Auditions have been going well. Although, I have to admit, I am getting antsy for a job at this point. We all set goals for ourselves, and once they have been reached, it is just human nature to set more seemingly unattainable goals at that moment, which creates the constant cat and mouse game that many of us performing artists live in.
This game has its extreme highs and extreme lows. I guess that is why it is so addictive, and for many of us the addiction is so strong, it is difficult to find anything else in life that can even come close to the extreme high of dancing on Broadway, getting the call from your agent that you booked a job, gettting a call-back or just getting a compliment from a respected choreographer.
I used to laugh when all of the dancer moms on the competition teams would have slogans such as "dance or die" on the bumpers of their cars-finding it very hard to believe that anyone in that car truly adhered to that principle with all of their hearts and souls. When you decide to become a professional dancer in New York or California, you don't have to put a bumper sticker on your car-or on your back pack in my case, because if this principle isn't one that you hold steadfast to, you will get lost in the mix.
This principle gradually creeps into many dancers' lives when one has been in the city for a while. I believe that it is easy to get lost in the shuffle after you have done a few shows, and you give yourself a few pats on the back (as you should) because of the feeling that it is not necessary to continue working on your craft consistently and thoroughly. I cannot stress the importance of studying with the teachers who are working a lot in town so that you know what styles are in demand on Broadway and commercially.
Also, it is so important to stay in ballet class. It doesn't take very long for a dancer to lose their technique. In fact, it goes away much faster than it comes back. When I first moved out to LA when I was 19, I didn't have a lot of money saved up because the move was a little impulsive (much to the chagrin of those close to me). Therefore, I didn't have a lot of money for class, so I started jogging every day before dragging myself to a waitressing job at Black Angus (yes, I ate a lot of prime rib when I was there). I truly believe that jogging is the most evil nemesis in the dance world. I didn't have this epiphany until a couple of years later when I found that my hamstrings, quads and hip flexors were so tight that I didn't have some of the flexibility that I previously had.
The best way to avoid feeling like you don't have money for class and hence causing destruction on your precious long lean dancer muscles and joints is to have money saved up before you make the move to the big city. Then, you will be able to dive into class and work on your craft in the professional world while you begin the auditioning process. Teachers who are choreographers will get to know your face more quickly if you take class from them, and you will maintain the technique that you built in your teen years instead of it seeming like a long lost friend.
Yesterday, the prestigious Roundabout Theatre company held auditions at New Dance Group. It was a rat race going to this audition and then making it to the Wicked call at 1:00 PM. In fact, I didn't get to Wicked until 1:30 because I got called back for Pal Joey, which is not something to complain about.(o: The first combination was very balletic in nature with a lot of artistic freedom and flexibility concerning the torso and arms, which I love.
I am a huge fan of the dancer having a little artistic license at the audition. I think this is a good way for the choreographer and director to see a bit more personality come through, which is very important in the world of musical theatre. On the other hand, I understand that the choreographer needs to see whether or not you can truly mimic their style, but there is always a second and third combination at call backs which allow them to put tighter reins on their choreography concerning specific arm, hand and head movements.
I did really well at the auditions, although I got cut from Wicked. I find that at this open call casting keeps very few dancers. Wayne Cilento used walk into the room and stand on a chair while he watched a large group of people do the combination that his assistants taught. He would, then, wait for someone to catch his eye. If they did catch his eye, he would point to them and tell them to stick around. At the open calls, he keeps an average of 5 out of every 30.
I have heard someone say that he kind of lets his eyes glaze over while he is standing on that chair, and he only points at someone to ask them to stay if they catch his eye. I think this is why a lot of people say that you have to be unique looking with crazy hair or just an interesting look. I don't know if I agree with this 100% because I have some friends in the show who are very pretty and amazing dancers, but I don't know if I would describe them as having crazy hair or extremely "different looks".
I even talked to my agent about this afterwards, and he says that he just "doesn't get it" either. He says that he has tried to get me into the invited call, but the casting director, Telsey, says that I just "don't live in the Wicked world". Vague, I know, but these are the kinds of criticisms that you have to get used to in the Broadway world. It is hard to really learn from them because of their nonconstructive nature, so this ambiguity has helped me to make an important decision.
