Y Crazy Mind

With the exception of frontline workers, much of the world waited as comfortably as possible for the pandemic to pass in hopes of returning to a familiar way of life. Nicolas Fiery could not rebuke such a notion quick enough. An internationally lauded dancer and choreographer, Fiery seemed set on increasing his creative output during the unprecedented lockdown of the past year and a half. Commissioned by the Alliance for the Visual Arts Gallery and Art Center (AVA Gallery) in Lebanon, NH, Fiery conducted himself as a champion of keeping dance alive when such an idea seemed highly unlikely. Nicolas Fiery 2020 was a constant barrage of defeating statistics: number of Covid infections, number of deaths, and countries on the brink of economic collapse. Initially, Nicolas Fiery had no intention to create anything that touched upon the topic of Covid; that is, until he understood that art rather than history would tell future generations how it felt to be in the pandemic. This was the impetu...

Vancouver’s Joe Tuliao does not simply describe himself as a dancer; he is an artist. Through his chosen medium, he is expressive with who he is and how he is feeling. Rather than putting a brush to canvas or a pen to paper, he conveys this through movement. Dance is an outlet for him to showcase his truth, his emotions, and his personality. Through this artform, he inspires others while finding inspiration in his surroundings. Dance is a language for him to communicate with others and create a relationship with those watching. Tuliao is free spirited in his dance. As an industry-leading dancer in Canada, he is skilled in many styles and is known for combining various techniques to create his own unique style. He is trained in many urban styles such as hip hop, locking, waacking, popping, and contemporary, and channels his personality through his movements. This is evident with his work on many high-profile projects, including Janet Jackson’s “Unbreakable” World Tour, Disney’s...

There are obvious monuments in America which inspire individuals from other countries; the Statue of Liberty, the Washington Monument, the Grand Canyon, and many others. The counterpart to this is that there are some places which are immensely respected that not many US citizens ever become aware of. Adela Azses confirms that NYC’s 92nd Street Y is one of these for her. In case you’re completely unaware, New York City is the capital for dance in America. One of the most respected non-marquee venues in the city is the 92nd Street Y Harkness Center on Lexington Ave. It’s considered by many, including the Dance Education Laboratory, to be the best place for dance professionals and educators to create, experiment, learn, and innovate. Though she has performed at many well-known venues, her performance at this year’s 92nd Street Showcase is one which Azses holds dear. Sometimes it takes someone with great talent from another country, in this case it’s Adela’s homeland of Mexico, to remind ...

Times like these remind us of the failings of words. Discord seems ever present and constant yet the need to understand each other is paramount. Jiali Wang feels that the answer may be found in dance; yes, dance! When you consider the idea, it makes complete sense. Dance has no need for dialogue. Dance is individually expressive. Dance typically is paired with music and this promotes the idea of listening. Jiali has rooted this genius concept in her 7MPR Themed Dance Theater. Located in New York City, the theater presents original works based on proactive themes in the present day. Discussions follow these productions; diverse perspectives are welcomed. While it seems everyone is yelling and nobody is listening, Jiali Wang has created a scenario that requires quiet attention and simultaneously allows artists to create. As the Founder, Artistic Director, and Choreographer of 7Midnights Physical Research Themed Dance Theater, her work spans organizing choreographers, doing program desig...

Karlee Squires is a time traveler. It might be more relatable to say that she is the type of triple threat entertainer that was more prominent in the early days of Hollywood but the essence of the statement is true. As an actor/dancer/singer she contrasts a world of entertainers that (for the majority) wish to specialize in one field. Action star, dancer, singer…these are labels which allow the public to quickly distinguish what they think they prefer. Squires has much more in common with the Hollywood stars of the early last century and those of modern Broadway than any genre specific individual you might be more familiar with. Don’t hold onto that idea too long though; Karlee is finding herself cast in a number of international productions. Her appearances these days are eclectic and it’s her contention that her early days in live theater are what prepared her for these. One of the most beloved and classic of these is Meredith Wilson’s “The Music Man” which first made its mark on Br...

