So on Saturday I took Chachi’s class and we learnt “I should of kissed you”!I thought i did really well that day, like i got the moves down, i think i had the musicality spot on, but i felt like i was the only one doing it a specific way so maybe i got it wrong :|I go over to her to thank her for class and get a picture with her but the guy in charge wouldn’t let me, said i had to come back later. I’m looking around and i’m THEE only person left waiting for a picture and everyone else got one. As we were leaving me and my sister were talking to the AudioKidZ and it was mentioned that i should do solos at the Soar comp i was going to watch tomorrow. After a little research i found out it wasn’t to late to apply and that you can register on the day! Sunday (today).The soar competition was so sick, so many amazing dancers and teams. AudioKidZ managed to take 1st place :)When i registered i stupidly challenged myself into the Advanced solo’s for 16 and under. When it came to my go, i tryed my hardest and yea it was fun. Then my number got called out and before i knew it i was in the finals!? But unfortunetly i wasn’t good enough to place and i came either 4th or 5th, let’s just say i came 4th aha ;) I got a lot of good feedback tho, off people i haven’t spoken to as well which was nice and encouraging. I was told that myself and the guy that came first should place 1st or 2nd. I was told that i should of placed 1st and that i should of at least placed, which was nice to hear haha :)I looked back at the video and yea i agree i probably shouldn’t of placed, or if i had to it would of been 3rd. Definitaly encouraged to try again tho! Watching the video back tho, Chachi who was judging kept an eye out for me in the first round and kept looking back at me so i must of been doing something right haha. The final round, towards the end i was on the far side and wasn’t looked at.. at all :’(And i never got that picture with Chachi :(BUT OVERALL I HAD A REALLY GOOD DAY :)- Craig
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SO, Yesterday i met the one and only Laura Edwards!She hits so hard and her dynamics are crazy in her videos, let alone in person!When she walked passed everyone, everyone was chanting, cake cake cake cake! SO WE LEARNED BIRTHDAY CAKE The choreo was sweet and … girly.When it comes to girly choreography, i suck at it. I don’t feel very comfortable doing it for what ever reason and i’ve tryed to get over it but yea thats something i need to work on, which was the reason why i didn’t dance very well!I slipped a few times as well haha, not embarssing at all like but yea it wasn’t a class i was going to kill or could of i don’t think, i think it was more of awareness, and knowing what i’m not comfortable with. Having said that, i did enjoy just watching other people and Laura and Candace kill it. She was really nice and appreciative… and really sweaty haha! Yea i’m happy i at least met her and watched her dance for real, regardless if i did well in class. *Also class today was good!the vibe was awful, and people were really half arsed, i’m not sure why.It might of been them marking it, i was marking it a lot, hope he didn’t think i wasn’t trying but i remeber being taught the same choreo last year, i learned like the first 4 counts, the rest was waaaaaaaaaay to fast for me to pick up haha. Today i picked it all up, i think i got the musicality perfect and everything and yea, i feel really good, kind of see how i’ve progressed now, from picking choreography up really slow to fast. I think i need to work on studying the teacher, like get the movements rather than the steps which will help me look better as a dancer, rather than just someone who can pick it all up but dance really, wooden i suppose.Yea i’m getting rushed to hurry this post up meh- Craig
I have just realised i have not been tagging any of my blog posts.. #starting nowSo i released my new video “Otherside” and, it’s pretty much taken me about 2 months to finish up the choreo and with a little motivation from others i got it done and now filmed. It’s by a very good artist called Macklemore. The guy is insane, he raps about real stuff not “bitch bitch, swag swag, lets all get faded YOLO”. Not that i hate that type of music like, sometimes, most times. But anyway, i heard the song and just his voice and the beat drew me in and i was just like, aw man i have to choreograph to this, ran up stairs and started. I focused on the lyrics a lot and eventually i found myself in a VERY deep and dark song and i was just like, shit, this is really … deep. I thought i better educate myself before i started choreographing moves to words i didn’t understand, such as the several types of drugs and alcoholic drinks he speaks about. The way he raps is just, wow. You can feel every single emotion in his voice, kind of reminds me of a