My Friday night started pretty well when the 4Ever boys asked me (!!!) to take a picture with them, not the other way around!
I asked if I could take a picture of the group for my blog but they insisted on having me with them, I got all fuzzy and happy… maybe it is something they do with lots of girls, I don’t care, it worked, I bought the CD straight away even not knowing which of the bachata songs I have in my head are theirs.
Then I found out about the Brazilian food. That made my weekend, from then on, I almost didn’t eat at home to eat there. It was a booth serving traditional savoury Brazilian pastry, delicious chicken and meat kebabs on fresh buns and a few sweets. One of my friends said during the weekend: you are always eating! I was divided between bachata and “coxinha”(a type of chicken croquete).
“Delicious Brazil” Catering for Bachateros / Bachata Festival Dance floor
From the festival, a few more flashbacks come to my mind:
“Delicious Brazil” Catering for Bachateros / Bachata Festival Dance floor
One of the great dances I had was a funny gospel song, it was the last of the night in the smaller room and I had Clement for a dance partner. I have to tell you that these DJs are always busy so it is hard to dance with them but when you do, they enjoy it so much that you fell like you are gliding. This dance was great, the song was beautiful although strange.
Another unique moment was the one I danced with Graeme, the floor was packed and we had to contain every move, we had to move in a very small way and got to be close to the point of laughing at it. It was funny doing mini‐cross body leads, mini spins (no space for turns) and extra small basics. All that repeated with DJ Amit… It seems I was in the mood for DJ‐dances!!!
I had only two dances with the instructors: one was a sensual bachata with Rodney Aquino and to finish the event in style a dance with Juan Bachatero.
Tania dancing with Mahendra, Juan Bachatero and Junaid Jafar (dance partner).
From the festival, a few more flashbacks come to my mind:
I won’t forget the beautiful Leslie, I enjoyed her performances and energy, her skilled, aggressive and quick bachata.
Also the live shows were great.
Dancing a live bachata song with a good dancer is a priceless experience…
I have to thank Mahendra for being my partner while HR King sang for us…
Then I had the privilege to be at the front row to see the 4Ever performance.
Gosh! They can sing… only people really good can sing a capela and these guys did it to make any romantic heart stop. When the instruments kicked in the result was awesome.
All bachateros had these big smiles on their faces, the girls with shinny eyes and a few jumping on stage with them.
Good live music always makes a dancer’s heart sing… we had a ball!
As we all seem to be saying after our extraordinary time at the festival:
This is just about people who dance, perform, on stage and make love to the public, and, in a sense, their dance partners as they perform.
I love cheeky dancers, and I’ve been told I am one of them. With pride! I make an effort to be.
Great performers are those that create a special energy with the public, they are so confident with their dancing (and singing) that they interact and put their hearts out to the public.
Not always there is a love affair, usually dance partners are not romantically involved, but for the sake of Latin dancing, specially bachata, and while on stage, and shining for the few minutes their choreo is on, they have to be lovers.
They have to have the energy of lovers, completely in lust for one another, for those seconds. I draw on the energy and love I have for dancing, so the ones that show this peculiarity probably do too.
At the bachata festival I had fun spotting people like that: looking in the eyes of the public, making faces and enjoying the experience, pretending it was the love affair of the century and showing their confidence to the watchers.
I found quite a few and every single time I found myself smiling as if they were dancing for me alone…
I am performing tomorrow at the Sydney Bachata Festival. All I can think is what I need to pack for the show. I’m creating this checklist…
I’ll be an Angel at Last. That is because the choreo is homage to Lee, the dancer from the UK we lost to an accident recently. And we are angels. To the ones that don’t know, I was supposed to perform at the Sydney Salsa Congress but fractured my arm and couldn’t do it. So now, at last, I’ll be an angel on the stage tomorrow night.
I’m very exited with the weekend because it will be the first time where I’m in an event dedicated entirely to Bachata, last year I was in Brazil at the time when the first festival happened.
Team of performers at Sydney Bachata Festival’s backstage / Tania ready to perform the Angel choreography
So now that I’m packing my performance bag, I thought it would be interesting to share the checklist.
First I go through the performance in my mind, the costume, what I’m wearing.
Then I go through what I have in the bag following my body from top to bottom:
Things in my box and dancing bag:
Hair and Head props, hats, halos, horns, tiaras, etc.
I have a little carry bag always ready with:
Hair gel, or mousse, etc
Hair pins (bobby pins) different sizes – according to hair colour
Thin hair net for danders
Hair brush
Hair elastics, different sizes and colours
Thin comb with the metal pointy handle
Shower Cap
Jewellery if it is the case:
Earrings
Necklace
Rings
Bracelets
Face & Make‐up: My Make‐up box is a beauty. All organised with all that I could need.
