10 Things We (Female HH Dancers) Have In Common

There's taking hip hop classes and enjoying dancing (which is perfect if you're looking for recreational dance), and then there's being a true-blue-to-the-bone-live-it-feel-it female hip hop dancer.

If you're a female hip hop dancer you...

1. Have a weakness for shoes. This is one is non-negotiable. Something about boots, sneaks, kicks, heels, pumps, wedges, flip flops, gladiators, tennis, stilettos, dance shoes, gym shoes, beach shoes, traveling shoes, and flats draws you in! (My shoe addiction isn't something I'm proud of, but I do really really love shoes...)

2. Love all kinds of music.

3. Can't ever decide whether to wear your hair up or down in class. Up is out of the way (convenient), down looks sick when you whip it around (but not convenient).

4. Care for the well-being of others. HH creates a family feeling among dancers; just something about it.

5. Can somehow make ridiculously baggy sweat pants not only look ADORABLE, but totally feminine without trying. LADIES - YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING. Quintessential girl look: Ugg boots (no matter how hot it gets), majorly huge cotton sweats, booty shorts or really cute full coverage undies underneath, but you have to sag the pant a little bit to show the top lining of course...baggy tee/tanks/whatever kind of shirt. If you're in class, the Ugg boots can be swapped out for some kicks or high tops.

6. Eat inconceivable amounts of food because you dance so much, and need the cals.

7. Love watching other (good) hip hop dances/dancers.

8. Love dressing up when you go out - this doesn't mean fancy, but it at least means cute and feminine. Ladies HH dancers can look ghetto and all in class, but we love to make it up during the rest of the week. You can pull off the best of both worlds!

9. Have a taste for mixing music.

10. Live out of your car in a sense - between work, class, gym, friends, family, life and getting stuff done, you have to keep so much "stuff" in your car that sometimes you feel like you're living out of it.

In-dust-ry

The industry has endless options for work. Teaching; choreographing; assisting; modeling; filming; speaking...and of course the favorite: performing. Here's a pic post hair/make up on a job in Anaheim. The job: dancer for KC and the Sunshine Band. So fun.

Little known fact about me: I typically won't let anyone do my hair/make up (even while professionals are on set). This performance was no exception; I did this on my own, and ladies, when performing work the lashes!

Dear High School Girl,

Dear High School Girl,

It's okay - there will be another 'him.' Right now it seems like your world is falling apart and bursting at the seems. Things don't look the same, you have no appetite, and you're confused about weather or not you should have i.m.'d him 2 nights ago about how amazing you thought his tee shirt looked that day. You're wondering, how could he be texting her? "He said 14 days, 3 hours and 12 minutes ago that he likes me!" You love the way his shaggy hair brushes over his pimple-ridden forehead, and you totally don't mind that all of his jeans are frayed at the bottom because he doesn't get them tailored...not to mention the fact that he wears girl jeans - you know it's true.

Here's the truth: He liked you, he really did, but lucky for you he is distracted by anything that walks and has long hair right now. You didn't do anything wrong. The truth is that he doesn't even like his cell phone that he got 2 months ago because someone else has some other cool phone with more apps and faster texts - he changes his mind about a lot of things right now! Don't worry, it will change when you're older (I know you hate hearing that). Moreover, at 15, his emotional capacity to be your so-called 'bf' is that of a tree stump. He is smart; I know, I know...but he's not yet ready to be your knight in shining armor. The only shining armor he has right now are his braces; and don't be fooled, those don't help him ride white horses or anything.

Don't show him that you're jealous, heartbroken, teary eyed, and longing for him to so much as breathe in your direction. It will not only make him feel like he owns you like a stuffed animal, but he DEFINITELY won't go for you if you do those things. Don't be needy, don't jump through hoops to make him happy - because you'll set the precedent that you'll always be willing to act like a circus seal to see him smile. You are beautiful You. You are stunning, smart, lovely, funny, personable You. It's better for someone not to like you the way you are, than for him to like you for something you're not and have to keep 'trying' to be.

Lucky for 'Mr.Right' (who will get his chance in the future) this Mr.Lame-o has moved on. Chin up, girlfriend. You are independent and have a lot going for you; you don't need a guy. Throw yourself into your school work, sports, arts, dance (I'm biased), and of course spending time with the fam.

Remember: If he isn't treating you like a princess now, he won't ever really treat you like a princess. You ARE a princess, and you ARE worth pursuing...just give it some time, and right now focus on being the best possible You that you can be.

With Love,
Miss Sara
p.s. When your mom keeps asking you in the car what's wrong, stop telling her you're fine - she knows by your snappy response that you're not ;)

L.O.V.E.

Valentine's Day is coming up, and love is in the air!

Things dance teachers love:

Candles (I am totally hooked on these soy candles by ARCHAEOLOGY; they are made with non-toxic materials, smell great, and burn beautifully)

Movies while in bed with tons of blankets and pillows

Girl time to dish out

Soft, warm slippers

Jewelry (Let's not lie ladies, we love it - I'm not even saying from a guy, you can get yourself some jewelry and love it!!)

Sweet Songs and Letters (Our lives revolve around finding the right music and ways to express our thoughts...what's better than receiving a song or a note dedicated to yourself?)

