The Beginning

I took a break from the blog, but have not taken a break from the career. Everything is moving in full swing and I’m thrilled to say I’m going bicoastal! From the Big Apple to Hollywood itself, I will now be traveling back and forth. I’m working full force as an Artistic Director and Choreographer on several incredible projects in New York in hopes to share those with you live in the next couple of months. As well as holding up my performance career in Los Angeles with Layla and the Lotus dancers. But I don’t stop there, I will soon be making a few trips out to Philadelphia to put on one of my favorite shows of all time, the Maggy Keegan Variety Hour! Get ready for a whole new look, and personality as 2012 is the beginning of my new reality!

This week I had the pleasure of seeing War Horse at the Lincoln Center and Anything Goes with Miss Sutton Foster and the incredible Joel Grey! Both extremely inspirational and just what I needed to keep the drive and motivation alive while everything around me is bustling about. Anything Goes is a dream show in itself and the cast was outstanding! Hands down one of the best casts I’ve seen on Broadway, you can tell that live on stage and have a great time up there! War Horse was an exceptionally astounding piece of art. I couldn’t picture the puppetry until I was there and it was even better live, then I had anticipated! Both incredible shows to go see, now the question is doing you want to watch an incredible piece about horses and war, or do you need a little sparkle and glitz in your life with Anything Goes?

No matter what happens just keep putting one foot in front of the other because eventually all of the hard work will pay off!

A few links below to understand who I’ve been spending my time with!

New York City

http://www.face2facenyc.com/

http://www.jashayla.com/JaShayla.com.html

Los Angeles

http://www.laylalotus.com

http://www.cristofanirocks.com/

Philadelphia

http://www.maggykeeganvarietyhour.com/

Most Infatuated Song of the Moment: I Still Believe by Cristofani

Raining

Well it’s been a minute. As usual a busy season kicked in. This summer was full of great moments. From my first Phish show to my 4th Burning man and lots of performing in between. Lots of belly dancing recently. My love for bellydancing has taken it’s second turn into becoming an absolute necessity in my life. It took a backseat the past year to focus on my first year in New York and will now being incorporated with my New York life. Stay tuned to find out where I’ll be dancing next!

From working with Rouge, a persian pop group, to doing Faramarz Assef’s, a world class Persian Singer, Concert in Beverly Hills. Dancing with Layla and the Lotus dancers, and working on a new project has been my life the past 2 or so months. Growing as a dancer and performer is always exciting.

Recently at Burning Man in Black Rock City, NV for the 4th consecutive year. Being apart of a collective called the Sacred Dice, where the only things allowed are Truth, Beauty, Love, and fighting the good fight! We roamed around the burn as a performative group art piece. From politics to revolutionaries we swept the desert. We held a talk entitled, Revolutionary Honesty. It was truly incredible to see so many people come out and face there fears. Living in shame, or fear, only to find out that many people have the same ideas going through there brains. One of the greatest bonding experiences with a large group of complete strangers to date.

My career is moving along in each direction. From dance to choreography, circus training to fire dancing, who knows where you’ll see me next. You might even see me on your living room television one day soon

Dancing in the streets of San Francisco, to dancing on the playa in Black Rock City, to belly dancing across Southern California, I’m ready to hit the Big Apple again Hard and Pure!

Most Infatuated Song of the Moment: Show of Life by Phish

Bubbles

So many incredible things happen when your not looking for them. The game is to notice them and not let them pass you, but also to not get too wrapped up in the ideas that can cloud the opportunity.

I got to see Shakespeare in the Park in Central Park and it was one of those opportunities that refreshes your mind about why it is we do what we do. Watching the Tony’s, hurts in a good way, which is just a reminder that I’m still hungry for it and want it. It being Broadway, to do eight shows a week with the happy tap dancing jazz hand-hitting- shuffle off to buffalo- high soprano notes singing performance. I also went to see the all inspiring “Catch Me If You Can” right after it won a couple Tony’s with my best friend of 12 years. It’s exciting to share the journey and the love for what I do with those who mean a great deal to me.

Shakespeare in the Park- Measure by Measure was so well directed. You forgot you were watching a play as the actors were so consumed with there characters. From the costume to set design, the lighting to stage direction. It was truly incredible to see so much work put forth into such an amazing tradition. I don’t think I actually understood Shakespeare until I saw this particular show. Reading it and imaging what’s going on. Knowing story lines and how characters interact with one another. It really was eye opening and intriguing and gave me a new love for Shakespeare. He’s written the classics, and they continue to be shared with our world. He seems to be one of most well respected artist with such timeless stories to share. Seeing this show with a true actor with a love for Shakespeare, was really fun for me. Knowing that this incredible artist next to me will strive for roles in this summer tradition, one day she’ll be up on that stage living her dream.

