From Cape Town's "Ghetto" to Atlanta: One Dancer's Incredible Journey

This story is absolutely incredible! Thanks to the kindness of a total stranger, a young dancer living in the most poverty-stricken area of Cape Town, South Africa has been given a once in a lifetime opportunity to pursue her dream of becoming a world-class ballerina! Check it out...

“Ghetto Ballet” is a documentary that chronicles the lives of four young ballet dancers living in one of the poorest towns on the outskirts of Cape Town, South Africa….One of the four dancers featured in the movie was Sibahle Tshibika. In the film, she is seen failing to make the cut for the dance company — the end of her dream, or so she thought.” ~ Quote: CNN

Click here to read all about Sibahle Tshibika’s extraordinary journey of hope, compassion and perseverance. For more information about the documentary, please click here.

{This is a cross-post from the Vala Dancewear and Class Act Tutu blogs, the most fabulously divalicious names in dancewear and costume design, if I do say so myself. *Grins*}

Valentine's Day Interview!

Ah, Valentine’s Day! It’s the time of year when we shower our true love with tokens of affection, whether they be in the form of a box of chocolates, a gushy card, or a dozen roses (or all of the above!). In the dance world, Valentine’s Day can be especially wonderful as couples not only live, but oftentimes work, together. We decided to get an inside look at the blessings of Valentine’s Day through the eyes of the dancers themselves....(Vala Dancewear Blog)

To read the rest of my special Valentine's Day interview with Pacific Northwest Ballet dancers, Seth Orza and Sarah Ricard Orza, please click here! :)

Girl's Day Out (Oh yeah. And I "worked" too!)

Today I had the esteemed privilage of accompanying fellow Vala Divas, Rebecca and Rachel, to Seattle Dance Project's "Project 3" at ACT Theatre. (Formal review to follow.)

Oh my goodness, I had so much fun! The theatre was so beautiful--I had no idea it held so many different stages. And our seats were perfect--third row center. :) I had no trouble viewing the dancers, whatsoever. (Which is really saying something because, as everyone knows, my eyesight is horrible.) I settled back in my plushy seat and prepared to take plenty of notes. You know, I really have to pinch myself sometimes over how blessed I am to have the job that I do. It really is amazing. (And my co-workers are pretty darn spectacular, too!)

Following the show we all felt a bit hungry, so we headed to PCC for a scrumptious lunch/early dinner. Rachel, the little sweetie, had her heart set on finding me a new chai to drink. As I've previously whined about profusely mentioned, I'm on a chai fast until I find a tasty form that doesn't contain milk. (Milk and I do not get along. At all.)

I picked up a box of Vanilla Oregon Chai to mix with my soy or almond milk. She and Rebecca bought me a little box of Rice Dream's Chocolate Chai flavored rice milk, which according to Rachel is for those times when I "need to slam something quick!" :)  Did I mention how much I adore this girl?

We all sat back and enjoyed our little meal (tuna salad sandwich for Rachel and I...Rebecca had...something else. Hmm.) while "talking shop". What's more is that I felt surprisingly perky, considering the very little sleep I got last night. (Dean watching TV in bed 'til after 1am, daughter's sleepover/giggling 'til after 2am, dog barfing at 6:30 am, nephew's phone call at 7:30am...Yawn)

All said and done, it was a great day and I'm very glad to have spent it with two of the best, most glamorous divas out there! Thanks, ladies!! xoxo

PS: Oh yes. It was really nice running into Olivier Wevers again, too! ;)

Whim W'Him on Vimeo

Check out this spectacular video of Whim W'him produced by Matthew Brown! Everything about this project was simply amazing. It was an honor to be a part of it, even on a very small level. I can't wait to see what Olivier Wevers and his talented team of dancers produce next!

*Please note that some of the subject matter may be inappropriate for sensitive/younger viewers. Therefore, parental discretion is advised.*

3Seasons from Whim W'Him on Vimeo.

Inspired by Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons," 3Seasons is a radical take on our disposable world. It draws together dancers from PNB, Spectrum Dance Theater, and the Seattle community in a thoughtful reimagining of Vivaldi's music by composer Byron Au Yong.

Just Another Day in the Life

Some people think I have it all together. Gee, if only you could hear my daughter's hysterical laughter at that statement.

