you dance boy!

OK Check out this video if you havent seen it yet, its called the evolution of dance. I must admit that its kinda funny. enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMH0bHeiRNg

love and respect
Micaya

So Close!

All that I have been focusing on is at that point that is not yet finished yet, but it is so close I can actually see the end. This is always an exciting time. It has possibilities.
I have 4 brand new pieces that I am putting on SoulForce, which is coming along very well. My workshop pieces are looking great and have just a bit more before they are done. My kid students are performing tomorrow.
Mission in the Mix is 98% booked (for guest performers) and tickets are selling fast.
The SF Hip Hop DanceFest has so much more to do , but hey that is just the way that goes.

love life- its fun!
with love and respect
Micaya

Dance is like "so hot" right now

Between all the tv dance shows that are airing right now (too many to count) and the dance movies that have come out recently , all the dance teachers are spinning! So many new faces eager to learn to dance!
Well at least the first day they are..
As with any hot new fad, people realize quickly the time, energy and dedication it REALLY takes to be good and decide that maybe its just not for them. kinda funny isnt it?
I hope I can speak on behalf of many dance teachers to say that there are enough committed students who are down to put in the time and energy that it takes to really improve. Those students are hooked on the joy that dance gives them and not hooked on the ego that they have to have it now. They will always be there for us.

for the others..? Come on in! dance with us anyway-(for one day or however many you wish)
-everyone is always welcome - just dont expect to be dancers in one class - it just dont work that way honey!

Love and Respect
Micaya

reality

Check this out-



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvTFKpIaQhM

Love and respect
Micaya

The Cassette Tape

OK So I just got back from Oregon.. wonderful time. The moment of the weekend was during the dance competition when all of us judges were provided a cassette player to tape our feedback vocally. I am sitting at the table and the very young assistant comes over to load my cassette. As you can imagine, this young man has NEVER seen a cassette player before in his life. He was trying to put the tape in backwards and upside down , hilarious! For the first time ever , I felt technically savvy as I took the tape and showed him how it goes in and how the player works. Wow, I was very amused but I felt hella old !
Much Love and Respect
Micaya

Oregon

I'm in Oregon for the (extended) weekend. I will be judging some dance competitions and teaching some master classes. I am also going to visit some friends I havent seen in about 7 years!


Dont forget about all the people who lost their lives in a bizarre thing we humans call "War".
Have a good memorial day weekend.

With Love and respect
Micaya

Express Yourself!

I have been hot on the trail lately about teaching people how to perform.
Its so different than teaching people to dance.
Performance requires being present in your body, being vulnerable, and being able to express yourself.
There needs to be classes that teach just that, you know?

If there are 10 technically perfect dancers with no expression and one not so perfect dancer WITH expression on stage...
who would the audience prefer to watch?
..you know the answer already!


with Love and Respect,
Micaya

The Wish List!

OK Here is the SF Hip Hop DanceFest wish list..

Like I said before, it doesnt hurt to ask right?

* Airline Tickets Or Miles
* Hotel rooms (or lodging) for out of town companies
* Food and Water for the dancers backstage
* People with Vans/SUVs who are willing to pick up performers at the airport
* Laptop
* Catered food for the VIP/Performer party
* DJ Services for the VIP/Performer Party
* People who are willing to help out my board with fund raising
* People who are willing to help out with data entry, putting up posters, odd jobs and errands
* I-phone
* Printing services
* MONEY!

Lots of stuff goin on!

Ok heres what's up.
I spent 5 hours the other day with Adam Lipsky. He is the guy who mixes music for me for shows. We did the mix for both my workshop pieces and some of the SoulForce pieces.Super excited about that, it was fun and I like what we did. Believe it or not, there is still more to do at a later date.

My workshops went exceptionally well this past weekend. Both pieces are looking good, but there is still much more to learn. The cool thing that we are doing this year that we have never done before is that we are taping the rehearsals. Then everyone has a private you tube account to view it afterward.
This weekend there is no workshop due to memorial day, so I think we all will appreciate a few days off.

