Sitemap
|
|
Yesterday was particularly long. It was an early morning to take the wheelchair dancers to the auditions that we aren't supposed name or talk about. I ran into a hip hop group from our area who are led by two people I had met before, just casually, but separately, Sandra and Brian. That's a riot. We will try to get together and do some stuff as a group. They have "underground" hip hop dance contests!
Today we started early and tonight's lessons will start early, too, since Nick is here and we want to review and style the cha cha and finish the competition pasodoble.
We are watching Claudia's show, and Ian (!) and Jade are guests. The "VAGUE" magazine cover and the "BEST OF THE VEST" were a riot.
Now Darren and Lilia are the next guests. He says that American smooth is easier than samba. Samba, says Lilia, is dependent on good technique. Darren says appealing to the public is especially important this season. I guess so...otherwise how did Jade and Zoe end up in dance-offs?
DWTS was pre empted last night by the Eagles' football game. That's it! I will never watch it again. Big deal. Last week I forgot to watch it on Monday night, this week ABC decided my viewership and personal promotion of the show over all these years is worthless, so I guess DWTS and I are through. We are breaking up. I will replace them with a new show-probably SYTYCD, since it is really about dancing. DWTS made me angry. I am through with them.
Dancing, being with dancers, working on dancing, learning a new skill like dancing is a wonderful enhancement to one's life. What else can improve your fitness level, your social life, your mood, your brain health all in one exciting and fun activity? It's fun to do, fun to watch, fun to learn, fun to think about. I love dancing. Tonight at the studio I will get to dance with Matt, one of my favorite students and partners, with Aubree and Nick on wheelchair dancing, with the advanced dancers in our Pdr class, with the couples in the open gold American rhythm and smooth classes. When it's over, I will be ready to sleep soundly and I will look forward to doing some more on Wednesday.
Oct 28-We got home just in time to see the start of Claudia's show this afternoon. We figured Brian and Ali would be last, as usual, and were hoping they wouldn't get shorted with the time on camera. ITT did a "MOTIVATION" promotion on Brian and Ali that was funny enough for us to laugh out loud through the whole thing. He called home right after the show, so I got to tell him how much I like his hair, how great the "MOTIVATION" thing was, how beautiful the dress looks for Saturday.
He told me about a huge chance he took and the lesson he learned. I was actually surprised at the chance he took, but pleased, that he is so brave and also pleased that everything turned out like it would in a happy movie.
I tried really hard to find out about the Christmas show, his Christmas vacation, his possible partner for the Christmas show, etc., but he says that he can only handle one day at a time. That's great for him. I couldn't live like that. I need time to think and prepare. As a matter of fact, I would like to know when he is coming home and for how long. Last year I didn't even put up our Christmas decorations, my girlfriend came over our house and made sure I got the house festive before Brian came home. I am a little less consumed with the SCD series this year, so I am already getting in the mood for the Holidays. Yesterday on Claudia's show, one of the celebrities' mothers admitted that all they think or talk about at their house is SCD. It is such and adventure, it is easy to let the excitement of it overtake one's life.
So is this the week that the Bee Gees will be guests? In the mid-seventies, when my husband and I met, the Bee Gees' music was the rage. "You Could Be Dancing" was a great song. There was an exciting atmosphere generated by that kind of music playing. I always felt like dancing. We used to go out to discos at least 5 nights a week. It was a lot of fun and we never got tired of it.
Oct 29-I have been trying to post on BBC forum site, but I can't get logged in. It's strange, because I did make a few posts a few weeks ago. I can't say, "Thank you for the support," to the FF's anymore either. I think most of them check into my studio website, so I will have to thank them for their support and interest right here.
