Bettina Beauty Bar Bombshell Basics

Bettina MayAnyone who has been in the original NYC Beauty Bar knows that this location is amazing with every corner being vintage pin-up perfect. She certainly deserves this space for a class in January!

*PAY IN FULL BEFORE JANUARY AND ONLY PAY $175 FOR THIS CLASS!*

Bettina May has been traveling around the globe teaching ladies how to rediscover the glamour secrets of our grandmothers since 2006, and has been a professional pin-up model and photographer since 2003. In one day, she'll teach you how to unlock the mysteries of good hair and easy makeup, and how to look great in front of a camera. You supply your own make-up and wardrobe, so she can teach you how easy it is to achieve vintage looks with the stuff you already have, no need to spend a fortune on all new items! You will leave that day with a book detailing all of the information that you learned in class that day and a cd of your own unedited images that you will own the rights to. She strives to make this class a body-positive experience, teaching you that glamour has no age, height or size requirement.

Learn vintage hair, makeup and posing techniques for only $50 Learn the above with a pin-up photo-shoot for $200.

You must pre-register to attend the class at http://bettina.ca/pinupclass.htm

"So You Think You Can Prance?"

364 Series

You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen, Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen. Or do you?

'364 The Series' wittingly addresses ecological and social issues while poking fun at popular culture. I find charisma in its playful approach. With a sense of humor they speak to somewhat unreachable ears. People often want to mourn in what ignorance is dwelling. It is our responsibility to tackle current issues and make it known that we are enraged. Until we make society realize that artists are not only talents but also 'Movers', we will continue to live in delusion or live without a voice. In order to make this shift we must do our research and make our medium carry a message.

James Manzello

James Manzello, the writer of '364 The Series' carries the leading role of Donner, a reindeer with good intention, although seemingly disheartened by the worlds current state, finds himself excitable at moments of truth. By alluding to certain topics, Manzello offers a platform of discussion influenced not only with his vegan lifestyle but by having a sense of humor. His performance will inspire others to develop opinions and hopefully make for a more informed society. Fortunately, compassion is found in many forms, and James' seems to find his voice within a chuckle.

While we thought reindeer only had one simple job of pulling Santa's sleigh - the other 364 days of the year they have lives just like you and me.

All styling for '364 the Series' done by cruelty free vegan Marlena Pavich, also featuring vegan recording artist Mandy Duffy in episode 4!

'So You Think You Can Dance' occasionally brings our attention to issues of grave importance. Pieces such as Addiction by Mia Michaels and 'This Woman's work' about a woman with Breast Cancer, by Tyce Diorio are a few I will never forget. With Diorio's message brought to the forefront of the dance community I would like to continue addressing the issue.

Looking back to April of this year, I recall Kentucky Fried Chicken making efforts to raise money for the Susan G. Komen foundation.

50 cents per bucket of deep fried, "chickens, breasts."

How Ironic, this irresponsible fast food chain not only serves food that is breast cancer causing but also perpetuates diabetes, heart attacks and a slue of other health problems! Not to mention it's a bucket full of CHOPPED OFF CHICKENS BREASTS!

Fortunately the Breast Cancer foundation involved pulled out of this fundraiser. These fast food companies are a disgrace to life, compassion and welfare. Not only are they death to small business, they cause health issues in all those who consume their products and get their food through the inhumane practices of factory farming.

A moving quote from Nigel Lythgoe, a judge on 'So You Think You Can Dance,' "I don't know as a choreographer, where you get the strength from... to do a piece like this."  Issues such as these often haunt us, hearing about it day to day almost makes us want to avoid it. Unfortunately being ignorant is more popular these days than ever. We can only make change for those suffering if we as choreographers, "find the strength" to be moved by such issues.

Why do you dance?

Please leave a comment, let everyone in the Enforced Arch community know.

Calling All Carolers

Carolers are a charming tradition every year around the holidays. What fun it is to ride and sing a sleighing song tonight! Unfortunately it isn't so fun for those who painstakingly pull jolly carolers through the snow. Not this time!

Horse Drawn Carriages are cruel.

I'd like to inspire artists to rally up their vocal chords. New York City, it's about time you sing a different tune. We've invited talented writers to put new words to familiar jingles. We provide the words and you make the music. Try to sway as many riders as you can to use Pedicabs instead of Horse Drawn Carriages. We will provide literature to pass out and songbooks for you to sing from. Simply wear over the top holiday outfits and show up! What do you say?

Thursday, December 23 7:00pm- 9:00pm

Meet at the central fountain area of Columbus Circle!

