Just a photo catch-up highlighting my Sweet November

LAS VEGAS
Teaching @ Essence MVMNT Workshop with Groove Community

My love, my best friend, my soul

Q & A

Paparazzi @ Body English

NEW YORK

Chicken and Rice

BOSTON
View from our hotel room.

Thank you beautiful people for amazing times!  Please continue to dance through life

Full albums here:
- Las Vegas, Nevada
- New York, New York
- Bergenfield, New Jersey
- Boston, Massacusetts
- Providence, Rhode Island

in God we trust
<33 apes x essence

Tikko Studios

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First of all….

click the pic

This is only the beginning!  New thangs comin up.  Wait, and see

Second of all…

Thank you to everyone for coming to class and making my teaching experience at Debbie a great one.  I was very happy to be there and can’t thank you enough for your support!  Your energy is motivating and I hope to be dancing with you all again very soon

Thanks Geeg for allowing me to teach with you.  It’s an honor and always a pleasure to do thangs wit chu, my sista, my gurl, my best friend.  I got chu til the end!

in God we trust
<33 apes x essence

I’ve been uploading hellamadd pics and vids on Facebook.  For those of you who aren’t my friend yet, add me:  http://www.facebook.com/apesxessence.

What’s been goin on lately

Taiwan Album #1

Taiwan Album #2

Taiwan Album #3

Hong Kong Album #1

Hong Kong Album#2

Shen Zhen (China) Album

Home Sweet Home

My trip was another dream come true and a definite spiritual awakening.  Being with Essence and being able to share our passion with others is always an amazing thing.  Thank you, ladies.  Thank you Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Shen Zhen for sharing in our experience and for inspiring us by your drive.

in God we trust
<33 apes x essence

Advice For New Dancers

1) Love, Sex, and Magic

2) Fire

in God we trust
<33 apes x essence

An entry by my best friend Gigi Torres

“Something that has been bothering me for a while…it has been talked about…a little bit, but no one really addresses it…

What happened to the love of dance?

Nowadays the community and industry is PACKED with shows, workshops, events, etc. There is an event going on EVERY single weekend whether it be someone holding workshops at a studio or a competition or a show. There are so many events going on that people are overwhelmed with options. TOO MANY options. 

Workshops, Conventions, Master Classes: *What is a Workshop? A place to train and learn different styles of teaching, dancing, and a way to work on being a better student. *What is a Convention? The larger scale of a workshop, but also working on the performance value of class because most conventions don’t have mirrors. *What is a Master Class? A Class taught by someone with the knowledge of dance and how to move. 

Today…there are so many workshops, conventions, and master classes. It seems that the true value of a “class” is going down. What happened to the excitement of training? Everyone wants to get to be the dancer/choreographer they dream to be SO FAST…that they forget that the process is the BEST part of it.

From the outside, I see people teaching classes for the wrong reasons. Maybe because they need the $ or maybe because the think they will gain respect for putting the dopest 1 e and a’s on that floor or maybe to make a name for themselves when they put themselves on youtube. What happened to the TEACH in TEACHING?Are “teachers” actually teaching you how to dance, how to move, how to live…or are they just teaching counts? Are they teaching and preaching experiences they have gone thru in the community and industry to better their students? Do students leave class saying…”Dang, that changed my life?” 

On the other hand, I see students going to class for different reasons than the dancers that took class in my day (I’m not old i think…hah, in my day as of teenager years). There are students only going to class because they see the teachers with certain credits…credits don’t mean they are good teachers. There are students that want to have their face on youtube. There are students that just go because their friends are going. As students, training is MOST necessary when you first start.BASICS! Where are the basics? ELEMENTS? Where are the elements? TRAINING TRAINING TRAINING. Something that the community and industry lacks. We all need to keep training (shoot, i need to get my ass into class again too), but for ourselves…for the love of dance and being a better person. 

Shows…what happened to the fun of going to a show and supporting every single aspect of it. So many shows are going on and the value has gone down too. We used to have shows that people prepare for that are just every few months. The hard work of being on a team or company was really brought out through these shows. Now there are so many that people don’t know which one to go to, which on to dance in, etc. Shows are suffering because of the lack of attendance…but it’s because people are overwhelmed with things going on. TV shows…there was been a great deal of dance shows on TV like SYTYCD, ABDC, Superstars of Dance, etc. Dance is something that the general public can see as true entertainment now…which is awesome! I just hope these contestants and the general audience do not forgot the passion in dance and where they come from. 

Why do we do this? Because we love it. Why do we love it? ……. hmmmm. For every artist out there…dancer, choreographer, director, entertainer, singer, producer, etc etc etc. We ALL need to wake up…and think…of the TRUE REASONS we love to dance. Think about it. Don’t just be a robot and do it. Be a person and LIVE IT. 

Remember…QUALITY….find those people and the environment that gives you the best QUALITY of learning, training, teaching, entertaining. Search around for theTRUE VALUE of this community and industry…it will happen soon that we all will realize what’s best for our own self. Take your time…dance will always be here.ENJOY the process of becoming that dancer, choreographer, entertainer, artist. TheUPS and the DOWNS…the STRUGGLE and the HIGH POINTS. Take in EVERY single moment. 

NOTE TO EVERYONE: This is just my opinion…just wanted to bring up a point. If anyone out there wants to debate…I’m all for it! If you agree…thats cool too….let’s start making a difference  

NOTE TO SELF: Time to start training again. Being a teacher for so long has stopped my training. AHHHH!! We can never stop training and learning our craft. If we stop…then why are we dancing…move on to a different career/hobby/passion. Who wants to take class? “

in God we trust
<33 april jOy

Essence presents..

***A NEW MVMNT ***

MAKE A DIFFERENCE EDITION WORKSHOP

All profits benefit PASSIONATELY PINK FOR A CURE
Susan G. Komen for the Cure Program

Saturday, Feb 21st 2009
@Hype Studios
1951 W. Carson St., Torrance, CA // (310) 937-4973

CRISTINA BENEDETTI
JANET LANGER
JILLIAN MEYERS
TRICIA MIRANDA
GIGI TORRES

Registration: 11am
Class times: 12-8pm

Cost: $20 for 5 classes!!!

Can’t make the workshop?
Make a difference & donate to www.passionatelypink.org
under Essence Ladies (Team ID#: 955472)

www.myspace.com/essenceladies
www.hypestudios.com

in God we trust
<33 apes x essence

1) “Dance company to show, teach moves at workshop”

2) “Squad teaches dance moves”

hOlla penn state!

me likey =D  thanks RAM squad!!!!!  i miss.. super mario brothers..

in God we trust
<33 apes x essence

hOllllllaaaa!!!!

Thank you to everyone who came out!  Thank you to everyone who hosted us and took care of us!  Thank you to all the studios!!!!

Thank you Gigi for everything you have done for me.  You’ve been a big part of my life for a long time and I’m glad we’ve had so much to share with each other.  Through the ups and downs… near or far.. you know I got chu girl.  Thank you for everything.  I hellamadd love you.  Thank you ESSENCE.  I hellamadd love YALL!  Thank you EVERYBODY!!!!!  2008 was great!  2009’s bout to get popppppppin!  wHooP!

in God we trust
<33 apes x essence

Finally, soul twin and I get to collab.  Thanks to Jason and Chicago for your love and support =)  We had a great time.  I can’t say that enough!

in God we trust
<33 apes x essence