Hello! My laziness has been overcome by the desperation of wanting more students and friends in my class that I have finally edited and posted another class video!
This routine was choreographed when I was feeling slightly under the weather, hence the hint of sadness and my portrayal of that feeling you get when you just want to stay in bed and never get up to face the world.
A little more personal look into this routine is how I sort of feel about other people looking into my own relationships, a phenomenon which I believe you could probably empathize with. This is about the feeling when you think that other people can only see the outside, the artificial, superficial side of your own relationships. You believe that they are wrong, and think that they don't know the rest of it. It's when people say, "Aww, they're perfect for each other!" and I think, "You have no idea what we've been through - the struggles, the blood, sweat and tears - you don't know the rest of it."
Rose Coloured Glasses, as Rowland rightly says, are the glasses that outside people use to look at your relationship. Everything is rosy, or "peachy" and fine. Lately I have been feeling a sense of pressure to live up to other people's expectations of how my relationships should be, and not how they really are. As a result, this way of thinking, as expected, harms what I actually have ("We have to be perfect. We have to always be happy. We need to act this way"). I guess I care a little too much about how people think about me. I try to express this... feeling of pressure and hurt and sadness when you compare what people say about you and what you really know of your own relationship, through this routine. Hopefully you can see that.
This can also be related to success, the way I see it. When people see success in you, they don't know whatsoever what you've done and what you've sacrificed in order to get there. All they see are the glitters, the confetti, and camera flashes of success that hide the training, scars and battle wounds that you've accumulated over the years. Everyone has their own story, and only you can know the truth and perseverance of your own story.
I love that I have an outlet for my emotions, thoughts and feelings that is healthy and can really show my side of things. Really, what would I do without dance.
Multi Level SEXYURBANPOP/JAZZFUNK @ 900PM - 1015PM
Can you relate to this? What other situations have you felt like you were the only one in your way of thinking, when you thought that other people have no idea of your struggle?
Yet another successful collaboration between VYbE Dance Co. and Silverpoint Media! Keith Chang (a pleasure to work with), whom we have worked with for many amazing photo and video shoots already, has thought of an innovative concept whereby energy and auras can be visualized as dancers dance and articulate movement through space and time. They gave us plenty of freedom to create and come up with our own poses, and when we were stuck, they would always help with ideas and together we worked to make the dancing and the photos come to life.
I was told to bring several outfits, so I actually packed around 5 bottoms, 7 tops, 3 pairs of sneakers, and a pair of booties. A little extra, you might say. And you are correct. I only ended up wearing 3 tops and 2 bottoms and only one pair of sneakers.
Keith Chang working his magic with the team.
Teego takes a jump
Kat
Danny
Keith and I!
We got to see our raw shots and they already seemed amazing. Not to give anything away, but these photos required some serious precision in timing in order to get the perfect shot. And, as we saw, they were pretty perfect.
Last weekend after my J VYbE classes, I went to the "Fired Up, STILL!" 2-on-2 All Styles dance battle and the 7-to smoke battle at Gotta Dance Studio. It was hosted by the Moon Runners, and I would say that it was a pretty successful jam overall.
Daniel Keith Morrison (aka Daniel Keith Morrison, Moon Runners) was the MC of the night, and he was hilarious and to the point, as he always is. Judges were Shawn de Ocampo (Moon Runners), Raoul Wilke (Moon Runners) and Pyro (Twisted Ankles). The event was from 645PM (delayed) to about midnight. There were people from all over the dance community, with huge dance heads such as Apolonia and Ofilio (Gadfly), friends from Bucc n' Flvr, Tense Image, and many many more, making an appearance and supporting the Toronto dance scene.
An all-styles battle just means that you may compete with whatever type of dance you choose, for example there were poppers, hiphoppers, lockers, breakdancers, etc. It may seem illogical and be difficult to judge what is better, but the competitors are mainly judged by style, smoothness, and most importantly, musicality. No dance can look good without musicality, no technicality can be amazing without it either.
A 7-to-Smoke battle is where one dancer battles with 6 other dancers, and be the first to get 7 wins, that is, beating everyone once.
CONGRATULATIONS to the WINNERS of the Battle (Prada-G and Price) and WINNER of the 7-to-Smoke Battle (Troublezz)!!!
And Big UPS to my friends who entered the battle - Vinny Alayo, Vanessa and Kristine, Kevin Kong and Linh, and Vincent Lee.
