Young and talented dancer with a sassy spunk and a love for the classics

Renee has been dancing since she was 2 years old‚ giving her 16 years of experience starting at her aunt’s dance studio Let’s Dance in Old Tappan.

Growing up‚ dance was very important in her life and she developed strong feelings for classic dance. “I love love love ballet,” she says and to her “there’s nothing like a graceful classical ballet.” Renee also has a fond appreciation and love for  jazz/hip-hop, like the dances and cheers they perform at games. The routines and moves give her a sense of joy “They makes me so happy!!”

Renee was on her dance team in high school and she admittedly was thrilled to hear that there was a dance team at Rowan University!  She immediately knew that it was only natural that she try out and of course‚ she was accepted to the team.

She is a freshman at the time and is enjoying her first year on the Rowan Dance Team. After graduation she is excited to experience life and says “The sky’s the limit!! I have soo many ideas about what i want to do, my family will tell you that my plans for the future change like the weather, but my plans always do and always will include living in France” (studying abroad in spring 2011).

The exuberant dancer absolutely plans to keep dancing throughout college and beyond. She is the happiest when she’s dancing, “Its a creative and physical outlet for all the stresses in my life.”

]]> http://v2valmont.wordpress.com/2009/11/20/i-thought-that/ Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:54:38 +0000 papagigli http://v2valmont.wordpress.com/2009/11/20/i-thought-that/ http://gigahitzmusic.wordpress.com/2009/11/18/blast-from-the-past-1983/ Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:19:10 +0000 gigahitzmusic http://gigahitzmusic.wordpress.com/2009/11/18/blast-from-the-past-1983/

In introducing you to all these new bands, we thought we’d be nostalgic and look back at all those great bands and brilliant songs that inspired a new musical generation. Here’s our favourite five from 1983

In no particular order

Bonnie Tyler- Total Eclipse of the heart.

Reaching #1 in the United States, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
Peaking at number one in the charts, we’ll always remember Tyler singing her heart out, clad in white at a boys boarding school.
A modern day karaoke classic, Total Eclipse Of The Heart sold 6 million copies in the UK, impressive.

Prince- 1999

Peaking at #12 in the US and #25 in the UK (reaching #2 in the UK when re-released in 1985).
Back in 1983, who would of thought that come 1999 we would all be singing to this one on New Year’s Eve? The song only peaked at number 2 in the charts but was re-released 3 times. This is one of our favourites as it was great in 1983, but even better come 1999 itself.

Eurythmics-Sweet Dreams

Took the number 2 spot in both the UK and irish singles chart, topping U.S Billboard Hot 100 at #1
This had everyone on the dancefloor in 1983. Electro was flavour of the month and bands like Eurythmics and Human League were the most popular bands around. Sweet Dreams still manages to pack out dancefloors. Even thought the Eurythmics are no more, Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart are still highly regarded in the industry, writing, producing and still recording.

David Bowie- Lets Dance

Rising to #1 in over eight countries, including the U.K, Switzerland, Germany and Sweden.
A favourite Bowie classic of ours. Let’s Dance hit number one in the UK charts and was one of Bowies biggest hits. Hitting clubs up and down the country, Let’s Dance is still being played in indie dives and dark holes all over.

Marvin Gaye – Sexual Healing

Hitting #1 in the Canadian and the New Zealand charts.

This Wednesday, as you stand on the Southwest corner of State and Lake with your iPod in hand (cued up to “Dancing in the Streets” as covered by David Bowie and Mick Jagger), properly warmed up and ready to grove, remember what brought you there: Curiosity? Yes. A love of Bowie? Probably. But most of all, it is a love of dancing and making others go, “Hm, what’s going on here?”

6:45pm, push play, look both ways….and DANCE, Chicago.

Walk…or better yet DANCE this Wednesday. Find out how!

Walk…or better yet DANCE this Wednesday. Find out how!

Marcus Birro jobbade på Frankredaktionen när jag var 14. Jag praktiserade på Musikjournalen och en torsdag skulle Frank sända från Café Hängmattan. Så alla åkte dit. Då kom Marcus och läste en dikt. Jag minns att han hade trasiga jeans och DrMartens kängor. Och jag minns att jag blev jätteförälskad i hur han drog handen genom håret och läste dikten kort och koncist och sen stövlade därifrån. Han hade jeansjacka tror jag. Eller kanske en skinnjacka. Johannes Berg satt bredvid mig vid tillfället och pratade mest om kanelbullar. Jag minns hur irriterande jag tyckte att han var med sitt snacka om kanelbullar.

Nu ska Marcus vara med i Let’s Dance. Jag kommer sitta klistrad.

Han såg nog ut ungefär såhär:

Walk…or better yet DANCE this Wednesday. Find out how!

Two of my favorite shows busted out personal dance parties to this little ditty this week and in the spirit of jumping on the bandwagon (and the fact that it’s finally Friday) I’m having my own little dance party today.



