SYTYCD season 12 nicknames!

This season of SYTYCD is a weird one, with two teams of stage styles (contemporary, jazz, ballroom, ballet, etc.) and street techniques (breaking, whacking, animation, hip hop, krump, etc.). How this will work is beyond me but who cares, it's nickname time!!

TEAM STREET

Ariana Crowder (Hip Hop)- Single Lady

An otherwise unknown girl, I only remember she wore HEELS for her final Vegas solo.

Jaja Vankova (Popping/Krump)- Moje Sestra

Her nickname is Czech (her homeland is the Czech Republic, also part of my ethnic background) for "My Sister" and she is a force to be reckoned with. The fact she made it to green mile last season means she's going to be tough to beat.

Jessica "JJ" Rabone (Locking/Waacking)- Becky Bunhead

The sister of a Japanese idol (which, apparently, is anyone) is always seen with some ridiculous unicorn bun in almost every appearance. Also trained by Toni Basil, she has an infectious personality.

Lily Frias (Waacking)- Hat Girl 2.0

Not much to remember her by other than she wore a hat constantly because of her style (where goofy costumes are the norm).

Megan "Megz" Alfonso- AG

AG is LGBT slang for "aggressive girl", noted for their urban wear, kind of like tough dudes.

Yorelis Apolinario (Hip Hop)- Video Girl

She originally auditioned last season but as a contemporary dancer and was eliminated in the hip hop round. After training exclusively in the style (and probably going by the strategy "street girls are a rarity as opposed to stage"), she's back on the street team. Given her looks and how she dances, she looks more like a video vixen.

Asaf Goren (Breaking)- Hebrew Guy

Not much to go by for the self proclaimed "Hebrew Breaker" other than he's pretty annoying. He replaced "Hurrikane" due to an injury that knocked him out of the competition (speedy recovery kid!)

Burim "B1" Jusufi (Breaking)- Swiss Guy

As you can tell, the nicknames the street members have kind of kill whatever creativity I can get with nicknames. He auditioned with his brother, who got knocked out in callbacks.

Eddie "Neptune" Eskridge (Freestyle)- Sleepy Eyes

I have NO idea who he is and, if it weren't for watching him during the intro show, I wouldn't have had anything for him.

Virgil "Lil O" Gadson (Hip-Hop)- Froggy

He auditioned a few years back and has been in a Broadway show since. I think he reminds me of a cute frog because of his small size and that he wore a green shirt the first time he auditioned.

TEAM STAGE

Alexia Mayer (Jazz)- Princess Clara

Named after the equally dense Drawn Together character, she's some blonde girl who slipped under the cracks during callbacks. She's kind of a ditz who doesn't think she's "sexy". Has she not seen Witney?

Gaby Diaz (tap)- Miss Determination

She auditioned twice in this season's audition process and, given how well tappers do on this program, she's going to need that determination to stay in. Given her Top 20 intro dance, she's going to be fine.

Hailee Payne (Jazz)- Robyn

I believe she auditioned last year, where it was noted that, with her hair and red lips, she looked very similar to Miley Syphilis Cyrus. However, we all know good and goddamn well Swedish singer Robyn has been rocking that look for way longer.


Kate Hartpootlian (Contemporary)- Harpoon Girl

A redhead who kind of gained prominence during Vegas week (worst timing of course), the only thing that stands out is her interesting surname, and I'm certainly not going to call her "Pootie".


Marissa Milele (Jazz/Acro)- WWE Diva

She's auditioned twice before, once making green mile but getting cut in contemporary the following season. This season, she almost didn't get a chance to audition due to a subway fire causing a blackout in her audition season. Anyway, her toned physique and red hair gives her the look you see in WWE divas.

Derek Piquette (Contemporary)- Croquette

No clue who he is, so here's a rhyming nickname.

Darion Flores (Ballet)- Ailey Guy

Not much I can remember about him (if anything) but he really should consider trying out for Alvin Ailey.

Edson Juarez (Contemporary)- Late Bloomer

He admitted during Vegas that he never got the opportunity to study dance until he was 19 because his heritage forbids it (which, really, means his mom was afraid he'd turn out to be a fruit). Pretty remarkable considering how skilled he is.


Jim Nowakawski (Ballet)- Alex Freakin' Wong 2.0

Asian ballet dancer who dances like the greatest Asian ballet on this show. Voila.

