"OFF BEAT"

Ellen Kim x Hooligans in SF

melissaodance — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 14:02:51 +0000

One of my favorite choreographers, Ellen Kim, created her first concept video. I love the song choice…..”Rawr Rawr, like a dungeon dragon!”

13th Annual Virginia Dance Festival

melissaodance — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 15:25:59 +0000

The Virginia Dance Festival remains a celebrated annual event in Richmond as it enters its 13th year. Dancers from different studios and organizations come together to showcase community talent. The spectacle is just amazing and it all benefits the Children’s Hospital Foundation. Prior to each performance, attendees have the opportunity to bid on items donated from over 300 local businesses.

Saturday January 28th, 2012

James River High School

Matinee show: 3:00pm

Evening show: 7:00pm

Ages 12 & up $12

Ages 3-11 $10

Tickets only sold at door day of show

Performances by:

Appomattox Regional Governor’s School
Apsaras Arts Dance Group
Barbara Hammond’s School of Dance
Central Virginia Chinese School
Chaturang School of Kathak
Chesterfield Center for the Arts
of Thomas Dale High School
Chesterfield Dance Center
City Dance Theatre
Colonial Dance Club/Richmond Renaissance Dancers
Crossroads Irish Dance Troupe
Dance Masters
Flava
Five Pointes Dance Center
Goochland High School
Jessica Morgans School of Dance
Joy’s School of Dance
Mayzsoul Richmond
Pacific Arts Troupe
Richmond Ballet Minds in Motion Team XXL
Richmond Chinese Folk Dance Club
Richmond Square Dance Association
Rigby’s Jig Ballroom Dance Studio
School of Richmond Ballet Ensemble
Shuffles Performing Arts Center
Sound Movement Performing Arts Academy
Spotlight Studio of Dance
Starr Foster Dance Project
Stavna Ballet Company
St Catherine’s School/Just Joni Dancers
Swift Creek Academy of the Performing Arts
The West End Academy of Dance
Williamsburg Ballet Theatre
Zabor Dance

For more info visit their SITE

It’s About Time x Dancers’ Alliance

melissaodance — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 21:31:09 +0000

If you plan on pursuing a professional dancer career or are now dancing as a professional, you should definitely support the Dancers’ Alliance movement. If you haven’t heard of Dancers’ Alliance, it’s about time that you get familiar.

Dance is becoming more and more prevalent in popular culture. From commercials to awards shows and music videos to tours, dance is becoming an essential part of not only entertainment but marketing and campaigning. Sadly enough, there are many dancers that aren’t getting paid what they’re worth. They work in conditions that a trained professional should not have to work in and aren’t getting offered the same benefits as an average white-collar or blue-collar worker(healthcare for example). Dancers’ Alliance is creating a movement that is letting the industry know “It’s About Time” for a change.

Their campaign is receiving recognition and support from top industry professionals. Get in on the action. Below is a blurb from their site that explains their mission in detail. READ!!

Keep Dancers Alliance Rates Alive

Dancers’ Alliance is actively adjusting to the current business climate. Music videos are now creating revenue and dancers are more important to pop culture than ever before. As a result, we adamantly uphold our rates and conditions for music video productions of a standard budget and demand that dancers do not work for lower rates on these projects. Our rates must reflect our relevance in today’s media.

However, the music industry is economically fragile, and there are a growing number of music video productions with little to no budget. Productions that are certified low-budget may contact the dance agencies and ask to negotiate adjusted rates that best suit the budget, the amount of work, and the number of dancers needed. By adjusting the work hours to reflect lower rates, limiting usage of content, and negotiating standard protections, DA has been dedicated to making sure these low-budget productions still provide work for dancers while maintaining proper protection.

We must stay strong as a community!!!!

Work can sometimes be hard to come by, but we must stick together as a community to ensure the best possible work conditions and opportunities. D.A. rules mean nothing without the dance community’s commitment to supporting them. Working for less than D.A. minimums undermines future work for all dancers. For example, if a producer thinks he can hire dancers for $200, it will forever be in that producer’s mind that that’s what dancers cost. By accepting less than D.A. guidelines you are doing yourself and your fellow working dancers a disservice, because that producer will probably never agree to paying us the wages we deserve.

Our mission is to be the unified voice of the national dance community and to improve the rights and careers of every working dancer through education and solidarity. We negotiate equitable rates and working conditions for professional dancers in non-union work and actively represent the dance community in union proposals and committees.