P.S.-Your opportunity to dance with others is coming next week, Chicago. But if you opt out…I think you know I’ll still be danc……well, you get the picture.

I nearly forgot about this…man…that was a close one.

…she’s a maniac…..mani…..ac…..and she’s dancin’ like she’s never danced before……

…had to do it!

on the mix and now in the head for days!

and now David Bowie…”let’s dance!” ….dance party at upper playground!!!!

What will YOU wear to cross the street with us?

Due to casting problems, ABC has kicked it’s new dance show Lets Dance to the curb (thewrap.com). The show was to be a post-Thanksgiving dance competition hosted by Kathy Griffin in which contestants reenact popular dance scenes from movies. Yawn. I love Kathy but that premise is lame. Worse than Grease: You’re The One That I Want. But don’t be sad, Kathy will still be cursing on Bravo and doing her other show, and there’s still like, 20 others dance shows to watch. I’m sure ABC isn’t worried though. They’ve got Wednesday night comedies and Sunday night dramas to rely on, and that little show Lost returns in January. And V is starting out strong. They just need to cancel Hank finally, then we’ll be kosher.

Here’s one of my classic favorites from Sesame Street (naturally involving Savion Glover and Bill Irwin).  Couldn’t be more appropriate for our upcoming dance party.

Chicago, we’ve got a new way to walk…and you can too!!

I’m always surprised at how few people (in the dance community especially) use vimeo. Unlike the majority of YouTube, vimeo is a place where people really showcase creativity and professionalism in the video arts. Certainly, it can be used by anyone and for most anything, but the potential for artists to connect and have their work seen and followed are much greater on this forum than many others.

Here are just a few of my current vimeo favs to get you started:

Chicago’s own 30 Seconds of Dance: Just what it sounds like….30 second long clips of of dance/dancers in Chicago.

Screendance: This group is dedicated to dance made for and/or showcased on the camera.

Davey Dance Blog Channel: This channel showcases one mans quest to dance EVERYWHERE.

I hope this can get some more folks started on vimeo….but first things first, don’t forget to become our contact on vimeo.  Find more noteworthy folks/groups/channels on vimeo?  Tell us about it!

All this hubbub about SYTYCD’s lamer than lame attempt at representing tap dance on TV in America has really got me thinking about the dangers of this downturn in the exposure to tap dance for the current generation. I have to wonder, if I never saw Shirley Temple dancing on the stairs with Bill Robinson…

…or Astaire and Powell being perfection…

…or Gregory Hines dancing with…well….everyone in Tap…

…or Savion on Sesame Street…

would I be a tap dancer today?

As Sarah Savelli said in her blog about this ridiculousness, young people want to do what they see, and if they never see tap, they won’t want to do it. It’s so frustrating to think of the way tap has painstakingly been preserved and passed down and explored and know that this upcoming generation just doesn’t see tap…they just don’t care. Tap is America’s dance form. It has been the influence for all the dance forms we think of today as being a major part of our culture-jazz dance, hip hop, break-dancing….

And the truth is, while you’d never know it from the piece SYTYCD actually did decide to show, tap is being explored in exciting new ways all over the world. It has new movement, new emotion, new ways of communicating…it’s growing.

Seems to me it would be a great time to reintroduce tap to the world. As much a I will always (always) adore Savion and as much as I love those old movies, we need a new view…a new face…and new tappers with the kind of star power and inspiration that we got from Gregory and Savion. I think the reason we’re all so frustrated with this slap in the face from SYTYCD (by the way, you’ll notice I am not linking to this clip…if you missed it…google it….) is that they are the perfect platform to do this….and yet, they just don’t get it either.

(Sidenote: if you’re fired up now, hop on over and support Saravelli on Facebook)

Here’s a bit of dance trivia for you: the moonwalk was originated by tap dancers.

I would venture a guess that most people are not aware of the connection between the moonwalk and America’s only indigenous dance form-tap dance. It’s true, though. While Michael Jackson was the one who made the moonwalk memorable for today’s generation, scads of tap dancers had already been doing the move for years originating with the popularity of a movement in the dance form called “legomania”. Don’t believe me? Well, luckily this guy made a compilation of all these tappers doing some version of what we would eventually call “The Moonwalk”.

The fact is, Michael Jackson referenced dance forms and choreographers in everything he did.
From Bob Fosse…

…and Fred Astraire…

…to Jerome Robbins…

…Jackson was constantly nodding to the people before him while breaking ground ahead of him. I think this is the reason why all dancers have a special love for him. He was a dancer to be loved and a lover of dance himself.

But I digress…more about the influence of tap dance to come. In the meantime, see why the tap community is so fired up right now.