I love watching and going to these battles because they are extremely inspiring, and even contagious in a sense that they just make you want to get off your butt and dance. They are also inspiring because, as you go to more of these battles, you see individual dancers improve before your own eyes and it pushes you to be like that as well. For myself, I have never battled. I have been encouraged by many, many people, but I still am quite afraid of it all.
Being a choreography dancer all my life and just getting on this freestyle bandwagon, I just doesn't appeal me yet to throw myself into a position where everything is too unpredictable. As my friends and family know, I like stability, and knowing what's going to happen next, So battles are a frightful thing for me to see myself in. Yet, I am so inspired by the people around me that do push themselves to enter battles, no matter what. I think for myself I am just trying to mimic the mindset of freestyle battling to hopefully prepare myself if I EVER battle, but it's just so... it's still such a mystery to me. I believe that learning more styles and expanding my dance vocabulary will really ease the anxiety, since I will have more tools from my imaginary toolbox that I can utilize when I run out of things to say with my body. I hope that in the near future I will have the guts to put myself out there, let myself be vulnerable, and give myself a chance, because if I were to do that, it'd be more than just a battle. For me, it'd be a huge step for me personally knowing that I can be fragile and let the music take me wherever it wants to take me, and know that I'll be alright in the end of the day.
One downside to most of the battles that I have gone to recently is that they do run pretty late, but so do all other dance-related things like shows, rehearsals and anything you can think of. Other than that, nothing, really. Enjoyed it A LOT, learned A LOT, and met some new people (thought I could think of something else that ended with "A LOT" but didn't work out. Oh well, next time!).
What advice do you have for me to prepare myself for battle mode? And if you went to the battle, what did you think?
Another dance battle is on its way in Toronto, and very soon! This Sunday March 25th, Hosted by Disco Love Child (our friend Kristine's crew!), located at Gotta Dance Studio.
Sign up now, or make time to come watch the Hiphop Battle and House battle unfold!!
My friend, Henry, has a graduating thesis project he needs to complete for Ryerson University (he's in Production). Although his project only requires him to make costumes, he has gone completely out of the box and created, produced and managed this whole video production. Now, that's dedication and initiative right there!
Team:
BOSS - Henry Wan
Choreographers - Danny Huang, Jasmin Yeung, Henry Wan
He envisions a love story concept between a girl conversing with a boy whom she has feelings for, as the girl's words are expressed through dance. We have been working together alongside with Danny to choreograph the piece to make it become real and believable.
Production, Camera Angles
Our first rehearsal was very successful! We managed to go through all the choreography that we had, spaced it (put people in the right places at the right time), and figured out camera angles. We were working with excellent dancers (myself included ha ha ha) so it was extra easy to finish on time.
HIGHLIGHT of the night: When we were doing Henry's part, and there was a space change where Kasey took Lily's spot while Kasey's back is facing her, while Lily took Cecilia's spot. And basically what happened was Lily forgot to move and Kasey blindingly (the quickness added to the hilariousness) bumps SQUARE ON into Lily. Hahahahhaha. Just thinking about it makes me laugh a little inside.
Switched spots, Danny creeping at the back
I can't wait to see what the final product will look like! Will post it as soon as I can. :)
This is the EXCLUSIVE video!! Not posted ANYWHERE ELSE...Shhh. (Permission granted by Tiffany Lui)
Last year I helped my friend Tiffany (an amazing dancer) showcase a few of her thesis design pieces at OCAD. She is mainly into jewelry design, but somehow ended up doing clothing pieces for her final project, called Practice makes Movement. Her idea was to make pieces that reflected the struggle of a dancer (countless rehearsals, physical pains, time spent preparing and practicing) and what an audience can only see as a few minute performance. This was done through using different fabrics and textures of materials, as well as the flow of everything when someone is wearing them (rigid, quick, or dragging, etc).
TEAM:
Designer and Producer: Tiffany Lui
Videographer: Philbert Lui
Dancer: Jasmin Yeung
This was a super fun project for me! It allowed me to finally take out my ballet leotard that had been in the closet for 4 years. I was also able to rediscover technique through some ballet and jazz moves that I had not thought about for a while. It was great to work with Tiff and see her pieces come to life. Philbert (Tiff's brother) is an aspiring director, so you can already see the quality of his work, his keen eye, and attention to detail through the artistic video.
Tiffany also has a fashion blogspot which I follow frequently. Please check it out here!
And here is Philbert's official website! You will find his blog, director's portfolio, and contacts there as well.
