grrrr

Wow, what a series of event has occurred after purchasing my freakin i-phone!
So I try to synch my i-phone up with my i-mac G-5 and it was a no go. So my friend Bridget brings over the software I need to update my computer so I can synch my phone. Another no go.
So I take the computer to the mac store for them to tell me that I need some more RAM. BUUUUT they dont carry it or install it.
So I take the computer to another store that sells apple products and they finally ($148 dollars later) installed new RAM. yay!
(Meanwhile My new i phone drops calls and has bad connections - grr)

OK now I gotta put the update software in my hella old computer (not really - its only 4 years old)

After that hopefully I can synch up the computer and i=phone and all will be beautiful.

love and respect-
Micaya

My Sunday

My day Sunday went something like this:
- wake up and have some coffee
-work on cleaning up my address book in my computer
-listen to music to choose to choreograph to for SoulForce
-Watch "So you think you can dance reruns"
- Make some food
-call my friend Damien, to tell him Happy Birthday
-check emails
- Watch "So you think you can dance reruns"
- Make some more food
-order some shoes on zappos.com
-listen to some more music
- Watch "So you think you can dance reruns"
-make some more food
- change the sheets on my bed
- at 9pm, I get up, get dressed and go out salsa dancing (feeling very refreshed I might add)

So the deal is this-- sometimes you have to decompress. just stop everything and completely veg out.

(The other deal is that I have never seen that TV show (SYTYCD) and I thought it was pretty good)

Thats all i gotta say
love and respect-
Micaya

So many things in the air!

Its been crazy around here at the SF Hip Hop DanceFest headquarters!
-Im trying to securely lock down the out of town/state/country companies. Well that always seems to take longer than expected. Plus mercury is in retrograde which usually slows things up a bit. (if you dont know what that means google "mercury in retrograde")
-It looks like the filmmaker of the documentary presented at the SFHHDF will NOT be attending the SFHHDF . The film Will be shown however. Hmm interesting. He does, however have a replacement or himself for the Q and A portion of the program.
- Still working on the design for the shirts and gear. That is taking sooo much longer than planned.
- Working on my media sponsor- ...once again, taking so much longer than planned
-Contracts contract contracts
-Im also choreographing a new piece for SoulForce to perfrom at the SFHHDF. Exciting , fun and a little scary!
- trying to keep the web site updated. check it out - www.sfhiphopdancefest.com
- I have an interview on Monday for the Nov issue of the SF Arts Monthly!
-Im hoping to get the fliers and posters printed real soon
- my family is coming out here from Atlanta to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the SFHHDF, wow!

Thanks for reading my rant
love and respect-
Micaya

This Saturday

Check this out
www.worldofdancetour.com
Love and Respect-
Micaya

Here Ya Go

JABBAWOCKEEZ, SUPER CR3W, BREAKSK8, FANNY PAK & A.S.I.I.D.!

INFORMATION AND TICKETS GO TO:
http://www.aeglive.com/tourdates.php?id=19344&detail_type=event

September 18, 2008 • Miami , FL
Waterfront Theater at the American Airlines Arena

September 19, 2008 • Tampa , FL
Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center

September 20, 2008 • Atlanta , GA
Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center

September 21, 2008 • Clemson , SC
Littlejohn Coliseum

September 23, 2008 • New York City , NY
WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden

September 25, 2008 • Boston , MA
Citi Performing Arts Center

September 26, 2008 • Atlantic City , NJ
Adrian Philips Ballroom

September 27, 2008 • Sewell , NJ
Commerce Bank Arts Center

September 29, 2008 • Washington , DC
DAR Constitution Hall

September 30, 2008 • Newark , NJ
New Jersey Performing Arts Center

October 1, 2008 • Albany , NY
Palace Theatre

October 3, 2008 • Detroit , MI
Masonic Temple Theatre

October 4, 2008 • Milwaukee , WI
Milwaukee Theater

October 5, 2008 • Chicago , IL
Rosemont Theatre

October 6, 2008 • Kansas City , MO
The Midland by AMC

October 8, 2008 • Denver , CO
Wells Fargo Theatre (formerly Colorado Convention Center Lecture Hall)

