Tonight, 3rd Ward is having their semi-annual Member Group Show! Enforced Arch has been invited to present their collaborative piece, 'Please, Don't Touch!' Come celebrate with us!
Member Group Show FREE Tonight, November 18th, 2011 7-10 pm 195 Morgan Avenue
After a year's time, Enforced Arch has seen exponential growth. Creator, James Koroni began his search for compassionate 'Movers' in November of 2010. Since then relationships have been formed and new skills have been developed, all of which are conducive to his success. James is now taking necessary steps to become incorporated and with that establish community leadership.
Since the mark of our first year, November 2011, 'Mover' Tracey Katof has taken a more prominent roll in helping James expand upon his existing vision. With her influence Enforced Arch has once again grown exponentially. Enforced Arch is pleased to introduce Tracey Katof, a talented and professional performing artist, acting as 501(c)(3) Co-founder & PR Director.
Visit the Enforced Arch About Page to read more on Tracey Katof!
Dancing for Cynthia King was both an emotional and empowering experience. "Dinner" begins with a man enjoying his meal at a table. After a few bites he finds himself distracted by the reality of who is on his plate. He stops eating... now mesmerized by what life or lives the individuals on his plate may have lived. A beautiful larger than life fork and knife lies on each side of a white spotlight to symbolize the "Dinner" plate upon which the story takes place. Five dancers, including myself, slowly lift our heads and begin to reclaim memories of our existence.
I look forward to dancing for Cynthia King again. Her artistic voice is brave and deliberate and her work inspires me to fearlessly communicate. Living Enforced Arch is no stranger to her.
For more info on Cynthia King visit: Cynthia King Dance
The trailer for Video Game Reunion has been haunting me for weeks! I am so excited to see what kind of mischief all of these classic characters will get themselves into! Tonya Kay, one of our compassionate 'Movers' created the role of video game histories most kidnapped character, Princess Peach Toadstool. Aside from her you will also notice characters from the 80's like Mario, Luigi, Zelda, Kid Icarus, Megaman and many, many more. Video Game Reunion releases on Atom.com and Gametrailers.com as a 13 part series so get tuned in with the rest of us on March 8th, 2011.
Tonya Kay is the perfect example of a compassionate 'Mover.' She danced in STOMP, De La Guarda, Peggy Spina Tap Co and currently performs with the Lalas Burlesque. She is also a Second City improvisational actress whom just played I ROCK, the lead comedic role in the first fictional film about the Animal Liberation Front, Bold Native and now is starring as Princess Peach, the nasty hot mess of a human being in the Video Game Reunion series. Her talents are no stranger and just as impressive are her acts of compassion which are something that I would like to recognize. In her words: 
I'm a 27 year vegetarian, 17 of those vegan and the last 8 1/2 RAW vegan. I am a staff writer for the environmental online magazine and I do volunteer work to conserve endangered species, including the Asian elephant and am currently also doing work with the critically endangered sea turtle here at home in California.
I'm inspired by her capacity to give. For more on this compassionate 'Mover' visit her page: Tonya Kay! Video Game Reunion, March 8th, 2011!
Once again, Bettina May opens her heart to aspiring Burlesque performers at Beauty Bar! She 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.
VISIT, bettina.ca/pinupclass.htm for more info!
'Mover,' Tonya Kay has been a busy bee! She performed Sunday on Glee doing a big deal "never-before-seen-on-tv" fire whip crack and more. There were four fire dancers and they all have wigs on, so keep your eye on the girl cracking the fire whip (seen on left in the image shown) and then remember what she looked like during the rest of this huge production number!
Yes, you read correctly: they wigged Tonya Kay! She said, "Productions have tried and failed countless times. But not Glee's hair department. The stylist wigging me, whom himself had dread locks (thank goodness!) said he wigged Whoopi, so I knew I was in good hands. Literally. He kissed my locks when he had piled them up - I knew this one understood."
You might remember her on Glee's famous Madonna episode last year with Stilt World. Of course, a performer never knows what happens in post-production after the filming, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Glee wanted to be the first in television history to show her stunt! A big deal that it's a woman doing it - and that woman is Tonya Kay!
To see more of this compassionate 'Mover,' visit: http://www.tonyakay.com/
Luck be a lady tonight, Bettina May performed Downtown at Bubble Bar on West Broadway and White St.
This swanky bar had fashion illustrations from the nineties with beautiful woman swimming in enormous cocktails even an alcoholic couldn't down. Management and service was phenomenal, their menu didn't have vegan options but as soon as our requests were in the waitress brought fresh strawberries and olives for us to enjoy.