The Tony’s happen to be my favorite award show. People that I have worked with and have never met all sit in one room acknowledging each others presence and talent. Award shows are really for the community to support one another and from my living room couch seems to be very fun loving and in great spirits. From performance to performance, to funny little speeches to acceptance speeches. It’s a great journey for the aspiring performer to indulge in.

“Catch Me If You Can” was a fun musical, with some really really standing ovation talent. the goose bumps just took over the body from the top of the show “In Living Color” to the heart wrenching ballad “Fly, Fly Away” to the curtain call. I think performers should see their craft as much as possible to keep it instilled in there minds that the hard work will eventually pay off, the handful of ‘broadway debuts’ in each show will one day be us. It’s inspiring, it makes me want to work harder and harder. The efforts aren’t ever enough, the pay off of the stage will be undeniable.

There’s something about live theater and music that I will never quite know how to describe, other than I love it and it makes my heart warm. Sharing our passion with those who want to be entertained. Sharing our lives with our cast members and our creative. We’re continuously working towards the next thing, always checking ourselves and staying focused. It’s a true joy.

Most Infatuated Song of the Moment: Fly, Fly Away by Kerry Butler from “Catch Me If You Can”

Dolphin Flip

We’re given opportunities everyday to make our own choices. The way we were raised, the moments that happened before the moment of choice, we weigh the options of how drastic this choice could be. We notice all of the pros and cons and sometimes we don’t. Sometimes we are handed an opportunity and we have to make it work to the best of our ability whether it’s exciting or not, we move forward. This career is based on opportunities and creating opportunities. As much as we’re looking out for ourselves, number 1, we’re also trying to help our fellow artist who need a little extra push in the right direction, or just a shoulder to help them through the day. The day in the life of an artist is usually a roller coaster. Not only do we create our own schedules but we have the constant idea in our heads that we have to be five steps ahead and ready for anything.

The past two weekends showed me just that. As much as it can get crazy it also is the most amazing experience. We never have to do today  again, we’ll get a chance to relive the day where we have a show and the space we do the show in but we don’t ever have to relive it again. We fortunately get to create another day with different challenges, successes, and failures.

I can’t say it enough how grateful I am to be able to lead this life. As much as it can be a roller coaster full of Up’s and Down’s; a little sense of adventure never hurt anyone. We’re creating our dreams, we’re making them happen. One step at a time, we continue to reinvent our finish line and push  hard for every stride that gets us closer. We get to experience it with amazing people who are genius-ly talented, and we just have to be happy. Most dancers, and some artists are perfectionists. Being a perfectionist makes it hard when things that are out of our hands, change the outcome of what we saw being beautifully designed and perfectly created. We get emotional as artists because we care about our work so much that it will effect an entire group of us. We think that it’s never enough, but sometimes we really have to take a step back and realize that maybe today, maybe for just this moment it is enough. We get to see the live successes vs. the planned ones. It’s so much more exciting for me to walk in a room full of people I know and hear something great that happened. Knowing that something can happen any minute of the day, one hour will never look like another hour. It’s such a great life we lead.

This weekend made me re-realize just how much I appreciate and care about those I work with and enjoy working with them, those I’ve worked with before, and the excitement that lies ahead with those I will hopefully get the chance to work with.

Overall, even with the challenges that face us everyday, maybe several times in one day or one week, we figure out how to conquer them because it’s worth it. This career is worth it!

Most Infatuated Song of the Moment: Glory of Love by Bette Midler

EuroTrip

There’s a lot to say for this double edge sword that sits in front of me. On one side, all I could ask for is to work internationally and experience art that gets appreciated daily and recognized everywhere. On the other, I live in the best city in the world for live Theater and the dream that I want sits just steps ahead of me.

The locals of Paris and friends that I know from Canada and other countries would kill to live in New York or Los Angeles. The locals of Paris also claim its easier to do art and perform to a degree at which you want to be able to and live without being starving in their own country. The main difference I’m finding is that Europe and other countries has government money involved with art, which makes it easier in some sense to acquire the tools you want to create art in any media. The states have the most prestigious and sought out art forms where you really only see the best of the best; from film and television to Broadway, I do live and have lived in the best places. I really do love it! Love living in New York, love having lived in Los Angeles, and it really is just the beginning

So the question remains, what’s better having an international career or being on Broadway in New York City. I have to say they’re both grand choices and I’d take both challenges. I think creating a well rounded career and having experiences is just part of the career path. Some aren’t willing to take the challenge and live the very unstable life, and others don’t know anything but that life. It’s hard enough trying to manage a life in the states and conquer a dream. It’s even harder not to be allowed in the states long enough to conquer the dream.

