Thursday, May 29, 2008

Th Photo Shoot





SO they made this little booklet for all the guests and clients who get to be invited to eat in our performance venue, of the makings of the whole place and everything in it. Here was some of our contribution in it. Oh and I have to say the really cool thing for me was, there are a bunch of pics of me in the book!
Of course it got to the point that we were having our own fun, HAHAHAHAH



GERMANY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WOWEEE WOOWEEEE!!
SO my first International experience has been incredibly awesome so far. Dude we got a hot meal on the plane, and 2 movies!
Ok it's almost 1am here, and I am way tired so I will just put some pics of the first few days.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Solid Gold

Absolute craziness!

Wow what a crazy ride this Rehearsal process for Pilobolus has been. We were on a weird schedule as it was with weeks of nothing in between just a couple of days of rehearsal, so our bodies could never get used to the rigorous athletic partnering. But we have been in rehearsal now for the last 2 weeks straight. That is only because one of our guys quit our cast. So we had to find a new guy to relace him. Now don't be mad at Mark for leaving, I never was, and if you still want to see him, he is now in the Broadway Nat'l Tour of WICKED!!!! So we were fine with him leaving, even his wife, though she is sad that they can't be together in Germany, but we're all trying to make up for that.


The replacement we got is awesome! His name is Roberto. Actually the cool thing is his twin brother is in the main company of Pilobolus, and he actually is in Momix, which if you don't know, was started by one of the founders of Pilobolus, so it's kind of considered to be the sister company. So He already understood all the weird body vocabulary, and he came into our put-in rehearsal already knowing most of his choreography from watching the video, which was just incredibly awesome!! We love him, and he already fits right in. In fact he is kind of a crazy dance improver like me, and we're always playing off of each other and creating "fierce" dance moves for us to do. Oh and he also calls me "OSO", which means bear in spanish, because of my big flat feet that when I step gives me one large footprint. So I call him Monkey clown. It works.




Well and just like that we had our last day of rehearsal yesterday. And let me just say that I am so happy about that. The last 4 days have been really tough, cause we have had to change choreography almost each time we ran it with our horribly cut music. Even up to yesterday we added new moves and lifts, and throws, and at this point you just get so freakin FRUSTRATED that you just can't rehearse what you've already set. but we got thru it and we move on. On top of that we had costume issues. Yeah ummm, ... they just weren't what we expected at all. Again some changes had to be made. And we got thru it. AT this point we're just like Dude Lets just got to Germany. And so

WE ARE!!!!!!
Right now I am on the bus back to philly from New York, and have all day to run errands and pack, and not just for Germany but try and pack as much of my apt as I can. Dude I am so awesomely excited, I"M GOING TO GERMANY!! WOOOOOHHOOOOOO!!!!

Oh and here's some other really cool blessing from God, Last week I got called into the office And the rehearsal director asked if I would be interested in being in the real Satelite Company for this next year! AWESOME. This second company of Pilobolus only travels internationally, so I would get to see the world. I'm sorry but God is awesome! and I am so glad that he had me get fired from EVITA. And yesterday I got a call from another theater that wants me to do there show in the fall, so now comes the hard part of negotiating and saying no. I never thought I would be in a place where so many different people would want me, and I woud have to choose. It's just a testament to How God is using me, and what he is doing to redeem my life. Hopefully I won't have to pick and choose, pray for me that I could do both the musical and the 2company.


Well next stop...... DUSSELDORF

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

The Pass Around

WOw!! Talk about busy!

Well it all started out with an audition last friday at the Walnut Street Theatre here in philly. I have been trying to get into the Nut(as we all cal it), since I got here almost 3 yrs ago. The closest I ever got was when I crashed the singers call last year for PETER PAN, I wrote about it(the title of the blog starts out with Green Tights).

