WOW! that pretty much sums up my experience at the mLtour weekend in Burbank, CA. Three days of classes followed by the mL show made me more inspired than ever by the talented people in the dance industry.
My weekend began with classes with Bam Martin, Lando Wilkins, Anthony Lee & Pat Cruz, Andye J and Vinh Nguyen. Each class was 1:15 long and covered lots of challenging choreography.
On Saturday we had classes with Koharu Sugawara, Mykell Wilson, Kyle Hanagami, Amanda Grind and Parris Goebel. In the evening, thePhotoOpp and the inSight gave attendees the chance to ask questions of and get their photo with the Faculty.
On Sunday classes were with Laura Edwards, Miguel Zarate, Jilly Meyers and Quick Crew.
A SOLD OUT, ticketed show at the mL Studio in North Hollywood followed that evening. It was an INCREDIBLE evening of dance with some of the industry's most brilliant choreographers, dancers and film-makers.
The show opened with a performance by the mL Workstudies. I loved seeing friends and many new faces dance all night. Catch my friend Anna dance front and centre above - she is an amazing dancer and the awesome Manager of the mL Studio. The show featured choreography by Brandon Dumlao, Tamara Levinson-Campos, Hollywood, Erica Sobol, Issac Tualaulelei, Amanda Grind, Frenemies, Team Japan, Brian & Scott Nicholson, Mykell Wilson, Jose Boy Boi Tena, JekaJane, Kyle Hanagami, Miguel Zarate, Jillian Meyers & Megan Lawson, Andye J, Baby Boogaloo, Koharu, Dana Foglia, Parris Goebel, Daniel Cloud Campos and Quick Crew.
What a line-up! The three-hour long show left the supportive audience wanting more.
Jillian Meyers, one of my favorite dancers performed a duet called "Green Garden" with Megan Lawson. It was a funny take on playground friends and had intricate hand and foot work, crazy timing and amazing musicality. She is so creative with her movement - I loved it.
My two favorite performances of the night were by Daniel "Cloud" Campos pictured above and the three member crew from Norway called "Quick Crew". I had never seen either performers before and I was blown away by their creativity, technique and musicality.
Daniel told a story of how he met a woman in three acts. There were no lyrics to the music but the story from beginning to end was completely understandable. His technique and story-telling ability is unreal! You might recognize Daniel from the Microsoft tablet commercial. As I've come to learn since the mL show, Daniel is an amazing dancer, known for his b-boy skills. But he is admired not only for his dance abilities but for his film-making abilities. In the new year he'll be premiering a musical on film entitled "Today's the Day" about a dancer getting his big break. It features some familiar faces and was produced by Jon Chu. The show audience was given a sneak peek of the movie...needless to say it is AMAZING! I cannot wait to see it when it premieres at film festivals next year. Check out Daniel on youtube...he is an unbelieveable talent and you'll become a new fan too.
My second favorite performance was by Quick Crew. They performed their act called "Asian Concept 2013". This group is so aptly named...watch this performance and you'll see why!
* photo credits to #abadimage
It was an amazing weekend and I'm grateful to have danced alongside some of the most talented dancers from different parts of the world. Be sure to make an mL tour stop on your must-do list next year...you won't be disappointed!
If you want to find out more about mL...check out their website and www.themovementlifestyle.com or youtube "mLSPOTLIGHT" or "54321" for informative spots on some really amazing people. Good watching, laughs and inspiration on a rainy day!