But to be honest, I get a good chuckle out of it, too. :) Because I clearly *don't* have it all together, nor will I ever on this side of humanity. So I decided to give you all a glimpse into my day. This will serve as proof that I do not have it all together, nor should you ever-- in a bizillion years--think that I do.

Now, just to forewarn you, my life's pretty boring. You may want to secure a jumbo size cup of coffee before you begin reading. :)

Oh yes. One last thing. Dean's hours have changed so I now get up at....

6:45 AM: After forcing my legs to stand, which are still quite sore from the previous day's workout, I make my way out of the bedroom. I grab 2 fresh towels from the linen closet (these are for Dean), turn off the security alarm, start Dean's coffee, then head into the bathroom to wash up.

6:58 AM: Now it's time to wake Dean up, who by no means "gets up" when I first tell him to. He prefers to roll around and groan until 7:10am. By then I'm rolling him--literally--out of bed, and making the bed as I go. It's quite comical, actually. :)

7:12 AM: Dean's in the shower. The bed is made. Time to feed and let out the dogs! From now until Dean gets out of the shower, I scan my To Do List which is usually written out the night before. If I think of something to add to it, which in this case I do (we're out of dish soap, dog food and almond milk), I take care of that now. Then I fire up my email and check to see if anything majorly important came in overnight.

7:30 AM: Dean leaves for work. After changing into my workout clothes, it's time for me to hit the "gym" (aka: the living room). On this day, I did an oldie but goody--The Firm Volume 1 w/ Susan Harris. She..is...vicious!

8:35 AM: Workout is officially over. Time to hobble my way to the shower. Ugh...

9:00 AM: It's time to print out the day's homeschool lessons. It's also time to get my work day started! I throw a load of laundry in, check the email, edit then post this week's Featured Member column on the TOS Crew's Facebook fan page (Try saying that ten times fast!), and finally--eat breakfast.

9:30 AM: Ok, kids. Time to get up. Like it or not. I whip up the last of the eggs for their breakfast and hustle them along. We have to go to the store and I've got a lot of writing to accomplish. Chop chop!

10 AM: The kids are either eating, brushing their teeth, or cleaning their room. I'm still trying to light a fire under them as they're still kinda d-r-a-g-g-i-n-g themselves along. Very frustrating.


Meanwhile, I throw another load of laundry in, and try to call my sister. Today is my nephew's 11th birthday. She doesn't answer. Figures. Oh well. I'll wash up the breakfast dishes instead.

10:20 AM: My mother emails me and asks if I'd forward her some recent job postings. For some reason, her work's network is blocking access. Imagine that! ;) I pull those together and send them along. "Hey, are you guys ready to head to the store yet?"

10:30 AM: I finish writing up a little press release for Dance Retailer News. I then shoot this over to Rebecca, my amazingly fabulous boss, via email.

10:45 AM: After threatening my oldest with "If you're not ready by the time I am, you're staying home and babysitting your siblings", we're finally heading out. :) First stop--Albertsons, then Trader Joe's. (They're in the same strip mall.) Then finally, the pet store to pick up a bag of dog food. It's a nice, brisk 4 block walk. Invigorating really, given the chill in the air.

11:30 AM: Finally, home at last! Whew! Ok, back to work, everyone! Ethan and Abby begin their Latin, math, and typing assignments; Sierra works on her One Year Adventure Novel, Traditional Logic, typing and math. We also begin reviewing a new graphics program, courtesy of the TOS Crew. It looks pretty cool! I'm impressed as are the kids.

12:28 PM: Lunch break. I eat mine at my desk. Because I can. That and I'm hammering out what I hope will be the final draft of my article on Edward Gorey. I'm too picky for my own good sometimes. (Sigh) Then I have to work on the Summer Intensives series. I'll upload both the Gorey article (gee, that sounds odd) and the summer piece as drafts to the Vala blog later today.

12:42 PM: Second attempt at calling sister. I figure by now, my nephew should be home from school. They're on the east coast. Unfortunately, there's still no answer. Fine. Be that way. I also check over Ethan and Abby's assignments. So far, so good! :) I then assign everyone their respected chores to complete once their lessons are done. Back to work...

1:12 PM: Chores! Woohoo! Everyone's busy cleaning something: bathroom, bedrooms, dishes, sweeping, garbage, dusting, putting away the laundry...