Foundation
Corrective
Eye shadows
Eye liner black, white & brown
Mascara
Shinny:
Glitters of different kind
Shinny spray
Diamonds for make up
Lipsticks & Gloss
Fake eye lashes.
Sponges, cotton balls, cotton pads, cotton sticks, brushers, sponges, special appliers and sticks for make up
Make up remover and moisturiser to fix make‐up messes
Transparent nail polish (to fix running stockings)
Nail polish you are using (to fix your nails if you have a breakage or an accident with your manicure)
Mini sewing kit – thread with the colour of the costume you are using and the clothes you are wearing for the after party.
Security Pins of different sizes
Scissors, box‐cutter, Swiss‐army knife – little addictions to your box that can make it all easier.
Panty liner and tampons
Fashion tape – that double sided tape to keep your straps and straps on the right place.
Wipes
Facial tissues
Razor & shaving gel
Nail files and cuticle’s
Good sized Mirror protected in case it breaks during the travel
Remember to pack any special make‐up and props for specific choreographies, like fake vampire teeth, lycra masks, hat pins, tiaras, scar tissue glue, or blue paint, for example
Up close and Personal – VIL (very important list):
DEODORANT!!! For dancers there is no religion, allergy, personal beliefs that can be put above this simple thing:
You do need deodorant or antiperspirant of some kind. Especially for couple dancers this could mean the success or total debacle of your dancing night. If you are not getting too many dances or more refusals than you should think normal, change your deodorant or perfume. Or check your breath.
Perfume only if you are used to them.
Breath strips!!! Another essential, carry toothbrush, toothpaste, but for any time and place that you need to be safe in a hurry carry breath strips, mints, chewing gum any kind of breath freshener.
Carry the emergency extras with you: nail polish for a retouch, a brand new razor, shaving gel, etc. ▪ Girls – remember to arrange to be waxed, shaved, manicured and pedicured as necessity beforehand.
Shower kit if there is a place for you to refresh in between rehearsals, performances, etc. Shampoo, conditioner, soap, towel.
A sweat towel is good for everyone.
Extra dancing shirt or rehearsal’s clothes
Extra underwear
Intimate products (For Females) nothing worse than be caught unprepared
A few plastic bags
First aid bag:
Band‐aids – get the good ones, water resistant, for sportists, the ones that will save your life or your feet.
Special pads for blisters – you can get some awesome skin colours healing gel pads for blisters nowadays that would have made my ballet dancer life a lot easier 15 years ago… with these the pain is very bearable if you get any blister and you can dance your night away with very little pain! Woohoo!
Bandages
Medicine & painkillers – carry medicine that you usually take, always carry something if you have headaches. Never give anyone any medicine they are not used to and never use something you have never used before on a performance night.
Clothes and costumes:
Dresses
Shirts
Pants
Belts
Jackets
Pieces that go over the normal clothes (vests, scarfs, etc.)
Count how many pieces your costume has, take note of the number and double check that you have all the items before finishing your packing.
Clothes for after-party
I just imagine myself dressing the whole ensemble on and see if I remembered all the items.
Leg’s pieces:
Socks – the right colour please and to have both feet with the same colour is essential!
Stockings – sheer to waist, it is horrible, to have those stockings with a mark in your thighs showing through your fishnets. Yes, holes marks are visible even on stage. And yes, you can see them on pictures too.
Panties, for under the stockings (usually G‐string or something that doesn’t mark the body) and for over, if necessary, like the undies or shorts from the costume.
Piece of stocking to tie your undies if you are doing the Brazilian bikini tie.
Underwear (panties & bras) adequate to the costume.
Fishnets
Shoes:
Official choreo shoes.
Extra pair of shoes, doesn’t matter if it is old or the wrong colour, choose the closer one to the official shoes and bring it with you for an emergency.
Pads – nowadays no‐one has to suffer with shoes anymore, in the supermarkets, convenience stores and pharmacies you can find those pads and stuff that are designed to make any pair of shoes at the very least bearable for its purpose. Discovering the heel gel pads and ball of the feet protection was a big deal for me. Carry your favourites extra pairs in your bag.
Shoe brush – for Latin dancers it is essential to have suede soles brushed so you don’t have yourself falling on stage.
TIP: Don’t put shabby stuff in your bag, only carry new things, new razors, new nail files, new box cutters, if you need to use anything you will have no stress.