For the SF Hip Hop DanceFest News-
*the donation brochures are being mailed out this week. And by the end of the week, we will be sending an email donation campaign.
* Janeen is starting the booking process with a few major dance companies . Nothing is solid as of yet, BUT as soon as we book someone for sure, you will be the first to know kay?
*My board is trying to organize a fundraiser party this summer somewhere in SF, I will keep you updated as I know more of that too.
* I have a wish list that I am going to post soon for the SFHHDF, never hurts to ask, right?
* Companies are still sending in submissions, but I'm afraid a lot of people wait until the last minute to do so. So that means I will get a butt load of submissions in August.
* Other than that, a bunch of not that exciting stuff, like tech stuff and data entry and grant reports and budgeting...

THE PICTURE ABOVE IS ME WHEN I GET A VACATION!!!


Much Love and respect
Micaya

Mission in the Mix Tickets on Sale Now

Mission in the Mix tickets are officially on sale! You can purchase them through me at my classes or at the front desk at Dance Mission.Tickets are $16 (cash only). Info line is (415) 273-4633 (No phone sales or reservations) . Get them early because it always sells out! Dance Mission address is 3316 24th Street @ Mission in San Francisco.
Mission in the Mix will feature 4 brand new pieces by SoulForce Dance Company, 2 pieces performed by my workshop students and different guest performers each night. Dates are June 20-22 and June 27-29. Friday & Saturday Shows are at 8pm and Sunday Shows are at 7pm.

Some of the guest performers so far are :
Unique Diversity Dance Company
Casino Salsa with Nick Van
Singer, Majal Logan
Fireflies (poi dancers)
Elemental Remix
Ari & Grandpa (hustle)
8 Count Dance Company
Singer, Kani Terry
Bliss Dance Company
Imani's dream





By the way, my mama said that I should always sign the end of my blog "Love Micaya" , so from now on I will do just that. Thanks Mom, love you!


With Love and respect,
Micaya

The "hip hop dance crew" epidemic-

So I got a call from the producer of the MTV show Amercias' Best Dance Crew the other day. He has got the same issues that I have been having. Alot of the Dance "crews" auditioning for his show (and mine) all look the same. He was asking me if there were any groups that have submitted for the SF Hip Hop DanceFest that were unique....
Umm.. not really... (well not from the US )

Where is all the originality!???? DANCERS listen up,... "Stop trying to look like everybody else! Find your own voice, I want to hear it and so does everyone else"
There was a time when each group had their own flavor and personality. You could tell one from the other. That was so rich and I miss it with alot of these young up and coming groups today.

I am saying all this to support you, not to tear you down.
With Love and respect

How long have I waited for this day!

Today there is a little more hope in my heart for humankind. read on.......

(05-15) 10:45 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- There were whoops of joys and hugs and tears among scores of gay rights advocates and same-sex couples this morning outside the California Supreme Court building in San Francisco as word spread that the justices had cleared the way for gay and lesbian marriages.
Geoff Kors, executive director of Equality California, a gay rights group, ran out of the building on McAllister Street and screamed, "We won!" just after the decision was released at 10 a.m. Many people unfurled California state flags with rainbow stripes sewn on across the bottom.
"This is an incredibly historic day," said Judy Appel, executive director of Our Families Coalition, who is raising two children with her partner in Berkeley. "I'm so thrilled, I'm so excited for what this means for my family and all Californians."
Dave Chandler, who along with his partner, Jeff Chandler, was a plaintiff in the case, said, "I'm just cheering the joy. I'm feeling the joy all over. I feel that our kids will be well-protected when we have all the rights, responsibilities and benefits that married couples enjoy. The state of California has renewed my hope."
He said his partner was at their San Mateo home watching their two children, ages 1 and 4. The couple were married on Valentine's Day 2004 at San Francisco City Hall, one of nearly 4,000 same-sex weddings that were later annulled by the state Supreme Court.
Stuart Gaffney hugged his partner and proclaimed, "We're going to be newlyweds after 21 years together."
David Bowers and his partner were the first in line at the court clerk's office and the first to get a copy of the decision. The couple were also married at City Hall in 2004.
"That was one of the best things of my life. This is the next best thing," Bowers said. "There's tears everywhere. This can't be bad."
Kate Kendell, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, one of the plaintiffs in the case, said of the four justices who voted in favor of gay marriage, "I believe all four votes will be vindicated by history."
The three other justices, "in some future day, will wish they could take it back," she said.
"This is a wonderful day to be alive and to be in this movement," Kendell said.