October 11, 2008 • Oakland , CA
Paramount Theatre

October 14, 2008 • Portland , OR
Theater of the Clouds

October 15, 2008 • Everett , WA
Comcast Arena at Everett Events Center

October 16, 2008 • Los Angeles , CA
NOKIA Theatre L.A. LIVE

October 17, 2008 • Las Vegas , NV
Orleans Arena

October 18, 2008 • San Diego , CA
San Diego Sports Arena

October 19, 2008 • Phoenix , AZ
Dodge Theatre

October 22, 2008 • Grand Prairie , TX
NOKIA Theatre Grand Prairie

October 23, 2008 • Houston , TX
Jones Hall

INFORMATION & TICKETS GO TO:
http://www.aeglive.com/tourdates.php?id=19344&detail_type=event


Much Love and Respect-
Micaya

Fundraiser was great!

Thank you to all who came to the fundraiser last Friday night. It meant a lot to us to see the folks come out in support of the SF Hip Hop DanceFest. We had good time (and some lucky people won great raffle prizes.)
Love and respect-
Micaya

FORGOT TO BLOG!

So much going on that I havent done the blog in a few days , sorry. Well todays blog will be worth the wait.
Here it is.. the official, unofficial performer lists for the 2008 SF Hip Hop DanceFest.
This is still in in flux and could change - and more will be added later as well....But here you go for now!

Program A-
not in show order- subject to change

Popin' Pete (of the Electric Boogaloos)
Soul Sector (San Francisco)
Elements of Morion (Colorado)
SoulForce Dance Company (San Francisco)
Neopolitan (Oakland)
Kenichi and Takahiro (New York)
F.B.C. (San Francisco)
U.F.O. Movement


Program B
not in show order- subject to change

Top 9 (Russia)
Funkanometry (San Francisco)
Loose Change (San Francisco)
O.T.I. (Canada)
DS Players (San Jose)
Diamond (Oakland)
Human Creature (San Francisco)
Shadow Optix (Santa Rosa)

Love and respect-
Micaya

More feedback from the panel

Here is some more random feedback that my panel had regarding the companies auditioning for the SFHHDF

