Motivation Vs. Intimidation

It's the end of the week and it has been a long interesting week for me. So I decided that this weeks news will be about self motivation. As a dancer I know it can be grueling and challenging to be the best and to get noticed. Living in NYC which is one of the top cities in competitive dancing.

NYC is constantly keeping you on your toes with all the new dance trends and choreography. So many styles such as: Bboying/Bgirling, Popping, Locking, Rocking, Choreography, Dance Hall, Latin Styles, etc. You even have these new dance trends called foot work and lite feet that can be very intricate. 

Some of these dances are now being fused with each other creating intense and extremely creative. The precision and dynamics on some of these choreographed pieces are so amazing, that some dancers sometimes become intimidated by what they are seeing.

I am first to admit it, to this very day I still tend to get intimidated by these amazing dancers that I have seen performed and or battle. There are several things that make a quality dance, they are: Precision, Accuracy, Dynamics, Style, Attitude, Movement, Musicality, and most importantly, Passion.

The most important thing of being a great dancer is to have fun and just dance your heart out. I have always loved to dance and although I have never ever been into Hip Hop Choreography, I would always try to learn it no matter what.

All dancers began as amateurs, some were extremely shy and some had no fear at all. I certainly can say that most dancers have had that feeling that they were not good enough at one point or another. This feeling is what you call intimidation. Some dancers are intimidated because they feel they can't do certain moves or movements compared to other dancers.

This feeling can sometimes make you feel low and sometimes it can make you want to give up. I am a true testament to this because it's happened to me several times over the years. I really started dancing in my mid-twenties and although I had never attended a dance class, dancing was in my blood. when I started Bboying back in 2000 I had no fear, I was constantly practicing and traveling to sessions all over NYC. I was training and dancing with Honey Rockwell, Speedy Legs, Speedy D and many more, and they always told me never to give up no matter how hard it may seem.

I went to a session last week at PMT Studios located in Manhattan on 14th street and 6th ave. It was a dope Bboy/Bgirl session with fresh break beats. I saw a Bgirl there and she just watched us and I noticed that she was getting intimidated because all the other breakers were more advanced than she was. I was there for 2 hours and she only danced for 5 minutes then she walked out. She was there for at least 30 minutes watching and I could see the frustration and intimidation in her face.

I was dismayed that she had got up and left, but I've seen this far to many times. This is a classic definition of being intimidated, and unfortunately breaking is a very male dominated style. But almost half of the bgirls I have met throughout my dance lifestyle have made a name for themselves in such a male dominated scene. This just doesn't go for bgirls but for bboys as well, especially for those that are beginning to learn.

I sometimes get intimidated because these dancers now are doing things far beyond I can fathom. The dynamics they are throwing and the fact they are literally breaking gravity. Some are even lucky to have great teachers, crews, and some even start off as young as 3 years of age.

My goal in this weeks blog is to let every dancer know, do not be discouraged or intimidated by any other dancer. Utilize that fear as a re-enforcement to train harder, work harder to be a greater dancer. Try using different techniques or try to understand the mechanics behind the movements.

If you fear what you can't understand then you have already lost the battle, so why not try to understand it by learning, reading, and trying. You will fail 100 times before you succeed once, but the moment you have accomplished that goal, the fire has spread in you and the dawn of a new dancer has begun.

History of Dance through my eyes

NYC the land of opportunity and 8th wonder of the world of the dance community. Now let's go back into time the roaring twenties where dancing found a home. NYC with it's gritty look and awesome fashion trends, music and ahh..Yes, dancing.

The 1920's was the beginning of fashion with daring outfits that one would look at you with dismay because it was considered atrocious. The end of the Victorian era and the birth of anew. The Charleston one of the first commercialized dance styles that was created, although this dance was predominantly in broadway shows. It was the foundation of where dance came to be.

The U.S. in those days began to sponsor dancers all over the world and competitive dancing was born. These events which gave opportunity to dancers world wide to be creative and bring their best by creating funky new moves, awesome acts, and new dance trends. 

The Blackfoot dance was birthed in that very same era and morphed into something we now call Lindy Hop which came from Harlem, NYC .

 Lindy Hop was so innovative and catchy that the younger generation did not realize that this very style of dance would forever change the world. This particular dance style would become a lifestyle for many. These dancers were living, breathing, and eating dance. Which later on adopted by many musicians and beloved performers.

Life as we know it literally came to life after the Great Depression, most needed an outlet to let go and express themselves through this movement. 

The 1940's and 1950's was an astounding era where dancing was used to overcome WW2. The Afro Cuban Latin styles called Rumba, Swing was which then adopted by the white middle class. It evolved from Lindy Hop, Jazz dances into a huge phenomenon and became a success with musicians such as Sammy Davis Jr., Nicholas Brothers, Gregory Hines and the late great James Brown; the man with the funkiest moves. 