Moises Parra (Contemporary)- Cupcakes

Given his tendency to give off feminine vibes with his dancing, his name comes from a play by Miguel Pinero, where one character, Cupcakes, is named so for being a "pretty boy" in prison.

PiA Freewrite #2: "Colonial"

February 19th, 2014 (I had been absent for a while due to a nasty bug so I don't have the freewrites from the beginning of the month. Ah well, I came back with this.)


Keyword: Colonial

What I did learn from Keywords is that the term "colonial" has changed greatly from the Ancient Greek word colonia, which meant the land owned by soldiers as reward for their service, to the colonial we know as a source of national pride. However, in doing such, the early colonists ended p becoming the people they were trying to avoid: violent claimers of land who used slavery and elimination in the name of "freedom". It reminds me of the debate we had in class weeks ago about "nation" and what defines a "fake" American where, I noticed, no one mentioned Native Americans once (professor's note: "Except for the 'playing indian' part?"). Perhaps it's this kind of contradiction that is present in the play (if I had time to read it :( ). This keyword s definitely one to really think about to see if we actuallly held true to it, beyond the physical meaning of owning land away from the mother country.

The Performance in America entries: Intro and "American"

This is a new series I'll be blogging about. In my final semester at Brooklyn College, I took a course in the American Studies department called "Performance in America" out of fascination and as a way to maintain a full-time student status (Even though I only needed two credits to graduate). At the beginning of each class, we were given about 5-10 minutes (depending on the professor present; it was jointly taught) to write freely about the topic being covered for the day, generally a "keyword" and the cases involved with it. I kept most of mine and figured, eh, why not document them on here? And so, let's begin!

Freewrite #1. January 29th, 2014

Keywords: "America", "Culture"

One thing that intrigued me in Keywords... (our textbook for the course) was that it's not a dictionary but an exploration of how the definitions came to be. In the introduction, it is important to note that there are many other terms that will be brought in but not explored deeply. In American, I thought it was interesting how the term "America" is defined as a culture and as a geographic term. It reminds me of something my Sociology professor asked, which was "What the hell makes us 'American'?" And here, it is seen how complicated it gets. The same goes for "culture", which is seen as a historical point and a lifestyle choice. It's how, as an Irish person, I'm expected to be a heavy drinker (which I'm not) because of cultural stigma versus knowing folklore, like selkies or the history of the Troubles. I will admit it was a little difficult to understand "culture" compared to "America" due to the broadness of how America was explored.

My time with Ariel's Hair

For the first time, I was commissioned to work on a wig for a production AND get paid for it!

My friend, Sam, was reprising her ultimate dream role as Ariel in a production of The Little Mermaid (this was Children's Theatre, so this meant, even though there were adults, they used the Junior version of the script and, as per company standards, the show couldn't be longer than an hour unless there were certain, um, reasons) but this also meant she had to work with the horrible wig she got last time (again, as per company standards, wigs, when not in use, must apparently be thrown on the floor and forgotten about until it is called for again months/years/decades later). Since I've been teaching my self how to work on wigs and hairpieces, Sam asked me to fix it up for her. How could I ever refuse?!

The day I received it, it was the day before their final dress rehearsal, which meant I only had about 5 hours that night to work on it. This is what I got:

Oh sweet Jesus...

She lived under the sea.

Okay, so I had my work cut out for me. I already made it known to her that it's not going to look AS pretty as she wanted it but I'd do my best that night.

THE INITIAL PROCEDURE:
I was going to wet the hair, brush it out with a comb, curl it with magnetic curlers, let her dry, and sleep peacefully.

WHAT REALLY HAPPENED:

Well, I got the wet part down with my trusty spray bottle (from the glorious place that is The Dollar Tree) and then things went crazy from there. I started off at first brushing the hair with my wide tooth comb, thinking that would save the wig and make it easier to get through the knots. After fifteen minutes working on just one curl, I realized that A) Magnetic curlers are misleading. B) There is no way to use them in the way I want to without denting the hair with bobby pins or getting them to stay put by literally pinning it into the wig head (the holes in the curler were too big and the hair made it heavy to hold) and C) This was going to take longer than I thought.
Somehow, I got into an insane rhythm of switching between three brushes/dinglehoppers just to get the knots out: My wide tooth for the initial pass, my wig brush to get spots that I missed, and my sister's old brush for when I considered setting the whole thing on fire.
I ended up ditching the curlers because I was exhausted by the time I finished weeding out the jungle.

And preparing to recycle the remains for an "Annie" wig.