-some amateur dancers
-not sure what to make of the choreography
-A lot of the movements were sloppy and not smooth
-spacing needs work
- piece needs clarity
-moves too basic
-not enough hip hop
-the second piece was more interesting
- like that it was different
-some of the movements were weird
-choreography in beginning was predictable
-performance quality lacking
-ending was confusing and left me hanging
-costumes were sloppy
-did not exude sex appeal
-bring your top dancers- not your students
-dancers need more experience
-dancers need more training and rehearsals
-dancers looking around at each other for choreography
-dancers need to follow through with their movements as much as possible
-the music and choreography did not match sometime
- i expected more
-couldnt follow story line
-uneven amount of strong dancers
-needs more energy
-watch your timing
-need more eye contact/connection with audience
-story uninteresting/unoriginal
-looks like they are enjoying themselves
-nothing new or different
-didnt really understand the story-not interesting
-music mix and costumes need work
-concept needs structure
- do not rely on the music to tell the story- let choreography do that
-dance has more position changes in the beginning than actual movement
-dancers that are supposed to be offstage should stand in wings
- liked the music mix but the dance did not deliver, music overpowered the movement
-krumping was weak
-clean up the movements
-solo not good
-not ready for Palace of Fine Arts
-waiting for the climax/build up...needs to happen sooner
-didnt keep my attention
-has potential- needs work
-flat
-levels of dancers skill varies greatly
-costumes are not working for the piece
-its not ready for the SFHHDF and the Palace of Fine Arts
-Movements need to be sharper
-bad animation
-needs more stage presence
- solo not working (average)
- my eye stayed on the director most of the time and not the other dancers
-slow but not filling space
-extend your movements to the fullest
-nice potential
-needs to change levels of intensity
-ending was weak- could have been really strong
-nice beginning
-soloist needs to be stronger
-choreography needed to be more precise and stronger
-piece did not stay on the same level (was up and down) didnt keep my attention
--nice to see something different
-dancers were soft/movement was soft
- not enough performance power
-timing was off
-dancing didnt compliment the energy of the music
-Dancers can not handle the Palace of Fine Arts stage yet
-weak dancing to strong music
-dancers need much more training
-dont show that you messed up
-choreography dragged
- commit to the movement
-lock arms for sharpness
-concept of the piece unclear
-dancers that are supposed to be offstage should be in the wings
-very "danceteam" feel
- master the old school movement
- find your voice and dont be afraid to take artistic risks
-b-boy stuff was weak
-nice energy
-unoriginal choreography (especially the jazz)
-Seems like a drill team feel
- nothin new or original
- listen to the music/timing
- music mix does not flow or make sense (check levels in sound with each song)
--color concept is nice but the girls look scruffy and not put together in their appearance
-its all about formations - ---what else?
-needs more passion/fire
- dont adjust costumes on stage
- just not strong enough or original enough to be booked for the SFHHDF
- no connection with the audience
- performance levels varied too much
-one dancer pulling focus
-sometimes looks like they are marking the dance
- not a good use of the stage- in one position too long
-the music mix was not good
-choreography was basic and not effective
- dont lip synch the words to the song (unless choreographed that way)
- bad ending
- some dancers stronger than others (distracting)
- the movements were too small and soft
- take hip hop classes
- get more choreography experience (especially hip hop)
- do not rely for the songs tell the story - let the movement tell the story

Hope that helps!

Love and Respect-
Micaya

Hope This Helps!

I promised yesterday that I would share with you many of the mistakes that companies make with their auditions/submissions.

Here are the top 5-
1. Do not rely on the music/lyrics of the song to tell your story. You must have choreography to do that. The choreography must be your strength, the visual that tells us the story. the songs should play a supporting role.
2. Bring your top dancers and not everyone in the company. We saw way too many beginning and intermediate dancers audition the last few weeks. Always remember -your company is only as strong as your weakest dancer.
3. Find your own voice. Be original. Think of it this way, the people who invented the way you are dancing were being original when they started it. But if all you do is imitate them, then you are not being original at all. Find your style, your story , your special uniqueness.
4. Focus on cleanliness and staging. This means that if you are the choreographer I encourage you to step out of the piece so you can keep an eye on your dancers. The energy can go to them and the piece instead of worrying about your performance in the piece.
5. Make your piece cohesive. It needs to work on many levels. Elements such as music, costumes, choreography, make -up, hair, props etc, all must work together to make an impact. Think out your piece thoroughly regarding how it is being presented .

Thats all for now, probably more tomorrow- I hope this helps!

Love and Respect -
Micaya

SFHHDF Auditions are Over!

Yesterday was the last day of the San Francisco Hip Hop DanceFest live auditions for companies located in the Bay Area. It has been so interesting to see the up and coming talent in the community.

The 2008 SFHHDF panel list was as follows-
Darnell Carroll
Allan Frias
Ceech Hsu
Mikey Disko
Teela Shine
Dahrio Hutton
Lake Ziwa
Robert Lupo
Sterling Larrimore
and myself

The companies who auditioned for SFHHDF 2008 throughout the past two Sundays were as follows-
Wrawsome
Project Em
Soul Conspiracy
Phoenix and Basic Dance Company
Groove Against the Machine
Strong Pulse
Shadow Optix Crew
Future Shock
Funk for Soul
TKO
Bliss
DowneFX Dance Company
Cookie
UFO Movement
TRPL3 Threat
BRATs
de la femme
James Brown Production Company
Duniya
Human Creature

We saw some very common mistakes made over and over by new choreographers/directors. Tomorrow I will give you all a list of those mistakes.. stay tuned...

with love and respect
Micaya

The raffle !