Bachata, my love for this lovers’ dance is well advertised here and all over the bachateros website.
I think it is beautiful, sexy, torturous (from being too good) and absolutely far from boring.
I have my secret admirer and I admire a dancer secretly… The B fabled Red Dragon a charachter from my tales on the Bachateros Website should be there.
I’m glad to think that I will be able to dance Bachata to my heart’s content on the Festival next week.
I’ll be performing with Tony Lara’s LDA BACHATA TEAM on Friday night.
From the 24th to 26th of April It is going to be one of those hectic weekends of dancing non‐stop from Friday to early Monday… performances and parties every night, all night and workshops all day.
The band 4Ever from Orlando, USA will be playing on Sunday night to close the event.
It’s funny how some people seem to be born at the wrong place in the world as if someone exchanged their destination tickets at the last minute by mistake just before they were to be born.
I have two friends that are the Most Brazilian Japanese I’ve ever met. They are more Brazilian than a lot of Brazilians I know.
If you are in the Latin Dancing Scene in Sydney you will know them for sure…
Ami and Takashi are amazing dancers and they know more Latin dance styles and I do, I’ve seen them doing: zouk, salsa, bachata, cha‐cha, merengue, forró, samba, gafieira, maracatu, among some Brazilian dances I’ve never heard about! They were main dancers at the Ritmo, the Brazilian Festival from BraCCA last September, 2008.
Ritmo Brazilian Festival Darling Harbour
Ami & Takashi at Ritmo ‐ The Brazilian Festival at Darling Harbour that happens in September, usually.
I see them all around, at the Forró parties, all Salsa venues, Zouk Parties, Carnaval, Capoeira festivals and Brazilian nights in Manly, Step Up parties, Sunday’s at Martini Bar… Everywhere!
As good and genuine Brazilians, they love beer, dancing, laughing, chatting, more beer, samba, churrasco, beer again, forró and feijoada. Ami’s birthday was not at a Japanese restaurant, it was at Braza’s a Brazilian “Churrascaria” place, a Brazilian barbecue: meet with salt.
Ami told me that back in Japan she was more than once on top of the decorated trucks for the Japanese Carnaval, as a main samba dancer. I can well imagine!
When we meet we laugh as if it was the funniest thing that we are seeing each other again, we laugh as if it is the best thing in the world, we hug, kiss and we dance.
They look so Brazilian! They may be from Japan but every time I see them they bring me a piece of my homeland to my heart.
Latin Dance Australia Samba Girls / Friends at the Carnaval Party / Pre-party at my sister’s house
The girls were the highlight. Amy Mills & Sandra Betrus, Samba Queens on Stage at the Carnaval 2009 and the Samba Pro Team from Latin Dance Australia were a vision…
I started the night at my sister’s for what we call “esquenta” which means warming up.
In Brazil it means to start the party early. So, to the best of our abilities, we did as the long tradition dictates… we started with a few drinks. With nine girls and one Irish! (One of the girls was taking the picture…)
There is a tradition that for a Carnaval party, where we gather a group of friends and dress up in grouped costumes. We did pageant winners, each from her home city.
The Carnaval party, was a full house! We danced the whole night.
One Night in Brazil, the organisers of the Forrogode party, is doing something different tomorrow. For the 7th of March 2009, at the Ivory Lounge they have invited DJ Zoubasa to give two hours of Zouk and Salsa before the usual social for Forro and Pagode.
So from 9 to 11 pm DJ Amit-Zoubassa will be playing Salsa and Zouk.
From 11 Forro and Pagode will hit in.
It may be a great opportunity for the usual Latin Dancers from all over the world to see how parties in Latin America are usually like. Instead of going to the party for dancing, the Latinos go to the dancing for the party and that makes it all different.
The usual rules do not apply there: kissing in the dance floor is permitted, and quite common, dancing is kind of going with the flow, having a good time, drinking, talking, checking out the girls and guys, that is a must.
Let the rhythm take you over. Be prepared to stay up, the usual Forrogode crowd arrive late and complain every single time when they want to close the bar. You have to forgive us in Brazil dancing goes until 5 or 6 am.
I love the idea of mixing these Oh! So! Different! People.
I keep hoping to get more and more zouk/salsa dancers to do Forró and more and more Forró addicts do join our Zouk/Salsa crowd. It will be good to witness the mix of these two worlds!
Ah, Performing! (sigh) I absolutely love performing.
Since I started it I cannot say exactly why. I’ve been trying to figure it out for a long time.