By the time I finished brushing, it had dried so I had to drench it once more in order to use my newest friend: Silky-and-Yaki human and synthetic hair conditioner by NextImage. This stuff is BOSS. Not only does it smell way better than the DeMert conditioner I used in the past, but it does what promises and gets the wig silky smooth and very pretty without the buildup. And it only cost $5 on Amazon (I have yet to see it in a shop but I'm searching). This, however, meant making another pass with the brushes but, thankfully, this took less time since the conditioner made my life much easier.

And here was the result...

Three fucking hours later.

The next day, I had a show so that meant bringing her along with me to the studio (I was hitching a ride with my dad, to save on bus fare) in order to return it to Sam.

Which also gave me a fantastic opportunity to cosplay Rachel Tice.

I handed it back to her, delirious and sleepy, which she was exceedingly grateful. This meant I didn't get to see it for a week, thank God. And so begins my time with Ariel's hair.

WEEK TWO

The following week, Ariel returned to my trusted hands but, this time, I figured that she could be my first victim to use my DeMert Wig Shampoo I had bought recently ($3.99 at a hair care shop nearby Jamaica station). She was smelling kind of musky anyhow, so I thought, hey, why not?
Here is what I learned with my first wig shampoo experience: Unlike the cheap-o method I've been using before (diluted shampoo in a spray bottle), this does work a lot better since I know I'm not potentially destroying the wig. However, this also means the wig gets tangled in the process which meant RE-BRUSHING EVERYTHING. Thankfully, the fresh scent made up for my near-hyperventilation. Another round of conditioner and I figured I should find a way to push back the bangs since bobby pins can do so much. For this week, I pulled two sections of hair and tied them with plastic bands (which kept breaking. I think I lost six alone on one section) to hidden parts of the wig. The result:

Eh, better than looking like Sasquatch.

Part of your wooooooooooooooooorld...

 It did the job (sort of) but not in the way I hoped it would. Ah well. Less pins scraping the scalp, thankfully.

WEEK THREE

My dad, who plays Scuttle in this production, hands me the wig, saying, "Sam loves what you've been doing with her hair. However, since it's her birthday, she told me to tell you to make it as pretty as you made it before."
Before I could blush, I was thinking of ways to make it look extra special for her birthday that she clearly did not remind us about every day since the second August started (note the sarcasm). But I was serious about the "extra special" part: It's not every day you celebrate your big day (or, in her word, "the anniversary of [her] 21st", which was spent in a hangover and her passed out on her costumes. You had to be there) as a princess.
I took out the bands because they didn't work well and made many, many, MANY attempts to french braid the wig into a half up, half down style. I gave up after the 67th try but I was determined to make it look special. That's when I remembered how I saw a video to do Belle's hair from Beauty and the Beast by the off-chance I had to be an "emergency swing" for that part (with this company you never know: I once had to swing in as Isa the Iguana for a production of Dora the Explorer Live! Pirate Party Adventure for a sold out house of 2,000 or so people.)

I'm just happy no moms attacked me.

And so, I used that technique instead to not only eliminate bobby pins (can you guess that I don't like bobby pins all that much?) but to make it a bit more princess-y.

Little town, it's an aquatic village.

I was a little proud of it. :3 I guess it worked because it came back the way I left it the following week. Yay!

WEEK FOUR

I have no idea how long this show is running for but I liked about what I did with Ariel the last week (since I didn't hear any complaints about it) so I figured, eh, I'll keep the the same. I did remember about the underbrush of the wig that I had been neglecting for some time now (because I am, by nature, a lazy human being). So, I figured I could take care of it this week as I was battling a depression episode, as a distraction. Another shampoo wash and I tackled the underside...

Almost as bad as the first time.

It kind of looks like she's wearing one of those sorta-knit berets.

Another twisty-fancy half up style and I was done for the week.

Turns out, that was the last weekend so I was free!! But I'll miss working on Ariel the ungrateful tart with raging hormones. At least I have Millie to look forward to!

Or wait for another production of Annie.

My Mother

Dear Mom,

It's been three years since you've passed and I still miss you every single second that passes by. I know you can hear me wherever you are so I know you can hear my thoughts as I write them here.

Mom, I'm tired. There are moments where I wish I could scream if that meant I could get rid of feeling like a wrecked mess. There are moments where I wish tears could flow out of my eyes like a never ending waterfall from the heavens if it meant I could feel better afterwards.

I'm tired of hearing the standard, "She would be so proud of you" because I know the one thing you'll be proud of is how I've managed to live.

