"If you ask yourself why dancers charge so much for performances and workshops etc. We don't get paid vacation, we don't get paid sick days, we don't get bonuses for outstanding performances nor for Christmas. We don't have insurance plans nor do we qualify for unemployment. We sacrifice our family on special days so that we can bring happiness to others. Illness or personal affairs are not excuses for a bad performance. Next time you ask, remember that dancers are dancers because of the love of music, movement and expression but that love doesn't pay debts!!!"
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All posts for the month November, 2011
I just want to give thanks to those who supported and spread the word about what I do. Special thanks to DJ Danny Dance for his recent shout outs on his blog and Twitter and also Bboy Thesis for sharing to his fans and friends. I'm sure I'm missing names, but I just wanted to express my gratitude. Happy Thanksgiving, ya'll.
I received a few submissions after the "Participation" post. Two of them went to my email, but you can check out Tony Z.'s submission in the comments here.
Shouts out to Jemale and Richard for also sending videos. For future submissions, I'd prefer them in the my blog comments, but if you're a bit shy you can email me too. =)
EDIT: Richard also put in his submission into the comments.
When I was first learning how to house dance in 2000, I practiced about 2-3 hours a day almost every day. Nowadays, I don't practice as often - most of my "practice" comes from teaching or dancing at clubs - but every now and then I'll session for a little bit, particularly when I want to expand my vocabulary or fix my form. My typical practice session consists of freestyling, working on 1 or 2 new moves (I think I was just learning how to do the "set-up" in the first video), and working on my form without compromising my dance/groove too much. Oh, and making sure my pants don't fall. Don't ever limit your practice time to mere drills; remember, you're a dancer, not a machine.
From March, 2009
From October, 2011
In both these practices, I danced to the songs for the first time. After you get more experienced with musicality, you'll develop a sense for what's going to happen next in the music. Notice also how I matched the feel of the music by dancing harder on the first video in comparison to the softer music on the second video. While at first you may have to do these things consciously, with time it becomes second nature.