Diving into Dance

As a little girl I always watched, as my friends would dress up in bright outfits and join dance classes after school.  As they would practice for performances and recitals I would go home after school and race my bike down driveways, play tennis with my dad and when my parents were gone and my brother would babysit, we’d play roller hockey on the kitchen floors. 

A few years later, throughout Middle and High School, my friends would go from practices to performances on the stage as I would go from practices to games in three sports each school year.

Needless to say, I was, and continue to be the athlete in the group. Graceful and choreographed dances were never on my schedule, yet I was always intrigued and fascinated by the art.

The older I got, the more I enjoyed the impression of dancing. I would play my sports during the day and then dance my way around the house all evening long to the random tunes that emitted from the radio.

Now at 23 years old, with the exception of fun outings with friends, I still have yet to ever take a formal dance class.

It is a result of this, as well as my fondness of dancing that I have made a vow to embark on a journey to learn as many dance styles as possible. Transitioning from the courts and fields to the studios, I will be spending the next couple of months doing just that; learning as many dance styles as I can and getting a taste of the world of dance.

I am not only excited about this endeavor; I am also nervous and a bit hesitant as I sign up for classes. There are two key memories I have, that involve my experience with dancing. The first involved swing dancing in a parking lot when I was 13 with my older brother and how much fun it was. The second memory is of me being pulled onto a dance floor at a formal event when I was 16, and being fully aware of my two left feet as I stepped on my dancing partner’s feet three times in the matter of a single chorus verse.

Having never taken a dance class before and only having these two experiences to go off of, I am quite positive that within the next few weeks I will find out if this, athlete turned dancer is a simple adaptation of abilities or an utter disaster.

This project will commence on Monday. Beginning this venture, the first week will start slow with three classes of hip-hop, salsa and swing dancing.  From then on it will jump up to five different dance classes per week and will range from flamenco, tango and ballet to line dancing, ballroom and samba.

I am expecting this to be fun and include moments of humiliation and above all other thing, I am sure I will be extremely sore from the task but either way I will be sharing my adventures of each week’s new undertaking

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A Crawl Worth Photographing

Each year, hundreds of professional and novice photographers from around the world flock to Las Vegas for the Wedding & Portrait Photographers
International Convention, (WPPI).

This weeklong convention includes a packed, high-energy schedule of classes, seminars, speakers and tradeshow exhibits.

While most of the photographers spend their days partaking in the scheduled convention itinerary, others choose to take a day to break away from the convention circuit for a chance to zoom in on some photographic opportunities consisting of models, makeup artists and a plethora of settings to choose from.

“I spearhead this every year since I am here in Vegas where the convention is. We are not officially part of WPPI. I’d like to be part of it, but you have to pay your dues first, so that’s fine I don’t mind showing what I’m capable of doing,” said Eric Guideng, founder of the event.

This five-hour event is beyond the reach of the official WPPI events and is a photographic outing that leaves its participants crawling back for more.

Tuesday marked the third annual Big Pic Crawl, a photographic excursion to a remote hideaway right in the heart of all the Vegas action.

Held at The Gypsy Nightclub on Paradise Road, the Big Pic Crawl hosted about a dozen models and featured more than ten settings for photographic masterpieces.

Beginning the day, uncertain of where the event was being held, participating photographers of all skill levels met at the MGM Grand Hotel and piled into a shuttle that carried them to their photographic paradise for the afternoon.

A small section on the outskirts of the Vegas party scene, photographers were given a formal tour of the venue that would be theirs for the taking for the next five hours.

The location for the Big Pic Crawl was based out of Guideng’s private studio and the business properties that surround it. Indoor photo shoots were setup at the Gypsy Nightclub and outdoor shoots were arranged in the cobblestone back courtyard of Piranha Nightclub and the surrounding lots.

Over a dozen models dressed in a variety of fashion styles roamed the venue throughout the day, ready to pose. Included in the event was enough lighting equipment and photo sets for the participating photographers to fill their creative desires.

“I do figure competitions for body building, so that’s how I got into all this. Eric was the first photographer I worked with when I was putting together my portfolio so I heard about this from him,” said Rachel Michele, a local model and figure competitor who posed for photographers in full body paint. “I love the event. I love it all, the photographers who participate are all so nice.”