Monday was a turning point for me. I had a conversation with my agent about how to improve on getting into invited calls. He recommended taking as many classes as possible with the people who are choreographing in this town, hence, the inspiration for the heart of this blog. It is not that I haven't been taking class. In fact, I have been persistent in my pursuit of technique and new styles all over town, but I am going to start "classing" it full time for a couple of months now that the peak of the audition season is over. I mean, I am probably going to start work-studying at a couple studios in town and really getting down to the nitty gritty of showing up consistently at quite a few musical theatre classes at Steps, Broadway Dance Center, New Dance Group, Peridance and DanceSpace.
Ever since getting back from tour, I have been really good about taking my ballet classes with a sprinkling of jazz and musical theatre. I have, also, been really good about my voice lessons and acting classes, which are very essential to a successful dancer. The audition season was so intense that I figured I was getting all of my musical theatre training in auditions. This is true, in part, but it is so important to show your face in classes. Class connections have produced more fruit for some dancers than just blindly going to auditions.
It is easy to think that because you have an agent that you have a free ride, but this is not so. A good agent is going to open a lot of doors for you, but it is still up to you to do 90% of the work. This is why the agent only takes 10% and you take 90% of your check. If casting directors and choreographers see that you are putting in your 90% or even better 110% to make your and your agent's efforts a whopping 120% in comparison to the others 70%, then you will shine and have a chance of making an impact on the people who cast shows in this town.
There is a really good article on the website www. answers4dancers.com about high profile choreographers who teach class in LA and NYC. This article tells all about these individuals including their styles, where and when they teach and who they have worked for. I think that this website is an invaluable tool for dancers. A lot of auditions you see on the website are also on www.actorsequity.org, but you can only access the Equity website if you are an Equity member with a paid up dues card. I do see at least one or two auditions on answers4dancers every week that I haven't seen anywhere else, so this in itself makes it worth the $8.33/month.
There are also auditions posted on every bulletin board at every afore mentioned dance studio in town. You never know which audition is going to get you a job. You could go to 50 in a month, and the one audition that you missed that you weren't aware of was supposed to be your job, so make sure that you are fully aware of everything that is going on in town.
Here are class schedule links for all of the professional dance schools that I have mentioned (most of these schools have work study, which is a great way to connect with other dancers-one of the best ways to find out about auditions and shows is word of mouth!!)
Steps on Broadway
Broadway Dance Center
Peridance
New Dance Group
Dance New Amsterdam
Speaking of New Dance Group, I just bought a class card ($130 for 10 classes, which beats many of the other schools price wise by a couple bucks), and I am enjoying the space and the teachers. I am taking a class tonight at 7:30 with Matthew Neffe, and I am really excited because I have heard amazing things about him. Also, his class is two hours long, so you are really getting bang for your buck.
I googled Matthew last night to find out more about his style and to see if there were any clips of his choreography on youtube.com or on a website. I did, in fact, find a website, in which I found a blog that I am a huge fan of after just reading two blogs. I think that his blog would be a good read for anyone considering a dance career because of his honesty and his opinion on choreography. I appreciate his opinion on competition dancing coming from his experience as a judge at competitions around the country. He reminds me of how a dancer who comes from a background in competition dancing must find it within themselves to open up to a world of change if you decide to go pro. It is easy to believe after you have won trophies for having the best dance in the whole country that you don't have a lot more to learn-especially when combined with that teenage precociousness that many of us just have built into our cells. NOT TRUE! Dancing, as all art, is all about constantly evolving, and this can only happen if you push all ego aside and submit to the teachings of those wiser and greater than you...and there are always going to be many of those.
Click here for Matthew Neffe's blog.
I, also, want to leave you another website of a teacher who has taught me a lot about dancing and just being a person. Obediah's rehearsal was in Bed-Stuy on Sundays from 1 PM-5 or 6 or 7 or 8 or 9 (my boyfriend just loved this open ended-ness) I landed in this studio when I was in the midst of my transition from competition trained dancer to a much wiser person and artist. I still have not arrived to that sacred, wise place, but we who continue to strive for "it" never do arrive, and this is a good thing. LIke I said in my last blog, this is what keeps you going.
A humble attitude will keep you absorbing information like a sponge and push you forward fast. Check out www.obediahwright.com. If you have a chance to see any of his performances, please do. He is a beacon, and he will make a significant mark on the dance world.
