be in while you’re stuck up in the far corner. Anyways, needless to say the old system didn’t work well.

Now when you buy your ticket you chose which seat you’d like to sit in, and your ticket ha your seat number on it.  Sounds like a good enough plan.  Well when the tickets go on sale it’s a mad dash to get a good seat.  Eager dance parents wait up to three hours to buy 15$ dance show tickets to see there kids in a few dances.  By the end of the first day of ticket sales all the good seats are gone.  Dancer moms waited in line for dance show tickets the way they’d we’d wait in line for tickets to our favorite band.  Hours lining up down the streets of Greenfield Park on a Sunday morning; I can’t imagine it. 

Well I hope it’s worth the wait guys, I think it’ll be a good show!

So for everyone who asked or was wondering how the Britney Spears concert was, here’s your answer:

The Pussycat Dolls were great, and they really pumped up the audience, but after their performance ended Britney didn’t come on stage right away, acrobats and clowns came on to show off the circus theme.  It was a bit strange because when you come to see a concert and you get circus performers you’re a bit taken aback.  They entertained, but it didn’t give off that concert atmosphere. 

Finally the opening circus act is over, the screen curtain is raised, and Britney descends from the ceiling in a ring leader costume singing Circus. It was the perfect opening act.  The whole show was a big circus production and everyone played their part.  The dancers were characters in every song, and they brought the whole show to life.  Britney is a dancer, and she looked great in the center of the stage.  Watching the show was great, but the songs are so easy to dance to that I found I had just as much fun dancing and singing along to all of Britney’s songs with my friends.

One of the most interesting parts of the concert was right after she performed the song ‘Slave’ (from her old album) and each of her dancers names were projected onto the screen as they performed solos in their own style to their own music.  I thought it was a really nice and unique twist Britney added to the show.  Other great part of the show was when Britney’s performed ‘Every time’ (I think she sang it live) suspended form an umbrella while her dancers danced beneath her with their own umbrellas, the song itself is her best slow song, and the dance was really beautiful.  She also had some great videos playing during her songs and during costume changes.  During ‘Piece of Me’ the lyrics were shown on the screen so it was easy to sing along.  Once again just turning to my friends and singing along together made every song a little bit more fun. 

It was such a great concert, and we were standing up dancing for most of her songs.  She’s such a performer and the dancing was great.  She ended the show well with her encore song, ‘Womanizer’ which is a personal favorite, I think we were all standing for that one. 

For some reason, even though Britney was amazing, my friend got the Pussycat Dolls’ song ‘Jai Ho’ stuck in our heads the whole way back to the south shore.  

Last night the Pussycat Dolls opened up for Britney Spears at her Circus concert here in Montreal.  The great thing about the Pussycat Dolls is that, like Britney, they dance and entertain the crowd well, what am I saying, better than well, they are incredible entertainers.  We’re all aware that Britney lip sings at her concerts because she dances, and intense dancing plus singing equals out of breath, but the Pussycat Dolls (or the one doll, Nicole) sing and dance.

Watching the Pussycats Dolls perform was like watching Nicole Scherzinger’s concert with four back up dancers and singers, but wow did it they make it work.  Nicole is an amazing singer, and you can really hear that in songs like ‘Jai Ho’ and ‘I Hate This Part,’ but their dancing was phenomenal every song.  Their choreography was simple, not in a “oh that’s lame” way but in a “wow I wish I was doing that right now, it looks fun” way.  The easier the choreography the more flexibility you have to incorporate your own personality and style into the moves.  So the Pussycat Dolls were consistently hitting every move with massive energy and personality.  Nicole didn’t dance as much as the others because she was signing but I barely noticed because I couldn’t keep my eyes off Kimberly Wyatt (the short haired blonde one who always lifts her leg above her head.)  I used to think she was really annoying because during every performance or music video she would lift her leg, and it was getting old, but when she was doing the choreography at the Britney concert and I saw her live, her energy was so high that I was drawn to her.   

The Pussycat Dolls were performing for forty five minutes straight, no costume changes, no set changes, just them, the audience, their microphones, and their moves.  They got the audience going from beginning to end, and me and my friends were on our feet dancing for most of their performance.      

I’ve had a rant building inside of me about ‘Dancing with the Stars’, and I just have to let it out.

‘Dancing with the Stars’ is a dance show that dancers don’t watch.  The only times I’ve ever heard someone make references to ‘Dancing with the Stars’ were by moms who’ve never danced a day in their life.  The reason dancers don’t watch ‘Dancing with the Stars’ is because it’s slightly painful to see professional dancers dumb themselves down to the level of amateurs with virtually no dance training.  It’s just sad to see these beautiful dancers dragging around their unknown celebrity partner across the dance floor. 

It is mildly amusing to see the professionals struggle with the ‘stars’, so I do have to give the show some credit.  ‘Dancing with the Stars’ is an entertainment show.  It is not targeted to dancers, but it’s a show for ‘anyone.’ The dances are simple yet esthetically pleasing for those without much dance knowledge.  Everything about the show and its dances scream ‘old’ ‘housewife’ or ‘stay at home mom’. 

Back on a positive note, it’s hard enough for experienced dancers on shows like SYTYCD to learn choreography each week, so imagine how difficult it must be for those without dance training.  Kudos to their efforts, and all things considered it’s not bad.  The point is, dancing isn’t mean to be not bad though, it’s supposed to touch you and stir up the audiences’ emotions.  Only dancers can do that effectively, not has been stars.

