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Confessions of a Serial Dancer Forums

Dance Classes - Australia & New Zealand (19)

Confessions of a Serial Dancer - by Trina

I pull the hood of my jacket over, half covering my sweaty face; I am exhausted. These are the confessions of a serial dancer.

[ May 2006 ] [ July 2006 ]

Confessions of a Serial Dancer - June 2006

Nike does Dancing

June 24th 2006 01:19

Chux here, with some new info on a recent set of commercials released by Nike.

Nike has started doing Dance commercials.

"I don't need to fill a stadium
Or cause one to fill up with joy
I don't need to hear 60,000 people chant my name
I'll never have a fan club
Get a signing bonus
Or even sign an autograph
But can you honestly tell me I am not an athlete?"

Those are the words of new Nike spokeswoman Sofia Boutella, who has starred in 2 new commercials for nike, about dancing. They are created for nikewomen.com, and show her using styles of hip hop dance including bboying, and styles of popping. The keywords of one are:

Take sport. Add music.

Sofia Boutella - First Commercial
Sofia Boutella - Second Commercial

She has also starred in a french dance movie called Le Defi

As well as starring in 2 of Madonna's recent video clips from Confessions of a dance floor.
Madonna - Hung up
Madonna - Sorry

Chux out, Get Funky

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Posted By: Book of Chux - Category: Hiphop

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Upcoming Dance Competitions in Sydney & Melbourne

June 20th 2006 07:02

Calling for Dancers NOW!

Kick Up The Dust 2006
Band and Dance competition is now open

All styles and genres are welcome in this competition with great prizes
to be won! Kick Up The Dust has been running since 2001 by a non-profit organisation. Past competitors include: Groove Steps, XY Project, Cheeky Bombz, Kinnetix, Kung Fu Fan, Nu Skool Club & The Next Step. Entry closes 30th June 2006. Competitors must be over 18 yrs old.

Visit www.kickupthedust.com for details. Or check us out at myspace!

“Shakedown” 2006 Crew Challenge

Under 18’s & Open Age
(12-25 years)

Over $20,000 in cash & prizes

Shakedown 2006 Crew Challenge: All styles hip hop dance event
BREAK, POPPING, LOCKING, OLDSCHOOL, SHAKING, HIPHOP, AND MORE!

2 divisions
Under 18’s: must be ages 12-17 (17 years on 1st January 2006- may currently be 18 years) CONSIDERATION GIVEN TO YOUNGER CREWS ON EXPERIENCE
Open Age: 12-25 years

Heats to be held on
1: Sydney Sunday 23rd July 2006 @ Sydney University Sports & Aquatic Centre, Sydney
Time: 11.00 am

2: Melbourne Sunday 30th July 2006 @ Dandenong Basketball Stadium, Stud Road, Dandenong 3175
Time: 12 midday

3: Melbourne Saturday 12th August 2006 @ Darebin YMCA Stadium, Plenty Road, Reservoir
Time: 5.30 pm

4: Kangaroo Flat (Bendigo)Saturday 19th August 2006 @ YMCA Leisure Centre, Browning Street, Kangaroo Flat 3555
Time: 5pm

5: Sydney Qualifying final 27th August @ Sydney University & Aquatic Centre, Cnr Codrington St and Darlington Rd (beside the Wentworth Building) Sydney, 2006

Final Event is to be held on
28th October 2006 in MELBOURNE VODAFONE ARENA

Visit Kazzum for more details

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Posted By: Trina - Category: Events - Australia

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Pole dancing - a sensual, exotic artform

June 19th 2006 07:23

Following my post on Hiphop.org.au about strippers and sex workers getting rights, award wages and the like, I'm a great advocate of pole dancing and thought I'd elaborate on why I encourage all females to do it.

I was telling a friend from my Wing Chun martial arts class how I'd been looking around for a pole dancing studio but wasn't sure where to go. She mentioned how she had just finished the advanced course over at Bobbi's Pole Studio which was just up the street and around the corner from my Wing Chun training place.

I signed up straight away and have since completed beginners and intermediate 1 levels. I plan to get to advanced and beyond, but not going pro.

My pole dancing experiences:

My first teacher had a classical training background, and it certainly helped her move with such grace and poise on the pole. The classes had a really relaxed, fun and friendly atmosphere with all the women exposing as much skin as they were comfortable, sometimes with a cute outfit and stiletto pumps. You have students ranging in age from 16 to 50 years old, all shapes, sizes, and nationalities.