I love being on stage, feeling special, having all the eyes on me, who cares if I’m at the back and there are another 29 bodies performing?
It is as if it is all about me, that everyone is thinking: oh look how pointed is her left foot!
Anyway, I feel powerful, elated!
The lights, the sounds, the music, the costumes, it all ads up to my heart beating like a rabbit’s; my hairs going up at the back of my neck.
I can’t get enough of the sensation!
I was thinking about the Sydney Salsa Congress, and I realized that performing is like doing the horizontal mambo. Specially Latin dancing. To reach a performance you start with the foreplays, you get to know your partner, how he moves, you show him (or her) your moves.
It doesn’t matter if there is no sexual tension between the two of you, even if it is all about the dancing and only about it; it is still like a date:
You choose the right clothes for the occasion, for dancing they are the ones that don’t slip, that won’t fall at the wrong times, with good sleeves for that choreo, preference for fabrics nice to touch and that don’t make you feel too sweaty. As in a date, you will also choose the right underwear. Girls will pay attention it doesn’t show and doesn’t disturb them to dance.
You will be well groomed, and pay attention about your bodily smells for sure. I love what this guy said to me the other day: dancers have no idea about personal space. So if you have someone invading yours, you will take care of your armpits and breath at their very best. I guarantee girls will shave, wax, use make up, perfume more than if they were going out with Brad Pitt.
You will get all excited about the date, I mean, the training. Dancing is good. Always. Again it’s like bed acrobatics. Even when it’s bad, it’s still better than not having it, therefore, it’s good.
Here I have to add a small alert: if you are training and not having fun, no mater if you are an amateur or professional, something is wrong. It’s time to re‐evaluate it all. Dancing is about loving it, every step of the way.
When you are starting your trainings, you will have to learn the sequence, like a good intercourse you will savour each step, each touch, each detail.
You will feel powerful for being able to do each movement, you will learn to move as one with your partner. If you love dancing, you will rejoice with every turn, you will fly in every trick, you will smile and yes, you will also complain.
Any type of congress of bodies is subjected to a lot of pain, good muscle pain. It happens often on the following day, getting worse on the following of the following day.
A few mishaps, even a fall here and there is expected. The accidental arm that connects where it shouldn’t; accidents happen, both in the bedroom and in the training room.
The number of times you do it doesn’t affect the soreness. Having done it your whole life, doesn’t prepare you enough.
Depending on which part of the choreo you are concentrating on, you will use different muscles and feel them burning later.
It’s like using “That Book” ‐ you know which one, don’t you? The ancient one, full of interesting pictures? Well the use of the book will guarantee sore muscles on the following day.
Choreographies are bound to do the same.
As you get closer to the performance you are doing it. It’s not foreplay anymore. You know what to do and you go for it. You use your full power, you strain every fibre of your body. You become athletic and go all the way.
You let the feelings, emotions, love and devotions take you over. You leave your body do what it knows to do and let your soul fly, enjoying the moment.
If you get worried about doing something wrong, making mistakes, anxious about your partner’s performance or anything like that, you are concentrating in the wrong part of the business. Like making love, it is not about how it looks, it’s about how it feels.
Then and only then you are in the performance. That, my friends, is the climax. Plain and full Ecstasy, with a capitol letter.
Pre-party at my sister’s place / LDA Samba Carnaval Dancers with Amy Mills / Band at Carnaval party
Brazilian Carnaval parties are happening tonight [26 & 27 Feb 2009] in Manly and Thursday in the City.
Of course there is samba and music and the people that can dance are dancing.
Carnaval in Brazil is about loud, loud, loud music, drums, jumping, having fun, drinking, and making out.
No real dance skills are required, just a total lack of self-contiousness.
If you want to have the night of your life, you must try it out, only being there you will be able to understand how is it that a whole country, 196 million people, stop because of it for over a week.
Gianne Abbott at the Sydney Salsa Congress 2009 / Tais, Tania & Friends at So you Think you Can Dance Australia 2009
And so I did, I thought I could dance, until I went to the live filming of the Australian edition of the TV Show “So You Think You Can Dance” and those guys are the real thing: dancers to the core, amazing people. I was there as Gianne Abbott’s groupie and finished thinking she had to win!
Gianne is the Brazilian dancer in the show.
I met her in the Brazilian Dance Congress 2008, and she did a performance of a beautiful Afro-Samba choreography. I remember I went to speak to her because she was simply amazing and the routine that she made for them was excellent.
I was really impressed with her dancing, her beauty and charisma and talking to her I realised that, on top of all, she is a sweetheart.
