The PULSE on Tour 2012

The Pulse on Tour 2012-2013 is off to an amazing start! I am loving dancing, hanging out with the Elite Proteges and meeting dancers at each city!

The first Pulse city was Orlando at the Walt Disney Swan Hotel.  I met the other Elite Proteges for the first time and we began rehearsals for the Fashion Show, Opening Number and Closing Numbers. It was an an awesome first weekend and I feel so completely privileged to spend the next five months with amazingly talented and kind people! Kristen, Pam, Mary, the faculty and Crew have made our transition as new elites so easy. Thank you to everyone for the opportunity to represent the Pulse this year.



From left to right: Jordyn, Josh, me, Tori, Nathan, Hayley, Taylor, Jordan, BoyBoi, China, Justine, Teresa and J'Loni.

Thank you also to Cindy from Nappytabs for all our great Pulse Lime Green and Nappytabs clothing! Don't we look slick rocking our new tuxedo pants and nappy stack shirts!

In Orlando, we had classes with Chris Judd, Dave Scott, Laurieann Gibson, Gil Duldulao, Desmond Richardson and David Moore. For those that participated in the Opening Number, they worked with Janelle Ginestra and Wildabeast! What an awesome first city.

I have to say Laurieann's class in Orlando was the most exciting for me.  She is a motivator, calling dancers "dream warriors" and encouraging them each to shine as she walked throughout the ballroom. She encouraged all of us to shine when we danced with a mantra of "whose moment?...my moment!" As Lady Gaga herself said of Laurieann..."at the soul of everything that Laurieann does and creates, as a leader, as a choreographer, as a creative director, she is an inspiration leader. What she has to offer you is so much bigger than the dance...you can become whomever it is you want to be. But you gotta want it".



Check out www.bet.com for videos from her "Born to Dance" show. I love Laurieann and cannot wait to take more classes from her on the tour!

Up next was Atlanta and the faculty consisted of Ian Eastwood, Chris, Tyce Diorico, Dave, Gil and Brooke Lipton. In Tyce's class, we did the combo he created for Taylor Swifts' American Music Awards Performance to "I knew You Were Trouble"!

The four of us following our first weekend! We're just a little pooped from all the dancing!

The Elite Proteges with the Atlanta Faculty following the Saturday Night performance Showcase.

From the first two cities, here are a few observations I want to share:

- Brooke has high expectations for class etiquette which is so fantastic! You have to clear the floor, no one can stand on the sides when running groups and you have to run on and off the floor when it's your turn. You have to also spread out....the choreographers can see everyone from stage level so don't worry about being at the front or centre! This should be done in EVERY class so each dancer gets the floor space they need to dance full out and shine. Tyce Diorio echoed Brooke's comments....he said "we can find the magic...it doesn't matter where you stand in the room".
- Never, ever, ever mark unless you are told to in class! You want to dance, you're at the convention to dance, so DANCE! why are you marking? Go into class and work....and live on the dance floor!
- Whether you recieved a scholarship or not at the Pulse, there are opportunities each day in every class to learn and grow. That's what the Pulse is all about. If you let yourself...you will be a better dancer at the end of every class than you were at the beginning of class.
- Seek inspiration for your dancing from those around you. Watch someone in class, what is it about their dancing you like....tell them. Dance is an ART and a sport, there is so much talent, we have to appreciate it....not judge it.

The third Pulse city was Las Vegas! The faculty in this city consisted of Brooke, Chris, Dave, Gil, Desmond and Ian. There was also a special class with Guest Tricia Miranda!

I love Tricia...her classes are always so fun and high-energy. We danced a combo to Ke$ha "Die Young". She had everyone in the room clapping to the combo.

In Chris Judd's Class

Performing the Intermediate Section at the Fashion Show

Faculty Photo Shoot

Following our rehearsal on Friday night, the Elites did a photo shoot for the new Pulse Clothing! 

Gil stopped by and put us in formation...he is so funny...don't get too close to my feet, I WAS just dancing!!!

One of my shots from the photo shoot

I had never been to Las Vegas before so hopping on the monorail from the Las Vegas Hotel and having lunch at Trevi at Ceasars Forum was lots of fun. My observations of Las Vegas....the hotels are huge, casinos are everywhere and there is lots of walking to get around!

