My Dance Family

 Last December I decided to invest more time in my hobby, dance. There was a point where I wanted to get together my own crew. Even though I didn't end up having a dance company I got more, way more.

 First of all, while looking for dancers I made new friends. Second, I took more dance classes with them. Third, they invited me to different dance auditions. One of them was an audition for the Expose the Eastside. Ever since that audition I have been rehearsing with a group of dancers of different levels. I enjoyed every Saturday working with them.

 About two weeks ago we had our final performance and it was such an awesome experience.
We had a blast and according to the audience they were entertained as well.
We performed in Bellevue, WA on a big stage.

 What now? Now, that it's summer and our dance company is pretty much on a vacation  I am committed to attend classes at fabulous Westlake Dance Center and take hip hop classes since I mostly dance contemporary and jazz (which I could also improve). The funny thing is every time I go to classes there I see all the dancers I used to work with and it's a wonderful feeling of belonging.
I belong here because I am a dancer!

P.S. Thank you, Expose the Eastside dancers and choreographers! You are the funnest and the kindest, and most open and generous people. Love you all.

Dancing for a Good Cause

 About a week ago my friends from Expose the Eastside dance company and videographer Tracy Nystrom with his friend video director Norman Tumolva got together. What came out of it was an amzing experience, a lot of fun and one cool video ad.

  The reason we all came together was the charity event called "The Blind Cafe".

BLIND CAFÉ is a mystique charity event that travels around the country. This entrancing event is coming to Seattle on April 25^th, 26^th and 27^th2013!

http://theblindcafe.com/

Guests at the THE BLIND CAFÉ will dine on scrumptious fare of vegetarian cuisine, which promises to delight the most discerning palates, served by blind waiters in an ambience of pitch black darkness.

To promote the event we created a video that tells a story of a new blind waitress being trained by two experienced employees of the cafe.
Alex Wheelwright, the choreographer of the piece graduated from Cornish College of the Arts where she majoerd in Dance. She did a wonderful job in just 2 hours.

We hope you join us at the event. Remember, you help the blind Seattle community by showing up and having fun!

Roosevelt Dance Show 2013

 I'll be honest, I missed the beginning. Ok, ok! I did miss the end too. But the juicy middle, that, my friends, I enjoyed watching.

 The show was exciting and dancers did a beautiful job. There were moments where age didn't fit the dance and it looked quite inappropriate. For example, when three little girls were shaking it like Ciara and dancing to the words "I can do it upside down, I can do it circles" I was really hoping they have no idea what the song was about. Another moment when I felt that I shouldn't be even watching it was a hip hop dance group where the dance was very sexy involving girls and boys and one big dude who looked like he was in his mid thirties. Him dancing with a teenage girl made the audience feel a little awkward.

  My favorite crews were "3rd Shift", "Expose the Eastside" with their lovely dance, the Irish dance, bboys, and many more.
  Seattle is overflowing with talent.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjwHCWpgeWE 

Cure Me

  Lately I have been enjoying my vocation from school. I should say I spent my time very well - symphony, dance performances, musicals, dance classes, long walks, reading books, a football game. All of this goodness has helped me answer some of the questions that have been puzzling me. Watching talented people perform, listenning   to them, understanding them helped me understand myself.

Dance is a form of expressing yourself, it's like poetry, doesn't pay the bill but touches one's soul. Luckily poets turn to music and succeed at writing songs. Dancers? Most of you have gigs, some become teachers, a few reach the sky and become stars.

I remember one of my professors was saying that even a walk is a form of dance. Perhaps, dance is so natural to humans that we are all professional dancers, each one of us has a different style, a different story to "dance".

  Dance has helped me go through the toughest moments and it's been my way of expressing feelings. Some people draw, some sing, everybody has their way of unloading. My point is, art is often underastimated and it shouldn't. Art is not necessarily entertainment, and not all entertainment is art. Art can be medicine for your soul and that is a huge power.