According to the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages, carriage horses in New York City work 9 hours a day, 7 days a week, sometimes in bitter cold and oppressive heat. Around the country, horses pull carriages through traffic on pavement and sometimes cobblestone, which is hard on their joints. The horses also constantly breathe in car exhaust which leads to respiratory problems. Collisions between horses and vehicles are a threat to both people and horses.

Although there are laws to protect the horses, enforcement is not perfect. In December of 2008, activists recorded video of horses being forced to work through a snowstorm in New York City, despite a law that prohibits working the horses during “adverse weather conditions.” The law required the horses to be recalled if the weather turned bad, but it took nearly two hours to recall the horses after the snowstorm started and authorities did not have the power to recall the horses any earlier.

When not working, the horses are confined in tiny stalls in indoor stables with substandard conditions, such as a lack of water, bedding, air conditioning and fire sprinklers. Some horses are tethered, and are unable to turn around in their stalls, which frustrates their nature as highly social herd animals.

HDC Flash Carolers is collaboration between http://www.ourhenhouse.org/ & www.EnforcedArch.com!

Love Your Bagabones

Jonathan Nosan Bagabones

BAGABONES ™ BAGS: a lifestyle choice to (en)lighten the load

 

BAGABONES ™ BAGS lightens the load off your shoulders and the environment by UPCYCLING. Upcycling re-purposes useless materials into new products of better quality to decrease global waste. The bones of the bags are unused polypropylene shipping material from the Dutch company Basell–which brings all things plastic into being (like bottles, crocs (r), and most anything plastic you see).

These are bags without a carbon footprint and made to last. Certainly something handy to have when running from class to audition to yoga to the gym or any other active chase involved with being professional 'Movers' or dancers. -James Koroni

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I had the privilege of working with the creator of Bagabones, Jonathan Nosan, in The Fringe Festival this year. Every aspect of his creative process was carefully defined. Examples of which are being sure to communicate by breathing consciously, walking stealthily, turning with grace or even within stillness find value.

Before each performance members of the audience were asked to take an offering of one penny and later return it into a hand crafted urn made by Jonathan Nosan. This to me was an analogy of our relationship with the environment. The planet will not stand a chance if we constantly take more new resources without reciprocating its generosity. The penny filled urn later was incorporated in the story of which Jonathan performed a riveting and powerful performance both physically and mentally. He not only uses this relationship in the symbology of his story but also in this new eco-friendly bag collection!

BagabonesBagabones

Check it out!

Bagabones.org

BagabonesTheShow.org

Movers Turning A New Leaf

JustinLeaf

JUSTIN LEAF

In 2001, Justin Leaf graduated from the Juilliard School with a BFA in Dance Performance.  He has studied ballet pedagogy with master teachers Andra and Ernesta Corvino (www.corvinoballet.org).  As a teacher, Justin draws from his extensive experience as a professional dancer for James Sewell Ballet (2002-08) and for Minnesota Dance Theatre (2008-present).  He has served as a guest instructor for The Dance Institute, James Sewell Ballet, The Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Arts, Summit Dance Shoppe, and Larkin Dance Studio.  Currently, Justin offers private lessons and an open ballet class at The Fixx Workout Studio in South Minneapolis.

Justin is also an accomplished choreographer and has been commissioned to create works for Minnesota Dance Theatre, James Sewell Ballet, the Minnesota Orchestra, the Metropolitan Ballet, and the Saint Paul Conservatory for the Performing Arts, Normandale Lutheran Church, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Plymouth Congregational Church, as well as for his own performance company, Junkyard Theater.  For his choreographic work, he has received the Zaraspe Prize (2001) and a Minnesota SAGE Award (2007).  Justin is also a recipient of a 2009 McKnight Fellowship for Dancers, funded by the McKnight Foundation and administered by the Southern Theater.

"I want to do as much as possible to honor my values--that is, educating others on the animals' plight."

Movers Making Waves

Crystal Silmi is a belly dance fusion instructor based out of Santa Cruz, California. She has become known for her unique style of hip hop infused movements and has performed for audiences around the world. Skilled in both the art of classical Middle Eastern dance and modern fusion, Crystal puts her Arab American roots to the dance with a deep sense of rhythm and powerful athleticism. As a long time student of master instructor Suhaila Salimpour, Crystal has danced with both the Suhaila Dance Company and Bal Anat. In 2006 she founded the belly dance fusion troupe RaksArabi based out of Motion Pacific Dance Studio in Santa Cruz, Ca with troupe members from across the South Bay and Central Coast communities. RaksArabi draws upon hip hop, jazz, north african and other dance styles to enhance the art of belly dance with vivid and contemporay feel. (source)

"I feel lighter, both mentally and physically. I also feel more content ethically speaking. My diet has a super low carbon foot print and I know that animals are not suffering on my account." -Crystal Silmi

She is yet another compassionate 'Mover,' enchanting artist and vegan for which to be on the look out! An enthralling dance company of which she has been known to collaborate with is Deshret Dance Company. Deshret was founded in early 2007 by Ariellah, the company's artistic director. Check out this performance to one of my personal favorites, 'Only You' by Portishead.