Apr 29, 2008
Apr 17, 2008
Rough Terrain
When a human makes contact with rough terrain, it is truly life changing for both the terrain and the explorer.
This excavator takes a deep breath. The terrain does too. They begin to breathe in tandem-rhythmically indistinguishable from one another. He is an explorer looking to carve out his way across this land one millimeter at a time; not with tools, but with with his own bare hands, his elbows, his forearms, his feet, his shoulders and his brain.
He starts with an increase in temperature. The land becomes more supple as the environment climbs a few degrees toward that of an equatorial forest's climate and less toward the chill of the tundra.
He starts to break up the surface turf. He doesn't have the luxury of a John Deere machine, so he uses his fingers with as much strength and precision as the wheels of a rotatiler. His smile is the result of the challenge presented from the rocky mountains and circuitous, unpredictable pathways. He smiles a lot. This land is tough, but he knows there is value. This land proves to be enigmatic, but this thrills him and feeds him to make him stronger and more able to conquer the land.
He presses down lightly on the terrain with his elbow as if giving it an initial litmus test-a test that will tell him much about the property and how it needs to be worked. He shallowly percs the land gently with his elbows in twenty five places. Each elbow perc giving him more history about this piece of God.
The first five percs tell him that this turf is not too old, but there is some history that could be really interesting if he digs deep enough. The next five tell him that there is definitely something valuable beneath the first layer, but he must be patient and work the land slowly so as not to destroy a valuable piece of this province's life story. The next five imprints that he makes on this domain with his elbows say, "There is life in me". The next five percs say, "There is magic in here, too, you just have to be patient." And, the final five exclaim, "It is now time to go deeper and start to see just a glimpse of the truth of this land".
So, he goes deeper-now with his entire arm. He uses his forearm like a rolling pin to massage the land like dough on the stroke down and his elbow goes much deeper than before on the stroke up almost creating an irrigation system with his elbow pattern. He now puts on the hat of archeologist. He has found something. It is fairly large. This could be an exciting discovery, but he remains patient knowing that moving too fast could ruin everything. There is quite a bit of tough terrain surrounding this object. It could even call for dynamite, but he is from the simple school of "do it with what you your mother gave you, and you shall reap the greatest rewards", so he will use his own flesh and bones. He puts all of his concentration into his elbow as if he were an immortal creature about to shoot lasers from it, and he forces his elbow down into this piece of land. At first with a light pressure, but the pressure increases rapidly as he feels his elbow successfully breaking through the rubble.
His elbow makes contact with the bulbous object, and he starts to polish it in circular motions as if it were a magic lamp. A magic lamp that he is eagerly prodding so that the Genie will come out because he knows exactly what his three wishes are. He wishes, firstly, that this land will be free of rocks in less than a year, secondly, that this province will bear fruit, and thirdly, that this rough terrain will respond positively to his hard work so that this land will call on him again and again. Upon the land's beckoning, he shall return anxious to resume elbow deep where he left off.
Now, this is a what I call a massage.
This excavator takes a deep breath. The terrain does too. They begin to breathe in tandem-rhythmically indistinguishable from one another. He is an explorer looking to carve out his way across this land one millimeter at a time; not with tools, but with with his own bare hands, his elbows, his forearms, his feet, his shoulders and his brain.
He starts with an increase in temperature. The land becomes more supple as the environment climbs a few degrees toward that of an equatorial forest's climate and less toward the chill of the tundra.
He starts to break up the surface turf. He doesn't have the luxury of a John Deere machine, so he uses his fingers with as much strength and precision as the wheels of a rotatiler. His smile is the result of the challenge presented from the rocky mountains and circuitous, unpredictable pathways. He smiles a lot. This land is tough, but he knows there is value. This land proves to be enigmatic, but this thrills him and feeds him to make him stronger and more able to conquer the land.
He presses down lightly on the terrain with his elbow as if giving it an initial litmus test-a test that will tell him much about the property and how it needs to be worked. He shallowly percs the land gently with his elbows in twenty five places. Each elbow perc giving him more history about this piece of God.
The first five percs tell him that this turf is not too old, but there is some history that could be really interesting if he digs deep enough. The next five tell him that there is definitely something valuable beneath the first layer, but he must be patient and work the land slowly so as not to destroy a valuable piece of this province's life story. The next five imprints that he makes on this domain with his elbows say, "There is life in me". The next five percs say, "There is magic in here, too, you just have to be patient." And, the final five exclaim, "It is now time to go deeper and start to see just a glimpse of the truth of this land".