Photographers were given the freedom to roam from set to set and ability to photograph whichever model they desired. Passing from room to room, inside and outside, photographers zoomed in on the opportunity to further build their portfolios and further advance their range of skills with the provided resources.

“This seems like it is going to be a fun day. I think it’s a great way to get a variety of shots and network as well as teach and learn from others that are here,” said participating photographer Yomi Foreman, San Francisco, CA.

From high-fashion break-dancers in a black pool of inch-deep water, super-bright high-fashion makeup, a body painted model, playboy and pinup styled models to bridal fashion stations and glamour headshots, photographers had an excess of styles to choose from.

“It’s a very artistic endeavor, we try to get everything from weddings to fashion to art, all of it,” said Guideng. “I just provide the elements, the real key is the photographers coming together and working with each other and learning from each other.”

Unlike other events where models and staff are hired to work the event, the Big Pic Crawl is put together solely with participant’s dues and an all-volunteer staff.

Along with models and participating photographers roaming around from backdrop to backdrop, volunteer staff members and professional photographers were set up at various points to provide tutorials and answer any questions that novice or expert photographers might have.

“I know how tough it is to start as a photographer, because I was there once. Without other photographer’s help I wouldn’t be where I am now, so I wanted to give back and return the favor,” said Christopher Thomson, a professional photographer from Los Angeles, CA.

The Big Pic Crawl event is designed to help photographers; models and hair/makeup artists expand the skill set in their profession and to help them build their professional portfolio.

“Building a portfolio is all about association and who you worked with, so I let people come and be part of this and get some trade off of it,” said Guideng.

Included in the day’s list of featured guests and photographers were; National Association of Photoshop Professionals Hall-of-Famer Eddie Tapp, Miss Nevada USA 2010, Julianna Erdesz, Miss Universe 2010 photographer Marc Thyssen, Miss Playboy Club 2010 model Meghan Beck, MAXIM Magazine model Jenny Milstead, and Crazy Horse Paris cabaret dancer, Krystle Richeson.

Photographers weren’t the only ones to benefit from the event however, volunteers used this as an opportunity to help hone their skills and add to their portfolios as well.

“I think the concept is really cool, and if I can get some photos of me that’s cool,” said Chris Gorney a local break dancer who posed and showed his moves in an inch of water for participants to photograph.

At the end of the day when the lighting shifts and the models retreat from their backdrops, the colored lights come up, the bar opens and the second half of the event begins, but this time it’s all fun and games.

The event cost a total of $200 per photographer and included everything found at the crawl, continuous shuttle rides to and from the location to the MGM Grand through out the day, food and drinks during the event and a post photo shoot after party.

“I’m not in it for the profit, so we thought how else can we make this a great time, so I decided to take any profits we had left after renting the location and shuttle and all and put the money back into it for a party afterward,” said Guideng.

With a DJ, open bar and, by now a familiar location, the after party was a chance for photographers, models and volunteers to enjoy the evening partying with new friends.

“It’s more hair stylists, makeup artists, photographers, everyone together. Everyone worked really hard today so this is a chance for them to relax a bit before they go home to their families,” said Guideng. “I’m a big fan of working hard and rewarding the people who worked hard.“

From a variety of settings, backdrops, lightings techniques, creative styles and networking with a variety of skill levels from novice to professional, the Big Pic Crawl offers artists alike to have fun, build their portfolio and learn from each other.

“Everyone chipped in with their equipment,” said Guideng. “It’s a collaborative effort, the community came together It’s everyone’s equipment, everyone’s talent, everyone’s skills that all come together.”

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Grammy Gab and Twitter Talk

It has been over a week since the renowned evening extravaganza where vocal celebrities take to the stage, to not only perform but to anxiously await for their name to be called and a Grammy award to be presented to them.

Though the award show is in the past, the Twitter world still sparks with distant chatter of the hot and not so hot performances of the evening.

To start off the award show, Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson, Martina McBride, Yolanda Adams and Florence Welch paid some R.E.S.P.E.C.T. to Aretha Franklin with a well-executed performance tribute to the soul sensation. At the time Twitter posts were racing with comments of the pleasant tribute, all that continues to be commented on are references that suggest that after that performance, Aguilera has finally redeemed herself from her Superbowl mishap.

