Archives for September 2009

Nobody Puts Baby in The Corner,You lied to me, Patrick Swayze!nobody puts baby in the cornerContrary to what Johnny Castle would have us believe, people DO put baby there.  Oh sure, maybe he’s able to keep HIS Baby out of that damn corner because people have a tendency to concede to men with glistening, muscular torsos and an ability to do things with their hips that are illegal in fifteen states.  But as soon as a restaurant hostess sees MY less-than-rock-hard abs and stroller…?  Well, as you can see in the above picture taken with Mr. Candy’s BlackBerry CrapCam, they were all too quick to shove us and OUR baby in the corner, where we were the state-mandated twenty feet away from the childless diners.  In fact, I’m pretty sure we even had a different menu and our own zip code.
“We’re being discriminated against!” cried Mr. Candy.

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The second edition of the Sofia Dance Week Academy starts on September 14 2009 at 7pm on the summer stage of Sofia's Borisova Gradina park. The academy continues for five days and entrance is free.

The first public lesson will be on MTV-style dancing and will be presented by Petya Popova from Studio Dance Zone.

On September 15, the dance academy will continue with a lesson in salsa, a dance class with Poco Loco (Cuban style), a show performance Pa'Lante (LA style) and an IRE live (authentic Cuban music performance).

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Maksim Chmerkovskiy of “Dancing With the Stars” fame isn’t back to normal yet after his split with fellow dancing pro Karina Smirnoff . “He’s doing OK, but he’s not happy,” his DWTS co-star Mark Ballas told People Magazine . “I know he loved Karina. He loved her very much.” Ballas says he doesn’t know the reason behind the breakup but said that Chmerkovskiy was “shell-shocked” when he learned the news. “I don’t really know who made the decision, but obviously he’s upset,” Ballas said. Ballas, who has been friends with Chmerkovskiy for 14 years, says rumors that Maksim’s family wasn’t a fan of Smirnoff were untrue. “I highly doubt that,” he says. “Neither his dad or his mom really speak English. I don’t know where that come from.

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Excitement isn't enough for Eva Lucena, director of the Alborada Spanish Dance Theatre in Old Bridge. The choreographer wants her company's programs to be educational, too. Lucena says she is never happier than when audience members leave an Alborada concert saying, "Wow, we never knew that."

How many people, for instance, knew that Spain's most celebrated dance style -- flamenco -- has roots that can be traced to India? Alborada will make this point, and more, when the company opens its 2009-10 season Sunday at the Richard Marasco Performing Arts Center in Monroe Township.

The company's new production, "The Journey," is a dance travelogue that maps the wanderings of gypsy tribes from their ancient homes in Northern India, through Egypt and into Southern Spain. Beginning their travels more than 1,000 years ago, and settling in the region now called Andalucia, the nomads helped give birth to a dance style by turns fiery and somber, recognized the world over as a typically Spanish art.

Yet "The Journey" breaks with the stereotypes of ruffled skirts and castanets. The premiere is an ambitious undertaking for Alborada, involving collaborations with several guest artists performing in different styles. Representing the gypsy peoples of Northern India will be dance soloists Najma Ayasha and "Ashtar" (Julie Nuzzo), while "Alexia" (Kim Leary) and her Groove Merchant Drum and Dance Ensemble, from Bordentown, will perform an Egyptian cane dance called "Raks Al Assay.

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Kalima Tribal presents a day full of belly dance workshops and performance Saturday, Sept. 12, at Looking Glass Artist Collective, 405 N. Lee St. The "Tribal Sampler" workshops take place 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. where participants sample a variety of skills in tribal and tribal fusion belly dance. The cost is $15 per class, or $50 for four classes.

There will be chair massage available all day and vendors with belly dance merchandise. Also participating will be Studio 318, Torque, The Midnight Magnolias, and drummer Abu Zouz.

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It looks like “Dancing With the Stars'” Karina Smirnoff and Maksim Chmerkovskiy will be performing their next dances solo.

The pair, who just last month gushed about how they do everything together, have broken up after about a year, Smirnoff's rep tells PEOPLE. "I can confirm that this is true," the rep says. No reason was given and the rep says no further statement would be issued. Chmerkovskiy's rep didn't immediately comment.

This week on America’s Best Dance Crew, the five remaining crews are given the “dance craze challenge.” They are being judged on how well they bring their own flavor to the different styles of dance. But there is a catch, this week there is a trampoline built into the stage that they must also use during their routine.

Afroborike is the first crew to show what they can do on the trampoline. Shane Sparks respected what they did. Lil Mama thought the lifts were phenomenal but the actual dance was kind of slow. JC Chasez said it was good but not great.

Up next was Massive Monkees. Lil Mama said they entertained everyone with the stunts and they were very on point. JC told them the trampoline probably suited them best out of all of the crews. Shane thinks everything they do is so sick.

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Strictly Come Dancing hunk Rav Wilding has the show's wardrobe department in a spin - because he keeps bursting out of his trousers. The Crimewatch presenter has 27in thighs and has already split SIX pairs of trousers during rehearsals for the BBC show.

His latest disaster came this week while dancing a tango with partner Aliona Vilani. Rav said: "I had a little bit of a wardrobe malfunction because I've got tree trunk legs and my pants keep splitting. "Thank God, I have clean underwear as last time it was a huge rip and very embarrassing."Rav, 30, has now requested specially reinforced trousers to ensure he does not have any mishaps live.

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Jenny Langhorst likes that three generations of her family take lessons from Cecilia Marano at Glen Allen Dance Center.

"It's fun, and Cecilia is great with the kids," said Langhorst, who is enrolled in the Henrico County dance school along with her daughter and mother.

"Everyone is very patient," she said. "If you have any kind of problem with a certain step or a certain dance, they make a point to let the student know they will spend extra time with them."

Glen Allen Dance Center offers a variety of classes such as tap, ballet, and jazz for students ages 3 through adult. Marano has operated a dance studio since 1997. It was first called Monument Avenue Dance Studio, but she then changed the name to the Glen Allen Dance Center when she moved to The Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen in fall 2000.

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This new London festival aims high in its dedicated dance programme. By teaming up with leading venue Sadler's Wells, it has put together an evening of short performances, which between them cover an ambitious number of stylistic bases and showcase some of the art form's biggest names.

As the audience sits in the shadow of the magnificent Tower Of London they can see modern dance from Richard Alston's company and an extract from Insane In The Brain, the hip-hop update of Ken Kesey's One Flew Over The Cuckoo's nest that is about to embark on another London run. There is also flamenco from guitarist and director Paco Peña, classical ballet from Royal Ballet principal Tamara Rojo and Strictly Come Dancing stars Anton Du Beke and Erin Boag strutting their Latin and ballroom stuff. Wide screens also offer filmed close-ups of the dancing.