So, he goes deeper-now with his entire arm. He uses his forearm like a rolling pin to massage the land like dough on the stroke down and his elbow goes much deeper than before on the stroke up almost creating an irrigation system with his elbow pattern. He now puts on the hat of archeologist. He has found something. It is fairly large. This could be an exciting discovery, but he remains patient knowing that moving too fast could ruin everything. There is quite a bit of tough terrain surrounding this object. It could even call for dynamite, but he is from the simple school of "do it with what you your mother gave you, and you shall reap the greatest rewards", so he will use his own flesh and bones. He puts all of his concentration into his elbow as if he were an immortal creature about to shoot lasers from it, and he forces his elbow down into this piece of land. At first with a light pressure, but the pressure increases rapidly as he feels his elbow successfully breaking through the rubble.
His elbow makes contact with the bulbous object, and he starts to polish it in circular motions as if it were a magic lamp. A magic lamp that he is eagerly prodding so that the Genie will come out because he knows exactly what his three wishes are. He wishes, firstly, that this land will be free of rocks in less than a year, secondly, that this province will bear fruit, and thirdly, that this rough terrain will respond positively to his hard work so that this land will call on him again and again. Upon the land's beckoning, he shall return anxious to resume elbow deep where he left off.
Now, this is a what I call a massage.
Stavro is a Star
Tombe pas de boure (to fourth preparation) inside back attitude to the right land in arabesque releve, step coupe jete with a back attitude to the other corner then immediately prepare with the left foot in front (the same left foot that was just in back attitude in the jete) and double inside turn with leg a la second and arms in high fifth before landing in a plea arabesque to the left...and to finish tombe pas de boure glisside jete (with a straight leg, not sot de chat)!
Talk about quickly finding your center.
Natalya Stavro's ballet class is no beginner's ballet. In fact, I think that her class is the equivalent of three slower paced and less rhythmically challenging ballet classes. Natayla walks into the classroom every day with an air of pride, beauty and ferocity. Combine the femininity and daintiness of Anna Pavlova and the fierce, powerhouse quality of Matthew Rushing(Alvin Ailey), and you will get a clearer picture of her quality as a dancer. She is usually wearing a beautiful, royal purple long sleeved leotard, black leggings, a pair of grishko ballet teaching shoes and a flowery, chiffon ballet skirt. Her hair is a deep red, brown that is very similar to the cherry of a cigarette that is always burning when she is teaching a class. She performs and looks like she is in her early thirties, but this would defy logic, so this age deception factor is reason enough to idolize her.
She brings into the classroom a rich Russian history of the Vagonova Ballet School, where she trained, and I am truly in love with this technique. Although, it is not just the technique that is so dazzlingly challenging and fulfilling...it is her talent to perform this technique in class as she teaches, providing a shimmering example of what all of us strive to be- a wise, technically proficient and free-spirited dancer.
I believe that this branch of Russian ballet has no mercy. The speed at which it is taught and the exponentially increasing difficulty of the class as the class goes on so that the dancer is never free from a pounding heart and stinging sweat in the eyes makes it so that one does not plateau in Stavro's ballet class.
An interesting fact is that she labels her class as Advanced Beginning Ballet on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and this class is just as if not MORE challenging than the Intermediate Ballet class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Natayla makes sure that her Friday class is the biggest killer so that you end your week of Stavro Ballet feeling defeated and more inspired than ever to have your revenge on the beast that is Stavro Ballet on Monday morning.
This is what makes you grow as an artist...constantly having the illusion that the ART itself is greater than you so that you spend your life attempting to conquer it, but never really grasping it or "finding" it, therefore seeming never to "win" the battle that life tends to become with your art. This can be deflating to the point of a lack of inspiration for many until they get over that hump of the illusion of winning. For "it" to remain illusory, which is frustrating at times, is an illusion in itself because the ones who have "found" "it" realize that "it" is a journey.
If you feel as though you have conquered the thing that you love the most, well...that is kind of like conquering your family...why would you want to do that? Why not put it on a pedestal and basque in its brilliance and absorb all of the wisdom it sporadically shares with you along the way to keep you growing, happy and, most importantly, a creative person.
Now that's spicy.