Why the bare skin on poles?

What most people don't realise is that it's a lot easier to do intricate pole moves with less clothing, because bare skin grips well (sometimes you would put hair spray or shaving cream on your hands and between the thighs for even better grip). This is essential if you want to hang upside down or horizontally using only your inner thighs to grip the pole.

Why pole dance?

Besides the technical stuff and helping to develop your strength and flexibility, the courses teach you how to dance sensually, how to work the pole sexily, gracefully, showing minimal effort. It promotes confidence, celebration of your sexuality and womanhood. I'd say 14 out of the 16 people in each class are there for fun and fitness, for themselves or their partner; the other 2 may actually want to get into it professionally.

At the end of the 8 week course, they have 'graduation night' which takes place in the last class for the term, but encourages students to dress up and bring family and friends where they put on a performance, showcasing each student and the entire class with a common routine. A lot of people freak out at the thought of performing in their underwear, but it's completely optional.

The pole dancing studio

Bobbi's pole studio is found in Sydney, Miranda (NSW) and Perth. They have a variety of other courses (pole groove, latin pole grooves, lap dancing, gogo dancing, fantasy striptease, conditioning) to compliment the main pole courses.

They're having an amateur night at Pure Platinum (Sydney), "Bobbis Pole Studios Wild Amatuer Pole Dancing Competition" and tickets available from the studio.

The professional pole dancer: Miss Pole Dance Australia & Miss Nude Australia: Jamilla

I was lucky enough to be in class when Jamilla Deville, Miss Pole Dance Australia 2005 and Miss Nude Australia performed her routine to "Broken" (Seether Ft. Amy Lee from Evanescence) which was so graceful, so professional and artistic, it was beautiful to watch.

There's footage of Jamilla HERE pole dancing, and Katie Coates who does some advanced type stuff too.

Here is an article that Jamilla wrote about pole dancing as an artform.

Jamilla

Get your own pole:

I want to get a pole, but am undecided on whether to get Bobbi's pole or the X-Pole. Both are great in that you can convert them to a spinning or stationary pole which is what I was looking for, but titanium vs. brass? And Bobbi's pole is a few hundred dollars more expensive. If there's anyone out there who can help me decide, please let me know, I'm really undecided.

Pole dancing resources:

For those who want to try pole dancing, here are some sites you might find helpful:

NSW
Bobbi's Pole Studio
Jamilla
Studio Verve

VIC
Poledivas
Pole Princess

SA
Lady Love

QLD
Logan Pole Dancing
Pole Fitness Australia

WA
Bobbi's Pole Studio

All around Australia
Pole Stars

International
Seriously, there's a whole bunch of links that you can find on Jamilla's links page.

*Image used in reference to featured person and qualifies as fair use.

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Posted By: Trina - Category: Fun

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Burn the Floor brings Floorplay: ballroom dancing at its int'l finest

June 16th 2006 01:08

After the raging success of "Ballroom", Australian production company Burn the Floor is proud to announce the return of "Floorplay" to Melbourne and Sydney this coming June, before touring the UK, Europe, USA and Canada. The cast consists of some of the world's best ballroom dancers, from countries such as the US, UK, Germany, Asia, Italy, Portugal, France and even some homegrown talent.

Read this review of last year's show.

For more info, visit BurnTheFloor.com.

Tour dates:

Melbourne
The Palms at Crown Casino
Thu 29 June - Sun 09 July

Tickets available from Ticketek

Sydney
The Showroom at Star City
Thu 27 July - Sun 06 Aug

Tickets available from Ticketmaster

*This poster was taken from starcity.com.au and is used for promotional purposes only

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Posted By: Trina - Category: Ballroom

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Chux on the Definition of a Dancer

June 15th 2006 03:33

Hey It's Chux back again, for another little bit of information on dance. My specific focus is usually on styles of hip hop dance, but this will be a more broad range topic.
Just to let people know, since someone asked before, I'm located in Sydney, Australia, and I have been dancing for 2 years now. Current styles i practice are popping, milking, and krumping.
Heres a clip of my group at work

Sneaker Pimps Performance, Chux, Raljk and BJ

My focus is on individual dancers. What makes someone a dancer? what draws the line between someone who happens to dance and a Dancer?
In my (humble) opinion... I see it this way.

in HIP HOP dance, dancers originated as soloists, that is, individual dancers with amazing skills, some that often banded together to form extremely well known crews, such as Rock steady crew in NYC, or the Electric Boogaloos in California.

