DANCE BREAK!!! Yanis Marshall & Brian Friedman, “Breathe On Me”

“JUST PUT YOUR LIPS TOGETHER….AND BLOWWWWWW….”

So I’m sure you all remember the last dance break I showcased, and how I mentioned my love for bevys of bad b*tches…but there’s one thing that matches sexy girls almost toe to toe – guys in heels! Up-and-coming French ingenue Yanis Marshall teamed up with seasoned veteran Brian Friedman to choreograph a fire-hot heels combination to one of my favorite Britney Spears song, “Breathe On Me.” Yanis’ claim to fame is his fun, feminine choreo which he usually performs in sky-high platform heels, while Brian has danced & choreographed for every big name in the book – Britney, Janet, Justin Bieber, EVERYBODY. Put them together and you get this little gem that might leave you clutching your pearls. I’m a big fan of both men’s choreo, and although I don’t feel the combo is either of their best work (check these out here and here), it’s definitely a KILLER.

spotlight: 2014 MTV VMA’s a.k.a the #BeyMAs

I’m not surprised that it would take the power of Bey to get me back to blogging…but she did it so let’s jump in it!

Last night, the incomparable Beyoncé Knowles was presented the MTV Michael Jackson Video Vanguard award. The Video Vanguard Award, also known as the Lifetime Achievement Award, is given to musicians who have made a profound effect on the MTV culture. Beyoncé’s influence is one of the strongest in the music industry today. With sold out tours, record-breaking music debuts, and successful endeavors amounting in a multi-million dollar net worth,  Beyoncé is the reason, the blueprint, and the design!

Since I haven’t down a rundown in a hot minute, why not breakdown Bey’s 15-minute mini set of songs from her self-titled album that dropped like a thief in the night last December. You ask “Why?”, flip the page and let me show you.

 

I’m back (obviously)…lol

So hello again my friends! I’ve missed blogging and talking to all of you! So it’s always my goal to post continuously, but sometimes life gets in the way.
I took another inadvertent break, but instead of apologizing, I’m gonna pick up where I left off! In four hours, I make my triumphant return to the blog with a rundown of the 2014 MTV VMA’s! If you watched it, you know what’s coming….

looking forward to catching up with y’all!
❤ B

DANCE STORY MOMENT!!!

As I was in class today getting my music ready for warmup, my kids were reviewing what we cleaned last class (hallelu!) As they got to a section of choreo that’s been giving them problems, one dancer turned to another as she finished marking the sequence and said, “You know Bryan wouldn’t accept that!” The other dancer nodded and said “I know, you’re right…” and proceeded to do it again in a manner that I would approve. I had to excuse myself to the next room where I nearly died laughing on the floor!!! Thank the Lord these babies know my standards!

10 things you don’t know about bryan o’shea…

DANNNGGG y’all! I’ve been gone for a minute. I apologize, it’s been a busy season. New posts are coming though, as next week is spring break for me and I am vowing to write at least one post a day. Until then, I feel bad for neglecting you guys, so here’s a bit of something fun! Maybe you’ll learn something new about me? Flip the script to find out one of my biggest (& most embarrassing) guilty pleasures…

why i blog…

Someone asked me (quite sarcastically) why I had a blog and why somebody would care enough to read my thoughts. I gave them this.

we write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.”

– Anaïs Nin

dance break!!! kyle hanagami choreography, “i don’t care”

SEXY LADIES AHEAD!!!!

Do I have your attention???
Good. now watch this.

As you know, I love me a bevy of bad b*tches werkin, so Kyle Hanagami’s “I Don’t Care” choreo demo is  the dance break for today!  Filled with 4 sexy ladies dancing in the street regaling the fact that they don’t give a damn about you so they burned your clothes to ashes and crashed their car and they don’t careeeeeeeee!!!! I just love the fun and frivolity of it all as well as Kyle’s dynamic, ultra-feminine choreo.  Each dancer adds their own flair and life to the movement, filling the video with lots of replay value to see each girl’s style; not to mention the sizzling carwash edit smack in the center of the dancing! Kyle Hanagami is a choreographer of admiral repute who based out of LA and recently started a YouTube series in late 2013 called “Making Moves”, which chronicles the everyday lives of Hanagami and his friends who appear in most of his choreo videos he creates. He’s amassed a following (me included) because of his style and versatility. Check out “Making Moves” on Kyle’s YT page and peep his other demos there too!

inspirations, beliefs, philosophies: is a dance career a *REAL* career?

A while back as a colleague and I were talking about a company we work for, the topic of conversation moved from our usual dance-related musings to our availability for some upcoming gigs. Our boss is a generous and understanding man who cut his teeth in the corporate world and then transitioned to the artistic one, but he doesn’t often understand the life of artists and people in non-corporate fields. A week or so before, I sent my schedule of availability to the corporate office which included all dates I could accept gigs as well as dates that I couldn’t. It just so happened that this year I was unavailable for a gig that I usually make myself available for and my boss was highly disappointed. He took it upon himself to go ask my colleague, “Why is Bryan not available for this event? He usually works it. He’s not doing anything new and he doesn’t have a real job, so I don’t understand why he’s not available!”

I’ll admit, when I heard this, I was low-key offended. “A real job?!”, I thought to myself – “what on Earth am I out here doing everyday and night?! Playing?!” After I settled my nerves about the shade of it all, it got me thinking, “Is a dance career a “REAL” career?”  Why wouldn’t it be? For those of us in this career path, there’s no other answer but YES. We throw our bodies around rehearsing and performing, tax our minds planning and codifying lessons, shrink our wallets training and keeping up with what’s next…sounds like a career to me! Although that’s my reality, I wanted to get the consensus from the other side, from people who aren’t dancers or in the arts industry. Flip the page to see what I found…

it’s a celebration – my 2 year blogiversary!!!

It’s my blogiversary!!! #TURNUP!!! Just in case you’re a little confused: On this day two years ago, I published my first blog post and said hello to the world through the loveliness of WordPress! From then to now, I’ve published 77 blog entries, which encompass everything from my biggest loves to my biggest insecurities and so much in between! I’ve enjoyed sharing my experiences living this dance life with you and I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about them! Here’s to many more years of blogging and many MANY more posts!

much love to you ALL!  ~b

choreo journal #11: the art of letting go

RELAX. RELATE. RELEASE.

This dancelife does not quit y’all.  After a full Monday through Thursday of taking and teaching classes, creating choreography, and a performance or two, I’m damn near beat. As much as I love it, the fatigue in my bones, muscles, tendons, and joints all want to take a looong break in my very comfortable bed. Then comes Friday. The end of my week is punctuated with company class and rehearsal for dancEnlight, one of the two modern companies that I dance with. I drag my physical body out of bed, toss some food down my gullet, throw on an eclectic array of dance clothing, jump in the car, battle traffic and time, arrive at the studio, say hello, and try to warmup – all that is before class begins. Class itself isn’t that bad – some stretching, tendus, battements, a lovely adagio, some really nice movement across the floor, wrapped up with a big leaps and girthy movement. Sweaty and smiling, my favorite part of class comes when the chill music plays and we take the floor for cool down.