Exercise

If you want a really good leg workout, I would have to prescribe Bolero and Waltz. Slow and beautiful, but stretches those quads slowly and beautifully quite a bit with each side step that is taken. It's odd having muscle. And people say Waltz is a sissy dance. Give it a try! Ready and, 1 - 2 -3 - 1 -2 -3 x 500. Thank you.

Update on Dancing.

This past Tuesday, I had a checkout with a coach from Iceland in the first two levels of ten dances. Adding up all these patterns and variations is around 182. Then you would have to multiply that by two in order to get the amount for both leading and following. That is 364 patterns that I had to memorize altogether. Not just the steps, but theory behind each and every step. From how the pattern should be aligned on the floor, how much pressure to put into each step and even how to teach each step. After this 3.5 hour test, I finished and passed. It was one of the most stressful and nerve racking experiences I have had in a long time. What helped was knowing that it was a learning experience and I had to treat that way.

There might be chance of competing in Las Vegas at the end of the month in the Waltz and the Tango. Then Washington D.C. in December with Waltz, Tango, Rumba and ChaCha. The Waltz routine is finished, it's just time to make the Tango very dramatic and powerful. The entrance to the Tango is astounishing. We will see how this competing goes.

Teaching has been great. Now having this recent certification makes me more confident with each concept that I present to my students. Our mission statement is to change peoples lives through dancing. It is amazing to witness just that. I've seen people relax from a stressful day at work here at the studio. I've seen people become more confident with their self image. I feel like I have changed a few lives through this. Yes, dancing is the focus, but there is so many underlying benefits that everyone discovers further down this path of dancing. To be apart of this system is remarkable.

Now it is time to get ready for my next certification which will the toughest of all. It will take about six months to prepare for and more countless steps to learn, along with two more dances in this certification, Bolero and Vienesse Waltz. There has been challeneges all across this journey. Frustration, confusion, joy and accomplishment all comes with this journey. So many emotions. I just have to look at the bigger picture of the lives that are changing and the lives that will be touched further throughout this journey.

It is amazing that I dance for a living. It is even more amazing to share this with others.

More writings to come. If you ever wanted to take lessons, let me know. I'll hook you up.

Amazing Routine.

We have a student doing something like this at Showcase today.



Now it's time to get ready to do more freestyles and perform a professional Waltz routine. Oh yeah!

Where the Wild Things Are

I'm excited.

Feels like the whole movie should be done by Sigur Rós.



Amen.

The Highest Title.

Yes. I did it. I auditioned for American Idol.

Try not to laugh. It was hard for me to keep a straight face watching all the crying faces that didn't make it past the producers.

The day went like this:

Wake up at 4:00am to be at Invesco Field at 5:00am

Wait in line for ninety minutes with 8,000 hopefuls till we finally got into the stadium

Spend another hour doing camera footage

During this hour, learn a Carrie Underwood crowd song for everyone to sing to be used for the show. The song is called 'Last Name' which has the most ridiculous lyrics ever. Ever, ever, ever. The story line behind this song is about a girl getting wasted with a bit of poison (alcohol). In the end, she marries some guy and does not even know his last name. Which results not knowing her last name either. I wish I could write something that well. *coughcough*

Finally the auditions are about to happen. On the other side of the field there are twelve tents set up for the the producers to audition a bunch of hopefuls. Four at a time audition just for the producer. You don't even introduce yourself or what you do for a living, you just get up there and start singing until they put a hand up. The very talented and not so very talented singers that are good for the camera went on to face another round.

One hour into the auditions they had a surprise guest to be revealed. So they halted the auditions for one hour so Ryan Seacrest can make a special appearance. Wow, a waste of time.

Finally, after ten hours of waiting in the sun. It was my turn. I sang for twenty seconds and was so relieved to be done with the day. I still had to get to work and teach a few dance lessons. I didn't care about moving onto the next round, the whole idea behind this show is ridiculous.

It was amazing sitting there for ten hours and people watch. The biggest disappointment is that all these people can come together to try and make it onto a silly t.v. show, but this many people can't come together for cause that is more important to the world. I feel sorry for the people that live for this show. People should live for something that really matters.

Englewood... who knew?

I moved to Englewood a few weeks ago to be closer to work. Instead of about three hours of a bus ride every day from Denver to the studio and back, it is nice being five minutes to work. It is odd not having twelve hour days anymore. I can actually sit down and play guitar, write a little, watch a movie and discover new bands with the extra time. Thankfully the local liquor store two blocks away carries Newcastle, I smiled that first trip.

I am living with an old friend from high school who turns out to be a co-worker as well. Lisa Picard and I are are sharing a two-bedroom house. It is nicely renovated with all hardwood floors and very very nice tile and countertops in the kitchen. Comes with a washer and dryer too. There is also a trampoline that just so happened to be there when we moved in. Located in the big backyard, it is a great place for Lisa's puppies. I just need to get a barking collar...

The dancing has been amazing. It is pretty cool to know that I dance for a living. We teach intro lessons for a pretty good price and that is what I have been working with mostly. I had my first extension last week, so they could continue on with lessons. My extension rate is 50% right now and I hope to keep that percentage for the rest of this year. It is nice to teach and make people smile through dancing. I have worker with some tough stories, but knowing that I put a smile on their face is the most amazing feeling in the world.