To consider yourself a dancer, to do routines is not enough. you must have individual ability to move to the music. You must have personal skills, wether good or bad. if you cannot move by yourself when music comes on, then you are not a dancer. you do predetermined moves to the music, moves that can be "cut and pasted" to other songs. You must let the music move you, dance with a personal connection to the music you are dancing to.

i find it strange how people assume that hip hop dance is all the same. that movements cannot originate anymore. People thought for decades that new dance styles could not emerge. a perfect example is the recent emergence of krumping. a definite new style to each other hip hop style, yet influenced by all styles. Why can i not find inspiration for my own moves? why must i have bitten moves from video clips? the truth is that a lot of so called "dancers" give true dancers a bad name. By biting and reusing old moves from movies and videos, instead of letting their own skills influence them. True dancers, although some times their moves may resemble others that you have seen, it is on a personal level that they create those movement sequences. This is not biting, this is (to borrow from biology) something i call convergent choreography. dancers interperet music and move their bodies in similar ways, and thus similarities occur.

A Practice Clip of A Guy Located in Cali
Practice, such as this clip here, is very important. it proves your dedication to a dance style, and your willingness to work at it to improve. That's one of my guidelines for being a Dancer.

So far we've got 2,
Individual ability Ability to learn Choreography
Practice & Dedication

My third guideline is a short one. Humility
It is important to understand that in the dance world, no matter how good you get, there will always be someone better than you. and if by your extreme hard work and practice you do get to the top, then there are unlimited dancers under you that could be better if you slack off for a day. So my idea is to approach it like this.
All dancers will continue learning forever. True dancers always remain students to the art, and are not overconfident, or cocky.

if you don't really do any of this, then you dance, that's cool, but i don't really think you have the dedication enough to call yourself a dancer. its like i called myself a basketball player because i play once in awhile.

These are my guidelines that i set on myself, and i've found a lot more people respect me as a dancer when i abide by them.

Chux out, Get Funky

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Posted By: Book of Chux - Category: Tips, Advice, How-To

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Chux on Battle Guidelines

June 15th 2006 03:30

Hey Guys I'm Chux, friend of Katrina and a fellow dancer.

By most accounts, I'm a Hip Hop dancer. I use the style of popping as my base style, explained by Katrina earlier in one of the posts, read up on that one if you haven't already. Also, I do milking, otherwise known as commercial hip hop, and lately i've been training up on locking and krumping, some more styles that Katrina has written about. Good to see that most of my work here is done.

My Group - Sneaker Pimps. Performance at a Dance comp.
My first order of business here, is to Put up some battle rules for those dancers that like to participate in battles. Usually this is for Hip Hop dancers, but it's mostly just a code of respect.

Battle Rule 1: Patience.

When in a battle situation, the prcoess is that one side will come out, usually for about a minute and a half, then go back and wait as the other side shows their skills for around the same time frame. This also means you do not interrupt an already ongoing battle or the other side's turn.
Battles are not about who can take up the dance floor longer, or who can go for the longest without having to stop. Its about a display of skills, so both sides must give the other a reasonable amount of time to perform, and wait unti lthey are done. Be patient, the time to show your skills will come soon.

Battle Rule 2: Respect.

In the battle, you can intimidate, you can get in the persons face, you can insult. But if the person is a stranger to you, or is not a good friend, dont touch them in the battle. For example, get in my face, thats cool, I'll get back. Grab my hat, don't think I won't grab it back or grab yours. But if you push me, you've crossed the line. Dance battles are about dance, not actual physical contact. Bear that in mind and the next battle you have will be a lot more interesting.

Battle Rule 3: Match-Up.

Battles can only really be judged between 2 opponents doing the same styles. A recent battle I saw involved a krumper against a guy who does every thing BUT krumping. Was going to turn out bad to start with. The krumper only krumps, while the other guy would be shaking, milking, popping, doing even house and new style. So it was badly judged by the crowd, who reacted more to the visually pleasing styles of new style, shaking, house, and popping.
Battles are a show of skill of 2 different dancers, each in a specific style. Breaker battles, pop battles, krump battles, all of that. Battles of the best kind are of 2 of the same styles.

Battle Rule 4: Originality.

In a battle, use your own moves, sets, and routines. don't use someone elses move that you learned for fun, sure you learn it, but you don't use it to battle. You haven't participated in the battle if thats the case, Only the moves you used. Too many times have I seen guys try to battle me using moves straight out of Usher clips, Omarion Clips, or more recently, Chris brown Clips. Stick to your moves, you won't look like a biter. People hate biters, while they respect people trying to improve their skills.