This may seem like complaining but it’s not. It’s getting out the idea in which makes it easier to grow as an artist. To live in Europe for a year or two at this age in the game, would be easier than doing in it 10 years. In 10 years being on Broadway is the name of the game, and if not then I did something very very wrong or right, we’ll see. The great thing about my dreams is that they can be accomplished in some many different cities, with so many different people. I don’t get to plan where it takes place or when, but I do get to create the ideas and manifest it as best as possible.

Paris brought a simple realization up, that New York and Paris have a lot in common. Obviously not the same city and maybe shouldn’t even be compared but you do have to notice the simple things. New York and Paris are both touristy attractions, both great places to enjoy and soak up in the world. They have both worker bees and tourists roaming around at all hours of the day, two cities that don’t sleep. One pours out romance and the other one is in search of romance. They have several monuments and museums, tourist attractions and the local hang outs. To live in Paris would be yet another dream, and as story has been told I’m a dreamer.

Seeing the LIDO show in Paris, was sort of hilarious. Hilarious in the sense that it was so meant for those who just want entertainment. It’s all about the costumes, not about a through line of a show, not about the quality of the show, not about dance technique, simply just the costumes of the show. The bodies wearing the costumes adds to it, but simply just the costumes. They were beautiful, sparkly, feather-y,  and vibrant! I would have to say the things that brought it to the next level were the specialty acts that they had. They didn’t make sense, but that wasn’t really the point. They had a male aerialist who was incredible, absolutely gorgeous lines, beautiful demeanor, so talented it was disgusting- in a good way. They had an ice skater as well who was really good for the small space he had to work in. Overall the show was fun, it was definitely meant for entertaining, and entertaining it did.

I did some very touristy things, like the Tour Eiffel, Louvre, Notre Dame, and walked along the Seine River. It’s such a timeless and classic city that you can help but love everything from the cobblestone streets to the rushing water, the boats lit up at night, and the flowers, chocolate, wine, and cheese everywhere!  The city of love and romance definitely shined through. Everyday was full of a different energy than I have experienced in any other city. It was yet again cuteland! Everything to me about Europe was cute and coming back to NY I still find the cuteness, so it’s not all bad, it was just a dreamland!

I can’t say I will never live there, but I won’t move right this second, although it would be fun! The career is moving along, and I just have to keep running with it. Things are lookin’ up!

Most Infatuated Song of the Moment: New Mexico by Socks and Chimes

Vienna

What a trip! Where do I even begin? First of all I’m so grateful for my life and can’t wait to see where it goes from here because I’d say I could die happy but I know there’s too much to look forward to, to state that right now. Sooooo let’s dive in, probably end up doing this in parts…

Part I:

I went to Vienna, Austria  and Paris, France. Starting off with “the Painted Kiss” written about Gustav Klimt and Emilie Foegle. If your an artist, or even remotely interested in art and a little bit of true history, read it before you go. It brings a whole new light to the city and shines on some of the greater parts that may get overlooked. Gustav Klimt along with several other artists, names which include: Hoffman, Mahler, Klimt, Scheile created a classic era that Vienna will never forget. Every where you turn Klimt will be waiting to show you his next piece of art. Absolutely an incredible group of revolutionary artists that created the Seccession group which resulted in an entire building devoted to Art and the Freedoms that lie within it. Most inspiring building I’ve seen in a long while, maybe ever. A building created for artists to create art and freedom with a building that made it through both WWI and WWII. With some damage that has been put back together like a puzzle, it stands today sparkling just as bright as it once did.

Really inspiring to see these artists and then relate some of their work to the 70′s style and notice major similarities. I look up to these artists and the risks they took to share the work they thought was honest and true. Walking the streets of Vienna, many of which were cobblestone just made everything seem real. Overlooking the entire city from Khalenberg made me realize that such a beautiful city stands years later. You could make out the city center and how it follows the Danube River. It was almost like a fairytale city.

Getting to see such controversial artwork done by Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele was a treat. I’m not a huge museum go-er but to be able to see the artwork that I read about in real life was beautiful. Klimt created a 3 piece mural of sorts that was extraordinary. It was honest, took risks, made people think and it was refused for a commission he created it for. To get to see it and all of it’s glory it makes wonder, did the commissioners not want it up because it was controversial or did they not want it up because it was honest and other people would be able to indulge in the ideas it presented and ask questions and enjoy it’s realism to what actual humans have in their brains. He only pointed out valid moments of truth and to explore it with a community, or a whole city would just be the nature of what an artists tries to create. Something to create a discussion, not something to say, “Oh that’s nice” and move on.  Scheil also created work that was extremely controversial he was even taken to court over it. He wanted to expose what the mind wandered to and where it could go if we let it. They both did beautiful work and a wide range of work. They drew with intent and emotion. Portraits, landscapes, commissions, each one had similar styles to the next but all had differences behind the actual work. I got to see a good amount of there work at the Leopald Museum part of the Museumquarter of Vienna and then “The Kiss” was held at the Belvedere, which was a gorgeous space.