I taught six lessons last week, which is a descent amount for just starting six weeks ago. This week, I am booked to teach around sixteen lessons in just four days. Craziness. I have learned tons, not just dancing, but teaching as well.

There might be a chance of competing in October at Las Vegas in the smooth category, meaning waltz and tango. Or in November head to Washington D.C. to compete also. Maybe rhythm categories too, which are cha cha and rumba. It will be in the future champions category, for teachers that have two years or less experience teaching. A lot of opportunities with this job. It is amazing thinking that we had a staff meeting one day and worked on some Lindy Hop and we got paid for it. Too good to be true to have work that I enjoy.

Well, there is an update right now. I could write much much more of all these amazing stories I have encountered so far with this "job", but I don't know where to begin.

See some of you in June!

We'll have to dance it up.

Steps in my Mind.

When I have been waiting for the bus or lightrail, I find myself doing all these different dance steps without thinking about it. Then I walk by a store that is playing music and bust into some type of dance. It must make for an interesting sight.

I am currently at work right now on my lunch break. I'm so glad they use Macs here!

My feet should hurt a lot more than they currently are. I have twelve dances under my belt, both lead and follow. I get to be tested on Monday to see if I know ten of them. Then I will be certified to teach beginners. I've been doing mock lessons with fellow instructors and it has been a great learning experience. The dances that I have picked up thus far are: Fox Trot, Waltz, Tango, Rumba, Triple Swing, Cha Cha, 2-Step, Mamba, Merengue, Samba, Salsa and the Hustle. Many more to come also!

When the weekends come, let me know if you want to dance. Seriously.

It is interesting to think that I dance for a living. Wow.

Light Rail Travels/Writings

Took the bus from Boulder to Denver last night after a day in Longmont. I was sitting by myself on this party bus. Everyone was heading to Denver to hit up all the clubs this fine Friday night. Fifteen minutes into the ride after falling asleep, someone asked to sit next to me to get away from the craziness that was happening in the back of the bus. We talked the whole time about life. Life including: school, music, Colorado, futures and food. I even received a free piece of trident gum. He did a semester at a Catholic school in San Diego, then transferred up to the School of Mines majoring in Environmental Engineering. He is going to move to Chile when he is done with school just to 'live'. He was on a way to a concert at the Bluebird theatre. I gave him directions of what bust to take and then we parted ways. I could have asked him for his name, but it just seemed appropriate to have conversations with this stranger and leave it at that.

I like public transportation.

I was out an about today and ran into this guy that I have only met once. It was great conversation with those five glasses of water. Mmm... Refreshing after walking everywhere. Turns out that this person is the dean of admissions at the National Theatre Conservatory in Denver. This is a three year MA program that only accepts ten actors a year. Tuition fully paid for. We talked about theatre for those five glasses of water. He just said that people just need to get their foot in the door in order to get started into this field. So, I asked him where is this door located? He offered me a scholarship for some classes at NTC sometime in the future, maybe this summer or maybe even next year. Just depending when I want to.

I found my door.

Now I am on the light rail heading to Park Meadows Mall. I need to get a few things before I start my job on Monday. Time to be professional. I am even starting a workout schedule.

Amazing opportunities before me.

Side note:

The weather is amazing today, especially while listening to the musical 'The Last Five Years'. Most creative musical. Ever. It reminds me of the movie 'Momento'. Starts an opening song with Cathy at the end of a relationship with Jamie and it moves backwards through the show until she meets him for first time. Jamie starts from the beginning of his and Cathy's relationship and progresses towards the end. The only time they sing together is at their wedding singing their 'I do's'. Throughout this show you can interpret who's fault was the down fall of their relationship. Written in 2002 by Jason Robert Brown. Just a two person cast.

Job.

Finally.

I start training as a ballroom dance instructor at Arthur Murray studios in Lakewood, CO on Monday. It is going to be an amazing experience and opens up so so many doors down the road. Get to learn ten different styles of dance from the get go and more to come as well.

I shall post a first week on the job and let you know my experiences.

Wow.

Amazing.

Enjoyable.

My new favorite hobby is getting lost in a park while getting lost in a book. When you walk to this location, I would recommend something by Sigur Rós, Brand New, Jimmy Eat World or your own soundtrack of your life. If you longboard to this location, I would recommend the original cast recording of Rent or the cast from The Last Five Years.

Currently reading 'Peace Like a River' by Leif Enger. Thank you for the recommendation Bryce.

Perks.

"So, I guess we are who we are for a lot of reasons. And Maybe we'll never know most of them. But even if we don't have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there. We can still do things. And we can try to feel okay about them."

-the perks of being a wallflower

Just finished this book for the second time. And, Wow. It is a quick read and very thoughtful even more this time around. It probably took a total of four hours. Read it.

Also, I am in need of a new book. Let me know your favorite.

Lost.