The DJ then announced our Burlesque Goddess Bettina May. She strolled out in a full length faux fur coat kicking and grinning to her hit song "Hey Hey Bettina May" written for her by Hank Angel and his Island Devils! What a blast. 
I will return and I will ask for an encore next time!
Don't forget she is in the running for Viva Las Vegas! Click on the link and support this beautiful Bombshell!
I met talented 'Mover,' Tracey Katof shortly after she had the opportunity to dance and choreograph for comedian, Rebecca Drysdale, on a music video called "It Gets Better." In a short interview with her, this is what she had to say:
Q. Why do you dance?
A. Language barriers exist between communities worldwide. I choose dance as my form of communication and self expression because I feel speaking through movement is the natural global language. Even the most simple movements, such as a smile or a frown, can be understood regardless of where someone comes from or what language they speak. I dance to promote efforts of human welfare and social reform. If I can spark an emotion or idea in an audience member that leads to a positive change, then I have accomplished my goal.
Q. How does this influence your dancing? A. My dancing is driven by my devotion to a cause and a desire to express truth. In addition, I hope that my body and movement can serve as a vessel for social change and awareness. In a sense, I dance to be larger than myself.
Q. Tell me about your experiences with "It Gets Better." A. Working with Comedian Rebecca Drysdale was a fulfilling experience. She put forth an immeasurable amount of time and effort into creating her vision. I thought it was an innovative idea to produce a music video and use humor to get the message across and to reach a large audience. Through the Internet and social media, the video has already been viewed 100,000 times in just 2 weeks!
Q. How has dancing for this social issue enriched your life as an artist? A. From choreographing for humanitarian causes, I have learned that no matter how foreign the topic is to me, I can always relate. That is what I want for the audience as well. I am not a part of the LGBT community, yet I have related to the pain caused by feeling different and being teased. The "It Gets Better" campaign is about accepting each other for who we are. I support this project because I want to spread the message that even in the most disheartening situations, there is always hope.
Tracey was the first to tell me about "It Gets Better." After I watched it for the first time I thought, I wish this was around when I was 14 so I didn't have to watch "Undressed" on MTV to feel normal! I recall being afraid to simply think thoughts of homosexuality, for fear that I would be, "condemned to hell." Add any level of physical, mental or emotional abuse to that kind of existence and it would be very difficult to know what I know now, which is, IT'S SOOO MUCH BETTER! This campaign has become a worldwide movement and is helping troubled teens look to a brighter side. For this I thank Tracey for lending her talents in Rebecca Drysdale's video. 
Tracey is committed to many social issues. I'd love to share them all with you now but I look forward to seeing how she plans to illustrate them herself! Keep up with Tracey Katof's moves here:
Where in the world is Bettina May? Well she's in New York City. Certainly wouldn't be the same without her. Her innovative performances are more than just fanfare. Every bit of her costuming, performance and smile are genuinely committed to ending cruelty. She showed up to teatime today in a FAKE full length fur coat with matching hat. When I asked her where she acquired her matching set, she said, "I sew, made it myself." Well that's impressive! Little did I know she envisions and creates all of her own costumes. Her resistance to the mainstream costuming industry is that traditional Burlesque dancers use feathers, leather, and fur in all their performances with little thought of who they took it from. You don't need these items to entertain, be creative, innovative and inspire others to not feed into unfortunate tradition. We must not get involved with indulgent lifestyles that breed thoughtless performance rather evolve along with the environment and return the respect. Very refreshing to meet such a unique 'Mover' in our industry!
Check out her home made "Feather" Headdress in a performance entitled,
'Don't Touch My Tomatoes!'
While one end of a feather is soft to the touch, tickle worthy and awe inspiring there is another end of this quill that isn't quite as lovely. Live plucking is of commonplace among feather producing farms. If you thought getting hair waxed off was painful, imagine living a lifestyle, against your will, where being "waxed" regularly for anothers kicks and giggles was all you understood.
Alternative choices are available!
For more on Miss Bettina May check out her website, click on the link below!
Ray Hesselink, one of our Movers, is becoming a legend. This kind of responsibility comes with an understanding of the need to pass along secrets of success.
In fact he wrote an article in recent DanceSpirit Magazine, "Letter to My Teenage Self" which offers encouragement to the challenges we face when coming into our professional selves.
Hesselink is teaching "A Taste of Tap (An Adult Intro Class)." Learn how to tap from the VERY beginning. SIX WEEKS ONLY: At STEPS on Broadway every Sunday from 2:30-4:00pm starting January 16, 2011-February 20, 2011 at Steps on Broadway!
It's a new year, a new decade and well, it's time to start a new hobby! By the end of this decade you may become a tap dance professional too!
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
[imagebrowser id=4]
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!
Check it out!