The RoCo Show

All my youth students will be performing on May 31 at the Marin Civic Center. Not only will you see a lot of super cute kids dancing, but you will also see yours truly in a clown costume. Hard to resist huh? Here is the info (My Kids are performing ONLY in the 3:30 show)

RoCo's 15th Anniversary Production and Celebration
Saturday, May 31,'08
3:30-5:30 RoCo Dance Onstage
7:30-8:30pm RoCo's Alice in Wonderland
at the Marin Center Veterans' Memorial Hall, San Rafael.

Tickets:
RoCo Dance Onstage $18. Alice in Wonderland $10.
Tickets are on sale now! Please get them in advance.
Purchase through Marin Center Box Office 11-5pm: 499-6800. Reserved seating.
RoCo Dance Onstage is an energetic and entertaining performance for the entire family. The productions emphasize the importance of open participation, ranges of ability as well as style. These shows are held at the Marin Center Veterans' Memorial Auditorium, San Rafael. They give students an opportunity to refine and present their skills in a professional setting and build camaraderie and support amongst the school and their peers. All dancers are encouraged to participate.
Please note:RoCo Dance Onstage typically holds two different programs - a young performer afternoon show and a junior/teen performer evening show. Due to our 15th anniversary celebration we will combine these two programs into our afternoon show and hold a special performance of Alice in Wonderland as our evening show!

RoCo's Alice in Wonderland is a modernized and urban dance rendition of Lewis Caroll's bizarre tale. Alice was originally presented by RoCo in 1999. This family production is now newly conceived and directed by Daisy Stoloff in collaboration with Annie Parr, Alison DeOliveira, Miles Kenedi, Erica Jeffrey, Gabrielle Thompson and Rim Laurens. Alice features modern, jazz, ballet, hip-hop and break dancers from select RoCo classes of all ages. Dont miss this one-of-a-kind surreal production filled with humor, intensity and color set to a score of original music, opera, pop and rave samples.

Directions to the Theater:
Going north or south on Hwy 101 take East San Pedro Exit to Civic Center Drive and follow signs to Verterans' Memorial Hall.

On a Roll!

I am currently choreographing entirely new pieces on SoulForce, super exciting!
Also I am choreographing a fantastic piece for my int/adv students for the workshop
and
Im choreographing a sizzling hot piece for the beg/int workshop students.
In addition to that, Im still teaching all my classes and my kids classes (who perform the end of May)
I'M A MACHINE BABY! WATCH OUT!

The dancers in my life are my inspiration.
Thank you to all my students and my dancers in SoulForce for keeping my inspiration alive! You are looking great!

Myanmar and China

HOW TO HELP: http://www.foundationburma.org/

US airlifts aid to Myanmar, death toll at 31,938

I am still in disbelief about the cyclone that hit Myanmar last week. SO many people died (or dying right now).
Now today I read about the earthquake in China.
In the past week , the population of the earth dropped at least 43,000 people(due to natural disasters)! and probably will be MANY more
OH MY GOD! That is a lot of people. I feel such a huge loss of life on this planet right now.
Sorry I cant discuss anything pertinent to dance right now.
have a blessed day. appreciate life and everything that you have
much love and respect

HAPPY MUVAS DAY!

Happy Mothers Day to my mama and to all the mamas out there. I love you Mom!

The Lobby!

The lighting designer for the SF Hip Hop DanceFest, Patty Ann, sent me this photo yesterday.This is a photo of the lobby at last years DanceFest.
I LOOOVE what she did with the lobby, its so sexy! Patty Ann- you rock mama!

Here's the back of the flier!

Sorry it took a few days to get you the other side of the Mission in the Mix flier. ----such a tease, I know.
Tickets will be on sale Tuesday May 20th.

What the?

I saw this article today for this show. I have never heard of this before, dont know who is producing it or anything. But it sounds very nice.
-with love and respect...