I had never been to a live show recording before and I was really impressed to he seated right in front of the stage. It was such an experience!
First thing that I have noticed is that everyone, from the famous host, to the famous judges, to the famous dancers and the famous singer are the same as us: just people.
They look the same as the camera crew, the people around the stage area, the technical crew, the not famous dancers. Same amount of limbs; eyes, ears and mouth in the same place, basically: just people.
I see people go all funny around the famous.
I was once in the restricted area at the São Paulo International airport having just arrived from a flight, I was catching a shuttle bus to my city. At the same place, the Hot Chilly Peppers band was arriving and in the fence we had all these crazy fans squishing themselves, trying to jump, crying, screaming, I was looking at them thinking: “Oh! Whatever!”
I got some cameras to take pictures of the musicians for them, just went to the artists and said: ‘Hello, could I please take a picture of you for that girl over there?’ The girl over there was almost passing out with emotion and the guy just let me take the picture for her and a few others.
I said thank you and went on my merry way.
JUST PEOPLE!
This weekend I discovered a dear friend of mine is friends with Hugh Jackman. I wouldn’t mind having dinner with them and getting a picture for my blog but I bet Hugh is a person too.
Ok, he might be one of the sexiest man on Earth, but still, I promise, if I ever have a chance to see him in person, even if I look a bit dumb, I will remind myself: just a person.
With all that what I mean is that you can, one day, find yourself there, on television, or being famous, the people that were there at the TV show, last night, weren’t in any way different from any of us.
But I’m getting out of the track here. I’m here to talk about the show. The first part of being there is to get “cheering training” you have this funny guy telling us when to clap, when to go wild, how to follow his lead.
He did a dance competition that was really funny. He got a few people from the public to try some dancing for us, not for the cameras. He ended up with a genius of a boy dancer and a girl that was very funny and brave and didn’t care she actually couldn’t dance.
The boy said he was 15 but looked around 9, he was probably dancing since he was five, with already a dancer’s body and being actually pretty good, doing multiple pirouettes, tricks, jumps and all.
The girl most certainly has been doing some ballet classes but not for long and her contemporary attempt was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen. She was amazing. I’m glad to say both got the prizes.
The part that was live was the eliminations, with the “dancing for their lives”, 30 seconds sessions each of the bottom 3 couples. It was a privilege to see them dancing, especially Loredo Malcolm.
I have to confess that the kind of body that I think is the most beautiful type is the dancer’s one. The thin with perfectly defined but not overly grown muscles, if you want to know what I mean have a look at Loredo’s performance from last night: that is it: my ideal of perfection.
I’m glad I didn’t have to make a decision on who to eliminate. All of them were too good. Stephen and Ash‐Leigh ended up being eliminated. We couldn’t take pictures once the show started and even after it was finished so I couldn’t take a picture with Gianne when we were talking to her, however I have one from her dancing in the Brazilian Parade at the Sydney Salsa Congress.
I am strongly cheering for her to win because she has it all.
Hers was the preferred performance from the previous night, it was also her that the camera focused more on the group show shown last night.
Even the judges didn’t have one bad remark about her routine.
I didn’t see her dancing live this time but even from the shows on the screen I could see she has it all: she is an amazing dancer having the technique and the extra something needed.
Knowing Brazilian Samba gives her a lot of advantages, she moves that body like no‐one, she is also charismatic, looks good both on stage and in front of the camera, her smile brightens up the day, her dancing has the feeling coming from the bottom of her heart, even when she is nervous and on top of all she is a good person.
Of course I would cheer for her even if I didn’t think she was the best to win, I’m loyal to the end, but upon being there I realised she is for sure one of the best. I find it hard comparing the male to the female dancers, so I’m not sure that if I didn’t know anyone personally, I would still think she is the best, but that choice was made for me.
So here I go: VOTE FOR GIANNE!!!
When I was leaving Carriage Works I saw this guy coming out of a backdoor, he had a funny outfit looking like a naval officer, with a cap and all. He looked, different, special, somehow magical.
That place has an atmosphere of its own; it is a corridor with all these old doors, old walls, old windows… in one of the glass doors I saw a dog and through a window there was a man hanging from the ceiling doing some acrobatics. When I paid attention to the guy in the alley it was Stephen Tannos, the guy that was let go just a little while before.
I felt like taking a picture of him before I realised it was him, but I decided not to intrude in his moment. It is nonetheless a picture that I will always have in my mind. One of those that makes you think you are in a movie.
Today I have a sore throat from shouting encouragements and I feel exhausted, I think I overshared myself and my energy last night.
taniacreations.com 