1:35 PM: "Yes, Ethan and Abby, you can now play the Wii..." Sierra occupies herself with Sorority Life on Facebook or something like that. I'm still writing the summer intensive piece. Didn't like the previous draft. It sounded funny. I'm also simultaneously checking and replying to the 23 emails that are waiting for me. Gee, I'm popular today! :)


I then place a call and leave subsequent message with the Jillana School and New Mexico Dancewear. I'm hoping to pick their brains regarding the summer intensive series. I also make a note to work on my blog disclosure policy, per helpful reminder from a dear friend of mine. ;)


2 PM: Finally made my last revision to the summer intensive piece and tucked it away as a draft on the blog. Ditto Edward Gorey. Whew! Now it's time to get a few TOS Crew reviews drafted up!

3:20 PM: Dean will be home from work soon, so it's time for me to freshen up! :) I also time to pull the kids off their computers and games. They've dinked around long enough.

3:28 PM: Daddy's home! A quick hello, how are you, how was your day? Then he's off to the pharmacy to drop off his Rx (that he forgot to do on the way home). I stay behind to wait for his computer repair client--who is due to show up by 4pm. Yikes! Good thing Walgreens is close by!

3:50 PM: Dean's back home. It's time for Abby to eat a little something before getting ready for ballet class. She's going to try the Level IV class this evening and is very excited! :)

4 PM: Dean's client has arrived. Time for me to feed the dogs. Oops. I should've done that at 3pm! Now they're starving and looking at me like, "Gee, thanks a lot MOM!" Once I'm done with that, I go back over my To Do List to see what else I'm forgetting.

Sierra comes up to me and asks if I have a plain white T-shirt she can have for tonight's Youth Group. Apparently they're going to be painting said shirts in preparation for cheering on the local high school basketball team on Friday. I don't have any plain white shirts. :( Nor is there time to get one. Youth Group is tonight from 7-9pm. Sorry, sweets!

4:15 PM: Time to do Abby's hair. Nothing like winding 3 feet of hair into a bun! (Ok, maybe 3 feet's a bit of an exaggeration. But not by much!)

5-6 PM: I sit and watch Abby take class. I love watching her dance! It brings back so many fond memories for me. :)

6:20 PM: Back home and it's time to start supper. Tonight's feature here at Cafe` Opper--chicken stir fry, courtesy of Trader Joe's. Sierra picked it out, so she'd better eat it.

6:37 PM: Arguing with Sierra over her supper. I want her to eat before she goes to Youth Group. She insists she's full from her little fruit cup which she ate at 4pm. Whatever...eat or don't go. Your choice. (She finishes 13 minutes later.)

7-9 PM: Youth Group. Now it's time for me to kick back, relax, and read some of the library books I have waiting for me. :)

9:10 PM: Sierra's home. Her leader picked up white T-shirts for everyone from the thrift store. Hooray! Problem solved. Wait...wasn't I forgetting something...???

*Gasp* I never did get a hold of my nephew to wish him a happy birthday! UGH! Too late to call now. (Huge sigh) I also never got around to that disclosure policy. (Ahem) Oh well! Add it to the list for tomorrow.

Right now, I'm going to watch an episode of Dog the Bounty Hunter with Dean before crashing. You know, I've never noticed how Dog's hair reminds me of one of those fancy folded napkins. You know what I'm talking about, right?  One of these..... 

10:45 PM: Time for bed. G'night world. See you tomorrow....

Post Show Q & A

For those of you who are interested, the link to the 3 Seasons post show Q & A, courtesy of KUOW 94.9 FM's Marcie Sillman, is up 'n running. Hear from Artistic Director, Olivier Wevers as he answers audience members' questions about the show and what 3 Seasons was meant to convey.

You can listen in by clicking here. Enjoy!! :)

Viva Whim W'him!

Olivier Wevers and his newly formed company, Whim W’him have done what no other dancer, choreographer or company has done before. The Seattle-based tour de force has shattered the glass barricade that once stood as the dividing wall between the world of ballet and the realm of modern dance, ushering in a new era of collaboration and artistry.

Whim W’him’s sold-out performances at On the Boards this past weekend packed an intoxicating punch of sound, light and movement. The triple bill featured Wevers previous works, X-Stasis (PNB’s Choreographer’s Showcase 2006) and Fragments (Spectrum Dance Theatre 2007), as well as the world premiere of 3 Seasons, Wevers first major collaborative effort.

X-Stasis is comprised of 5 couples making a unique statement about their world and their relationship to one another. Standouts from this performance include Jonathan Poretta and Lucien Postlewaite’s pas de deux which sizzled with poetic tension. Their execution was both complimentary and contradictory; a raw, edgy rendition of the proverbial yin and yang.