Photography of Crystal in yellow dress by Javier

Hotter than Hell

Sarah Chergui is steamy, romantic, complex and enchanting. Salsa Dancing can be sultry or playful and Sarah exudes both of these attributes. She brings a heat that is irresistible to watch. Her partner Felipe Polanco is the most sought after Salsa dancer in the world and together they have danced for audiences worldwide.

Sarah recently became vegetarian and was asked to teach a few steps at Paris Vegan Day’s Latin night. She was thrilled to be a part of the festivities. The rhythm was addictive and kept me moving for hours without fatigue. I was able to learn a few valuable steps while working up a sweat. Within minutes the entire room found themselves moving as one entity.

James Koroni, Sarah Chergui

When partnering it is imperative that you avoid stepping on your comrades feet. The irony is that dance shoes are soled with suede leather! Leather isn't made of feet but skin rather and certainly isn't something I want to step on. If stepping on someones toes is the #1 misdeed one can make then let’s do our research and solve this obnoxious offense.

Here we have a beautiful alternative provided by Ethical Wear, an online store committed to showcasing cruelty free alternatives to traditional styles of foot wear.

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Rawkin' in a Winter Wonderland!

Tonya Kay and co-author Joanna Steven have really challenged my perception of "cold" in the Winter Warming eBook. When I think of winter foods I can not avoid starchy overindulgent images of me stuffing my face. For a dancer the horror in this is that we need to maintain a strong and healthy body. Especially with auditions year round it is vital to not get tempted by holiday leftovers. Fresh and nutrient rich raw foods are a wonderful alternative to traditional heavy selections. With the cold looming through the cracks in the floor we mustn't hide. Tonya encourages taking opportunities that present themselves by moving, jumping and dancing you can create your own heat. Her Raw food Journal empowers us to fearlessly identify with the chill.

Get yourself a copy here: Winter Warming eBook

The Winter Warming eBook exemplifies Tonya's charming relationship with raw foods and winter chills. She makes me want to take a step out of my comfort zone and be creative while keeping my body tone!

"Tonya Kay, 8 year raw vegan, offers tips for staying warm and staying on your healthy diet during the cold months in the Winter Warming eBook, the 3rd book in the Raw Nutritional Analysis series. The Winter Warming eBook not only nutritionally analyzes a month on Tonya Kay's winter raw vegan diet, so you can learn how much protein, calcium, carbohydrates and vitamins an actual raw foodist takes in, but also details her athletic workouts and caloric expenditure. This tree-free eBook contains 81 pages of inspirational writings on how to stick to your diet and ideals instead of turning to cooked comfort food this winter."

Issues in Places we Never Knew we Had!

Artichoke Dance Company takes recycling to another level while creating a personal relationship with their environment. Their performance required them to literally comb New York City beaches. Not only did they find sand in places they never knew they had but also raised issues that New York City residents never knew needed attention! In fact before dancing in the sand they collected waste materials, primarily plastic, and made their costumes out of the debris. They have stated that "this work continues our ecology trilogy that began with the Human Mapping Project. This work investigates the exponential growth of single use plastics and the repercussions that plastics are being discovered to have on the environment and in the human body." I was astounded to come across the following list.

Top 10 debris items found worldwide during the Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup:

1. Cigarettes and filters, 3,216,991 2. Plastic bags, 1,377,141 3. Food wrappers and containers, 942,620 4. Caps and lids, 937,804 5. Plastic bottles, 714,892 6. Paper bags, 530,600 7. Straws and stirrers, 509,593 8. Cups, plates, forks, knives and spoons, 441,053 9. Glass bottles, 434,990 10. Drink cans, 401,412

Whether we like it or not litter is affecting our beaches, neighboring wildlife and the local water supply. I have seen countless images of animals caught in ocean debris. These animals have no way of freeing themselves once trapped in our urban ecosystem. It is our responsibility to be mindful of these tragedies. As mundane as it may sound recycling, reducing and reusing are all effective ways to minimize the effects we have on the environment. The following images by artist Chris Jordan are commonplace. [imagebrowser id=1]

Take it from Artichoke Dance Company and find ways to reduce your carbon footprint.