The audition was for HAIRSPRAY. Now this is one of the musicals on my Havetoo list. I would love to be in this show, the joy and merriment that the music in this show gives me is just too overwhelming for me to not be in this show. I had an audition before for this show in NY for another theater in CA, which was awesome, the combination was fierce as all get out, but I wasn't able to go to the call back cause fortunately I was in rehearsal with Pilobolus. So that just means it wasn't my time to work there yet. Because of that routine, I was expecting the same level of choreographic intensity, um which it totally wasn't. But anyway, I passed the dance cut, and I along with a Hip hop teacher at Koresh(the school I take class at, and Company I interned with), was asked to talk to the director and choreographer. The next thing happened that I would never expected. 1:They asked us if we could grow hair, 2:when the last time we saw our hair was, 3:and if having hair made us look younger.

The figured since we were great dancers they would still here us sing, "oh boy!"

Anyway, Last sunday I went to the big apple for an audition for ALL SHOOK UP. It's kind of seen as an Elvis musical, though it really kind of isn't but has his music in it. It was explained to me as a more Disneyer version of Footloose. Outsider hot guy comes into small country drab town, and makes everything go from black and white to technicolor, and everyone can do triple pirouettes. The first thing we learned was this type out dance. What this is is just everyone doing the simplest 3 8 count dance just so they choreographer can just cut the people He's not even going to look at, cause they either don't have the right type for his show or whatever. So pass that and we learn this total fun combination, It was great it had turns, sycipation, a big kick and the twist, what more do you need, and of course I put some unjulations in it. So I got pass that cut and actually was told to come to the callback that was on tuesday morning to dance and sing again.

I was trying to go to 2 other auditions on Monday and tuesday and was not able to even get seen cause I was not Equity, Man I can't stand this not non Equity crap, the next show I'm in in the fall, God willing, I will get my card.
Monday night I get a call from this girl named Sarah at Binder Casting Agency, WHOAAAA!!


Um Binder Casting Agency casts Broadway and movies! Now I have gotten to the point where Dave Clemmons casting had called me in for invited dance calls, but that is most a nonequity agency, so to be called by her was awesome in itself. This is where it got weird though, she call and invited me to dance call for the show ALL SHOOK UP. She said she had gotten my headshot and resume from the same guy who ran the other audition on sunday, and who was directing this show for another theater, and around the same time too. What? yeah I was thinking that too. So apparently this guys is doing this show at 2 different theaters in the fall. So of course I said I was coming, now this call was for wednesday at noon, man I love invited calls, but this meant that I again would either have to stay in New York over night from tuesdays call back or make another trip back and forth, again it was just the final confirmation that I am moving to New York.
The callback tuesday morning was nothing but great fun. The guy we were auditioning for was Marc Robbin, a pretty know guy in this world of regional theatre but I had never heard of him before. He was tubuler, and was so laid back and fun, it totally eased the tention of the audition. Something fun he had us do was clap for everybodys group when they were dancing, which gaves us a hightened since of support and goofiness when we danced. It was just really nice. So pass the dance cut again, and now he has us sing, I end up being the 3 person to go, which was cool, I don't think I've ever sang so early before. I go in and the first thing he says to me is how awesome of a dancer I am, and how I captivated everybodys attention when I danced! Way cool!, Now I have also heard, and seen first hand that this man is known for complimenting out the wahzoo, while he will continually put you on the cut list. But hey take it where you can get it. And then he asked me why I haven't auditioned for anything at the Walnut since I lived in philly, cause he choreographed PETER PAN and would haved loved me in it! HA! and we both agreed that Walnut was stupid, hehehehe. But on my way out he made sure I was coming the next day, and I was just kind of smerking and was like yeah of course and asked him if it would be the same thing, and he was like yeah, pretty much everything. ...ok, great
Now I am trying to find work for the fall, thats what all these auditions are for. I just want to make sure now more than ever that I always have rent money coming in, I am so afraid of not being able to pay rent and live in Nyc, hey man if any of you want to contribute to the Keep Dark Chocolate Dancing and Eating fund please go right ahead, email with any donations, We appreciate the kind that jingles but love the kind that folds!!!
Moving on, So I have been trying to get any kind of dance gig for next fall, So I went and auditioned for this dance company that is based in Brooklyn but that is getting enough acclaim is perfomring in the Olympics this summer in China! Now one of my goals is to also dance in the Olympics, which is pretty much I think the only reason why I ventured all the way out there to audition. It was very intimidating to be watched and scrutinized by these 6 people, and in the course of the one on 6 audition you could just tell that my body structure was just not right for the movement, oh well, I kind of want to stick to doing theatre anyway.