"Hip-hop dancers and circus performers have a lot in common. They both need to be agile and coordinated and have cat-quick reflexes. In fact, they have so much in common that they've joined forces to create the hybrid art form known as urban circus arts - a combination of traditional circus skills and hip-hop moves, such as break-dancing.
The Bay Area is the epicenter of this new movement, in part because of organizations such as San Francisco's AcroSports, a training center for traditional circus arts founded in part by members of the renowned Moscow Circus 15 years ago.
City Circus, the performance arm of Acro Sports, is putting on a new show called "And If We Shadows" that should prove to be a helpful primer on the burgeoning urban circus arts phenomenon. The title is part of a line from Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream": "And if we shadows have offended, think but this and all is mended."
Set as a day in the life of the various performers of the genre, the show features break-dancers, aerialists, a contortionist and some parkour acrobats (acrobats who perform very dangerous stuff like you'd see in a James Bond movie). The multiethnic cast ranges in age from 14 to 34.
City Circus Artistic Director Tim Barsky, who writes and directs the performance, describes the show as being like " 'Rent,' with a teenage circus angle." There are interconnected scenes about the performers' struggles interspersed with the high-flying antics of showstoppers like award-winning aerialist Brett Womack, who was judged best aerial act at the American Circus Festival in 2006.
On the hip-hop side of life, break-dancing icons Iron Monkey and Finesse break new ground by working with a static aerial hoop, diving through it and jumping off of it.
"It's handcrafted circus," says Barsky. "Cirque du Soleil is amazing, but of course what you're seeing is culture from somewhere else. This is homegrown."
"And If We Shadows" also incorporates elements of one of hip-hop's latest transformations: the Oakland-bred form known as hyphy. While this aspect of hip-hop has been associated with Oakland's notorious car-sideshow culture, Barsky reassures that "As If We Shadows" is a family-friendly event.
"If all you've heard about hyphy is sideshows and trouble and bad lyrics, this is a chance to see the classical art form of hip-hop," Barsky says. "There's no swearing, no violence. None of the things they think of when they think of hip-hop."
8 p.m. Fri., 3 and 8 p.m. Sat., 3 p.m. Sun. Through May 25. $12.50 general, $25 reserved. Brava Theater Center, 2781 24th St., San Francisco. (415) 665-2276. www.citycircus.org."

The rejection letters

So it is finally THAT time. I started writing the rejection replies to some of the companies that have been sending submissions for the SF Hip Hop DanceFest. This is NOT my favorite thing to do. I will postpone this shit FOREVER so I dont have to tell people that they will not be booked. I will clean my house, wash the car, find something to eat... anything but reply back to them.
However I did reply to all the companies that did not get a booking the other day. It felt yucky. I guess you are starting to realize by now that I am kinda sensitive...

GORGEOUS!

Well You are the very first to see the first draft of the front of the Mission in the Mix flier. Hot Hot Hot. I bet you cant wait to see the back... just wait a few more seconds ok...
it's coming

My workshop assistants!

These amazing people are my assistants for my workshop (which went GREAT, by the way, on Saturday). They Are (from top to bottom) Stephanie, Clyde, Star and Brandy. They are fabulous ! They teach my choreography to some of my students while I am teaching a different choreography to others. It works out perfect. I feel blessed to have these people because they are supportive, talented and helpful instructors for my students.
We are all so excited for my show "Mission in the Mix" at the end of June.
(get yer tix early, cause it will sell out!)

the dance belt

men have to wear these under their tights when they dance ballet or whatever. Why am I blogging about this? I really dont know , I just thought the picture was funny!

Workshop starts today

Today is the first day of my performance workshop. At about 3pm today, I will have studio full of excited (nervous...) students. At the end of it all, they will perform in my show "Mission in the Mix". But what happens between now and then ends up being so much more than that....
New friends are made
Confidence is gained
Performance skills increase
Dance skills increase
A sense of community is formed
and a whole lot more, its magic , i love it -have a great day. ( I know I will )

A blast from the past

I just found this old photo of SoulForce from back in the day.

NONE of these people are still in SoulForce, hilarious!
We were all wearing tie dye because of some gig we were doing (pretty scary huh?)

These people are: (from left to right standing)- Kelly,Michie,Sterling, Angelo, Liz,Matt,Nola,Dudley
(from left to right sitting) Ken, Me, George and Paula

Everyone is all doing their own things now. Most are still dancing. Nola and Sterling had kids. Much love to the old SoulForce!

Queeeeee? (whaaaat?)