(Photo site: https://pixabay.com/en/ballerina-girl-pose-posing-dancer-1593882 ) The new year is quickly approaching and soon the dancers will be lining up to perform in venues across the world. The dance costume designers have been busy with their new creations. While it is hard to nail down one color as the color of the year, we believe we have done it and did it well. The collections of 2017 featured a lot of bold colors. Look for softer and more romantic colors for 2018. The hot color for 2018 is Dusty Rose. 2017 held tight to the rose gold trend. Cell phones, jewelry, and women’s clothes all laid claim to the color sensation. Dance costumes followed suit to a degree. However, dance pro, Alexandra Costumes have honed in on Dusty Rose for the coming year. Benefits of the trending color Dusty Rose is a very feminine color. It softens the skin with its barely there hue of pink. Dusty Rose compliments the nude color pallet that dancers support creating an understate...

Toni Jannotta started as a dancer, became an actress, performed in children's theater, sang in musical theater, and ended up in jazz clubs. She has written jazz tunes and performed in the U.S. and abroad. Her current project turned her into an author and composer. " My Little Heart, Ruthie " is an illustrated story rhyme with a narrated, jazz-inspired CD to go with it. Toni lives with her piano and violin in Southern California. What inspires you to write about healing? At first I wasn't so much inspired to write about healing as I was urged by something inside me I could not contain. I think the act of writing helps anybody who is healing and I was in heavy healing mode when "My Little Heart, Ruthie" popped out of me. I think sometimes art is so much bigger than we are. How did you realize that music and art heals? When did it happen to you? For many years I simply made vocal jazz CD's. I just wanted to make my music and get paid. It...

Kim Cameron and Side FX is a high-energy, two-time Top 20 Billboard chart-topping dance band whose music has hit Billboard Dance Club, Hot AC, AC, College Music Journal, AAA, DJ Times, and FMQB music charts. Kim’s music is played across the US, Canada, UK and Australia, and has been placed on Bravo, Fox Sports, MTV, Discovery, TLC, and TV Networks, just to name a few. Cameron has performed live for over 70,000 NFL fans, toured across the country and internationally, garnered millions of YouTube views, been featured on Comcast's XFINITY, won Album of the Year, Best Live Performance, was an American Songwriter Nominee, was awarded a Silver Medal from the 2016 Global Music Awards. How do you find being a female artist, self-published and produced, in a male-dominated industry? Unfortunately, females are not really given the same considerations as the males. Part of it is our fault for not being more aggressive, part is culture and part is, I believe, some men are just no...

George Fairclough a soon to be 20 year old guy who's recently moved to London to train at theatre school on a musical theatre performance course at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. He started his blog to keep his friends and family back home up to date with his life but he has ended up reaching more people than expected across the world. We have conducted an interview with George. How did your first job experience for your audition change you? My first paid job experience in the industry was a bit of voice-over work for Nickelodeon's 'Yo Gabba Gabba.' They'd already had a great success with the programme in the US and wanted to transfer it to the British screen. That day was a very exciting day. I remember waking up extra early - it was like Christmas. I had so much fun just being in the studio and the team were all very friendly and helpful. This was the start of many other opportunities. It released a spark inside of me pushing me to gr...

Jean Walker is a former journalist and an active QiGong-practitioner with a deep passion for Mother Nature, and a love for the dance of life in general. We have conducted an interview with him. When did you start being an active QiGong-practitioner? I started out with my Qi Gong-adventure about 15 years ago. How did you discover your love for the dance of life? That's an interesting question. I certainly regard Wuji Hundun Qi Gong Kungfu as the ultimate dance of life, yet with the knowledge about the fact that absolutely everything is in a constant movement it's easy to say that this state of fluxuation should be called the true dance of life. So as you see it all boils down to how we define this beautiful reality we're presented with. Following the advice of Buddha I choose to go for something a little in between and say that it all started when I discovered the ways of meditation in my early twenties. Learning from the wise master Jiddu Krishnamurti I s...