Bathing Suits (Sound crazy? Yes, I agree...but there's something just something about...)

Professional Massage (yep)

Pedicures!!!

"Happy" by Leona Lewis

Soy Chai Latte (or hot beverage of choice in place of 'soy chai latte')

SOME FREE TIME OFF...even half a day!

Warm Jackets/Ugg Boots/over-sized, fashionable purses/huge sun glasses/jeans (dance teachers have so many pairs of jeans)

Pictures (you can never take enough pics with the peeps)

Water!

How adorable is this "love" locket?

Schmi-schmelly (sounds like “schm-schmelly”)

Nicknames of have my Senior Hip Hop and Lyrical girls:

1. Schmexi/Pexi
   
2. Schmi-schmelly/Mitchy/Andrea Boccelli
   
3. Schmischmina/C-Dub
   
4. Mo-mo/Cyclops
   
5. Gabbers/Gimpy/Nemo/Guppy/Gabriel/Gabe/Schmabe
   

– these name encompass, for various reasons, the 5 girls that make this awesome group.

Today at practice it was in the air – the stank of the inability to practice with full effort. The taxing hours after a week of finals, the flu that is plaguing public high schools, and practically 20 hours a week of dance had all my students run down to the ground. So, what did their magnanimous (cough cough) coach decide? Recharge day! Quality stretching, rest, and rejuvenation for the upcoming competition is exactly what they needed…

…of course no time wasted; they ARE having an EXTRA 8:00am rehearsal this weekend. Full hair, full make up, full breakfast!

This Happened...

Today, while teaching, I was:

peed on
snotted on
coughed on
peed on again
bled on (girl lost a tooth; it was a gusher)

Crazy part: I totally don't mind. A little water, soap, sanitizer...a few good blinks to let it mentally soak in (no pun intended)...and I'm good to go - something about sweet, little kids - I just can't be upset at that.

My Faithful Sidekicks

Even though I call them 'sidekicks' (because I see them almost every day),they truly are MAIN cast members. These siblings have so much intelligence, personality, talent, charm and best of all: great character.

***

Big Brother: A sponge for information - this dude is an almanac of facts. He knows so much about life science (not just for someone his age, but compared to people of all ages), and he doesn't miss a beat! Don't try to talk in adult code in front of this one - he picks up on all of it.

Big Sister: Watch out for this quick one! She will observe your every move, and the next thing you know she's able to act 10 years her senior. A kid at heart, but wise beyond her years - it's true. Not to mention she's talented beyond reason.

Squirt: Not even a year here and she's taking the place by storm. She might not be making full sentences but she can already have full conversations with you through gestures, nods, and what seem to be actual responses to your questions. The coolest part is that she's already dancing, literally! She bounces to hip hop music, sings to musical theater, and is glued to ballet.

***

Baby coughs on cue! An actress already!

'Liger' (lion/tiger) on the loose, 100% improv.

Amazing Much?

Sage is in my musical theater class. In class I teach the girls techniques in singing, dancing and acting. For this improv exercise, Sage had no idea what questions I would ask her, nor did she have any time to prepare dialogue. This is totally off the cuff, and I was pretty impressed.

Take note of Sage's demeanor during the entire introduction; I love how she's eying the camera and posturing herself - hysterical!

1,2,3: GO TEAM!

One of my awesome hip hop teams; can't brag enough about these girls' great energy and work ethic!

We're 2 weeks away from our first competition...rehearsals, rehearsals, rehearsals! We're correcting, cleaning and finishing up the last details for our dances - but a really important detail is team morale. To keep the energy positive I'm always sure to include fun times and some quality team building!

Live, In Living Color

These dance acts I DREAM of seeing live one day, in living color:

JANET JACKSON.

ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER.
RUSSIA'S BOLSHOI BALLET.Janet - words cannot describe how much I love her choreo, dancing, delivery, music, music for my own dance classes/teams, and how much she has revolutionized the performance of commercial hip hop.

Alvin Ailey - love love love the work this company does; the dancers are phenomenal; the choreo is always cutting edge for contemporary dance; beautiful. Their dancers have perfect lines, and inpiring angles to work with. Alvin Ailey is one of the premier multi-ethnic dance companies in America. I really identify with their American roots and principles, and their cultural background.

The Bolshoi - enough said. The famed Bolshoi Theater of Russia is arguably the top ballet in the world, having starred dancers from the ranks of Mikhail Baryshnikov. It has parented the premier Bolshoi Ballet Academy. It is globally known for productions of Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote, The Nutcracker, Giselle, Spartacus, and countless others.

Improved Contemp. Piece for 2010 Season

After an inspiring solo practice Friday with my WONDERFUL soloist this year, the creativity was flowing! I love this song, "Falling" by Keri Noble - this is my on-the-spot improv, doing contemporary style dance. The girls and I liked the choreo that came out for it, so I'll definitely use it.

**The sweet baby and child's voice you hear are my faithful sidekicks Catherine and Victoria.

CHOREOGRAPHY IS INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY BELONGING TO SARA FLYNN; ANY USAGE OF SAID CHOREOGRAPHY IS CONSIDERED STEALING.