One of the best parts of being an elite is dancing with and meeting talented dancers from all over the country who love dance as much as I do. Here I am with Charlize and Larsen...two amazing dancers and really cool kids. So happy to have met them.

I am loving every minute of being an Elite and I can't wait to share more of my Pulse experiences with you. Please check back soon. Up next is Kansas City, Chicago and Dallas!

Monsters of Hip Hop 2012

In October, I also attended a convention in Buffalo to mark the start of the Monsters of Hip Hop 2012-2013 Tour. A big Thanks to Andy Funk, Gene Burdette and the faculty at Monsters Buffalo for a great weekend! I took classes from Chonique Sneed, Marty Kudelka, Luam, Luther Brown, Kevin Maher and Rhapsody.

The classes were lots of fun and it was great to see Toronto dancers out in full-force. I loved watching them kill the combos...and Robert assisting in Luther's class - he was smashing it! I had never taken class with Luam or Kevin before so I really enjoyed their classes and their musicality!

The weekend began with a bonus class on Friday evening with Chonique that was lots of fun. There was also an extra class during lunch break offered by Chonique as part of her "Creating Opportunities" Workshop series. Check out her website at www.creatingopps.com where she provides information on seven different workshops that help dancers improve on what they need to navigate the dance industry.

Chonique explained the importance of On-camera technique, of "I ams" and the Slate. This was all new to me so I learned a lot about how who you are as a dancer/person is important to convey in your audition work and ideas on how to convey your individuality.  I also picked up a book entitled "See It. Believe It. Create It", written and created by Lisette Bustamante & Chonique Sneed. In it are great tips to help define who you are as a dancer, encouragement to challenge yourself daily, and the importance of good relationships in your journey. 

On Sunday morning, dancers participated in an Audition class taught by Marty Kudelka. The combo was really fun and I was selected as one of four dancers as a Monsters Cast Semi-Finalist! We had to re-perform the combo on camera, in front of the audience after slating... that was great practice to incorporate the techniques I learned the day before from Choniques' workshop. Thank you to Marty Kudelka for selecting me for this honor!

Monsters is a great convention to attend...the faculty is amazing and Andy and his crew are very approachable. There are 11 cities left on their tour so check out their website at www.monstersofhiphop.com for information on a city near you!

Fall 2012

Welcome Back to the start of a new dance season and the first of many posts about my dance experiences!

I am beyond excited about the PULSE Tour that starts TODAY, in Orlando, the first city! I'm looking forward to representing the Pulse as an Elite Protege, to dancing with other proteges, learning from the amazing faculty and to meeting lots of dancers who share my passion for dance!

If you can't make it to one of this seasons 13 tour cities, check out the NEW Pulse Instructional DVD at shop.thepulseontour.com. There are thirty combinations in intermediate, advanced and professional levels by ten faculty! Hope to see you at a city soon!

The season is already off to a busy start. I've attended two conventions and several Master Classes through OIP Dance.

The first convention was JUMP Miami. Despite the tropical storms, the talent was hot (pun!) and there we many amazing dancers from the Miami area. I was honored to be chosen as Teen VIP and competed a new solo, choreographed by the talented Chantal Aguirre.  It was a great weekend with classes by Katy Spreadbury, Mike Minery, Bobby Newberry, Kenny Wormold, Mia Michaels, Andrew Winghart, Benoit Swan-Pouffer, Teddy Forance and Nick Lazzarini. Spoiler alert: you're going to LOVE Andrew Wingharts' combo this year.......Thank you for such an amazing weekend to kick off the dance year. Always nice to see Hector, Sam and Gil too!

Although the classes were awesome, the best part of the weekend was being reunited with my bestie JQ and Nana!

The second convention I attended was JUMP Toronto - all the Toronto studios were out in full force. It was nice to see former team-mates and local dance friends again. Good luck to everyone this season!
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I also attended several master classes offered by OIP Dance Center. I took class with Rhapsody James, Luther Brown, Tatiana Parker and Teddy Forance.

OIP is like the "Millenium" or "Broadway Dance Centre" equivalent in Toronto. Check the OIP facebook page or www.oipdance.com for daily class schedules and upcoming master classes. There are classes from beginner to advanced levels. Their mission is "to see young people make a difference in the Canadian dance and entertainment industry. We're here to help them make it happen with passion, soul and sheer inspiration".