PS. I miss Tiff so much! She's moved back to Hong Kong to work in the jewelry design industry and to spend more time with her family there. Best of luck with work and your blog, Tiff!!
Exciting news! I've been asked by Teego to judge an all-new York Region High School Dance competition AKA Battle In The Trenches (B.I.T.T)!!!
This is a great way to promote dancing within our target area, to get kids out and about and getting their daily fix of exercising, through dance. Hopefully, with some friendly competition, it will get them to make great teams, leadership, interpersonal skills and lasting friendships not just with their own team but with opposing teams as well.
Dance has taught me so much, and as it continues to do so, I hope that others can really experience everything that I've gained from my passion and my love. Having been in competitive teams myself, I understand how much drama, fear and insecurity can lapse during the creative process and rehearsals, but what matters the most is that you persevere through and know that everyone in your team only has good intentions and are all working toward the same thing that you are. Love and respect friends, love and respect.
This battle will really open up the DANCE SCENE and the younger dance community in the York region, and I am SUPER EXCITED AND GLAD to be a part of this History making process. I can't wait to see what all the young'ns have to surprise us with. Yay!
For more information, click here or email info@vybedance.com.
Yesterday I went to VYbE to take Pyro's Popping class and was catapulted into the Locking class as well. It's always a great time because I'm learning new skills and new techniques every single time I go to these classes. Pyro, Vanessa and Kristine (all amazing Toronto dancers, Kristine I've known for quite a few years now, and Vanessa also happens to be Pyro's girlfriend) were going to Andy's Poolhall after, and they were so kind to ask me if I'd like to join too. So, we had a quick bite in the car, and we left.
Andy's Poolhall, (located at College and Bathurst) as I learned today, is a bar (a great venue) that plays Hiphop music on Tuesday nights, and a certain dance circle happens. Since time, it has been a Bboy circle (breakdancing) with breakers dominating the dance floor. More recently however it has become more welcoming of hiphop dancers, albeit mostly to those who stick to more of the original style that may tie with uprocks/toprocks (footwork and style dancing of breakdancers). Everyone has seen the dance circle, whether it be at their high school dances, clubs, random dance events, or even dance battles in the movies. But this one... This was a Next Level Circle.
There were a few randoms who knew little about dance working their way into the circle, but other than that, it gave me a kind of Prestigious "Members Only" feel to it, you have to earn your spot in this dance circle.
Nonetheless, it was a great experience. I got to meet some people who have been in the dance scene for a long time, and it was great fun to watch the dance circle. I didn't go in because I wasn't brave enough, but even if I went back to Andy's, I don't think I'd have the courage to go into the circle just yet...one of these days...!
Dancers, in order to get booked for shows, are most likely required to have headshots, or photos taken of themselves to show audition directors, etc. These were taken in early 2011. They make me look older than I usually look (people say I still look 19 sometimes...). What do you think?
Hello, my name is Jasmin, or jasssie. I'm currently residing in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I am a dancer, choreographer, and dance instructor. I teach open classes (anyone can go) and the Beginner Program (J VYbE) at VYbE Dance Co. at GO! DIP studio in Markham, Ontario, Canada. My biggest achievement yet is having performed alongside the Mother Monster, Lady Gaga herself and her amazing dancers at the 2011 Muchmusic Video Awards. I am starting this blog post to sort of create a space in which I can write and talk about my passion, my hobby, my life, that is all things DANCE.
For those that I care about and care about me too, I'd like to use this as a way in which I can show you how my life is, and hopefully you will understand why I love dancing so much and want to be a part of the dance world so eagerly.
I'd like to write about my own experiences and stories on my dance adventures, gigs, shows, rehearsals, as well as write about events or things I've seen or been to or heard of related to the dance scene. I'd like to use this as a platform for information, education, and just good ol' entertainment. Hopefully this won't be too boring for anyone. Although, a blog is kind of like a diary, however ironically public it is. So I'll post whatever I like. :)
I'm not the best with my words, but if anyone out there has any questions, comments or concerns, please feel free to write to me, because I love feedback. Even if there isn't anyone out there reading this, I'd just like to keep this my safe haven for sharing things that I may sometimes deem too crazy or too personal for Facebook. Or, I may even link this to Facebook. Whatever floats my boat.
I have a youtube account that I sometimes put my class videos on, although I must admit my shameful laziness has got the best of me most of the time. But, if you have time to stumble upon it, please do and subscribe and comment whenever you can!