I have finally caught up, then I was saddened that there wouldn't be a new episode this week. My favorite part about the show is not just the hectic story line, but the way the actors are able to progress as the season goes on. Evangeline Lilly who plays Kate Austen is the one that has exponential increased her talents since she first started. It is fun to sit back and watch actors grow just as the story grows along with them. Try it some time. I double-dog-dare you to.

Also, congrats to Sean Penn and his performance as Harvey Milk in MILK. It is interesting comparing the events of Prop 6 to those of Prop 8. If you haven't seen the film, I highly recommend it. It comes out today, the 10th.

Album Idea.

Hello to the internet. I have this idea that sort of plopped into my head. We shall see where it takes us.

I've always wanted to write with themes and I finally have an idea. Colors. Blue. Red. Yellow. Etc. Yes, Colors. And there will be fictional stories/songs about these colors. I will include an example of Blue. It is just free writing right now of ideas, no specific lyrics quite yet, just randomness.

BLUE:

She was a single mother now. Her eyes were as bright as the sky. The soothing voice she carried on traveled by the ocean. Her past was so alone, her calm voice covered her bruises. But she knows that her baby boy needs a better life than this. She believes that the waterfall is the only way to go home. Though death was not just a fall, but a way to the end. The breath of the man who hit her was long gone. A drop of liquor made the rain from her eyes start. Don't worry now, she never worries, she is calmed by the sand beneath her toes and the crushing of waves. The waterfall made her calm once more.

That is her story of Blue.

Thank you.

Improv and Improve.

I recorded another song and put it up on the space. Recorded it yesterday instead of cleaning my room. I did it all in one try with each track. I also made up the lyrics as well. Kinda fun. It's not the greatest, but it is fun fun fun. Enjoy?

Insert Noise.

For some odd reason I feel motivated to write more music. Be on the look out for more avant-garde weirdness.

Golden Ticket.

Admit one to 2009 scholarship auditions on January 31st in Seattle, Washington for the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts: School of Film + Television. I'm so glad fall break is during that time. And yes, I'll keep you posted.

Charles Darwin (1809-1882)

It's nice knowing that I am a third of the way through my biology course. Three hours a day is pretty intense, especially when talking about evolution the entire time. At least we do get breaks! That is how I am able to write this quick blog.

The weather has been quite ridiculous here. Spokane has made the national news several times in the past couple weeks. When I arrived back to school, I was surround by four-feet of snow. We just had a little path in our drive way in order to get to the house. Half of the snow has melted, but it seems like it could just dump some more any moment.

A school in NYC will also call me this week expressing my interest in their summer acting program. It is called SFT, meaning school for film and television. It is a smaller school on the east coast, but one of the big names from the school is Matthew Fox (Jack from LOST). Even if I won't do the summer program this upcoming summer, it will be nice to know what is out there. I'm so excited to get into this new field of study and fully pursue this new world. Updates will happen of course!

Water Aerobics and Evolution.

Let's just say, I'm never making fun of all those old ladies at the public pools. I'm currently taking two course during Jan-term. Evolutionary Biology and Water Aerobics.

I have never had a good teacher in the subject of science, so it is nice to have a refreshing look into science. It is a very interesting class discussing evolution in all it's forms and theories. Currently, we are discovering different religious ideas with evolution. There is this girl in my small discussion group that reads the bible very literal. I never actually met or argued with someone that is that literal with the bible. She doesn't believe there should be women pastors and she also believes that the Earth is 6,000 years old. It turns out she dropped the class yesterday. It is unfortunate that she wouldn't be able to back up her faith even more by learning all the details about evolution. It seems like quite a few Christians are ignorant to the world around them by not even take the step to understand why people believe what they believe, instead, they just drop the class.

Water Aerobics is intense. Sums it up in one word. I feel rather ridiculous running around in shallow water doing all these different exercises that look really foolish. My back is sore, my calves burn, my pecs hurt, but it feels great! This will be the most intense three weeks with science and working out in the water everyday. So I decided to set a goal and head to bed by 11pm each school night. Actually, I have gone to bed at 10pm already this week. Water Aerobics wears you out!

So please don't judge people that are evolutionists or water aerobic extraordinaires unless you have already dived into the depths of each.

A Story.

Once upon a time there was an old woman who used to meditate on the bank of the Ganges. One morning, finishing her meditation, she saw a scorpion floating helplessly in the strong current. As the scorpion was pulled closer, it got caught in roots that branched out far into the river. The scorpion struggled frantically to free itself but got more and more entangled. She immediately reached out to the drowning scorpion, which, as soon as she touched it, stung her. The old woman withdrew her hand but, having regained her balance, once again tried to save the creature. Every time she tried, however, the scorpion's tail stung her so badly that her hands became bloody and her face distorted with pain. A passerby who saw the old woman struggling with the scorpion shouted, "What's wrong with you, fool! Do you want to kill yourself to save that ugly thing?" Looking into the stranger's eyes, she answered, "Because it is the nature of the scorpion to sting, why should I deny my own nature to save it?"

-Sister Joan Chittister, a Benedictine nun

Reading a book for evolutionary biology called 'The Language of God'. I never thought I would enjoy a biology class this much.

Beauty and the Lonely Beast