Kathy Griffin has her famous TV show My Life On The D-List, which is successful and already on it’s 6th season (soon). But, that’s not enough for one of the hardest working comediennes in the world. Our second favorite red-head (after Tori Amos) is actually going to be the host of a new TV show called Let’s Dance that is set to debut right after the finale of So You Think You Can Dance. Anything for Kathy is love.

Kathy Griffin gets a new show on ABC called Let’s Dance. It’s a show where famous people re-enacting famous dance routines from movies or clips. Think Regis and Kelly doing Grease, Ryan Seacrest doing Beyonce and Lindsay Lohan doing Michael Jackson. It just aired in the Netherlands with a ton of big stars and it was a huge success all for charity. I like it much better then Dancing with the Stars. The success in the U.S. all depends on how big the stars are Kathy’s show will get.

First Jeremy Piven cancelled Broadway shows because he ate too much sushi and had mercury poisoning. Now he claims to have been drinking too much soya milk which has a lot of estrogen in it and that made him grow bitch tits. He sure had some saggy tits last time I saw him. I think he is just making these things up.

Slade Smiley from the Real Housewives, who according to himself was a millionaire and had the potential to make gazillions of dollars is being sued by his ex-wife for $80.000 in child support he did not pay for his sick 9-year old son Grayson( who he hasn’t  seen in 1.5 years). Slade says he is unemployed and has no money. What a douche, maybe his lover Gretchen can give him some of the money she got from her dead sugar daddy.

Obama has selected Sarah Jessica Parker, Edward Norton and Forest Whitaker for a committee to promote arts and science. It will try to connect to U.S to other countries in the world in cultural engagements. Michelle Obama is the head of the committee. Interesting choices and a good idea.

I know that when I think about dancing I think . . . Kathy Griffin?

When I heard, earlier today, that Kathy Griffin landed a hosting gig on the new ABC dance competition Let’s Dance I was surprised and confused.  At first I couldn’t see the odd pairing of dance moves and the always fiery tongued and haired diva . . . until I heard it was a celebrity copycat shimmy show.  Enter celeb snipping comedienne Kathy.  Perfect fit.

What gaycon like Kathy doesn’t love watching B-list celebutante fall on their face while dancing to Grease Lightning?

In tune with all of the celeb competitions, the grand prize is $250,000 for the winner’s choice charity — I just wouldn’t trust Kathy around those Ed McMahon cardboard checks.

The new show is set to air November 23, conveniently right after the Dancing with the Stars finale and during the end of Sweeps Week — can you say ratings draw for ABC?

Who knows, maybe Kathy will draw in a different crowd of celeb media consumers and gays . . . well, probably not but I might tune in.  DVR, prepare for a new addition (at least the first show).

During my last year as a photography student at Columbia College in Chicago, I began a project that explored the idea that first and foremost, we are our own audience. The project sprang from a reading I had come across discussing the concept of the “male gaze” seen often in classical nudes of women. In this experiment, I asked brave friends to shed it all in a completely enclosed studio and explore their own reaction to an implied “gaze”. I set up the lights, the camera, and a stool and left my subject with the cable release in hand. I asked each subject to take pictures of themselves imagining a variety of audiences on the other side of the camera/image. I invited them to consider how they might pose or look differently if an old lover were the audience or a current neighbor, a complete stranger or the closest friend.

The result was incredibly interesting to me and did a lot to prove my theory that we are always our own audience. To some extent, this is simply a part of the self-awareness that comes with maturity. However, my current interest in this lies in the space where this self-consciousness actually contradicts itself entirely.

My lovely friend Tara and I have been conducting similar experiment on our tours at the MCA in the past month. At the root of our experiments (which involve a breaching experiment on her part and a dance party on mine…I know you’re shocked) we goad students into painting verbal pictures of themselves (i.e.: “Oh yeah, I would totally get up and dance right now!”) and then immediately put that to the test (i.e.: “Alright, then let’s dance.”) and watch as their self-consciousnesses do battle.

To me, this examination is particularly relevant in this moment of hyper-social-networking ego. It seem we are always thinking about ways to define ourselves to other people on screen, crafting slick 140 character quips, tweeting what we eat, posting photos and videos with hopes of a coveted reblog, etc. And yet this persona exists entirely outside of ourselves. It is rarely put to the test (i.e: “Alright, then let’s dance.”) and in that, it is safe.  It is also a bit dangerous in that, the more we get used to the idea that everyone cares what we are doing and saying and eating at every moment, the more we worry about how we “look”.

What I am finding about this experiment is that, at it’s heart, it is challenging these two contemporary consciousnesses to do battle. 99% of the time, this experiment exists in the safe zone of at replies, comments, clicks, and reblogs. In fact, it is built entirely on the platform. It is anonymous and voyeuristic, and that has it’s benefits. But ultimately, it seeks to tap into the other side as well. It asks people to take a risk and ignore that audience of one saying “You can’t do that, think how you’ll look.” and instead say, “Let’s dance.”