Natalya Stavro Ballet Class
Broadway Dance Center W. 45th St NYC (Yes, this is right next to Flash Dancers)
Mon, Wed, Fri 12:00-1:30 PM
Thurs and Tues 11:30-1:00 PM
Talk about quickly finding your center.
Natalya Stavro's ballet class is no beginner's ballet. In fact, I think that her class is the equivalent of three slower paced and less rhythmically challenging ballet classes. Natayla walks into the classroom every day with an air of pride, beauty and ferocity. Combine the femininity and daintiness of Anna Pavlova and the fierce, powerhouse quality of Matthew Rushing(Alvin Ailey), and you will get a clearer picture of her quality as a dancer. She is usually wearing a beautiful, royal purple long sleeved leotard, black leggings, a pair of grishko ballet teaching shoes and a flowery, chiffon ballet skirt. Her hair is a deep red, brown that is very similar to the cherry of a cigarette that is always burning when she is teaching a class. She performs and looks like she is in her early thirties, but this would defy logic, so this age deception factor is reason enough to idolize her.
She brings into the classroom a rich Russian history of the Vagonova Ballet School, where she trained, and I am truly in love with this technique. Although, it is not just the technique that is so dazzlingly challenging and fulfilling...it is her talent to perform this technique in class as she teaches, providing a shimmering example of what all of us strive to be- a wise, technically proficient and free-spirited dancer.
I believe that this branch of Russian ballet has no mercy. The speed at which it is taught and the exponentially increasing difficulty of the class as the class goes on so that the dancer is never free from a pounding heart and stinging sweat in the eyes makes it so that one does not plateau in Stavro's ballet class.
An interesting fact is that she labels her class as Advanced Beginning Ballet on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and this class is just as if not MORE challenging than the Intermediate Ballet class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Natayla makes sure that her Friday class is the biggest killer so that you end your week of Stavro Ballet feeling defeated and more inspired than ever to have your revenge on the beast that is Stavro Ballet on Monday morning.
This is what makes you grow as an artist...constantly having the illusion that the ART itself is greater than you so that you spend your life attempting to conquer it, but never really grasping it or "finding" it, therefore seeming never to "win" the battle that life tends to become with your art. This can be deflating to the point of a lack of inspiration for many until they get over that hump of the illusion of winning. For "it" to remain illusory, which is frustrating at times, is an illusion in itself because the ones who have "found" "it" realize that "it" is a journey.
If you feel as though you have conquered the thing that you love the most, well...that is kind of like conquering your family...why would you want to do that? Why not put it on a pedestal and basque in its brilliance and absorb all of the wisdom it sporadically shares with you along the way to keep you growing, happy and, most importantly, a creative person.
Now that's spicy.
Natalya Stavro Ballet Class
Broadway Dance Center W. 45th St NYC (Yes, this is right next to Flash Dancers)
Mon, Wed, Fri 12:00-1:30 PM
Thurs and Tues 11:30-1:00 PM
Apr 15, 2008
More Than Just a Hobby
So, I have been quite busy since getting back to New York City following the completion of the White Christmas tour. I haven't been as consistent with posting these blogs because, believe it or not, my life is about three times more jam-packed than it was during the pre-tour days of auditioning. Also, it has become increasingly difficult for me to carry around my laptop on a daily basis because the additional 5.3 pounds on my back (I need to get a 3 pound Mac Book Air) all day running around from audition to audition started to hurt my lower back and knees. Being a dancer and all, I try to take care of my joints as much as possible. Honestly, the only time that I would write my blog in the past was on the train to and from auditions during my 40 minute commute.
I have come to the compromise that I will only bring my computer into town when I am only going in for a ballet class followed by an immediate trip back home before I go on with my day. Therefore, I will not be sacrificing too much for my blog...which, don't get me wrong, I am willing to do, but only to a certain extent. I mean, I sacrifice enough for my performance career. Once I start taking another aspect of my life to that level of seriousness...KABOOM! That is what will happen to me on the inside, which sometimes is a good thing for creativity, but I am trying to stay on the sane side for my family's sake!!
Anyways, I recently, or rather, my boy recently found a message on an online message board from a mother of a young dancer looking to pursue a professional career in New York. She was answering someone else's question more or less seeking advice about whether or not to encourage her daughter to pursue a professional dance career. She actually made a reference to my blog when giving her advice saying that in reading it, one gets a good idea of what it is like to rush around New York and strive to be a dancer.