religious preacher, you know when they are getting really heart felt about what they say “can i get an amen” and the whole gospel choir thing. Best way i can describe it. But yea i focused on the things he said and like i tryed to visualise him saying these words and how i can move in response, like if he says it slowly, i’ll move slowly, things like that and tryed to like become his narrative in a sense. I watched some interviews and some acapella versions of his song which just, the acapella gave me goose bumps and his interview was really interesting. I kind of try to mimic his concept by the first verse starting to be like, him talking about some other guy and his experience, but then subtley it become his experience or as im dancing “my” experience. BTW I HAVE NEVER EVER USED DRUGS OR HAD ANY EXPERIENCE WITH THEM. having said that it was hard to get the full emotion shown for, i’ve never lost any friends to drugs or alcohol so i tried my best. Another thing i found was, i was watching a live show of him performing the song and he said “I’ve seen oxycotin take four lives” at first i paniced i was thinking aw crap i did a move with three fingers shown, and so i checked the lyrics and i said “three lives” so i gathered he had lost yet another friend to oxycotin so i used this and you’ll see it in the video i cover the three and change it to four, kind of shows the increase of oxycotin abuse. Erm what else.. i didnt actually notice this until a friend mentioned how he liked the repetition in it “at the time i forgot what it ment” and yea i use a lot of that and it kind of shows how, mentally, it effects people and like you can’t get away from it in some states but yea i guess it would make more sense if you watched the video which is here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bB5gT3OwMFo&list=UUdQLYSYHvJaYNo6-moTi93Q&feature=plcp anyway so that was a short little sum up of my video and shizz but i haz more to speak aboutz ;)So i posted my video up and i was waiting for some feedback.. no feedback.I was panicing, i checked my chat box on facebook, people were online but no likey or coment..ieso i was worried it was bad and they didn’t wanna like, like it and lie and i was thinking of all kinds of stuff, then i got a dislike on my video and i was pooping my pants BUT finally, i got some feedback, then someone shared it, then they shared it from then who shared it from then and i had a chain of shares and everyone kept saying how they were “inspired” or that i’m “inspiring” AH.I hate talking about it because this painful grin appears but man i am so so so so happy. Inspiration is a word i take veeeeeery seriously, and i dont use it on a whim, but if people are honestly using that word in full intention, wow. I’ve only been dancing for a year waaaaaat? But yea i appreciate it so so so so much, argh its crazy! My sister also reported that this crew called the GRADuates were wanting me in their group and how there was talk that i could even possibly move up to the group.. AudioKidZ which would be a dream come true, i so want to be apart of their group but i’ll end my post here. argh look what you made me do, getting all hypting, ok im going.New video in the next month or so, a little different from the little different last one ;D- Craig
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Dance Showcase Well I’ve been pretty busy lately and haven’t updated much recently but my school had its first ever dance showcase seeing how dance has only recently been recognised and pursued in school. Being literally the only hiphop dancer in the school i had been teaching and putting together a little hiphop troupe, nothing like I.AM.ME standards but i took a lot of beginners, ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary dancers and taught them hiphop and a little bit of house.March 7th 2012 So the showcase was pretty hectic, purely because i had 5 costume changes with literally 5 minute gaps to get ready… chinos and belts oh man. I had more costume changes than the girls ahahha. I felt really confident on stage and just performed without being nervous. Got a lot of positive feedback from everyone who came to watch and yea.. In return, my hiphop troupe got me a box of chocolates and a mothers day card ahahha, mother of the group. Really proud of them and how well they performed, changing from such diverse styles and pulling it off really well :D! I also made some people cry in the lyrical hiphop/contemporary duet, again. The main thing i learned from that night, apart from how fun lighting can be, but that if i can turn a group of beginner hiphop dancers into a well formatted troupe, what will i be capable of with a group of experienced dancers ;P Either way it was a lot of fun showcasing my choreo and performing for the last time at highschool… Now it’s all about my EXAMS :( !?