I told Brian yesterday how much we miss him. I never expected him to actually go away so permanently. Even though I admit it that he is gone, I find it hard to actually believe. My friend Beverly, keeps reminicsing about how smart he was when he was little. Probably, he is smarter now than he was then, so I have to count on him to make the right choices and decisions about his future, his dancing, his life. The studio has changed alot since he is gone. We could use some energy, vitality, young spirit and excitement. SCD has a bonus in Brian. Their gain is our loss, but that is the way it is at Universal. We actually can take beginners and make them into noteworthy dancers.
One of my students said he read a forum post about an American dancer on SCD who is just so wonderful, and something about how did he learn to dance like that in America. My student told this little anecdote last night to the gold/open international class members and we all had quite a laugh. What that poster didn't understand is that quality is also affected by heart, spirit, passion, talent, personability, creativity, and versatility; that's we do here at Universal and I expect there are other schools like ours in America. I loved hearing this and I loved that the dance student shared it with his classmates. Not every comment is complimentary.
Take looks. Looks are important. Sometimes a person is just very beautiful. Sometimes they live with a feature that is considered to be unattractive and worthy of criticism. Sometimes people use make-up to masque the feature, or sometimes they resort to surgery like nose jobs and breast implants. Either way, I think that picking on a single feature and attaching sinister adjectives to that feature is completely obnoxious. I try not to say too much about people's bodies or faces even though comments on clothing for special occasions and comments on dance technique and shapes are hard for me to contain. My desktop photo for Oct is a Christmas picture with four long-time friends, Monica, Sue, me, Sr. Anne. Monica and Sue look like Italian princesses between me and Sr. Anne, the Irish lassies. That's about as close to a racial designation I would go and as close to a comment about my thoughts about anyone's looks that I would admit. How does anyone feel comfortable/justified saying the things I hear and read that are so derogatory the comments seem to be deliberate efforts to be demeaning? And what is the point of that? Is there a point? So let's say someone has three or four missing teeth, and droopy eyes, and a crooked mouth. Will I say this person is mean or maybe a deamon? Let's say someone has a receding chin; will I say this person is a weakling? Let's say someone has a sloping, low forehead; will I say this person is an imbecile? Of course not. I don't expect other people to do that either. But they do. Is it becasue they are uneducated and do not understand the perceived connections between genetic features and personality are bullshit? Is it because their own physical features are so completely perfect? Probably not. Is it because their own physical features are completely imperfect that they project their self-consciousness onto the person being criticized and demeaned?
I have enjoyed watching the stories and journies of the SCD dancers, but when I scroll through different sites and read some of the things people write about the dancers I feel bad for them and I realize that with all the beauty all the wonderful benefits and fun of this dance show are just a glimmer of light in a confused, cruel world. The dancers on SCD are very attractive-every single one of them. They are dedicated and accomplished in life and in dancing. Their job is demanding physically, emotionally and creatively. None of them deserve as much criticism as they get.
Oct 30-I like to watch a tv program called Grey's Anatomy. Every episode is about relationships, hopes for the future, dealing with mistakes and regrets, making life and death choices, making quality of life choices, cow-towing to the people in charge and living with real dissappointments and frustrations. When you are dancing, mistakes don't have such dire implications, and you don't have to do too much cow-towing except to the judges a little bit. Probably, I chose dancing for my career because it is fun, you can be serious about it, it can be important without being death defying. In Grey's Anatomy there is a hierarchy that is not hard and fast and there is always room for upward or downward movement according to circumstances and according to choices good and bad. The players deal with death, destruction of life, destruction of confidence and destruction of future possibilities, but they always have hope. They always connect with their friends. They can't function without their personal connections. They are not dependant on their families, though. Interesting.