The 1960's was a new era and new dance crazes were forming, such as: the twist, the mashed potato, the monster mash, and yes, the funky monkey the dog and the frog. In that same year President Wilkenson had given a controversial speech to ban dancing.

1970's Disco! Disco! Disco! One of my favorite eras of dance. You had the hustle, the bus stop, YMCA and one of the grooviest dance moves; the chicken dance. These dance styles would eventually take the world by storm and applied to such great movies such as Saturday night fever, with John Travolta and of course my favorites' Grease. Although I was not even a glimmer in my parents eyes, these eras touched the center of my soul. 

1980's, what can I say except, holy crap.. Before hip hop had it's name, which was coined by the great Love Bug Starski, the invention of the scratch by the great Grand Wizard Theadore, and along with great musicians and DJ's such as, Michael Jackson, Cool Herc, Afrikka Bambattaa and you can't forget Grand Master Caz. Pop Master Fable and Mr. Wiggles went on to fuse and create the funkiest beats with innovative dance styles by using live percussion music, beat-boxing, and lyrical poetry also known as rap. Within these styles came what I call a sleeping dragon style. With movements so powerful from it's ticking, hitting, strutting, waving and the infamous wiggle walk. Popping a west coast style so devious that when it came to the east coast hailing from the west coast, people would be stunned by its benevolent strength. Locking was not only dominated by males but the females were adding fuel to the fire. Hailing from Hartford, Connecticut Popping Peaches was a force to be reckoned with performing with Lockatron John. Her persona her demeanor her extreme agility to get you funked up. 

Breaking then came to light better known as B-Boying or B-Girling with it's acrobatic/martial arts movements applied to break beats (the break of the record where it was just music or instrumentals). 

The Women in Dance started to refine movements so intricate all you can do is just drop your jaw. Ana Rocafella and Honey Rockwell two of the fiercest B-Girls on the breaking scene. 

The B-Boys that would phenomenally take the world by surprise is Ken Swift with his foot work and style. You would think he's the re-incarnation of Bruce Lee. Now imagine a B-boy so dynamic, so fluid, he was labeled as "The Man With A Thousand Moves," Spy along with other great B-Boys Wayne Blizz, and Frosty Freeze.

Never mind NYC but this was world wide from as far as Japan to South America. Now mind you while this was happening around the world other dance styles would also be evolving such as salsa, merengue, mambo, cumbia and my favorite and dear to my heart HOUSE DANCE.

 House dance music was founded in Chicago in the early to mid 80's. House music is the very blood that courses through my veins and of course B-Boying, but house is where my roots lie. Although house has many styles of music from techno, acid, funk, soulful, progressive, latin house, neo soul and the list goes on. The interesting thing about house dancing in my opinion, is its a feeling a love that you embrace and it literally takes you to a higher conscious  level. While there is no particular formula like B-Boying or Hip-Hop choreography it still has it's unique foundation as all dance styles do. 

House music is a feeling that's so overwhelming that your body gets lost in space between the musical notes and vibrations till the point where all your emotions come to light -- (I'm literally tearing thinking how house makes me feel). 

Someone asked me: "What is HOUSE music?"

My answer: to understand house music is that you have to first listen to it. Love it. Embrace it. At the same time open your mind because time pauses and space is unimaginable.

 The sounds that pulsate through your pores in your skin vibrate through your eardrum into your cerebral cortex to give you the ultimate eargasm. That is what house means to me. 

Then you have the 90's and beyond to the present where dances are so diverse and creative that all you can say is "OMG!" "What the hell was that?!" From the most intricate foot work sets to choreographed routines and unimaginable death defying acrobats with precision timing, these dance styles have become a way of life for both children and adults in more ways then you can think of. 

I've been dancing for 12+ years and yet I cannot get enough of dancing. The invigorating feeling I get while I'm performing, entertaining and sharing that wow factor to the public. This blog will be very detailed for dancers or those interested in dancing in NYC, that are looking for rental space, teaching, training and volunteering. This blog will not just be limited to that but also videos, information for sessions and practices will be listed along with special events and everything involving dance. 

This is for everyone who ever loved to dance or still dances and doesn't know where to go from B-Boying, (breakdance) to house to hip hop and so on and so fourth. This blog is for the dancer by the dancer. So as James Brown would say, "Get on the good foot," and shut up and dance!

Check out this dance link for things-to-do:

www.dancedeets.com

Check out this link for places to stay if you are planning to travel:

www.dance-wiki.appspot.com

Resources:

Photo in article is not my artwork 

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_music

http://lite987.com/five-iconic-dances-of-the-70s-videos/

http://www.the60sofficialsite.com/Dance_Crazes_of_the_60s.html

http://theroaringtwentieshistory.blogspot.com/2010/06/evolution-of-twenties-dance-styles.html?m=1