For upcoming performances visit: ArtichokeDance.org

QUINOWA? ...Aha Quinoa!

On an early Sunday morning I drifted off to The West Cafe in Williamsburg and stumbled upon a charming event called Gracious Gourmand's Waffle Brunch. Ayinde Howell was the featured chef preparing menu items such as Country Cinnamon Waffles, Mac & Yease and Habenero Quinoa Hash. Of course with my appetite I took my share of each item on the menu but was especially charmed by the Habenero Quinoa Hash. Quinoa has a creamy taste, crunchy bite and fluffy nature. It's easily added to any meal and preparation is as simple as rice or pasta. Who could resist?

Quinoa is rich in protein content. In fact, it is a complete protein as it contains all the essential amino acids, especially lysine, which is required by the body to grow and repair tissues. If you're also an active dancer you understand the aches and pains that come with this lifestyle. A staple grain with these healing properties are crucial and provide the necessary tools our bodies need to sustain such an energy dependent form of expression. Finding healthy, friendly alternatives is really that simple.

Ayinde Howell's Habeñero Quinoa Hash

Quinoa the mother seed, all spicy and sassed up with pepper, cumin, cilantro, and Ayinde's secret spices!

Stands Not Within the Prospect of Belief

Macbeth Footwear is know for having an isolated page on their website for compassionate soles. This hardcore shoe company makes durable, cruelty free and handsome footwear for musicians, artists, dancers and hardcore kids alike. I frequent MooShoes in the East Village of NYC where they have a charming selection from this socially conscious shoe company. Check out a few of their Fall 2010 season.

Dance in Someone Else's Shoes

Natalie Portman Black Swan

Natalie Portman, the actress playing in an upcoming film called Black Swan, lives a compassionate lifestyle. She has been vegetarian since childhood and recently took the necessary steps to become a vegan. When she took on the role of Nina Sayers in Black Swan she must have come across the same challenges we face as dancers every day such as, "What am I trying to communicate? Not only with the movement but by the tools used to express the movement?" When looking for ballet slippers, she did her research and found Cynthia King Vegan Ballet Slippers. These shoes remain cruelty-free and cause less environmental harm by using man-made synthetic materials. The cost is only $24.95 a pair! VOGUE magazine recently requested Cynthia King Vegan Ballet Slippers for Natalie Portman to wear in their January cover shoot!

Natalie Portman Black Swan

You might be asking yourself why there is a need for Vegan Ballet Slippers.

The truth is that we are stepping into someone else's skin every time we slip on our ballet shoes. Beneath our slippers we have leather padding that provides friction and gives us the control needed to move with grace. Sounds splendid when only seen from this perspective but who's skin or shoes are we wearing? What other perspectives are involved?

Veal Calves

Young male calves are used for leather production. The dairy industry has no need for them so they have found a way to make a profit off of these "useless offspring." They're sold to veal farms where they are removed from their mothers within 24-48 hours after birth, fed an anemic diet, and kept in a cage so small that they cannot turn around or lie down comfortably, preventing them from developing muscle tissue. They live their lives standing in their own excrement and are slaughtered at approximately 4 months of age.  All of this is done so that the calves taste tender. Then the skin is separated and shipped out to a Tannery. Preserving the skin involves harsh chemicals such as mineral salts, formaldehyde, coal-tar derivatives, and various oils, dyes, and finishes, some of which are cyanide-based.  These chemicals are tough on the environment and many of these facilities are located on rooftops causing water pollution and bad odours for families living nearby. All of this in the name of "leather." This word certainly sounds better next to clothing titles such as ballet slippers or jackets or whips. Unfortunately that only exists after the damage has already been done.

Veal Calves

Leather TanneryWhen we dance in these ballet slippers we support this type of cruelty and it doesn't stop with calves, other animals are used in leather production; horses, sheep, lambs, goats, pigs, zebras, bison, water buffaloes, boars, kangaroos, elephants, eels, sharks, dolphins, seals, walruses, frogs, turtles, crocodiles, lizards, snakes. Now this can certainly be overwhelming to hear initially but there are alternatives to leather soled ballet slippers

You can get yourself a pair of these cruelty free vegan ballet slippers at the following web address: http://cynthiakingdance.com/vegan-ballet-slippers/

Cynthia King Ballet Slippers

Other cruelty free dance shoe alternatives are being researched and will be featured on future posts!