This month OIP celebrates its 7 year anniversary! Congratulations to Danny Davalos and everyone at OIP on this milestone. It's great that Toronto dancers have opportunities to take class with master teachers in Toronto and not have to travel to New York or Los Angeles for class!

Fall is a great time to take classes from dancers and choreographers who may be in town since many studios bring them in-house to offer classes to their students prior to starting competition choreography. Keep a keen eye out for opportunities in your area to train with someone new and support the local dance community.

Below are highlights from three of the classes:




Tatiana Parker is from Toronto but is now living and working in Los Angeles. She recently finished touring with Niki Minaj and is taking the hip hop world by storm. You may remember Tatiana from her appearance on SYTYCD Canada, season 2 Top 20 and as a faculty member of OIP. I love when Tatiana is home to visit - she always makes time for a few classes at OIP. Her classes are so much fun and its great to see other dancers turn out who love Tatiana as well....like Peter DS who you can see above killing Rhapsody's class! Tatiana is a great teacher and always supportive of dancers with her "whoos and ayyys"...love her so much!

As many of you know if you follow my blog...I am a huge Teddy Forance fan. He is super talented and is equally as kind...traits he has undoubtedly learned from his amazing family. Following JUMP Toronto, he stayed in the area to teach master classes at various studios and I was fortunate to take class with him at OIP and Art and Soul Dance Company.

Teddy's been busy with more than JUMP and Shaping Sound on his plate...catch "Movement One" a dance documentary that follows Teddy and 19 other dancers as they create a 30-minute dance production in 8 days. It was directed by Jon Arpino and is available on amazon.com November 2012. If you can't wait until then, check out the facebook page "Movement One" for updates!

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And now it's time to promote some of my talented friends. They've been busy too...dancing, creating and sharing their gifts.

First up is Juliette Irons....my first ever blog interview guest! Many of you may know she is from Canada but lives and works in Los Angeles. She recently launched her own company called "Art uncensored". Look out world; it's going to be crazy good.

Here's her new Reel...check me out at 0:49!


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Next is my friend Jeff Lapes. I met Jeff last year at Generation IV where he is on faculty. He taught at Gen IV 2012 and at the NYCDA 2012 Summer Intensive as well. He is an amazing hip-hop teacher and was formerly on faculty with WCDE convention. He is offering a four-day dance workshop December 27-30th in New Jersey called "Rock The House" 2012. This is the second year it is offered and more information can be found at www.rockthehousedance.com.

Faculty will consist of Jeff Lapes, Chaz Buzan, Jason Jonas, Teddy Forance, Talia Favia, Will Wingfield & Monique Borromeo, Noel Bajandas, Dha'Sean Serrano and Alicia Monaco. It's going to be an amazing four days! Hope to see you there.
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Last but not least, big congratulations go to Eryn Waltman (aka Mrs. Eryn Waltman-Spergel) who was married in September. But not only did she just get married, her company CONTEUR performed this summer at the ACE Awards in New York City AND she launched CONTEUR The Academy, a two-year, full-time post-secondary training program! Only Eryn could juggle so much with all the professionalism and heart you would expect from her.

In a review of the ACE Awards by Dance Informa magazine, they said:

"Eryn Waltman’s In Flux was the most technically pure work of the night and definitely one of my personal favorites because of that. The women in plum biketards and the men in all black personified the cleanliness of line and clarity of focus that most dancers strive for. The effortless movement (especially the partnering) worked within a contemporary ballet vocabulary. The dancers were grounded and still managed to stay sleek with Waltman’s virtuosic choreography. I felt she especially stood out for her floor work, which was able to bolt the dancers across the space with slides and lunges that still remained connected to the precision of the work."

Congratulations Eryn!!!!! 

Eryn's vision with Conteur Academy is to "offer a program in which elite dancers continue to grow technically, hone their skills and remain tuned for professional opportunities...The Academy’s program is intended to enhance the training experience of those seeking a career in performance, teaching or choreography". 

During the first year, the focus is on the technical foundation of dance training. The program is 30 hours per week in ballet, contemporary, modern, jazz, floor barre, pilates and yoga. In the second year, they "expand the horizons into choreographic and improvisation opportunities as well as portfolio building".

Upon completion of the program students receive a certificate of completion and have opportunities to perform in an annual performance(s), in addition to auditioning for the Conteur Professional Company.