But While I was there I recieved another phone call from some other guy Whos doing a production of THE FULL MONTY at some other theatre some where else. He tells me that Bob Kline Casting agency gave them my headshot and resume and told them I would be good for this, they were the agency that was doing the first call from sunday and this callback on tuesday. But I ended up totally missing this call cause it was the same time as my Dance Company audition.





But the fact that from one audition I ended up being invited to 3 was totally cool for me, an dsuch an amazing realization, that man as soon as I get to NYC and become Euqity I'm going to always be working, and then I'm going to hit every goal I can!!!! CIRQUE here I come!!!!!!!!!

Thursday, May 1, 2008

The meeting of Bermuda and Germany!







SO now I'm on the bus home from Nyc, and Ct where I just came from rehearsal with Pilobolus. Thats right internet on the bus, man I love this new company, Boltbus all the way!















Rehearsal was of course great in seeing everybody! We haven't all been together now in about 5 and a half weeks, and we really kind of like each other alot, and have a really good group of dancers together. In fact I called everyone the night before just to tell them I couldn't wait to see them, and Holly said she had a surprise for me which ended up being a bracelet she made for me out of the present I bought the girls before we left,( which was a bead kit).




But the thing that was horrible about coming back after having so much time off, was actually doing the dance we created. Oh Gees! Talk about stiff necks, sore thighs, and cranked backs. And not a single one of us could figure out the whole dance from beginning to end, thank God He gave us all different minds to remember different things. So the first day was spent on going over everything we had forgotten, and trying to remember what exactly the choreography was. Oh we also had our first costume fitting!

Well, if there was ever a time when I wanted to be a solid gold dancer, it has now been fulfilled, 10 times over. We all have these really glittery silver or gold peices of clothing on. I think the fabrics were made out of glitter, anway there's glitter every where on us , I am going to be nothing but sparkling for almost 3 weeks in Germany. Talk about standing out, I'm already going to be the darkest one there, Now that is going to be enhanced byt these small reflecter dots all over my body that the sun is going to catch, and glimmer in peoples eyes. Oh, I always wanted to feel special right!! Ha!





But running thru the dance in costume as much as possible, we realized we're not going to be able to do as much of it as we thought, so we had to try some new costume ideas the next day, in which she made these fabulous moon pants for me that were just emaculate! I love them so much, and I want to keep them as lounge pants. You don't even understand how awesome they were, I'll try to get a picture of them the next I have them on. of course we had a great time playin around with each other as well.





Anyway, The other great thing about being back up there in the woods of Conneticut, was that the other cast for Bermuda was there rehearsing as well across the street. We haven't been able to see each other, or hangout at all since we've started, so we were all freakin excited to be staying in the same hotel together, and see each other dance. It was way cool for us newbies, we haven't seen each other since the audition, and there is a special connection we have since we were the ones hired. The Bermuda crew just hired 3 guys( to our 2guys and 2 girls), and actually the one guy they hired is also going to be in the main company in the fall as well, he got the best gig! They were able to come over and watch us do our dance, which made us excited but nervous. But it was good for our directors to get feedback from the others. I think the best time we had was hanging out the one night in the haunted hotel room. Whatever, it's an old nice big bed and breakfast that the company always puts all the dancers up at, and this time we had totally taken over, and there is one corner room upstairs that has these 2 pictures that are old, and eery looking because of the faces of the people in them. So we were trying to scare each other by scratchin, and knocking on the wall, which worked at times. Of course being who we are, we were playing around, picking each other up, and balancing all over everything acting goofy.











It's very exciting the Bermuda crew leaves either may 8 or the 10th, So it was fun to see them off. It's getting crazy for us now to, we leave in 22 days!!!! wooohoooo.