Approaching an Open Door of a Dreams Actualization

Alright, I know I have been absolutely awful at keeping up to date about my occurrences and auditions ever since I returned from Florida from doing BARNUM at the beginning of this year, and all I can say is please forgive me. Figuring out how to live in the BIG NYC is a huge learning process.

Alright I know you're going to want me to give you all the juicy details as to what happened with SPIDERMAN, but you are just going to have to settle for the cliff note version of things so I can try and update you with all of the worlds of things that have gone on in the past 6 months.

Let me just start off saying that I don't think I have ever danced as hard as I have in my whole life then in theses past 6 months. The reason I have not kept up writing is because there have been too many too detail about, and not having an adequate source of internet. It has been a very frustrating 6 months as well, because I have danced so hard, and well and haven't felt like I have gone anywhere. This recession has hit Our industry pretty freakin hard, I think I've already said how they bring in Movie and tv stars to be our leads on BWAY, and then that makes the leads be ensemble, the ensemble chorus, the chorus to the regional theatre, and then us left to fend for anything and everything thats left. From cruise ships to industrials and small dance gigs, to settling for real jobs. But what gets hard about looking for real jobs is still wanting to audition, and when your in prime audition season there can be an audition 6 days a week for almost a moth straight. So there goes any available tim you have to work. Thats why people who aren't in the bizness don't understand that auditioning is our job! We are constantly going on interviews so to speak that can last anywhere from 20 mins to 8hrs, and I am not exagerating. But enough boring fact lets get down to the reasons why I am still pursuing this crazy Artform!

There was a period at the right in the middle of spring where I was really getting down, cause it seemed that everything was going to be great for me being a chocolate man cause there were 3 shows that were calling for blacks guys approaching. And I danced my A#$&* off! MEMPHIS, FININNIAN'S RAINBOW, and DREAMGIRLS. 2 new Broadway shows, and revival Nat'l tour. But I would dance my heart out, pass the cut to sing , and wait for a call, and be left waiting. Or I would keep getting called back, or invited to comeback, but I would never get the gig. And this is what made me feel down. I felt like it was always between me and Tyrone, and he would always get asked to stay over me. It was killing me, I was already taking as much class as I could, learning how to tumble, working on new songs, I din't know what else I needed to do. I remember asking my big bro James(whos in CHICAGO), what was wrong, and he then enlightened me that I have reached a new place in this biz. He told me that I was talented, very, and that now it is not about my talent. I was like what? Yeah so now I have reached the point where it is about politics, time, place, people I know, and if Ifit the costume. Semantics. oh yes. Well that information was all good, it eased my mind in my lack of self confidence, but I still was unhappy with why I wasnt getting picked. So I asked Tyrone to critique me, give me some feedback. And you know what he told me, that I dance to big! That I am always trying to prove that I can dance. WOW. And you know he was soo true.
I always felt I had to show that this big guy wasn't coming in to play the wrestler who could just throw people in the air and catch them. It's just my nature to go all out, and give a hundred percent. But he was telling me that, yes when they first see me to give it, kick my face, do my tuns, jump high, but when they call me back, to show them as much style as they wanted, or even better as they showed. That I didn't need to be so aggressive they already know I can dance thats why they called me back. So It was pretty priceless feedback.

Then Came along a SPIDER and sat down beside me, and then made me throw myself all around, and free style krump for 5 days straight!! HA! So that was pretty amazing, after all this rejection, on a whim to audition on Monday I passed the cut for tuesday, which of course was the actual invited call as I talked about previously in post. Well how awesome I pass that cut on tuesday, and get calledback to dance on wednesday for the official callback. Show up that day and there are cats there from LA, and VEGAS, as well as all these other cats who ar currently in BROADWAY or OFF Broadway shows, gees I thought, the real deal here we go. and Yes Tyrone was there. hahaha. Well that all goes well pass the first initial cut to learn another combination. But then I had to leave to run to an invited call for the LITTLE MERMAID. (I tell you about that in the next paragraph). I had asked them if they wanted me to just shoot right over after that but they said no, if they wanted me they would call. Oiy! More waiting. Well they did call me, and told me that they wanted me to preapre for being with them later that evening all night, cause the chroeographer Daniel Ezralow wanted to have one on one time, and they wanted me to dance for Julie Taymor!! Awesome!! Well It was pretty cool making it to the last group of guys for this new Musical SPIDERMAN. They told us that there were no more cuts. It was kind of crazy cause we weren't going to dance again cause Julie got stuck in the studio with Bono from U2,( yeah I know), but then at the last minute she came in. And let me tell you we worked it out! We all ended up improving for her one by one and let me just tell you I have only experienced energy like that a couple times in my life. People were flippin, spinnin, krumpin, and sliding on their heads it was AWESOME!!!!!!