Visit DancersAlliance.org for more information.

FYI: The Dancers’ Alliance DC Chapter (to include CA, MD and W. VA) is gearing up for a strong debut. To become part of the movement…..feel free to message LipstickRVA@gmail.com

Monster’s of Hip-Hop

melissaodance — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:59:21 +0000

Monster’s of Hip-Hop is back!!! The convention– which brings hip hop dancers together with the industry’s top dance professionals– is making a stop in the DMV area!!!

Nappy Tabs, Rhapsody, Tony Testa, Kevin Maher, Luam, Chuck Maldonado….don’t miss out on this wonderful opportunity to learn from some of the best!!!

EVENT VENUE

Hyatt Regency Reston
1800 Presidents Street
Reston, Virginia, USA 20190

for more info and to register for the convention CLICK HERE

Below is a calendar of their tour dates to keep you posted on their 2012 season:

Starr Foster Dance Project @ Grace Street Theatre

melissaodance — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 20:53:02 +0000

Wonderful performances by SFDP in Richmond this weekend:

SFDP 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY PERFORMANCES
October 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th 2011
Program A: Thursday, October 6th 8pm and Saturday,October 8th, 8pm
Program B: Friday, October 7th, 8pm and Sunday October 9th, 2pm
Grace Street Theatre, Richmond, Virginia
804.828.2020
$15 / Tickets available at www.showclix.com or at the box office

Click here for more information

Star in the Next Coke Zero Ad Campaign

melissaodance — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 19:22:09 +0000

As you know, Coke Zero and Jon Chu teamed up in search of the next “hype global dance”. They reached out to all the dancers out there and asked that they send in their ideas. So many great dances were sent in so Coke decided to feature one of them in their next global ad campaign! The “Toe Tappy” was born!!!! They are now conducting an open casting to find a very talented person to star in the next Coke Zero ad campaign. Their “star” will need to be able to act, dance, and be totally unique. But if you have what it takes, send in a video of you doing your version of the “Toe Tappy”.

The more creative you are….the better!

There are certain requirements so visit their SITE for the all the details.

DREAM BIG!!!!

Bellydance Brunch Cabaret

melissaodance — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 15:20:14 +0000

You’ve gotta love Richmond for events like this. Bellydance, brunch, drinks….I’m in!!!!

When: Sunday, Oct 16 12:00p to 2:30p

Where: Balliceaux, Richmond, VA

$7 door which directly supports your dancers!

Event Info:

“Join us at the lovely and delicious Balliceaux every third Sunday for breakfast cocktails, brunch, and BELLYDANCE in many styles! Enjoy regional professional and up-and-coming bellydancers and musicians.

Drink and food specials!

Visit khalimadance.com to find out each month’s performers.”

Event Website

I’ll be there!!!!!!!

Project Lipstick Presents: Adventures of Eve

melissaodance — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 19:29:07 +0000

Project Lipstick invites you to experience Adventures of Eve, a tribute show that will chronicle the industry’s most influential women in entertainment. Dancers and vocalists will come together to honor women who used song & dance to transcend all barriers in language, color, and culture. Some icons featured include: Madonna, Aretha Franklin, Paula Abdul, and Janet Jackson. Eve’s journey has been truly remarkable. Come get inspired by the past, present, and future!Attendees are encouraged to bring in items that will be donated to ChildSavers. Please visit www.childsavers.org for their wishlist or Project Lipstick’s website for more information.

**Tickets for this event can be purchased HERE **

This is my group’s 2nd production and we have all been working so hard. We held auditions for Adventures of Eve in January and since then it’s been nonstop rehearsals; brainstorming, rearranging, headaches, sweat, music cutting, promoting, and script writing. Really ya’ll….we put in work and want to share this with everyone. Think, Janet Jackson, “Rhythm Nation” and “Alright”; they were truly groundbreaking videos. Think of the power behind Aretha’s voice. Think of how even though Selena was taken much too soon, she still left us with an amazing legacy. Think of how controversial Madonna’s sensuality was. All of these things and more will be displayed on May 6, 2011 at VCU’s Grace St. Theater. There aren’t many shows to hit the Richmond area that fuse together song, dance, and style…..this is a must experience!!

Many Thanks,

Melissa O.