That's all for me today, Just some guidelines to help make your next battle experience more enjoyable and entertaining.

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Posted By: Book of Chux - Category: Tips, Advice, How-To

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The Imperial Ice Stars present Swan Lake On Ice - Review

June 15th 2006 01:00

A few hours ago I found myself dead center in the middle of a fantastical world where everyone was pleasant and floating on air, graceful and poetic storytelling with unspoken words and incredible skills - dancing, acrobatics, mute acting and a classical soundtrack, all on a bed of ice.

"Swan Lake on Ice" is re-interpreted by artistic director Tony Mercer who heads the russian Imperial Ice Stars, perhaps the most renowned theatrical ice skating troupe in the world. I recognised a few of the stars, mainly the female protagonist from their production, "Sleeping Beauty on Ice" a few years back and the quality of the show and skaters has risen since.

Interesting fact: between the 25 internationally acclaimed ice stars, they have won over 200 medals, from national, international and regional championships.

I'm talking about grasping the armrests and holding one's breath while a skater sets themselves up for a triple air twist or similar ultra-advanced moves, wondering if they'll land on their feet or if their backside gets a taste of ice. After the first 15 minutes, it was obvious these guys were gonna always land on their feet; they flipped, spinned, were thrown in the air, executed perfectly with ease, grace and a big smile.

The costumes and set were spectacular, the variety of characters and choreography made for interesting dynamics and refreshing changes throughout while maintaining a consistent storyline. A few of the main ice stars looked as though they were in their late 40s-early 50s and their performances reflected vast experience and disciplined training from an early age. Others looked as though they were still in highschool but were in the same league as some of their older co-stars.

All in all it was an incredible experience and I encourage everyone to see it.

Tour Dates:

6 - 18 June
Lyric Theatre
Sydney, Australia

21 June - 2 July
Princess Theatre
Melbourne, Australia

5 - 9 July
Festival Theatre
Adelaide, Australia

13 - 23 July
St James' Theatre
Wellington, New Zealand

26 July - 6 August
Civic Theatre
Auckland, New Zealand

9 - 13 August
Lyric Theatre
Brisbane, Australia

18 - 27 August
Burswood Theatre
Perth, Australia

5 - 17 September
Canberra Theatre
Canberra, Australia

Visit www.imperialicestars.com for more details.

*Image used for promotional purposes and for event review and qualifies under fair use.

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Posted By: Trina - Category: Events - Australia

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Cirque Du Soleil: Varekai in Australia

June 14th 2006 01:05

I am a huge fan of Cirque Du Soleil and was pleased to find they were heading Down Under once again to deliver their new production: Varekai.

Founded by 2 former street performers, the "Circus of the Sun" features only humans doing extraordinary things, as opposed to other animal-based circuses (which are pretty cruel in fact - I don't know if the majority of those animals give their consent to be trained and travel with the circus).

What I love about the Cirque Du Soleil series is that each one takes you on a magical journey full of strange and random creatures, the bold costumes and quirky characters along with their superhuman feats make you feel like you are lost somewhere between paradise and hell.

Here are the national dates for Varekai:

Sydney
Aug. 10 to Sep. 17

Brisbane
Nov. 9 to Dec. 3

Auckland
Opens 5 Jan. 2007

Canberra
Mar. 15 to Mar. 25

Melbourne
Apr. 19 to May 6

Adelaide
Opens July 2007

Perth
Opens 17 Aug. 2007

Here is a teaser trailer for Varekai, and the vid below it is the "Chinese Wondergirl" demonstrating amazing strength, control and balance.

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Posted By: Trina - Category: Events - Australia

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Crouch robot dances into the World Cup

June 10th 2006 11:43

I don't play soccer anymore but if I did, I'd do some kind of dance each time I scored a goal. That's what Peter Crouch, the soccer giant of England does, and in a few hours time, I'll be watching to see if he's consistent with his robot-dancing. It's amazed Prince William along with millions of other 'football' (nah it's called SOCCER) fans.

The robot dance is actually one of the early Funk style moves that was created in the 60s, inspired by popular TV shows at the time such as "Lost In Space". It was developed in particular by Charles "Charles Robot" Washington which he first demonstrated live on an episode of "Soul Train", then it was made even more popular by Michael Jackson and his brothers while performing "Dancing Machine" on national TV in the mid 70s.

