“It's kind of fun to do the impossible.”

Every now and then we all need a little "pick me up", something that ignites a spark within us and inspires us to keep pushing and striving towards our goals. You can find inspiration anywhere, a song, quote, performance, or a book. No matter how old you are or how far along you are in your career its important to get and stay inspired.

     For one of my dance education courses we were assigned to read an article which truly brought about some inspiration and hope. A young eleven year old girl named Amiya who is in love with dance wanted to find a way to teach under privileged children. She thought of a clever idea to teach dance classes out of a bus that would travel around and give free lessons. Amiya told her mother and even made sketches of what she wanted the bus to look like but she knew it was just a dream. Her grandfather was so supportive of Amiya that one day he surprised her with a real life "dance bus". It was an old school bus painted in pink with ballet barres instead of seats. Her grandfather is the bus driver and they travel around to schools in her area where they pick up children for free classes. She can fit up to 12 students at a time and offers 30 minute classes in hip hop, tap, and ballet. She calls her students her "rising stars" and has found this bus to be a great success.  

      I found this story to be completely amazing and moving. What a brilliant young girl she is for coming up with this idea and for offering her time like this. She inspires young kids to dance and inspires the rest of us to keep hope alive and follow our dreams. Anything is possible. Don't ever give up <3

Take a look at the fabulous "dance bus" below. Enjoy :) 

Birthday Baby!

Hey twinkle toes the month of October has been crazy busy and lots of fun. Last weekend I turned 22 and had a night out in NYC and then spent some time gambling in Atlantic City. Thought I'd leave you a few fun photos. x0

3rd Avenue Festival

Yesterday I spent the day performing on the streets of Bay Ridge for its 38th Annual 3rd Avenue Festival. After weeks of intense last minute rehearsals the girls of Beyond Dance and I put on a great show for the Brooklyn community. I have been performing at this event since I was a little girl and it's always one of my favorite performances of the year. Theres nothing like dancing on a stage in the middle of the street. It was a chilly day here in New York but tons of fun. I even got to take a shot at pole dancing in the street! Heres some pics below and a link of the performance put together by some of the senior company girls of Beyond Dance. Enjoy!
                                                  

Look great, get fit :)

Hello fabulous friends! So you've finally got your butt to join the gym and have been going on a regular basis and OMG have you lost some weight? Great. But seriously, what are you wearing? Most gym's require "fitness attire" but are they really enforcing it? I don't think so. At my hometown gym I think I have seen it all, from flips flops and jeans, to business attire and baggy old t-shirts. News flash everyone they make fitness gear for a reason! So maybe your not completely ridiculous and actually wear some type of sweat pant, a tank top, and sneakers but is that really fitness attire? Do you feel good in what your wearing? Just because your breaking a sweat does not mean you can't look good doing it. If your wear frumpy clothes to the gym you will feel frumpy and will have a frumpy work out. Lets start off by wearing some form fitting clothing that accentuates your favorite features. Now skip the cotton, do you really like walking around with sweat puddles on your clothes? Gross. If you buy actual fitness attire most are made with sweat absorbing material so you don't feel the need to ring your tank after spin class. Now all you have to do is wear a sports bra, pull your hair back, and throw on the proper sneaker for your workout. Taadaa! You now look like a hot fitness chick :) Are you wondering wear to get this snazzy gear I speak of? Victoria's Secret carries a great fitness line with all different styles and colors to choose from. On a budget? Target also carries plenty of Champion fitness gear for ladies. Take a peak at some of my favorite items from both of those stores and get shopping!

Victoria's Secret

Target

 

The wonderful world of PROPS

Lets talk props! Throughout my years dancing and competing I've witness and been part of several routine where props have been involved. Many times choreographers use props in their routines to create a scene or setting. Other times props are directly involved as a piece of choreography and sometimes it's a mixed of both. Routines are sometimes created around the use of the prop and other times it is just there for "decoration". I've seen routines in which props were used brilliantly and others which potentially ruined the choreography. Dance competitions are normally very fond of props from pictures frames to full out scenery. Most competitions require the props to be used for X amount of time throughout the dance which can be a challenge to the choreographer. Choreographers may use props in an abstract way or make it's purpose very obvious. Using props can sometimes be very difficult but when used correctly it can be magical. I believe in order to create a successful piece of art the prop must be used creatively. Take a look at these videos below of some of my favorite prop enhanced routines. Enjoy, put on your favorite song, grab the nearest item and get creative :)