I've cut myself. I've turned to alcohol and sleep to numb the pain. There have been many times where I could have welcomed death if it meant I no longer had to deal with going on. The times I wanted to be alone were interrupted, and the times where there was company, I was lonely. It's a struggle to even talk about family: To them. About them. They wonder why I don't talk anymore. I have to keep everything to myself because who knows what will happen if it explodes in their faces. They want me to be happy but it's not like a switch that can be turned on and off so easily. I've tried but they often forget.

Mom, there are moments when I never want to wake up because I just know things. Of what's to come. Of what others know. And I wish it could stop. If there ever was a moment to be cradle in your arms again, I would give up everything for that to happen.

But you wouldn't allow that. You and I know that now I have the loving arms of my family and friends to keep me going. I can't give up on them. I don't want to see them miserable, and I can't lose myself into everything anymore. I would love for things to be different, but that's not a possibility.

I have to move forward and embrace what is to come, even if it means dealing with the dickheads who mess it up.

I feel a lot better after writing this letter. I may get ridiculed for it but people can go fuck themselves. It's time I take back control of me. I know you'd want that.

I love you,

Your beloved son.

SYTYCD season 11 nicknames!

Once again, I'm continuing the time-honored tradition of giving the Top 20 contestants nicknames because I probably will forget their real names later on, it's fun, and just because. I will say I'm a teense bummed because I can't remember if I ever saw a good chunk of these people during the auditions but I'll give it my best shot:

THE GIRLS

Bridget Whitman (Contemporary)- Liberty Lunch

Bridget is one of the many sob stories we've heard this season. Her dad was killed in a car accident when she was 12 and she remembers the Hallmark card message he told her years ago on how to succeed. Bridget also probably cries at the drop of a hat. Literally. For her audition, she performed to a cover of "Que Sera Sera" by Jennifer Terran which made it beautifully painful (emotionally) to watch. If she performed to the song I named her after, I will probably sob uncontrollably.

Brooklyn Fullmer (Latin Ballroom)- Ivory

She auditioned with her dance partner, who also made it in. They're like a perfect set, which makes their nicknames kind of handy.


Carly Blaney (Contemporary)- Busgirl

Mostly unmemorable for most of callbacks, and not featured for auditions, she didn't become prominent until she was in that disastrous (well, they all were horrible in the group round) group routine where that Rumba girl thought it was a great idea to incorporate the style in the dance. Apparently, she made green mile last time (or came close) and knew good and goddamn well that she's not giving up her spot when prompted by Nigel to get rid of someone themselves (a shitty move). Carly said that she didn't want to go home but "didn't want to throw someone under the bus."


Emily James (Contemporary)- Bankable

Emily auditioned in the past but came back after a hiatus of studying to be an accountant. But, accountants are no fun so she's back with a vengeance. Even her cousin gave a pretty boss audition!

Jacque Lewarne (Ballet)- Aunt Jackie

Another unmemorable dancer with virtually zero screen time so she gets an obvious nickname.

Jessica Richens (Jazz)- Hat Girl

The lone jazz dancer this season, Jessica performed two stellar solos that involved a hat that unleashed her long, flowing blonde hair that put Jabba Lee's routine to shame. Also, if there's a burlesque routine this season, she's probably gonna ace it.

Jourdan Epstein (Ballet)- Tough Broad

Her brother is a struggling addict who's currently on the mend, and the struggle she's gone through reflected in her audition, showcasing her strength and tenacity and all that powerful jazz.

Malene Ostergaard (Latin Ballroom)- Great Dane

In her career, she traveled to Tokyo where she met a guy who treated her like dirt. She's also from Denmark. That's all I got because her sob story was relatively weak.


Tanisha Belnap (Ballroom)- Werqin Girl

On the opposite side of the spectrum, Tanisha had a modest American dream lifestyle: In a family consisting of 12 siblings, money was tight if she wanted to study dance. So, for the most part, she supported herself, especially making costumes and doing god knows what else to make ends meet. Plus, she somehow managed to make Britney's "Work Bitch" into a passable ballroom solo.


Valerie Rockey (Tap)- Red Shoes

Her footwear color of choice. Plus, her name and my nickname= Ultimate irony! 

THE BOYS

Casey Askew (Contemporary)- Le Poof

I can barely remember who he is or why I want to punch him in the face but whatever. He's got some interesting hair.