Oct 31-Close call! Brian and Ali were in the bottom two. Horrors! Anyway, they were saved. I suppose the tango will be their next dance. I wondered about the pro shows-there were three-they did cha cha to the first one (I would have done samba), they did samba to the second one (I would have done cha cha to that one) and they did cha cha to the third one with the BeeGees. I felt bad about the Bee Gees' voices. Maybe the thing to do when your voice is gone is to get an impersonator (there must be a couple around) and add them to the background singers so it sounds the way we expect. I guess it isn't fair to expect a singer's voice to remain as strong and sure through their whole life as it is in their prime. Then again, Tony Bennett sounded better on his 80th birthday special than he ever did. I still love the song, You Should Be Dancing. I also wonder about the tempos-wasn't Jade's foxtrot awfully fast? Ricky was wonderful. His teacher did a fabulous job. My husband says Brian and Ali will be on Claudia's show on Tuesday. I am sure he will be watching the forums to see the comments. I am not going to go there anymore at all.
We still don't know about Ali's foot-not sure we want to know. It's hard to dance on a broken toe, if that's what she has.
Tonight is Halloween, so we all will be pretending to be someone else at the dance party. I was going to be a ballroom dancer but I decided to be Sally Starr. Should be fun. Only other dancers my age will recognize my character.
Nov 2-Brian did talk with us earlier today. It was great to hear his voice. Andy had some real concerns about Ali's injury and spoke with her about getting back on her feet. It's too bad he can't just go over there and take care of her foot. When he did the surgery on my bunion joint, I went to work that night! The next day we went down the shore and we walked (slowly, of course) the entire boardwalk everyday for a week.
It will be nice to see them tomorrow on Claudia's show. I am watching her now, and she just announced that they will be there to give an injury update. I feel bad for Zoe and James. He definitely was dissappointed about the end of his and Zoe's run on the show. I laughed when he mentioned that he had been working so hard on his "bad boy" image for years and here he was acting like a softee. I think that to be a dancer one must be particularly sensitive and to be an exemplary dance teacher one must be very emphathetic, too. It has to be difficult for a competitive dancer to have so much at stake, so many hours of effort, and then be rewarded for an excellent performance by being eliminated from the competition. I couldn't even watch the dance off. I had to stand in the other room and hear Andy give me a running report. There's no excitement for me when tension and stress are part of the picture.
Brian told me some interesting stuff about the show, about his other adventures, about their dance and the music and their limited choices. I hope that Ali will be fine. Her injury is a good reminder to wear shoes at all times, even inside!!!
I got some email from UK today. It is always nice to hear from people. I can't answer it all, but I do read it all.
Nov 3-One of Universal dance students just retruned from a trip to Italy. While there, she heard some ladies talking about dancing and learned that they are line dancers, so she shared the fact that she is a ballroom dancer. One piece of conversation led to another, and it turned out that the line dancers were from UK and they are big fans of Brian Fortuna, and did our dancer ever hear of him. Well, I can imagine our ballroom dancer, who is very expressive and excitable, telling her new acquanitances how well she knows Brian Fortuna. I'm sure it didn't end there and that I will hear the rest of the story later this week. The dance world is growing, but it is getting smaller and more connected by these shows. Dancing gives people one more reason to be interested in one another and it presents a way for new acquaintances to bond, if only for a short while.
I talked with Brian for just a couple of minutes. He feels sad about James leaving the contest and he is looking forward to being in Blackpool next weekend.
One of the local dance studio newsletters is doing a little article on Brian this month. I think it is nice that he will get a little recognition for doing well in the business and particularly on SCD and Dancing On Wheels. He told me a couple days ago that he got to see the finished version of week one of Dancing On Wheels and he loves it.
Nov 4-Today some more emails came from UK fans. They were very kind and reassuring that the fans are behind Brian and Ali, votes were not being make because the lines were busy, ugly comments about them come from people with ugly minds and hearts.
Though I continue to watch Claudia's show and I won't dare miss SCD on Saturday, I have signed off on the message boards. I will miss reading them. It was fun to read people's reactions to the dancers and the show and all the things that go with it, like the music, the guest appearances, the judges, the judges comments, the dresses, the pro numbers, etc. It did make it feel a lot more real, important, and fun. It's OK. The studio and my friends and family at home will get more of my attention and if I don't read anything at all, I won't have to feel bad for myself or for Brian or anyone.