Sally meets Stu

Danielle Agami, choreographer

 

 I had a great Friday. I took myself out on a date. Don't get me wrong, I can get a date, I just wanted to make sure it would go very well. Me, myself and I had a wonderful time. I went to see a dance performance choreographed by a new Seattle sensation Danielle Agami, who is actually very talented and deserves to be called amazing for her work.

  Today choreographers use little music if any which makes it so much more complicated for dancers to be syncronized. A dance looks like an organized chaos, just like life. "Sally meets Stu" describes one of life stories that looks like a total chaos but makes total sense. It's about love, sex, trust, relationships and being afraid of getting old alone. The plot reminds of  a German movie "Run, Lola, Run" where a main character keeps changing her route and according to those changes the rest of her day and eventually life changes.

  Who do you marry? The one you love or the one who you kind of like? The one who makes your heart race or the one who looks safe? many question this show have raised. Everybody can watch this show and get something out of it. It's easy to understand and it's very pleasing to an eye. At the same time I wouldn't recommend bringing young children. It's not your PG-13 show, it's more realistic than that.

 After the show I walked down the streets of cold, young and noisy Capitol Hill. Finally, when I got to my car that I magically was able to parallel park earlier it was time to go for sushi. If I was on a date there would be a chance he'd say, "I don't eat raw fish". Not tonight. Tonight I'm just wandering the streets of Seattle with no direction...

 

Dance will save us

 Some of you know that I have been working for www.alyfun.com this year. It's a website that sells LED lights used as home decor and accessories. Have we been successful? I'll be honest, it's been a rocky year but I've learnt so much!

  I am happy to inform that the website will be rebuilt by January 2013 and will concentrate only on accessories for performers, I'd say dance performers mostly. We do not offer LED lighted pillows and shoe lace on the website anymore but you can purchase them through our store on amazon.com

   All these changes are exciting and awesome. Hopefully, in a few years this small company with an elephant as a symbol of kindness, honesty and generosity will be helping more and more people. Today we want to help our dear friend Camilla Kuhns who suffers from eating disorder. By purchasing a gift for your loved ones you donate $2.00 to help Camilla pay for the treatment. For more information, please, visit her blog: http://millathenightbaker.blogspot.com/ and www.alyfun.com

Happy Holidays,
Aly G.

Dance to dance

  
  For a long time I was thinking that since I'm not the best dancer and I wouldn't want to devote my life only to dancing I shouldn't even invest much time and money in this passion of mine. At the same time whenever hard times come I pray and dance - this is how I find relief. Today I'm 25 and I wish I danced more. Even though I'm not one of the So You Think You Can Dance contestants it doesn't mean I don't dance.

   A few weeks ago I watched an episode of Abba's Ultimate Dance Competition (Features a dozen promising girl and boy dancers, ages 6 through 13, competing for a $100,000 cash prize and a scholarship to the Young Dancer Program at the Joffrey Ballet School in New York.) Those little girls fight and cry, they act like grown ups and the competition is very rough. Somebody will say, "Wow! What a great show! This is how you train and raise a star!" I agree, it's a great experience for a professional dancer especially of that young age. But what people like me who like to dance but decide to view it as a hobby? Do I call myself a dancer or am I not worthy of such a title?

   According to Wikipedia a dancer is one who performs a dance. "Dance is a type of art that generally involves movement of the body, often rhythmic and to music."
   I remember my dance professor (who had a PhD) told us that walking is dancing and yoga is another way of dance too. She is right. People are dancers, we dance through life. We breath in and out. We often follow the rhythm of our heartbeats. Have you noticed that when you hold somebody in your arms your breathing adjusts, your heartbeat becomes synchronized?

   Why do I dance? Because when I dance I can let my emotions go, because my moves will speak louder than words. This is the most comfortable way of expressing my emotions.
Now, can you call yourself a dancer even if you don't practice at least three times a week in a fancy dance studio?
  So, yes, I am a dancer. And so are you :)
https://vimeo.com/51976299