I was blown away by this. I mean, I basically write this blog for my friends and family so that the people close to me know what the heck is going on in my life considering that I am so busy with auditions and gigging, I only have about once a week to catch up with my family and, if I am lucky, once every few weeks to catch up with my friends. Now, I am realizing that this blog has reached out to others who are considering a career in New York. My goal from here on forward is to truly be as consistent and detailed as possible about my pursuits, my encounters, and my day to day experiences here in the city. I am truly touched that this blog might actually help others in addition to just being a hobby and a way to relate to those close in my life. So, please, stay tuned because I you will be hearing a lot more from me....for better or for worse...I am hoping the former :o)
I have come to the compromise that I will only bring my computer into town when I am only going in for a ballet class followed by an immediate trip back home before I go on with my day. Therefore, I will not be sacrificing too much for my blog...which, don't get me wrong, I am willing to do, but only to a certain extent. I mean, I sacrifice enough for my performance career. Once I start taking another aspect of my life to that level of seriousness...KABOOM! That is what will happen to me on the inside, which sometimes is a good thing for creativity, but I am trying to stay on the sane side for my family's sake!!
Anyways, I recently, or rather, my boy recently found a message on an online message board from a mother of a young dancer looking to pursue a professional career in New York. She was answering someone else's question more or less seeking advice about whether or not to encourage her daughter to pursue a professional dance career. She actually made a reference to my blog when giving her advice saying that in reading it, one gets a good idea of what it is like to rush around New York and strive to be a dancer.
I was blown away by this. I mean, I basically write this blog for my friends and family so that the people close to me know what the heck is going on in my life considering that I am so busy with auditions and gigging, I only have about once a week to catch up with my family and, if I am lucky, once every few weeks to catch up with my friends. Now, I am realizing that this blog has reached out to others who are considering a career in New York. My goal from here on forward is to truly be as consistent and detailed as possible about my pursuits, my encounters, and my day to day experiences here in the city. I am truly touched that this blog might actually help others in addition to just being a hobby and a way to relate to those close in my life. So, please, stay tuned because I you will be hearing a lot more from me....for better or for worse...I am hoping the former :o)
Eat Rainbows-Poop Butterflies!
I thrive on stress. I guess this is one of the main reasons I am so addicted to New York City. New York=Stress=Me being fruitful. I am inspired by stress. Right now, I am writing this blog because of a lot of stress.
I know that these statements seem to negate my last blog's preachings of deceiving all of your senses into believing that you are absolutely not in a stressful situation, and therefore, it would appear as if I am constantly tricking myself into believing that I am NOT stressed (at the beach drinking a Pina Colada) and hence NOT being fruitful because of my seemingly not stressful situation, but the truth of the matter is (sorry about the run on sentence-I swear I won the English award in Junior High)...the stress is what inspires me to even begin deceiving myself into thinking that I am NOT in a stressful situation, which does relax me a little (for example, I am thinking about the Caribbean Ocean while I am waiting to sing at a Broadway casting call), but I wouldn't even be thinking about the Caribbean Ocean if I didn't have the stressful situation of waiting to enter a room to sing in front of the musical director, director, and choreographer of a Broadway show.
I think that we are all on edge when we are stressed because of the fight or flight syndrome that comes into play when we are faced with a reality that includes life changing moments and/or decisions, pressure (either self-inflicted or applied by others-probably self-inflicted most of the time), and the endless battle with time that never seems to expand enough to accommodate all of the things that I have to accomplish within a 24 hour period.
Sometimes, I wish that I knew how to access a worm-hole instead of taking a subway from all the way uptown in Inwood to a place like China Town in New York, which is where jump on the Fung Wah bus to get from New York to Boston. Obviously, we need to learn more about Worm Holes and whether or not they even exist out in the galaxy before hoping for one inside the Earth's atmosphere...I mean, teleportation would be ideal, but I don't really desire to show up in China Town with my arm sticking out of my head when when I am put back together after defragmentation-I stick out enough when I am down here.
So, I have to say that I indirectly do love stress. I think that I have to admit that to myself. I mean, I complain about it, and I always am finding ways and recommending ways to people to alleviate it (I drink catnip tea every night, do Bikram Yoga, get massages, and tell myself that I am on the beach...a lot)..But, I really like all of these hobbies, and I wouldn't even do them in the first place if I didn't have a reason to apply them like butter on toast to my life. And, boy, do I love butter.