Chapter 13 on the 13th on Feb! boom!Anyway, so today i took two classes of Kyle Hanagami’s! His style is very different so it was hard to learn the choreo but soooo much fun! His style kind of reminded me of some of the dancers in Japan (en dance studio) which i really like >.<!We learnt, i dunno what the song is called (googles it) nah can’t find it and then the second was Take care ! A lot of the moves were about, not how hard you hit or how fast but how controlled and how you basically, create each shape as if someones taking pictures of you. Definitly wanna play around with those ideas.He also said how he could tell that a lot of people were not comfortable dancing (meee) and so he did this excercise where he paired us up and we had to stare at our selves in the mirror and look at our eyes while dancing and not look away, which was actually a lot harder than it sounds. If we looked away, we had to start again. Then after we had to stare at our partners eyes which was even more uncomfortable.I’ve learned that, i should be comfortable with myself and basically, i dunno.. don’t be afraid to perform and be comfortable in my own skin, cause although im a very awkward person socially and lack HUGELY in confidence, i’ll just have to practice getting closer to the mirror and watching myself in the mirror and ACT like i’m full of condidence.. but in class, i feel some kind of thing is stopping me from going full out , but i dunno what that thing is so i guess it’s just a growth thing!Loads of fun, although i got to bolton and was thinking.. i don’t know anyone here :|- Craig
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Ahhh so happy. First i’ll start with down side, i failed a basic numercy exam :|i have an exam in science in about 3 days which i am no where near ready for and i need all my prep work for art done by next tuesday which i’m no where near done.It’s like i have two sides of “life” atm, theres school with the people you don’t trust, friends that aren’t fully friends, people that don’t really understand or get dance and still pretty much take the piss out of me and dance, and its hard to find time to dance with school happening etc.Saturday just been i auditioned for a scholarship which allows me to have three free terms of sunday school meaning, 4 hours a week for 12 weeks without having to pay £150 for each term dancing with the best and famous choreographers all of the place. I’ll be finding out if i got picked very soon, just hoping i did get picked !!Yesterday (sunday).. it was immense. I convinced cheeks to teach us underground kings which is such a sick choreo and one of my favourites which you can find herehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXev284HW3I awwh man its so sick and so much fun to learn. The same day it was open day so before you knew it, class was packed and you could hardly move, couple people got decked while dancing tho… including me :| generaly was just such a good day. I looked at some footage of me dancing that day and i’ve learned that, although i think im going full out, i can put a loaaad more effort into it #progressi’m really pumped, even from thinking about it!Alllsooo, working on a new choreo, its a really fun song to mess about with so i’ll see where it takes me and hopfully make a new video :)It’s hard to balance school and dance because its kind of like, school, negative feeling all the time, friends that i’m unsure are real friends, people not getting myself and dance, but when im dancing/ at the studio i just feel alot more possitive and, people just get you, there all doing the same thing that they love and understand dance and all that, not to mention the amount of encouragement i’ve been getting lately. But i guess, i really need to get focused in school, infact this post will be my reminder to just work my butt off, revise at home and get a good result in my exams, then as soon as school is over and i’ve got myself good grades, i can dance foreverandeverandever- Happy Craig
Ok so, i’ve been having the feeling that this year is going to be really good and that it will be a lot about my progression in dance. Back tracking from last week, first week back at the studio I managed to get picked out :D !? second week back I managed to film my first vid of 2012 . I was a little anoyyed that one of the girls who said they would be in the video didn’t show up twice im a row but wtver at least i got it filmed and im pretty happy with the outcome even if it’s not initialy how i wonted it to look, the way i imagined it turned out really well on camera. Also.. at the end of class today, jaxx’s made us all freestyle, now.. pretty strange that i added on my bucket list yesterday to “jump into a freestyle circle”. Anyway so it came to my turn and of course i refused. I hate the idea of freestyling cause, its off the top of your head and im likely to look stupid, i can’t edit it or nothing like choreo. with a bit of encouragment from everyone.. by that i mean all the pro 7 year olds cheering my name i just went for it. Can’t remember nothing that i did but it felt good and once i was in the circle i didnt wanna leave. climbing over this little confident barrier i feel :)ANYWAY CHECK OUT MY NEW VIDEO FEAUTURING NICOLE FERRIS FROM THE AUDIO KIDZhttp://youtu.be/YueVm-5RqlMhttp://youtu.be/YueVm-5RqlMhttp://youtu.be/YueVm-5RqlMhttp://youtu.be/YueVm-5RqlM Can’t wait to make a new piece and video- Craig :)