Which leads me to my next point, it’s getting increasingly difficult to distinguish who the ‘stars’ are.  The dancers are D list actors, former reality show contestants, football players, singers who haven’t released albums in years, and to top it off this season there is an Apple co-founder.  These stars aren’t popular, so I feel no connection to them in any way when I watch them dance (with the exception of Shawn the gymnast because I loved her in the Olympics, but come on Olympics to ‘Dancing with the Stars’, what a step down.) 

The one thing about this entertainment show that I like is the fact that the contestants are scored and their scores make a difference in the elimination.  This helps the ‘good’ dancers stay in the game longer, but when no one’s that good, it doesn’t make a difference. 

My thoughts on the best and worst dancers:

Steve Wozniak, you’re a cutie, and congrats on co-founding Apple, but you have to leave.  Gilles, you’re pretty entertaining, but who are you!?

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I’m a huge fan of dance tv.  I watch So You Think You Can Dance religiously, but another dance show that doesn’t get enough hype or recognition (even from me) is America’s Best Dance Crew.  The show features Hip Hop dance crews from across the U.S. who compete against each other in a series of dance related challenges each week to win the title of America’s Best Dance Crew.  Almost two weeks ago Quest Crew were crowned America’s Best Dance Crew for the show’s third season.  This blog is a tribute to Quest Crew, the winners, because I want everyone who enjoys watching dance to see them perform, they deserve the audience and they definitely deserved to win.

I hadn’t seen one episode of the entire season because I don’t get MTV with basic cable.  I’ve seen reruns of the show on Much Music, but I’ve never been able to be up to date with the show or the contestants.  I saw Quest Crew’s Hip Hop Decathlon video, which is from the second to last episode, only because my friend posted their link on facebook.  When I saw it, I freaked out.  They were incredible, so I watched all their dances from the rest of the season.  I wish I had been able to watch the season from beginning to end as it was going on so I could get swept up in the excitement and anticipation for the finale.  So for everyone like me who missed the season, here’s what you missed, and for anyone who’s already seen them, watch them again.

The first episode of A.B.D.C 3 (America’s Best Dance Crew 3) was the contestant’s choice of both song and dance style.  Way to start off with a bang for Quest Crew, their routine was so action packed my contacts got all blurry because I didn’t want to blink incase I’d miss something.  In case you didn’t notice two of the members from Quest Crew (Hok and D-trix/Dominic) were on various seasons of SYTYCD.  If you watched SYTYCD then you loved these guys, and now we could see them performing their own style with their friends. 

 Here’s the video, sorry it’s blurry:

Omg, their routine from the second week is AMAZING! I was watching it with my mouth hanging open, I swear.  Their challenge was to incorporate a physical activity into their routine, and they got Kick Boxing. The killed the show as Shane Sparks says…just watch.

Week three was Brittney week, and I loved Quest Crew’s choreography, it was so great to see these Hip Hop guys being sexy.  This video is for the ladies!

The challenge for the fourth week was to take a lame dance move from a cliché song and make it cool.  Well they made it cool…

The fifth episode was all about illusion.  They had to pass an object through their bodies.  I love this challenge, I still remember JabbaWockeez dance from season one to this challenge (they had to defy gravity).  Back to Quest Crew, even though their dance was a little gimmicky I still liked it. 

Quest Crew’s sixth dance is all about Dominic, he’s showcased throughout the whole dance and I love it, the last move is amazing. 

This week, the seventh, is their last week before the finale, so they had two dances to perform. Their first was the Hip Hop decathlon challenge I mentioned earlier.  This video gets you hooked, and it made me fall in love with Quest Crew. 

The next dance required them to make their own music and showcase their unique style.  I loved their creativity, and the classical component of their dance. 

So here it is, their last dance.  Thanks for spending over half an hour watching youtube videos, I hope you enjoyed it.  Congrats Quest Crew!

I dance twice a week: Monday night is Funk and Tuesday night is Ballet and Jazz.  For years I was on the competitive Hip Hop team at my school and I went in to the studio every Saturday.  On top of that my best friends and I used to choreograph our own Hip Hop dances for our school talent show.  When we all graduated from high school Hip Hop dancing was extinguished from our life, we no longer took Saturday classes and there was no more talent show to choreograph for.

Today is the first day that I realized everything I gave up.  You get older and you prepare yourself for monumental changes.  I was so ready to move on and sacrifice my Hip Hop dancing that I never regretted or second guessed my choice.  I basically forgot what it was like; that feeling only Hip Hop can give you.  I miss the freedom and personality that goes along with the dance.  The room for self expression is unparalleled by any other dance style I’ve done.  You can let your body loose, you can connect with the music, you can connect with the audience, but that’s not what made me realize how much I miss Hip Hop dancing.  It’s the feeling you get when you and the music and your movement are all in unison.  You hit it. You get it. You kill it. You love it.  I miss it. 

Today is the first day that I realized everything I gave up because today I danced Hip Hop in my dance school for the first time since I quit.  When you get older you prepare yourself for monumental changes, but you can’t prepare yourself for the confrontation of old feelings.  Today I remembered what it was like; the feeling only Hip Hop can give you.