There's always a First: Bazaar's Childhood Edition (Video and Backstage Photos)

Date: Tuesday May 15, 2012

YAY!! Bazaar was SOO fun, and I'm really thankful and appreciative to have had this surreal experience with all the dancers in our set. Thank you especially to Vanessa Li and Andrew Pyro Chung for handpicking me to be a part of their vision.

Mariano Abarca as Host

For those that don't know what BAZAAR is, it is a choreographer's showcase, run by ABA Entertainment (find them on Twitter HERE), and hosted by Mariano Abarca, one of the top Toronto dancers/choreographers. This time around, the theme was Childhood. So Pyro and Vanessa portrayed that through a story of emotions of a child at a slumber party (Happy, Angry, Sad). Our set was extremely lighthearted and fun, as we thought every set would be with this theme. However, more than half of the other choreographers chose to take a darker and deeper path with this theme (don't say that's what she said..).

There was one especially by Esie Mensah that really made me, and almost everyone that has seen it, feel something strong in our hearts. It was about child abuse, and although it started with a lighthearted, cute, and really well executed piece, it ended with a little girl (danced and acted very well by a girl that I met during the Lady Gaga performance, unfortunately I don't know her name..) and an evil man (KJ, I believe his name is) and, well, you'd have to be there to experience it. Hopefully I'll find that video soon... But it was extremely disheartening to every audience member, which leads me to believe how great of a piece that was, to make everyone really feel something so strong just by watching a piece. Really well casted, and amazing execution.

Another choreographer worth mentioning was Natalie Nesterenko (I met her through Apolonia's waacking classes on Sundays), who also happens to be Mariano's girlfriend. She worked with two kids, to try to portray the love story of her and Mariano. It was SO CUTE!!! She also did another piece that evolved around the monsters from the closet. It was a great set, so versatile and so well executed, since the cast were all seasoned dancers from the Toronto dance scene already. Amazing job!

"Emotions of a Child" Dancers: 

Andrew Pyro Chung

Sonic

Eujean Kim

Jasmin Yeung

Kristine Flores

Mikey Le

Ralph Esamillan

Sarah Tumaliuan

Vanessa Eyes Li

My costume: Uh oh Shirt and crazy pants

Bazaar babies: Eujean and I

Ralph and Sarah

Eujean and Kristine

Sonic in spongebob apparel

Vanessa's cute hello kitty jammies, and Pyro the creeper, while Mikey poses :)

You cannot IMAGINE how ecstatic (and a little nervous in the beginning, not going to lie..) I was to dance with every single one of these dancers. All SOO EXTREMELY talented and SO easy to get along with, and so professional when time came to get down to business. (I can't stop typing in Caps because I can't think of another way to show you how I really feel haha). I had so much fun doing the voiceovers, and thanks to Johnny Loh with the serious audio equipment, it didn't sound ghetto at all!

You are invited to our slumber party! Come and bring lots of candy while you enter our emotional journey of candy overdose. :)
NOTE for everyone watching the video - The little girl humming in the beginning is me!!! And Ralph is actually the "grandmother" yelling at us children. Sonic does his own voice at the very end of our medley.

Woohoo! Afterparty at...

New Ho King! $5 meals? Ok!!

Yay, food! - David Forteau, Sarah and Kristine

I apologize for the insanely blurry photos... I'll promise to bring my new Nikon D3100 to the next event/outing, once I learn how to use it properly! :)

Inspire Each Other,