It's an amazing program for post-secondary training and the first of its kind in Canada. Good Luck to Eryn, her faculty and to the class of 2014!
********************************************************************************* Thanks for visiting my blog and check back soon for an update on the first PULSE city. Until then, happy dancing and a little inspiration....

Did you spot me at 0:58 and 1:30?????

NYCDA Nationals 2012

August 2012

It's hard to believe the summer is almost over! Many dance friends have already returned to school and started their new dance year! I am home after a summer filled with amazing opportunities to learn from and dance with the most talented and inspiring dancers and choreographers in the industry. I can't wait to share everything I've done this summer with you. I broke my posts into five separate posts to make sure I could share everything with you. I hope you feel as inspired to start the new dance season as I am! :)

My first stop was New York City Dance Alliance Nationals. 112 talented teen Out-standing dancers from Canada and the United States arrived in New York City on June 26th to compete for the title of representing NYCDA for the 2012-2013 tour season.

I decided to challenge myself for my first Nationals as a teen dancer, and choreographed my own contemporary solo. It was to "Christina's World" and I called it "Rue's Lullaby" in honor of my love of The Hunger Games! I finished in the Top 8 and am proud of my accomplishment.

New this year to the Outstanding Dancer process was an additional ballet/jazz audition with a guest choreographer. So instead of one ballet and one jazz audition, there was a third combined ballet & jazz audition to test the dancers. I love the audition process so I didn't mind at all!

As usual, the Faculty at NYCDA is amazing. Classes were taught by Joe Lanteri, Andy Pellick, Joey Dowling, Scott Jovovich, Kim Craven, Suzi Taylor, Dana Wilson, Chloe Arnold, Taja Riley, Tony Testa, Mike Schulster and AC Ciulla. New to the NYCDA faculty are Melissa Hough, Duncan Cooper, Kenny Easter, Jared Grimes, Martha Nichols, Troy Powell and Cindy Salgado. All the classes were amazing and I loved the live musician in Troy Powell's class - the new Director at Alvin Ailey!

NYCDA is known for the Special Opportunities they offer in addition to the workshops. This year opportunities included "SMASH" Audition Workshop, "Matilda" Audition Workshop, "Flashdance" Broadway workshop, Ballroom workshop with Tony Dovolani, Kidd Pivot Workshop, Cirque de Soliel Audition Workshop, Radio City Music Hall Audition and a Mark Stewart Partnering class. There was also a question and answer class with Joe and College Scholarship Audition Classes too! It was an action packed week and I loved every minute of it!

One of my favorite classes was with Cindy Salgado from Kidd Pivot. I loved her improv workshop utilizing Kidd Pivot techniques...I did contact improv with Tasha Hamilton, Dana Wilson and Tony Testa! 

While in New York, I saw "Bring It On" the Musical in previews at St. James Theatre off Times Square. Congratulations to NYCDA Faculty member, Director/Choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler and the amazing Cast for an awesome performance. I really enjoyed watching Taylor Louderman (Campbell), Adrienne Warren (Danielle), Ryann Redmond (Bridget) and Neil Haskell (Steven)....yes Neil from SYTYCD fame!

I also attended the Lunge Dance Collective "You'll Never Be Alone" performance at Alvin Ailey Theatre. The show starred Billy Bell, Kate Harpootlian, Shelby Colona, Allison Ulrich and Daniel Howerton. It was a great show and I was happy to see Billy before the curtain went up!

"There is always a need for improvement, a need for development and a need for progress. But where is the line drawn? What will we sacrifice? our relationships? our rationality? Through contemporary dance..and mutlimedia installation, watch and react as you discover that down in the depths of your mind, where you keep your darkest thoughts and personas, You'll Never Be Alone" - excerpt from the show programme.

NYCDA Nationals was a fun-filled week. I learned so much and met so many amazing new friends! Shout out to James DuChateau, Jessica Feretti and Jenna Kulacz! Love you.

2012 Dance Awards

My next stop was "The Dance Awards", also held in New York City. This year, I opted to participate in the workshop classes only instead of both the VIP/Break Out Artist Solo competition and the convention. It allowed for more free time to enjoy the city and spend time with my bestie Jacqueline from Massachusetts.