Emilio Dosal (Popping)- Comeback Kid

If you remember from last season, Emilio managed to make the top 20! However, he was mysteriously dismissed due to a medical emergency that Cat didn't elaborate on, thus allowing Aaron "Second Chance" to swoop in. Well, he's back where he belongs after being kicked in the face, damaging his septum, getting surgery, and all sorts of draaaama. He's also pretty adorable.

Marquet Hill (Latin Ballroom)- Ebony

See Ivory. However, I think he has the skills to take it all the way, considering almost everyone believed he was a hip-hop dancer.

Nick Garcia (Latin Ballroom)- Doofus

A dead ringer for Jesse "Arrogant Ass", we witnessed him and his buddy Rudy attempt to pick up a girl in Miami to unsurprising failure.

Ricky Ubeda (Contemporary)- Wittle Babyface

For some reason, he sounds very familiar but, meh, it might come to me eventually. Even with facial hair, there's no way he can hide the fact that he's 18. He's also kind of incredible, but he looked like he was having a stroke during his final solo at callbacks.

Rudy Abreu (Contemporary)- Trout Mouth

Nick's bffl, Rudy has a scar on his tummy which he incorporated into his audition. However, I was more distracted by his mouth that was open about 99% of the time and his eyes which continually rolled back.

Serge Onik (Latin Ballroom)- Babydoll's Former Partner (BFP)

Another green mile reject, whose partner, Brittney "Babydoll", landed in the top 20. His new partner likes to twerk. Thankfully, he doesn't.

Stanley Glover (Contemporary)- Vesper

I totally forgot that they did in fact show his audition, but I also remember now that my dad said he didn't like pieces like the one he used. Stanley also looks like an Ailey company member, which created this beautiful piece in the past.

Teddy Coffey (Hip Hop)- WHO?!

Seriously, who the hell is this guy? Because I only saw him at green mile. He's like the Janaya of the season.

Zack Everhart, Jr (Tap)- Dopey

Zack got some coverage during callbacks, mostly because he's a tapper (which Nigel apparently has a love/hate relationship with) but also has a face like one of the 7 dwarves (in an adorable way, of course).

Let the games begin!

An Open Letter to my BC Theatre Family

To my family,

Today, we, like myself, either graduated from Brooklyn College or, like others, are celebrating the end of a semester. As I sat in the audience coming up with sarcastic remarks listening to the speeches, I began to reflect on these past few years and here is what I came up with.

I arrived to this institution with nothing more than an associate's degree and the knowledge that it's either stay in school or find a job in order to keep my health insurance. My mother was going in and out of the hospital for an ankle injury and, later, cancer, so my mind was elsewhere. Nobody prepared me for anything here so I went in undeclared (dumb move) and figured that I could switch to another, more convenient major by taking random courses and seeing what I liked best.

Then, on August 31st, two days into my first semester, my mother passed away. I was a wreck. I stopped eating. I stopped taking care of myself. I stopped caring, period. I tried my damnedest to push back the pain by diving into my studies. But it wasn't enough. I wanted it all to end. I wanted to give up. I wanted to disappear.

I wanted to stop.

Two semesters in and, after finding help in the counseling center, I realized I was doing more harm to myself than good. And so, I returned to a familiar world: Theatre.

Ever since I made the decision to return to majoring in theatre, I've become more knowledgeable in the field in all aspects of it: History, technical, acting. I soaked in every second of it because I knew that I would never get this chance again (at least, not for a while). This was especially beneficial because I was beginning to see just how unorganized and unprofessional the theatre company I'm with now was... and still is.

But what's most important is the connections I've made with everyone involved in the department: The BAs, the BFAs, the MFAs, the professors (some of whom believed I was a BFA actor), staff members, the whole nine yards. All of you are much more than friends to me. You are my family. You are the people I want and love to be around, where we can joke about the most random things ("You have GOT to be kidding me!"), share personal stories, and just be close with one another. It is a feeling that I so very rarely experience in my career, and it made me remember that it is true: We have no time for enemies in this business. It's why the next time I see someone who acts like a diva, I'm going to tell them to write everything they know on the back of their hand, to see if they really do know everything like the back of their hand.

I am going to cherish the friendships and connection I've made with everyone. You have changed my life for the better.

You all have saved my life.

I wish everyone lots of luck, love, and lollipops in their future endeavors and be prepared for the koala hug I will give you the next time we meet.

Thank you all for everything.

I love you all,

Chris Weiss
(That guy who was always on the floor in the hallway)