So it’s finally come to the end of 2011 and I’ve looked over my progression this year as a dancer and, well, i’ve definitely grown and become a better dancer but I still feel like I’m stuck in the “good” stage and it’s hard to see your own progression.Last year I was in sunshines dance show as part of Jerry’s beginners hiphop class but this year i was part of sunday school “not church its’s just a dance school on a sunday”. I watched the video back and, i think i looked a lot more confident but some parts i personaly thought, woa you look stupid man, going a little over the top on that part.. kind of thing. Few days after the show my teacher, who doesn’t usualy comment about me said…Make sure you get yourself to the next Troupe audition, you’ve improved a lot past 12 months. I’m sure you get a lot better still the next 12 months if you keep training the way you’re training. Just get your head down and work and make sure you’re consistent with it!and… Don’t sweat it, will be kicking your ass still for the the 12 months and push you harder! Before you know it it’ll be summer school time as well and you’ll be tortured all the way through as usual!ahahahah but it’s good news i guess and i was really made up about it!Next year i’m definitly just, working hard in class and trying to get more flexible get used to my body and this time next year i’ll be thinking.. wow im way better than just “good” (without any big headed-ness intended).I’ve been none stop just thinking about sunday school and getting to class, now that i’ve not been going for .. two weeks, kind of having withdrawal symptoms hahha. Really excited yet i still have that constant fear of .. what if i look daft but i guess EVERY dancer has that feeling at one point and the sooner I get over it, the sooner i’ll progress!
So yesterday Ellen came over to the UK to teach her choreo “Ninjas in Paris” … so so sick. In one of my first blogs I talked about my first encounter with Ellen Kim. Shes a major inspiration to me and I just, i’m a huge fan let’s just say. When we first met, she was more happy to see me, she grabbed me and huged me for a while because of my T-shirt that had her quote on it. So like i was saying, yesterday; i thought i’d wear the same t-shirt and when she arrived.. first person she looked at was me with a huge grin on her face, she ran over to me and was like, Awwh, the T-Shirt, you wore itYou got a hair cut*grooms hair*Aw its cute, I like itCome here*Gives big hug*Awh how are yooou?It was one of those, speachless, grinning uncontrolably and is begining to hurt moment. Nice to be remembered, baring in mind she meets thousands of people regulary.that definatly put me at ease and i felt , comfortable in class.class was so so sick, I just tried my hardess and went full out and at the same time taking in everything she says and, in a way, breaking down the choreo and see what makes her such a great choreographer. Ahhh! Can’t wait to meet her again at Summer Camp :)
So last Sunday i was coming home from the studio and was listening to Lil Wayne’s album and came across Megaman which i hadn’t listened to before. Choreography was brewing in my head and so as soon as i got home i just knuckled down and created a new piece. Wasn’t till friday I polished off the look of it and recorded it to show on facebook, hopefully to get some constructive feeback. Today, minding my own business, a girl called Nicole who is part of the AudioKidz which is Sunshine Studios equivalent to “Sh*t Kingz” came up to me asking me about my choreo I put on facebook. Kind of confused at first but she was telling how sick my choreo was and that she wanted to learn it.. crazy huh. So when it was lunch I taught her a good half of the choreo and of course, Jerry walks in (founder of the studio). Jerry’s the type of guy who doesn’t make comment, unless it’s needed of course. So he see’s the dance and he responds “oooOoo, Craig’s stepping up his game” haha, which was nice to hear. Finaly, a long day at the studio came to an end, i thought. I was heading out but Nicole mentioned to Cheeks (also part of AK) if she had seen my choreo which i’m like, aw shit, get out of here fast. Of course , pushed back in the studio to show the choreo, but i wasn’t aware that after Sunday School, it was the AK’s practice time, so before i knew it i was showing the Audio Kidz my choreo which i seemed to have gotten a good response off. Craaazy. It was kind of nerve wrecking, coz the audiokidz can be kind of intimedating but yea, really suprised about the feedback from such sick dancers/choreographers. H.A.P.P.Y
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