Chalnessa Eames dazzled in a delightful piece that felt a bit like an avant-garde rendition of Coppelia. Let’s just say her partner, the helpless mannequin, was no match for her seductive charms!

Kaori Nakamura and guest artist, Karel Cruz (PNB Principal Dancer) were utterly spectacular. Their pairing was exuberant, crisp and well-balanced; the perfect blend of power, delicacy and joy.

Fragments begins with a sweeping aria playfully mimicked by an amusing pair of friends. Kelly Ann Barton’s (Spectrum Dance Theater) and Vincent Lopez’s movements were light, fluttering, and beautifully in sync. Together they encompassed all that is childlike and well--whimsical, from their “twittering” hip rolls, to their playful dashing about the stage. Following the playful antics, Vincent Lopez gave a commanding solo performance as a tortured soul, longing and yearning to be free. Moving effortlessly through a series of well-crafted poses, Lopez is transformed into a living sculpture, relishing in its temporary freedom. Costumes by Christine Joly de Lotbiniere provided a delicious hint of Victorian flair, while Michael Mazzola’s thoughtful lighting cast the entire piece in a distinct, Renaissance glow.

Last but not least, was 3 Seasons.

Never have I seen such a decisive take on our modern world that fused together the elements of style, wit, humor and hope so beautifully. In fact, I have a feeling that this piece will serve as the springboard by which all other collaborative efforts will be judged, and provide Whim W’him with a prominent position in the annals of dance history.

The musical score consists of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons paired with a live corresponding movement by Byron Au Yong, which was nothing short of perfection. The tinkling of a toy piano, the hum of the violin and gentle percussion created a fun, exciting, youthful energy.

Designer Michael Cepress’ vision of pairing vibrant splashes of red on ruddy, human earth tone canvasses provided the perfect backdrop for this piece. The use of his re-designed sculptural collars, wire hanger skirts, and sullied leotards made for a stunning artistic display.

Jim Kent’s portrayal of the covetousness of human nature was thrilling. The object of his desire changes with whatever is put before him; a pillow, a lamp, a keyboard to finally a bird cage, which has to be placed on his head because there’s no more room in his hands. Kent—like society itself—is never content with what he already has, and is continuously seeking, grasping, and vying for more. The act was played for humor which the audience responded with more than a few “been there, done that” laughs.

Kaori Nakamura is used, abused and finally discarded and yet—she still manages to come out looking like the victor. Her stage presence leaves its own indelible mark of beauty behind.


Chalnessa Eames was effervescent and sensual. Vincent Lopez was completely brilliant and charming. Jonathan Poretta and Lucien Postlewaite were riveting, powerful, dominating, and fierce.

Ty Alexander Cheng and Kylie Lewallen were saucy, flirty and breathtaking. Their endless kiss reminded me of a pair of butterflies; lips locked with wings (arms) continually unfurling yet never intertwining.

Hannah Lagerway and Lucien Postlewaite writhed about in geometric splendor. I was impressed with Postlewaite’s skillful control and Lagerway’s incredible range. Indeed, her presence within this company is the icing on the cake.

With everything this company has going for it—excellent dancers, respected Artistic Director, dedicated fan base, and a growing list of collaborators—Whim W’him stands poised on the edge of a divine precipice, ready to be launched into the stratosphere.

Congratulations to you, Mr. Wevers and to your talented team of artists. Viva Whim W’him!

*Photos courtesy of La Vie Photography*

This post also appears on the Vala Dancewear Blog.

Interview with Olivier Wevers: Part One

Attention Dance Enthusiasts: Click here to read the first installment of my exciting interview series with the supremely talented dancer, choreographer, and Whim W'him Artistic Director, Olivier Wevers!

Mr. Wevers is an incredible artist and I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to interview him! Thanks again, Olivier! Merde and viva Whim W'him! :)

Abby's New "Class Act" Tutu

As you can see, Abby LOVES her new tutu! She earned this stunning creation by "working" alongside me over at the Vala Dancewear office. Owner/operator, Rebecca offered to make Abby her very own, custom "Class Act" tutu as payment for a job well done. (Wasn't that sweet of her?!)

Abby chose the colors herself, as well as the style and length. The final product is a beautiful treasure....Thank you again, Rebecca. ((Hugs))