Now that the message boards ore off limits and now that I dropped following DWTS I will have to get my dancing fix at the studio and at the competitions I will judge. There is a local dance club whose board I plan to join. I have lots of experience promoting dancing and the standard of dancing, and that is part of their mission, so that will be a good diversion. The students at Universal are requesting guest teachers, so there is another dance related project. Two local studios want to do some dance events with Universal, so that's another diversion. A local hip hop group is ready to collaborate to do some fun stuff with dancing. There are so many ways to stay involved, be part of the dance scene and be engrossed in dancing, it won't be too hard to avoid the boards, but like I admitted before, I will miss reading the good stuff and the interesting thoughts the fans had to say about Brian and Ali and Brian and Kristina. I liked the devotion of Ian's fans, because I like him, too. I also like James. I think that Brendan is excellent. I loved the bit on Claudia's show about Anton maybe not being so handsome but always "well turned out." I appreciate Darren's seriousness and talents. I think that Vincent is pretty funny and I love his pro dances with Flavia. I am dissappointed that Matthew is gone already. I was impressed last year when I went to one of the Saturday night shows, that his family was in the audience and told us that they attend every performance that Matthew is in. It seems that Flavia, Erin and Ola are very good and dedicated teachers, and Natalie and Katya are both competitive. I commend them. It is much more difficult to be successful in any part of the dance business when you are a woman.
Brian had some important stuff going on this week with the Blackpool show, working around Ali's injury, planning the much anticipated holidays, photo shoots and who knows what all else. Maybe I will get to talk with him tomorrow or Friday.
Nov 5- I got ahold of Brian this morning. He had just finished a special routine with Kristina, had meetings, photo shoots, planned some appearances, and was getting ready to go into the studio to rehearse with Ali. He said it will be interesting to dance on the Blackpool dancefloor for a lot of reasons.
Tonight is some special celebration with fireworks that he is excited about.
I have watched a lot of dancers grow up. One of the teachers who does regular training with me is in his thirties, very handsome, has his own studio with a partner, is a pretty famous hustle pro, and was in one of the first teacher training classes I taught when he was seventeen. The dance business in our area has changed over the past twenty years; participation is more towards the social end and way less toward competition. Many dancers have gravitated towards one dance style like just hustle, just salsa, just swing. There are few couples who dance as a serious hobby, there are a lot of ladies who do "pro-am" but who only take lessons and dance at their studio showcases. There is a whole group of dancers who promote mediocrity. I would like to have an influence that promotes couples dancing together, ladies to dance with the gentlemen students, children to be versatile, and disabled people to get into dancing with partners, and everyone who likes dancing to strive to improve their skills.
I got quite a few emails in support and for encouragement from fans of Brian and Ali, today. It's nice to think that people in UK are so considerate.
I am watching Claudia's show right now. It seems to me that the celebrities are getting more and more excited about their dancing, their dances, their new skills and the possibilities of continuing in the contest. Phil is talking about his limitations, because he still is working his real job and recovering from his knee problems. At least the rumba shouldn't over-stress his knee joints. I like Phil as a dancer. I think the tango he did was very good. Remember, he is not a dance professional, he is just learning.
The pro dance they will do is the perfect choice for Blackpool. It should be a wonderful show for all the lucky people who will get to see it. Is this the first time SCD is being shot at an off-premises location? It's a pretty fabulous idea for the fans. Probably, it is a logistical puzzle to move the entire cast and crew and whatever else they need all the way to Blackpool.
Tonight, I have three group classes and two private lessons. That's not too much. Probably, that's about how much time the couples spend per day on their dances. Of course they still have costume meetings and fittings, group dance rehearsals, and some have real jobs to go to in addition to the dance training. When I present my classes I try to be a good teacher, but I should also remember to appreciate the luxury of not having the same pressure as the dance pros on SCD. There is no deadline, there are no cameras recording everything that we do that is good or bad or just stupid, there is no contest or comparisons to make anyone feel self-conscious, there are no judges to complain about dances being too basic or not basic enough, there are no limitations on the music I get to choose and use. Of course one drawback for my dance students is that they won't be dancing with the very carefully chosen, very talented, skilled, creative and dedicated pros on SCD.
