currently obsessed with: death of us & everything beyonce has released the past 3 months…

“IF YOU GOT A CUTE FACE & A BOOTY TOO FAT, UH OHHHHH!!!”

My first full-fledged post back is a big one – as least to me! It’s a new gem & a not-so-new jam that are both on current rotation in every music product I own. Everytime I hear them you know what happens - I HAVE to start moving! One is a hardcore dance jam that was passed up by Rihanna, and the others are by the Queen of EVERYTHING Mrs. Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter (yes, I geeked out right there, you should expect that by now.) ANNNDDD I have an extreme bone to pick with her too! Flip the page and we’ll get to gettin’!

update: i’m alive!

Hello friends!

I’M ALIVE!!!

I know, I know – I took another inadvertent break (the longest one so far), but I’m happy to announce that I’m back now! We all know how life has a funny way of slowing down and speeding up and my life ramped up to a ridiculous speed. As I’ve said before, something had to give, and much like last time, it was the blog and my social media communication. As much as I like the large reach being on social media gives me, it’s always so exhausting to keep up with it along with the everyday life of maintaining a dance career. I do hope to become better at it though. I’m rebuilding a backlog of posts to keep you entertained this summer. I am working again with HTE Dance for most of June – August, but I’m determined not to fall behind like I did last summer.

You can look forward to new posts (the first one being today!), as well as some new twitter interaction and good stuff like that. I ask that you send me some good vibes and thoughts this summer, as I’ll be working my butt off to possibly bring you some new choreography demos and finally finish my doggone website! Thanks for sticking by me and if I’m not here, you can always find me here or here!

with love, B <3

the capital B – bow down!!!

The new Beyonce buzz track has me too hype this morning!

Now she done told y’all - “the capital B means I’m ’bout dat life!” for me that means the dancelife! Just a little Monday fun for you to start the week off right! Have a great week everyone! New blog post coming soon!

philosophy/inspiration: body image

As a dancer, many of us have a love/hate relationship with our bodies. We want better feet, longer legs, smaller chests, better flexibility. We often love what our bodies help us to achieve and revel in its strengths, but it’s the weaknesses that we focus on.  We spend hours looking in the mirror repeating exercise after exercise, trying to reach the ideal, but aren’t always taught that it’s unattainable. For the passionate perfectionists out there like myself, that’s a hard pill to swallow. That pursuit of perfection starts us on a journey that can force us to create unhealthy habits that can sometimes lead us down a dangerous path. Though the folly of our youth (and often this industry) may tell us otherwise, in time many of us learn to love and embrace our imperfections just as much as our strengths. Here’s my story. so far.

currently obsessed with: new jack swing style

“whatchu know bout this kinda music?!”

I’ve stated many times (probably too many) that I love music, any and all types. The studio production, lyrics, promotion, visual medium, everything. I’m sure I’ll be 55 years old and booming pop  and dance hits and reading young people for filth for talking smack about it. For the past two weeks though, I’ve been feeling the old school hits, lots of new jack swing-kinda stuff from the late 80s and early 90s. A lot of the songs I comes across are ones I weren’t too familiar with from artists I didn’t even know released albums. For those newbs to the New Jack Swing style, it’s a fusion genre of R&B, hip-hop, and dance pop techniques. Lots of synthesizer, drum machines and keyboard sounds, so you know I’m in heaven! Think about it in this perspective: take Janet Jackson’s vocals, add Doug E. Fresh beatbox style and a solid 808 drum track in the back and you’ve got New Jack Swing.

choreo journal #8 – free

“…the moon and the stars / you know they’re really aren’t so far / I feel so free…”

- lyrics from “Blue”, composed & produced by Yoko Kanno, vocals by Mai Yamane, from Cowboy Bebop OST 3 “Blue”

Recently, I posted about “epic” songs. You know, the songs that make you feel open and free and want to soar to the highest heights. You love to listen to them because they make you feel great.

When it comes to creating movement set to the music, it’s a COMPLETELY different story. I don’t know what it is about – is it that I don’t think my movement would do the song justice?

Day 76: Dating Dancers

Reblogged from 4 0 2:

Here are nine things you should know about dating dancers (inspired by this clever post about dating architects).

1. Dancers’ tastes are highly prone to change. They might love pancakes and blues music on Sunday and then think pancakes and blues music are the worst on Monday. This adaptability serves them well in the studio. If a movement they imagine doesn’t seem to work in real life, they’ll change it.

Read more… 434 more words

A funny (but true) blog about dating a dancer from Ashleigh Penrod's 402 blog, in which she publishes a post daily for 402 days. Check it out - #4, #8, & #9 are my favorites!