Hmmm, interesting. My current "alleviations" of stress are kind of like everything tasty that goes into a meal. My life is chock full of auditioning, meeting new people, racing around, commuting, commuting, did I mention commuting for sometimes 3 or 4 hours a day?, taking class, dancing with 13 year olds at Bar and Bat Mitvahs (that is my side job on the weekends)...believe me, all if these things really all don't fit into my 14 hour day that I create for myself, so do you think that I would actually treat myself to a a yoga class or a massage if I didn't view it as medicine in order to make a little more super human and bring me that much closer to maybe flying from one audition to the next?
So, by applying this medicinal butter to my life, I actually give myself a little bit of flavor-a little something different added to my standard (well, standard for me) every day activities. The massage it definitely the butter. I actually have never had a professional massage in my life, but I am having my first one done in a couple of weeks with a man that was recommended to me by another dancer. If butter makes toast richer and tastier, well, I can just hope that the massage will do this for me. Once he works out all of that built up lactic acid, I think that a cannibal would be much more interested in eating me...haha.
Let me make a wine analogy. You go out and buy a 100 dollar bottle of wine. Are you going to open it and drink it right away, or are you going to let it sit out on your table for an hour with its cork off and let it oxygenate in order for you to be able to actually taste its complexity-that complexity that you know is very much owed to you. How can you oxygenate and know your true potential until you sit still and let the air do it's work on you to make your best flavors and attributes really blossom-the flavors and attributes that you know are in there somewhere-the flavors and attributes that you know are very much owed to you.
Again, I know that this statement makes it seem as if I am saying to slow down so that you can simmer and let your flavors permeate-well, I am, but I know that a lot of us need a circuitous route to get us there to trick ourselves into thinking that we are not treating ourselves too much and being lazy, so by using the stress in my life as an instigator to drive me to apply the medicinal butter, I am now marinating as some spices are being injected from the yoga or moment of silence as all of my life experience is starting to coagulate and make sense.
For me, stress=inspiration=relax=marinate=growth=productivity that is more is more ripe than it would have been if I just continued to run around like that headless chicken that I unfortunately know too well...I know that chicken baked, roasted, fried, sauteed and grilled-all dry and flavorless. At least now, I can go back to the state of the headless chicken as maybe a grilled pesto and black pepper headless chicken after a day at the beach (on the A train pretending I am at the beach) or a pot of catnip tea (by the way, catnip tea is a muscle relaxer, and yes, it is the same catnip that you give to your cats-very effective-google it!)
I will leave you with this quote from the exquisitely and reminiscently innocent movie Horton Hears a Who, stated gleefully by Katie the yellow puffball animal (I truly cannot identify her species).: "The people on my planet all eat rainbows and poop out butterflies" This just makes me happy....maybe strange, but, many of us find comfort in some of our favorite quotes by hanging them on the wall needle point style or knowing that there is a book on our desk chock full of them...I think that these quotes say a lot about our individualities...and eccentricities if so applicable. I guess my extreme love for children's characters and the ridiculous may indeed be eccentric, but it keeps me young at heart; also, more importantly, who puts oneself in an imaginary world more convincingly and all-encompassing-ly than a child? Talk about a deception stress reliever. *DSR*
sweet!
I know that these statements seem to negate my last blog's preachings of deceiving all of your senses into believing that you are absolutely not in a stressful situation, and therefore, it would appear as if I am constantly tricking myself into believing that I am NOT stressed (at the beach drinking a Pina Colada) and hence NOT being fruitful because of my seemingly not stressful situation, but the truth of the matter is (sorry about the run on sentence-I swear I won the English award in Junior High)...the stress is what inspires me to even begin deceiving myself into thinking that I am NOT in a stressful situation, which does relax me a little (for example, I am thinking about the Caribbean Ocean while I am waiting to sing at a Broadway casting call), but I wouldn't even be thinking about the Caribbean Ocean if I didn't have the stressful situation of waiting to enter a room to sing in front of the musical director, director, and choreographer of a Broadway show.