So here's Crouch's version after scoring a goal against Hungary:

The best robot I've seen live is by Kenky, my dance mentor. This video is a the finals of a popping battle at Dancekool Vol. 14. You can see the second guy, Daniskool, doing the Robot and variations, and Kenky, who responds to him, has incredible control and technique when executing his robot dance.

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Posted By: Trina - Category: Funk

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2006 Australian National Tango Championships, June

June 7th 2006 04:15

This is the second time that the Australian National Tango Championships will be held, and this not-for-profit event aims to promote the tango culture in Australia. Semi-finals and Finals will be held one after the other at "The Studio" in the Opera House, this coming Monday June 12 from 3pm-7pm. Tickets $50 available from www.sydneyoperahouse.com.au

There will also be workshops on held by the winners of the 1st World Championship, Stage Tango 2003, Gisela Galeassi & Gaspar Godoy. Any serious tango enthusiasts should take advantage of the opportunity:

Tango Workshops:

Saturday 10 June - Sunday 11 June
Randwick Labor Club
Level 3
135 Alison Road
Randwick.

Cost $40 per person.

SATURDAY 10 JUNE

10.00am -11.30am
Initial Salon Tango Tecnica:
Caminatas, mark and ochos

12.00noon -1.30pm
Intermediate Salon Tango
Ganchos, Voleos, Adornos

2.30pm - 4.00pm
Intermediate Salon Tango
Caminatas, giros and adornos

SUNDAY 11 JUNE

10.00am -11.30am
Int / Advanced Tango –
Tecnica de ganchos, sacadas and voleos

12.00noon - 1.30pm
Int / Advanced Tango –
Giros, enrosques, sacadas and voleos

2.30pm - 4.00pm
Revision of Salon Tango
steps and technique of prior five workshops

PRIVATE LESSONS also available in Sydney. For bookings please contact Sophia on: 02 9386 4289 or 0411 747 949 or email: info@patiodetango.com.au

For more info check out tangochampionship.com.au

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Posted By: Trina - Category: Latin

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Take the Lead: movie review - inspiring true story

June 6th 2006 03:41

Last Friday I watched "Take the Lead" which I had been dying to see since I last posted about it. It was better than what I expected, the focus all on ballroom dancing with a smidge of Hiphop (in the music) and a great cast (Antonio is still so sexy and Yaya who I recognised as runner-up in America's Next Top Model is nice to watch).

It does a lot better than the Hiphop dance films, Honey and You Got Served in my opinion in relation to dance and the dance culture and the storyline is much better - well it is based on real incidents in protagonist Pierre Dulaine's life (www.pierredulaine.com). Pierre set up an outreach program called "Dancing Classrooms" on behalf of the American Ballroom Theater in public schools of NYC and since inception has grown to reach 12,000 children in 114 schools.

His story is incredibly inspiring to myself, as a dancer who dreams to educate and spread the love for the Hiphop culture and dance culture, especially amongst the youth. I have seen the positive influence that dance and Hiphop has on all kinds of teens and children, regardless of their socio-economic backgrounds, race or religion; they are both unifying cultures that teach hard work, discipline and teamwork amongst other things and are the ideal ways to reach out to the younger (and my) generation.

For adults I think dancing is extremely beneficial to their health, social and possibly marital aspects of their lives - you are NEVER too old to start and it's more exciting than a treadmill.

For those who haven't seen the movie, here is the trailer for "Take the Lead":

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Posted By: Trina - Category: Ballroom

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How To: Learn basic breaking and other dance moves

June 5th 2006 02:03

Online instructional videos or or tutorials for dance are highly popular but limited or charge fees. I'm not a fan of these, as I believe in physically going to classes or other training places to learn properly (including being taught by someone who knows what they're talking about otherwise you get the wrong information and are wasting your time and energy).

However once in a while I stumble across random sites that are quite decent compared to the rest of the crap out there; in this instance, it's a "breakdancing" flash tutorial which explains things in some detail and gives tips and advice.

Just a note that the real term for this dance style is "breaking" and some of the moves shown in the tutorial are from popping which is a funk dance style that was included in the umbrella term "breakdancing" along with locking and boogaloo. Breaking (or bboying/bgirling) is more than a dance style - it's a lifestyle, which I've elaborated on in my Hiphop.org.au site.

Online flash tutorial: Learn How To Breakdance

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Posted By: Trina - Category: Hiphop

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