Lost - Choreography by Just Plain Dancing




Calling You SYTYCD season 2  - Choreography by Mia Michaels




Love Lockdown SYTYCD season 5 - Choreography by Tabitha & Napoleon

Cardio Diva

  

     In a world obsessed with body image and a country suffering from obesity it's no secret that diet and exercise are becoming more mainstream. We've got women aspiring to have Kim Kardashian curves, arms like Michelle Obama, and the slimness of Heidi Klum. Whatever your "inspiration" might be I can almost guarantee that being a "Cardio diva" will leave you and your ego unsatisfied.
    So you ask, what is a "cardio diva"? Whether your hitting the gym everyday, twice a week, or once a year I'm sure you've seen one before. Heck, you might even be a cardio diva yourself! You walk into the gym to the right on the elliptical machine shes wearing a full face of make up, a push up bra, and the latest issue of "Glamour" magazine is in front of her face. It's been a steady 45 minutes, she's blasting "Don't Cha" by The Pussycat Dolls, her gym bag is a Coach wrislet, and shes wearing the latest design of Victoria's secret "Pink" boyfriend sweats. After an hour of low intensity cardio, she does a set on the "thigh" machines, 50 crunches, and shes out of sight. Oh c'mon don't tell me you haven't seen her before! We all have and it's ok if that describes you because at least your cute butt is at the gym and not catching the latest episode of Tyra!
    Now you probably think I'm just being a little ridiculous and I am. I'm proud of these chicks for looking so great and working their tails off but I have a better method to your better body. Don't get me wrong cardio is GREAT it burns fat off and enhances your stamina but its more about quality rather than quantity. You also don't want whats left of you to flab so you need some strength training in your routine. You are NOT going to get "bulky" or "big" we're women, your going to get TONED!
    Heres what you do, try a more intense form of cardio for a shorter period of time. My favorite is spinning! Spin for 40 minutes and not only will you burn 400 calories but you'll gain strength and incredible stamina. The treadmill and stair master are great too! Whatever form of cardio you choose (fine you can stay on the elliptical) make sure to add resistance. Do intervals, 2 minutes of super hard resistance and 3 minutes recovery. Do some weight training two to three days a week using nothing less than 10 pound free weights. Do various exercises which target different muscles in your body followed by some ab work.You can browse the internet for some great routines or pick up a copy of "Women's Health" magazine. Finally, put on some proper fitness attire, ditch the magazine, and take off your make up (your pores are begging you!). Now you can blast "don't cha" because girl you're fierce and everyone wishes they looked as good as you! :)

Recipe for success

I'm back twinkle toes! As promised I would be back before the summer here in New York came to an end and here I am with some updates and good news. After my college graduation which kicked off my summer I decided to take a break from my dance blog to really sort out my life and figure out where I would take my next few steps. Besides taking class all summer I've been exploring ways in which I can get myself involved in other aspects of this dance world I reside in. Sometimes as dancers we forget there is so much more to dance than just taking class every chance we get. During my journey this summer I stumbled upon this quote by Michael Jackson which helped encouraged my quest to be more involved in the dance industry.

"...Work like there's no tomorrow. Train. Strive. Really train and cultivate your talent to the highest degree. Be the best at what you do. Get to know more about your field than anybody alive..."

Michael Jackson was not only a remarkably talented individual but he was intelligent about his work. He knew everything there was to know about singing and dancing from the techniques to the finances. He simply knew it all and to watch him work was not only astonishing but inspiring. No one knew their own talent like Michael did which is why his work remains legendary.
After reading this quote and watching "This is it" I was reassured that talent and technique is simply not enough. In order to accelerate my gift to the next level I must learn all there is to know about it. And what better way to learn than to be actively involved. I worked all summer and discovered these stellar ways to begin my learning journey this fall. First I will be interning for "The pulse on tour" dance conventions where I will be involved in the preparation for their 2010/2011 tour and work on-site at the actual convention. This will provide me with the in's and out's of creating a successful dance event and i'll get to take class in the process. Next I will begin my masters degree in dance education at Rutgers University. Learning how teach others will teach me! Finally I will use my years of training and education to teach children's ballet, tap, and jazz at a studio in my area. Of course I will also continue taking class and challenging myself and now I will have the knowledge to support my craft. And that to me is definitely a recipe for success ! :)