sitting at whole foods

So I'm sitting at the Whole Foods cafe drinking a kombucha and granny smith apple chips. For those of you who don't know, kombucha is fermented tea. They have different flavors, and my personal favorite is Cranberry because it tastes very similar to red wine. The tea does have a little bit of alcohol in it, but it's so insignificant that people under 21 can purchase it (however it used to have a higher percentage until Whole Foods took it off the market to reduce the alcohol content). Anyways it's amazing. It tastes like a sparkling fruit beverage, except real - not phony. [I always feel like Holden Caulfield when I say 'phony']

At first I was reading the Fountainhead, and then someone came up to me asking about the book. It is awesome and I highly recommend it. Read about it on wikipedia - it has a great description and explanation of the philosophy, plot, characters, etc. The boy who came up to me told me that the protagonist of the novel could have been based on the architect Frank Lloyd Wright (even though Wright and Rand both denied it).

Anyways then I put down the book and facebooked and listened to dark side of the moon (one of the best albums ever -- i feel another list coming on!) and then watched some Prix de Lausanne vids.

I am having camera issues; it still takes photos, but it cannot zoom in. I do promise to have a video up of my variation and possibly the contemporary piece. I am rehearasing the contemporary tomorrow with my jazz teacher (who graciously offered to help me). I am nervous because I know that I'm an amateur choreographer, and I rushed to put together this piece. I hope that she can help me fix the awkward moments and blank spaces.

ta ta for now! I promise to be a better blogger with vids and pics!!

summer '68

"summer 68'" pink floyd

I've been having a really hard time getting into the 'spirit' of dancing these past few months. I almost never feel like going to dance, and I have no initiative to dance. Classes are boring and monotonous... they drag on and I can't wait to get out of class. I know that this isn't the real me, and I hate how this is happening to me. Is it a coincidence, or is the same thing happening to me now that happened to me last year? I don't want to be depressed, I want to dance because I know I love it. I can feel the pounds creeping on and my technique getting worse.

I need to re-evaluate things this weekend.

On a better note, I have officially seen every Seinfeld episode! It is hard to say which are my favorite episodes, but these are some that I always remember:
- the red dot (cashmere sweater)
- the pez dispenser
- the contest
- the glasses
- the soup nazi
- the sponge
- bizarro jerry
- the little jerry
- van buren boys
- the susie

I'm sure I'm missing a bunch, but this is what I remember from just reading the episode titles on wiki.

I will try to write some other time this weekend, and hopefully I will be more uplifted and can actually talk about some ballet tips/technique or something ballet-related

drain you

"drain you" nirvana

My achilles started acting up yesterday. I was massaging my foot, and then I hit a weird place to the left of my left achilles right above the heel. Now it hurts to dance and even to walk. I'm scared. I had the cortisone shot done in mid-November, so it has only been three months. I'm almost done with auditions, but I don't want it to start hurting again! I can't even imagine being in that pain. I am so scared. For now I think I will try icing it after classes (even though I hate doing this). My doctor always told me to submerge my feet in a bucket of ice and cold water for atleast 10 minutes (or until it gets numb).

Thought I would have a movie list for today =]

favorite movies ever: (not in any particular order)
-boondock saints
-king's speech
-la vita e bella
-pulp fiction
-the departed
-across the universe
-amadeus
-wayne's world
-zoolander
-miracle at st. anna
-amelie
-harold and kumar go to white castle

Today our school hosted a sort of Ballet Teachers' Convention. A bunch of teachers watched our technique and partnering class. A bit embarrassing because I completely fell doing a double pique turn. Tomorrow I have ballet pedagogy (which I absolutely love, but it stinks to sit on the floor in the studio with no back support).

Today my friend and I had a mini-photoshoot. We are planning on applying to americanapparel for jobs. Part of the requirement is to send in photos of our own "style", and show other pieces of art or clothing that inspire us, etc etc. I would love to work at AA because of how interested they are in their employees and their style. I love the clothes and how I can put together so many outfits. I just need to find out where I will be this summer and upcoming year so I know which location to apply to.

Going to read some more (The Fountainhead) and off to bed! ta ta for now!

car hiss by my window

"car hiss by my window" the doors




First, I would like to apologize for being 2-3 days late in my posting. I promised I would be talking about The King's Speech. After I watched it, I was literally speechless - no pun intended. Because it has been a few days since I saw it, I have been able to collect my thoughts. It has definitely made my favorite movie list (hmmm new list!!). For those of you who don't know, it's a British film starring Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush at their best. What seemed like a simple and well, boring plot, was actually what made the movie so intelligent.

It takes place in England before and during the beginning of WWII. The Duke of York (Colin Firth) had a very horrible stammer that prevented him from delivering speeches to his public. His wife finds an Australian speech-therapist (Geoffrey Rush) who agrees to secretly cure the Duke. The Duke's training session begins with much doubt, and he actually left his first session. Lionel Logue (the speech-therapist) tricks the Duke into coming back once the Duke has listened to a record of himself saying the "to be or not to be" soliloquy with perfect fluidity (Lionel tricked him by making him listen to Mozart's Marriage of Figaro while unknowingly saying the soliloquy perfectly without any stammers).