Nov 6-I still am getting very nice emails from the fans in UK. It sure is reassuring. I hope that Brian and Ali can do a good job this weekend. I also hope that they inspire the viewers to vote. Some people told me that the lines were not able to take their calls when they were trying to vote. How does that happen? I wonder if the other celebrities' lines were also overloaded? I guess it doesn't matter. What happens happens. It should be an exciting show! In Blackpool! Someone is going to be able to say they won Blackpool! Imagine the pros who never won their events in Blackpool and how great it will be for them if they end up on top of the leaderboard.
Some of the dancers at my school are going to take the trip to have a little visit and see the show. I am excited for them. I will get to share the book Monica got published for us with all the pictures from our November 2008 trip. I know just where to send them for a good London experience. They are going to love it! Brian will be thrilled to have some "home buddies" in the SCD audience. I feel a tiny twinge of jealousy, but maybe I will go and see some of the shows coming up next year.
We just watched Claudia's show. James did a nice set of quick interviews with some of the couples. They showed Darren and Lilia working on the group swing. It looks like it will be lively and fun. Craig made some comments on some of the celebrities' training. Chris was doing a pretty good job with the foxtrot, considering he is really just a beginner. Craig said there was too much tension in his shoulders. It actually looked like he was trying to avoid squeezing Ola with his right hand, but when that tension is there the head always will tilt to the right. If he could get his head position adjusted, he would look so much nicer. Ricky Groves and Flavia are doing the cha cha. Flavia has quite a job cut out for herself. When a dance student can't coordinate the leg action, there needs to be a lot of smoke and mirrors to mask that deficiency and still be able to produce a routine that has the required timing and some connection and musicality. I think Phil has a lot of talent and if he can remember his routine, stay in time with the music and maintain some posture and use his upper body like he did on the short training footage, I think he will be near the top of the leader board. Natalie and Ali both were wearing the same skirt with an asymmetrical satin band. Did they both shop at the same dancewear store or did costuming make these skirts for all the ladies? There's nothing like the right apparel to put you in the mood for dancing.
One never knows when the training footage that we get to see is shot. It may be an example of the first 30 minutes they train or it may be late Thursday afternoon.
The matches of the celebrities to other well-known celebrities was cute. I liked Ian's comparison to Gene Wilder, Flavia's to Sophia Loren and Ali's to Cinderella.
The fact that the first two seasons of SCD were done in Blackpool is a big surprise to me. I had no idea. There maybe some cancellations at the studio tomorrow, so I am pretty sure to get home in time to see SCD live. It should have a special feeling and atmosphere, so I am very excited about it. I heard James say that they would be lowering a chandelier for the pro number. I wonder if Darren and Lilia did the choreography and staging for this number, too?
I received an email, "I wanted to tell you how much Brian is loved and admired and to let you know we have sent flowers today to the Tower Ballroom for Brain & Ali to let them know how much we care," from one of the FF's. How sweet. I appreciate that Brian and Ali have fans and support. I wonder if Ali's family or any of her friends are able to see the SCD shows, especially this one tomorrow. I wonder if they are more nervous than usual or just excited?
It was funny that Darren and Lilia compared Las Vegas and Blackpool. I think that from what I saw on this quick view of Blackpool, that it looks more like Atlantic City in the 1950's when I was little. There's one more reason to actually travel a bit and see some of the famous cities of the world. And cities change, just like dancing. I watched a youtube video of a ballroom competition from 1962. It is hardly a comparison to the skills, expression, movement and excitement produced by the dancers on SCD in 2009.
|