Hollywood Tonight

melissaodance — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 17:26:07 +0000

I am in love with the video for Michael Jackson’s “Hollywood Tonight”. It’s soooo Michael and the video is an amazing tribute!

ABDC x Here’s your SEASON 6 CAST

melissaodance — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 17:09:15 +0000

Hailing from Puerto Rico, this crew is among the fiercest dance crews to hit ABDC. Their fusion of tricks and acrobatics combined with their street finesse and Latin flavor are sure to tear up the dance floor. They take their inspirations from past dance crews, including Jabbawockeez and Kaba Modern, who showed them the real meaning of what it means to be a dance crew. 787 is ready to show everyone how it’s done.

The dancers that make up this crew have taught workshops and toured with musical artists around the world, however, they aspire to reach a higher level — and gain recognition in the dance industry. With their focus on being clean cut and well dressed, these suave dancers from North Hollywood bring a unique professional style to the stage; they are sure to wow the judges and viewers, and maybe steal a few hearts.

This renowned dance group from Chicago represents the essence of strength, raw talent and extreme energy and power. Their artistic direction comes from Charles “King Charles” Parks and Prince “Prince Jron” Boyd, who have both toured globally with Madonna. FootworKINGZ bring a dance style to ABDC never seen before. Blink and you may miss their incredibly quick foot movement in unison to music played at 160 bpm. It’s hard to believe this ultimate synchronized crew is from two rival battle cliques representing the West and South sides of Chicago who have united to attract attention to their one-of-a-kind Chicago dance style. The Chicago Tribune describes their unique dance style as “part tap, African tribal and breaking.”

This crew originated in Houston, with members from around the globe, including China and the Czech Republic. Individually, these dancers have an impressive resume including collaborations with past dance crews, performing with Justin Bieber, Fat Joe, Cobra Starship and American Rejects. They are ready to bring their talents and experiences together to be America’s Best Dance Crew.

With a member of the crew as young as 10 years old, these boys will be the youngest dancers to ever compete on the “Dance Crew” stage as they hope to impress the crowd with their unique style of hip hop and street jazz. While most young boys take up sports like football, baseball and basketball, this crew has been pursuing dancing. They may be a bunch of little “Italian boyz” from New Jersey, but they can hang with the best and are not afraid of a fight!

Instant Noodles is a crew of five young men whose dance roots and native tongue are in Taipei, Taiwan but who live in Southern California attending college and entering dance battles whenever there is the opportunity. Sharing not only a country of origin but also a love for dance, the crew aims to inspire future generations of b-boys while remaining true to their craft in building a distinctive and entertaining style that showcases their groundbreaking dance skills. This crew will quickly become an ABDC favorite with their musicality, sense of humor and energetic choreography.

From roller skates to jump ropes, past dance crews have proved that nearly anything can be incorporated into hip hop dance as long as it is done with style. These California girls from Crenshaw, a district in Los Angeles, are a contemporary pole-dance crew, fusing the art of dance with aerial pole work. The sophisticated six-member crew strives to break the negative image of pole dance and reconstruct it as an art form.

Composed of New England’s finest male and female dancers, Phunk Phenomenon is a company of unique multi-ethnic and multi-cultural urban artists who create an intriguing blend of modern and traditional dance styles. The end result is a provocative dance performance with a unique synthesis of style and appearance. In addition to fighting for the title of “America’s Best Dance Crew,” Phunk Phenomenon is also fighting to raise awareness for Sanfilippo syndrome, a rare disease that is afflicting the son of the crew’s founder back home in Boston.

Flying across the globe from New Zealand, this group of females is riding high as the 2010/11 World Hip Hop Dance Champions. — whose members are Kiwi, Samoan, Chinese, Maori, Rarotongan, Japanese, Hawaiian and Portuguese — are a melting pot of many cultures. Though made up of many cultures, this crew is brought together by the culture of hip hop dance and hopes to inspire women around the world to get up and dance.

Tight-Eyez, the group’s founder and co originator of Krump who was featured in the movie RIZE, leads this dynamic crew. Having experienced rough inner city life in Los Angeles, this dance crew knows the meaning of hardship. Dance became an outlet and a savior for them as they discovered their passion for Krumping, a highly energetic style characterized by free, expressive and explosive movements. After overcoming gang life and broken homes, the members of Street Kingdom feel like they have the strength to succeed on the “America’s Best Dance Crew” stage.

Season 6 premieres TONIGHT!!! April 7th 10/9c

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