Well it looks like there are some very nice items that are on the list for the raffle at the SF Hip Hop DanceFest Happy Hour fundraiser next week. Please come by (and bring 3 people). You all will have a chance to win some of these prizes-

RAFFLE PRIZES INCLUDE-
*Gift Card from Velvet Cantina
*Gift Card from Mom's Body Shop for $60 (good for tattoo only)
*3 one hour personal trainer sessions valued at $100 each
*Gift Cards for $25 from Bubba Gumps
*Gift Card for a facial with Aesthetics by Veronica valued at $65
* Hip Hop Dance Classes
* Items from FTC Skateboard store
* Items from TRUE hip hop clothing store
* 2 Tickets the SFHHDF documentary screening of "Everything Remains Raw", Sun Nov 23rd at 3pm
* much more!


Here is the info again for the fundraiser happy hour (one week from today!)
Friday September 19th, 2008 5:30-8:30pm
Zebulon (www.zebulonsf.com)
83 Natoma (Off of 2nd and Mission ) San Francisco
$5 at the door- Raffle tickets $3

see you there!
Love and Respect-
Micaya

10th Anniversary SFHHDF Program!

This years SF Hip Hop DanceFest show program will be a color commemorative booklet. We are now officially offering ad space to select businesses who want to be in this program. This is a very hot opportunity. If you are interested in ad space , email us as soon as possible at info@sfhiphopdancefest.com

much love and respect-
Micaya

This Saturday

Check it out-
Love and respect-
Micaya


GARYFEST: A CELEBRATION OF A HIP HOP SUPERSTAR


GaryFest, a celebration of the life of Gary Kendell and fundraiser for the Santa Cruz AIDS Project (SCAP), will take place on Saturday, September 13th at the Henry J. Mello Center for the Performing Arts (250 East Beach Street, Watsonville). The pre-show festivities, involving free-style dancing on stage, will begin at 6:30 p.m. with performances starting at 7:00 p.m. An admission donation of $10 or more is requested.



Gary Ray Kendell was a local hip hop teacher, choreographer and performer who served for almost two decades as an ambassador of Hip Hop culture to the Santa Cruz area. Born and raised in Seaside, Gary took his dancing from the streets into the studio as an instructor at All The Right Moves in Santa Cruz in 1990. He later went on to teach regularly at Motion Pacific and Scotts Valley Dance Center, led workshops at Dancenter and DanceSynergy, and taught at local public schools and in various after-school recreation programs between 1992 and 2007. Gary also taught at studios and performed at events all over the United States and the world. Most recently, he taught hip hop dance to hundreds of students in the country of Estonia in November 2007. During his career, he was a member/director of numerous professional dance groups including Jughead, Jedi, MindTricks and the reigning champions of MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew, the Jabbawockeez. Gary also spent much of the last ten years producing, directing and traveling around the United States with Monster Shop Bumpin’ and BreakShop, dance productions designed for County and State Fairs. These productions also toured China. Locally, Gary founded the Boom Squad, Boom Boys, City Heat, and the Flava Unit. As a performer, Gary participated in dozens of benefit performances and teaching activities in the Santa Cruz community such as various County Parks & Recreation after-school programs, First Night in Santa Cruz, A Gay Evening in May, Moving Mountains Benefit for Women with Breast Cancer, National Dance Week, AIDS Walk Kick-Off Event, Free Mumia rallies at UCSC, Kwanzaa celebrations, and the Monte Foundation Fireworks Show. In 2001, Gary was a recipient of the esteemed Calabash Award for Excellent in the Ethnic Arts from SCEAN and the Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County for his outstanding contributions to the community through hip hop dance. Gary lost his fight to pneumonia and meningitis on December 14, 2007 in Denver, Colorado but he lived an expressive life as a dancer, teacher, director, producer, and entertainer.