Another astounding idea was the materials they had in those pre war times that created exquisite pieces of work. The golds and the blues, such vibrant colors, and materials accesible to them. The sketches were even done so precise and fine. It was really fun to see the different texture they could create and different materials they used to make such timeless work.

I went to the Opening Night of Weiner Festcochen, Vienna Spring Festival catering to several medias of art from music, to film, to musicals, to abstract art, to straight plays. It was an experience to be in between Neaus Rathaus, Rathauspark, and Town Hall with the rest of the city engaging in an annual event with thousands of dollars from the government put into it. One night, a stage that probably took over a week to put together, rigged, lighting, etc. The organization of such an event that accommodated several large choirs, orchestras and filmed live from other locations in Austria. A wide open space with an incredible show, of the best of the best that the city was recognizing for the festival. Truly beautiful.

I was especially in love with the lighting. A great lighting designer adds to creating a great show. The background was black with these white, intricate curvy strokes. With colored lighting on top they could easily change the mood of the show and the grand finale, lighting up the Rathaus was exquisite. Musically timed, colored perfectly, didn’t miss a beat. I also noticed the simplicity of the event. There was food, and beverages at the event, but events I’ve been to in the states include a large variety of choices where here there was only one food type place, one beer place, one coffee place. They seemed to have the simplicity down and were able to cater to the masses. Which just goes to show sometimes too much choice is unnecessary and just takes away from focusing on the event happening in front of you.

Seeing the Vienna Philharmonic the following day was enticing. Sitting in the first booth to stage right overlooking the philharmonic was breath taking in itself. Being able to see these musicians faces, movements, body language and identify with there personalities as artists was rad! The second movement played, Symphony No. 4 G-Dur by Gustav Mahler was astounding. They couldn’t have picked a better piece to enjoy and share with the first few days of the festival. I couldn’t help but notice a few kids in the group, meaning under 18 or maybe just 18. Truly was exciting to see that age in such a prestigious group of people. They were very lively yet precise. My favorite musicians were the 1st clarinet, the triangle, and the french horns. The strings as a collective were gorgeous and the percussion as a whole was great as well. But this Clarinet just took it too a whole different level. Really the personality in his music, choices he was making were risky and bold. Such finesse and preparation was wildly appreciated. The triangle really just tugs at my heart strings. Nailing every cue and having such perfect moments to add to the piece, I just enjoy a great triangle. The french horns were so on, they had gusto and life. They added such highlighted bold sounds to the piece and worked so well as one unit. Overall the entire Philharmonic was astounding, but really bringing all of these musicians together created such an elated experience. Nothing can touch a live performance, it always gets me. Live anything is always more humbling then any other experience.

I got to see the Wien Staatsballett perform Le Concours at the Volksoper the following evening. Two things straight out of the gate, challenging and refreshing. A large cast of 35+ dancers on stage, creating an experience where traditional met contemporary with a comedic flair. Absolutely entertaining. The dancers were very on point technically. The female lead who played the victim of this comedic mystery was just a delight, each step felt placed with integrity and embodied beauty. The male lead was technically precise beyond words but could’ve have taken more risks and jumped into murkier water to really get across his emotion and become an assertive detective vs an enveloped detective. Each soloist heightened the game each breath they took. It really made you feel like they were not only enjoying what they do but had put so much work into the character that it finally was enjoyably coming off as effortless. Coming from a dancers perspective it may be slightly bias as I know the work that goes in to such a lengthy production but to see it really come to life, made me happy that you could see it in there faces that they really enjoy and love it. It’s so refreshing to see such joy on stage. Not every show has a mutual joy and it’s great to be gifted that joy. The challenge for me comes in play with the choreography. It was inspiring and gave me my own challenge of whether I’ll be able to live up to something of this caliber, and rather not “whether” but when I’ll be able to take the challenge head on. It’s exciting to sit in an audience and know how much work and effort was put into getting on to that particular stage. I can’t wait until that’s me and a production I put together on a stage. I know it’s just around the corner, but of course my artistic brain starts to wander.

So just with the Vienna shows alone and the Secession building. I’ve been injected with new inspiration to achieve my aspirations with even more love and grace. Take the challenges head on and face them harder and stronger than ever before.

Most Infatuated Song of the Moment: One and Only By Adele

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