I think that we are all on edge when we are stressed because of the fight or flight syndrome that comes into play when we are faced with a reality that includes life changing moments and/or decisions, pressure (either self-inflicted or applied by others-probably self-inflicted most of the time), and the endless battle with time that never seems to expand enough to accommodate all of the things that I have to accomplish within a 24 hour period.
Sometimes, I wish that I knew how to access a worm-hole instead of taking a subway from all the way uptown in Inwood to a place like China Town in New York, which is where jump on the Fung Wah bus to get from New York to Boston. Obviously, we need to learn more about Worm Holes and whether or not they even exist out in the galaxy before hoping for one inside the Earth's atmosphere...I mean, teleportation would be ideal, but I don't really desire to show up in China Town with my arm sticking out of my head when when I am put back together after defragmentation-I stick out enough when I am down here.
So, I have to say that I indirectly do love stress. I think that I have to admit that to myself. I mean, I complain about it, and I always am finding ways and recommending ways to people to alleviate it (I drink catnip tea every night, do Bikram Yoga, get massages, and tell myself that I am on the beach...a lot)..But, I really like all of these hobbies, and I wouldn't even do them in the first place if I didn't have a reason to apply them like butter on toast to my life. And, boy, do I love butter.
Hmmm, interesting. My current "alleviations" of stress are kind of like everything tasty that goes into a meal. My life is chock full of auditioning, meeting new people, racing around, commuting, commuting, did I mention commuting for sometimes 3 or 4 hours a day?, taking class, dancing with 13 year olds at Bar and Bat Mitvahs (that is my side job on the weekends)...believe me, all if these things really all don't fit into my 14 hour day that I create for myself, so do you think that I would actually treat myself to a a yoga class or a massage if I didn't view it as medicine in order to make a little more super human and bring me that much closer to maybe flying from one audition to the next?
So, by applying this medicinal butter to my life, I actually give myself a little bit of flavor-a little something different added to my standard (well, standard for me) every day activities. The massage it definitely the butter. I actually have never had a professional massage in my life, but I am having my first one done in a couple of weeks with a man that was recommended to me by another dancer. If butter makes toast richer and tastier, well, I can just hope that the massage will do this for me. Once he works out all of that built up lactic acid, I think that a cannibal would be much more interested in eating me...haha.
Let me make a wine analogy. You go out and buy a 100 dollar bottle of wine. Are you going to open it and drink it right away, or are you going to let it sit out on your table for an hour with its cork off and let it oxygenate in order for you to be able to actually taste its complexity-that complexity that you know is very much owed to you. How can you oxygenate and know your true potential until you sit still and let the air do it's work on you to make your best flavors and attributes really blossom-the flavors and attributes that you know are in there somewhere-the flavors and attributes that you know are very much owed to you.
Again, I know that this statement makes it seem as if I am saying to slow down so that you can simmer and let your flavors permeate-well, I am, but I know that a lot of us need a circuitous route to get us there to trick ourselves into thinking that we are not treating ourselves too much and being lazy, so by using the stress in my life as an instigator to drive me to apply the medicinal butter, I am now marinating as some spices are being injected from the yoga or moment of silence as all of my life experience is starting to coagulate and make sense.
For me, stress=inspiration=relax=marinate=growth=productivity that is more is more ripe than it would have been if I just continued to run around like that headless chicken that I unfortunately know too well...I know that chicken baked, roasted, fried, sauteed and grilled-all dry and flavorless. At least now, I can go back to the state of the headless chicken as maybe a grilled pesto and black pepper headless chicken after a day at the beach (on the A train pretending I am at the beach) or a pot of catnip tea (by the way, catnip tea is a muscle relaxer, and yes, it is the same catnip that you give to your cats-very effective-google it!)
I will leave you with this quote from the exquisitely and reminiscently innocent movie Horton Hears a Who, stated gleefully by Katie the yellow puffball animal (I truly cannot identify her species).: "The people on my planet all eat rainbows and poop out butterflies" This just makes me happy....maybe strange, but, many of us find comfort in some of our favorite quotes by hanging them on the wall needle point style or knowing that there is a book on our desk chock full of them...I think that these quotes say a lot about our individualities...and eccentricities if so applicable. I guess my extreme love for children's characters and the ridiculous may indeed be eccentric, but it keeps me young at heart; also, more importantly, who puts oneself in an imaginary world more convincingly and all-encompassing-ly than a child? Talk about a deception stress reliever. *DSR*
sweet!
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