Dancers from his local troupes and others who have been touched by Gary’s teachings are reuniting to present a tribute show in his honor with proceeds benefiting the Santa Cruz AIDS Project. Performances include hip hop by Boom Squad and Flava Unit; street jazz by Santa Cruz Dance Company; bellydance-hip hop fusion with Holi Choli; lyrical by Makayna Charter; aerial dance by The Gravity Girls; Capoeira by Roots of Brazil; breakdancing by Total Chaos; bellydance by Sahar; hip hop by Motion Pacific; and a whole lot more! The doors open at 6:30 pm for pre-show onstage free-style dancing by performers at 6:30 p.m. followed by the show which begins at 7:00 p.m.


Admission donation of $10 and up is requested. Tickets are now available, with payment by cash or check, at Dance Odyssey (831-462-4590) and Santa Cruz Dance Company (831-479-4700). For more information about the show, please visit www.dance-odyssey.com or contact GaryMemorial@gmail.com. Checks for tickets/donations can be made payable to Carmela Woll and mailed to: GaryFest, c/o Dance Odyssey Studio, P.O. Box 1462, Soquel, CA 95073.


“To the lives you touched, to the rhythms you followed, to the footsteps you left behind, and to the talent that will never be forgotten. Here’s to a beautiful life lived. We love you, Gee. We will miss you. Dance for us in Heaven.”

So Much Goin On!

Well last Sunday was the first of 2, live auditions for Bay Area companies who want to be in the SF Hip hop DanceFest. It was (and always is) super interesting. I love seeing what dancers are doing and I really love the feedback the panel discusses afterward. For each company who does NOT make it, I always offer the panel feedback if they want to hear it. We make it as constructive as we can so that the dancers, directors and choreographers can go away with tools they can use to improve on every level.

Last night I was on the panel for independent artists week. I was on stage with Chuck D. and Davey D. to name a few. I felt that if there had been some dance community in the audience, my presence would have been necessary. Otherwise, folks were there to discuss music . It was so interesting. I learned a lot. (But I didnt need to be on the panel).

Sooo- the SF Hip Hop DanceFest really needs an accountant. I suck at it every year. Its not a huge job at all , but it needs to be more organized for taxes and grant reports. If you or anyone you know is available and interested in coming to Oakland and helping me out occasionally, please holler!

With Love and Respect-
Micaya

Check this out!

So Im on the panel at this event. Come by if you can.
Love and Respect-
Micaya

Entitlement

Some people feel that if they have taken dance classes for a few years, they deserve to be on stage performing. As with any art form, there is so much training one must do before they should EVER even consider being an ambassador of that art form. I find it appalling that there is this sense of entitlement with dance students that do not keep their humility.

The wikipedia definition of entitlement-
Entitlement is a guarantee of access to benefits because of rights, or by agreement through law. It also refers, in a more casual sense to someone's belief that he/she is deserving of some particular reward or benefit.[1] It is often used as a negative term in popular parlance (i.e. a 'sense of entitlement'). The legal term, however, carries no value judgment: it simply denotes a right granted. In clinical psychology and psychiatry, an unrealistic, exaggerated, or rigidly held sense of entitlement may be considered a symptom of Narcissistic Personality Disorder.

Dancers- please train and learn as much as possible without expectations to be in a dance company. When you are ready, it will happen, until then keep humble. pay your dues and train.

Love and respect-
Micaya

This Weekend

Allan Frias' Mind Over Matter Show is this weekend at Dance Mission. Im not sure of the details, but I guess if you call Dance Mission, you can find out.
Their number is 415 826-4441

love and respect
Micaya

SF Hip Hop DanceFest Fundraiser Baby!

Please come by and have a drink with us. There will be a raffle and and an opportunity to hang out with dancers and people who are part of the 10th anniversary SFHHDF!
It's 10 Years Bitches!

See you then-
Love and Respect-
Micaya