One performance that was not only anxiously awaited but continues to rise on the Twitter feeds was the hatching performance of Lady Gaga who emerged from a glowing egg and then broke into song and performed her new single ‘Born This Way’.

Because most every reference to Gaga’s performance included comparisons to Madonna, it was a little bit of a shock to find out the eccentric superstar paid silent gratitude to Whitney Houston prior to her performance of the song.

Country star Blake Shelton took the stage, not to perform but to announce the next performer, which he did by showing his love during a cute introduction for the Nashville sweetheart and his fiancé, Miranda Lambert. Though her performance was enjoyable, after she was awarded a Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance, her fiancé, Shelton, received the most attention from the Twitter world as he didn’t even get a mention in Lambert’s acceptance speech.

Hip-hop and R&B heavyweights Bruno Mars, B.o.B and Janelle Monáe wowed viewers with their combined trio talents to a high-class, black-and-white theme performance that has since received colorful mentions on Twitter acknowledging the talent and creativity of the performance delivery.

Performances aren’t the only thing that made an impression on the twitter waves, Nicki Minaj made the feed for sporting a fashion style that demonstrated the effects of what would happen if you were to saran wrap a cheetah and shove it into a light socket. 

What would a night at the Grammys be without a troop of Ninjas, cart wheeling though the room with drums as Justin Beiber sings to all the stary-eyed teens in the world. Joining Beiber in his performance was the teen sensation’s idol, Usher and then Jaden Smith popped in for the final number. While the performance was very entertaining , honestly it was the ninjas that made the Twitter feed the most.

David Letterman managed to sneak a segment into the award show as he presented his top 10 list: Surprises At The 2011 GRAMMY Awards.

With a comedic break from the Grammys for Letterman’s top 10, the comedy seemed to continue as the theme of the performances took an overt shift to banjos and bluegrass with Mumford & Sons and the Avett Brothers. While their performance seemed to jerk viewers’ focus, the real whiplash set in when Bob Dylan took the stage, harmonica in hand.

Bob Dylan gave a performance that continues to baffle the Twitter world, but one thing has been declared; Dylan’s performance abilities and style is something that should have been left a distant memory and not readdressed.

It was uncertain how he was going to perform his hit song but, Celo Green took a profanity-based song and managed to turn it into an episode of Sesame Street Goes to the Grammys. Green starred as the lead role for the show and played a bright red, feathery, piano-playing peacock, while his backup singers and band of puppets embraced the modified lyrics of “Forget You”.  

As Green’s performance came to an end and the Twitter world was able to move on from his costume that Twitter users suggested must have made Elton John jealous, there was only one thing left stated as a fact on the Twitter feed: Puppets won the victory against Beiber’s ninjas.

With the ninja versus puppets debate solved, the feed moved on as Katy Perry got into the swing of things. Though she may have left the Candy land theme in her music video, she definitely filled her performance with the Valentine theme as hearts covered the big screens and her backup dancers during her song Teenage Dream; a catchy tune that even had Nicole Kidman singing along to in her seat.

One surprise not on Letterman’s list was the tip that Johnny Depp would stop by to surprise audience members of his hidden singing abilities. Taking to the stage he began to perform…oh wait that wasn’t Johnny Depp, it was actually John Mayer, no one can recall the song that was performed but they keep on tweeting about the Johnny Depp look-a-like.

One of the best parts about the Grammys is the opportunity to see which performers can really belt out the tunes, and which ones take full advantage of the recording studios.

Rihanna showed a lack of range in notes of her song Love the Way You Lie, and once her performance merged with Eminem and transitioned to a triple vocal threat with Eminem, Skylar Grey and Dr Dre viewers were left saying Rihanna who?

A standing ovation was given after the dynamic trio performance and as a result it is no wonder that this performance remains the top popular topic of interest.

By far the most tweeted and raved about performance was the trio rap performance of I Need a Doctor, which, since the Grammy’s has heated up the radio waves, where listeners can hear the song without incessant mutes by sensors.

At the end of a long day it always seems cliché to say good-bye with an anti-drug reminder, however the general consensus was that the performance by Arcade Fire and BMX was one that sent a message out to all kids, to just say no.

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