The classes and faculty at the Dance Awards were amazing. It was a packed week with classes with Katy Spreadbury, Mandy Moore, Nick Lazzarini, Ivan Koumaev, Misha Gabriel, Peter Chu, Stacey Tookey, Jason Parsons, Lauren Adams, Mike Minery, Ray Leeper, Anthony Morigerato, Cody Green, Bobby Newberry, Teddy Forance, Sonya Tayeh, Travis Wall, Benoit Swan, Mia Micheals and Melanie Moore! It was amazing!

When convention classes were done, I was able to take evening Master Classes with Peter Chu, Contemporary with Billy Bell and a "Midnight Madness" party with Bobby, Misha and Ivan with Live DJ. There were also classes with Cody Green (Musical Theatre) and Acting and Singing Class for Dancers.

With all the amazing faculty in New York for the convention, guest classes were also offered at Broadway Dance Centre. I took classes with Misha Gabriel and Bobby Newberry! I had so much fun seeing my friend Joanna and facebook friends from Mexico!!!!

After Bobby Newberry's class

"Buttons", Bobby and "Boston"... the 3B's.

With JoJo and her new birthday shirt! Happy 18th JoJo

With Teddy and Misha after class

When I wasn't dancing...I had soooo much fun with Jacqueline in Times Square, at Forever 21, Magnolia Bakery and John's Pizzeria. We had a sleepover and watched the Hunger Games movie...it was the best night!!!

In Times Square, we waited to catch the new "All the Right Moves" billboard. The premiere was just three weeks away at the time! Congrats to Kyle, Teddy, Nick and Travis on their new show :)

New to the Dance Awards this year, were video highlights of each days events. Each segment was hosted by Will Loftis and he did an amazing job. You can catch me doing Bobby's combo in Day 4 the recap below starting at 1:50.

I always love attending Jump Nationals...this was my third consecutive year and it is always a fun, action-packed week of dance. Thank you to Gil, Ray, Sam, Stephanie and all the faculty for an amazing tour and Nationals event.

The Pulse Nationals 2012

My next stop was "The Pulse" Nationals event in New York City. It was an exciting week of full-out dance, with classes and rehearsals alongside so many amazingly talented dancers. And...the choreographers were off the chart! My week culminated with the announcement of Elite Proteges for the 2012-2013 tour where I was named one of four Intermediate Elite proteges! It is a huge honor and I am so proud of this accomplishment. It is going to be such an exciting year ahead...I cannot wait to work alongside the Pulse staff, faculty and proteges! 

THANK YOU TO THE PULSE FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY!

Video of Brian Friedman's Intermediate-Advanced Level Class featuring Proteges. Wow....



This is the opening number at the Gala featuring all proteges, choreographed by the talented Tricia Miranda. You can catch me with the red shirt /white jacket at 2:46. It was a lot of fun to dance!

Each Protege was selected at the beginning of the week to be in a piece for the Gala and work with one of the Pulse Faculty in rehearsals. I was selected to be in Tessandra Chavez's piece, Tessandra is a new Pulse Faculty member....I. love. her.

With my friend Maycee Steele before the Gala

The Gala featured performances by Pulse Faculty, danced by proteges, Stand-out routines from various Performance Showcases, Guest performances by Tessandra's Unity LA, Tyce Diorio danced in a trio and the 2011-2012 Pulse Elite Proteges. It was an awesome night of dance and culminated with the announcement of Elite Proteges!

After the Gala, the new Proteges met to recieve their paperwork, Elite protege hats and custom jackets, compliments of Cindy from Nappy Tabs! Thanks Cindy...I can't wait to proudly wear it!

With Kristen...still in disbelief

Taylor, Jordan and I goofing it up after all the excitement!

The Pulse is a convention like no other. It feels like a big supportive family and the faculty/elites are mentors to all the dancers. I am honored to have been selected from amongst the many, many talented proteges and am so excited to begin the tour. It's going to be an amazing year ahead and I can't wait to share my experiences on the road with the Pulse with you!

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The day after the Pulse, I took part in the ivviva "So Good to C u Again" dance video shoot, choreographed by Dave Scott. It was an all-day shoot, filmed at a high-school in Brooklyn - we had sooo much fun. The video is now posted so check it out below! It was a fun day...thank you to ivivva for the new clothes, ice cream treats and to Allie and Kellie for the opportunity to work on such a great project!

In the hotel lobby, en route to the shoot

At the shoot, having a great time

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Thank you ivviva for the opportunity...I had an amazing time!