Their therapy sessions were unique in the way of their process; Lionel had the Duke exercising, singing, dancing, screaming, and even swearing. Sounds weird, but it worked. By making him do these embarrassing or hard exercises, Lionel prepared the Duke for any situation such as the feeling of tightness on the chest (he had his wife sit on top of the Duke).

What made this movie even more interesting was the fact that it is historical. Of course there is added drama for the effect (such as the swearing, in-formalities, and Winston Churchill's portrayal). After King George V's death, his first son took the throne, but soon abdicated and eloped. This left the Duke of York to the throne. The climax of the film was when King George VI had forty minutes to prepare his first formal speech as King to his country when the war first began.

As I said before, I left his movie absolutely speechless. Now it is all I can talk about. Every moment, every character, in this film was necessary - there were no awkward pauses or moments. I would give this film five out of five stars. It was dramatic, historical, comedic, and realistic. It portrays man's smallest fears which end up being his biggest fears. More than that, it proves that even an ordinary man (Lionel) can make the biggest difference in someone's life (or country). I recommend this film for people of all ages (there are two scenes where they repeatedly swear, but it is for therapy, not insults). It will make you cry, but in the end, they will be tears of joy.

hotel california

hotel california by the eagles. classic. second favorite song ever

just wanted to write a few before bed. watched "the king's speech" and it was amazing, and I want to write about it more in depth tomorrow. anyone else see it?

quick good news: accepted to Texas Ballet Theatre's SI. Woot woot!

will talk again tomorrow =D

revolver

"revolver" rage against the machine

I must say that one of my most favorite things to do is making lists.... crazy right? Call me a weirdo, I don't care, but I love being organized in my routines. I think it would be cool to have a list for every post I have. Right now music is on my mind so...

Favorite music artists (sometimes the order changes depending on the day or week or month... but it is always these artists)

1. beatles
2. pink floyd
3. led zeppelin
4. muse
5. dave matthews band
6. queen
7. rolling stones
8. sublime
9. nirvana
10. green day
11. radiohead
12. the doors
13. bob dylan

Anyways, so today was a normal day. We had technique, partnering, Paquita rehearsal, and Gamzatti rehearsal. My blisters still hurt, but are way better than last Friday. I couldn't finish Gamzatti en pointe, so I did the second part of rehearsal on flat shoes. We are doing the pas de trois from Paquita. We learned the two girls' variations today and had a sort of audition (even though I feel the parts have already been chosen). I like the variation with the pas bourees and breeze vole's. The other one is great too, but I prefer the petit allegro variation.

In Gamzatti rehearsal, we have especially been working on my epaulement and hands which tend to be too tense. I need to build up my stamina so I began doing my treadmill workouts again. I walk 4 mph for 0.4 miles, and then jog 5.5 mph for 0.5 miles, and then walk 3.5 mph for 0.1 miles. Then I stop and do crunches and push ups. Then I repeat the whole process again. In the end I have walked one mile and jogged one mile in about 25-30 minutes.

Anyone else know some cardio0building exercises that do not involve running or putting pressure on the joints? At my boarding school we have a treadmill... that's all our "working-out equipment" unfortunately. Would love comments or messages about any other exercises to build stamina/cardio.

I need to study calculus since I am not doing so well =/
Until tomorrow!
xoxo

wish you were here

"wish you were here" pink floyd. one of my absolute faves.



Great news! I finished choreographing my contemporary solo! Although it still needs extreme editing, but now I have a place and movement to do onstage for every part of the song (last week I had a bunch of empty spaces). Although this is no artistic-feat since I have been rushing to finish it, I would like to edit it and use it in the future (perhaps at Pittsburgh Ballet's Summer Intensive Choreography show). I have had my brother shorten the music for me to 2:15.... the original song is about 5-6 minutes! So perhaps for the Choreography show, I can lengthen it and add more dancers.

Today an Artistic Director came in from a local company in Miami to take a look at our seniors. I felt that I did well, but I didn't feel comfortable and at ease today. My body just felt strange. I think maybe it's because at the moment I am going through a rough time with my whole vegan diet. I have been a "fish-eating" vegan for a little more than two years now. However I always shutter to call myself a vegan because I cheat quite often (cheese is my downfall). Lately, this past month, I have been thinking of going just vegetarian. But I feel that I am killing the part of myself that feels vegan is the healthiest way to go. It is just so hard to get the right nutrition at a boarding school that does not supply tofu or more vegetarian options. Tonight I'm food shopping, so hopefully I can get more ideas other than my soup that I've been having for dinner every night this past month...

On top of everything else, I really need to lose about five pounds. I'm scared that if I 'diet' I will go crazy and not eat enough. The life of a dancer is a never-ending hell. However I can never imagine doing any other profession.