My dance company SoulForce recently was informed that they have been invited to perform this summer at the West Wave Dance Festival at the Yerba Buena Theatre in SF. Cool!
....Well, yesterday I received the following email from the the folks producing the festival, Dancers Group. The email contained info for us to know more about the festival. The following is the email that they sent as well as an email exchange that SoulForce had regarding the email . As you will see, we never really figured it out so anyone who wants to help us with this, please do. thanks




Once again, on behalf of Dancers' Group and DanceArt, we are delighted that you will be participating in the 2008 WestWave Dance Festival. You have been selected to present your work on Wednesday, August 20th and Friday, August 22nd, alongside 11 other artists.

The Festival:
This year’s WestWave Dance Festival celebrates our time-based medium and the ever-shifting landscape of dance forms in the Bay Area. We’re thrilled that you’ll be part of this week-long festival, which includes performances, film screenings, panels and the premiere of a commissioned site-specific work by Joanna Haigood,artistic director of Zaccho Dance Theater.
When DanceArt, Dancers’ Group & YBCA first began discussing the seeds for WestWave 2008, the questions asked that have resonated and stuck with us include:
• What does it mean to work within a time-based medium? How doesthis impact different genres and styles of movement?
• What’s the real Bay Area? What does it mean to be an artist living here? Born here? Does geography and place of residence really mean anything about artistry? Is there something fundamental about being a Bay Area artist?
In exploring these questions, we asked you to look at your work and how it might exist within a specific timeframe. We were amazed at the variety of responses, with artists exploring notions of pop culture and immediate gratification, the structural use of5 as a thematic element in the work, or taking a 35 minute work and seeing how it might be distilled into a coherent 5 minutes.Your work will exist next to artists working in a variety of genres, possibly hip-hop, Kathak, dance-theater, contact improvisation, Cambodian, ballet, Butoh, or many others. Audiencemembers who have come to see you
(or one of the other companies on your program) will also experience a number of other forms. Our goal is to reflect the diversity of artists creating work and to build a broader shared audience for dance. Your work will also sit within
the context of the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts “Bay Area Now” triennial, focusing on the work of Bay Area artists.
As you prepare for the festival, we encourage you to explore the potential of this format as both a way of stimulating appreciation for your work and for the many diverse movement styles in our region.
Warmly,
Dancers' Group & DanceArt staff





(Micaya)- "Hey SoulForce
Heres info on the westwave festival. can you help me figure out what the fuck they are talking about? thanks! "


(Stephanie)- " I know I finished school like three years ago, but I HAVE NO EYE DEER!!!! what the fuck is a time based medium? a psychic in a rush? someone who's only got a few minutes in the middle? something you baste a chicken in for twenty
minutes? haahhahahaha.. "


(Brandy)- " i think they are saying dance is a time based medium. it's a medium that we use to express emotions, themes, etc. and it's created using time (counts, beats, rhythm, etc) damn, why can't they just say what they mean?"


(Clyde) - "............oh, lordy, I think my eyes rolled to the back of my head trying to read this... ... my guess would be: "the influx of time it takes for medium-based paint to dry"???? Did I win?"


(Daniel) - "also i think they are telling us that our pice must be 5 minutes long. from ehat i gather when they made the comment, " taking a 35 minute work and seeing how it might be distilled into a coherent 5 minutes".im not sure but its a guess. "


(Kimmy)- "Guys! This is totally modern dance vocabulary..........lol! The way I understand it is.......How can we use time as a tool, in our pieces(dance), lives, etc How do you change a dance piece when changing i.e how long it is.......when it happens/could have happened, just using "time" physically/literally or figuratively as an idea to play with."


(Daniel)- "Kimmy I Think you just did more damage than the email we recieved. LOL no for real."

(Natalia)- "omg!!! haha i love you guys! reading all those in a row was funny as hell!!! Im so brain dead today my classes killed lol...ill prolly have better luck readin this tomorrow, but damn yall made my night! LOVE U! "

(Mitchell) - "Queeeeeeeee? (whaaaaaaaaaat?) "

(Christina)- "wow.. haha all your guesses are so funny, I didn't even read the original.. I got distracted every time I tried to start reading it.. sorry hee hee..me too I'll try again tomorrow"