Phoenix Rising....

So it's been almost A YEAR since I've updated this blog. I intend to turn a new leaf and keep it up this time around....

For the past 10 months (with one more to go : / ) I've been utilizing my college degree and did what I did not want to do...teach. But, circumstances demanded it. I did not and could not find a job, my mother was pretty much supporting me and my options were slim. I was blessed to be able to find a position in the climate we're in as teachers. The downside is that ALL of my free time aka training time was taken up. I have done nothing career wise as an artist this year. The upside is much better though. I was able to pay my mom back, gain excellent insurance, save money again and learn the lay of the land. I no longer feel like a fish out of water here. I was able to prepare myself to come out this time around on top. I feel that I needed to go through those awesome 1st 4 1/2 months to see that I wanted to do this and the last month and half to go through the hardships. I have a better idea of what to expect and how to go about getting it. I am much better at prioritizing money (although I am still a bit of a shopaholic) and I know now that a survival job is just that, and I should be open to a broader range of work if I want to pay the bills and do what I love.
As the school year is ending and I'm about to actively pursue my dreams again, I've come to realize that it's not enough to WANT it. I've got to FIGHT harder, WORK harder, and PUSH harder than I ever have in my life. To be away from Cameron, my family, friends, and the lifestyle that I utterly love in Texas, I have no other choice but to succeed to warrant it. I look forward to the next chapter in my life as I rise like the phoenix , brush off the ashes and fly to my goals, my dreams and my destiny!

A LONG OVERDUE Update

So it's been a MINUTE since I last posted. So much has been going
 on in my life up to this point. First of all the show "Miles of Styles" did not pan out. Let's just say I got my first taste of dealing with an unscrupulous "director". I was down about that for awhile, but then I threw myself back into training and recovered.

Eric and me :)

I booked a big model gig! My good friend, Eric Sanchez, sent me a casting notice to be a dancer and hair model for Clairol. I immediately sent in all my information and waited to see if I would be invited to the call. FINALLY I heard back from the agency and I went to the casting call. When I arrived at the studio (Milk Studios in NY) I was amazed at how gorgeous the place was. The waiting area had more than a few chicks waiting from boutique agencies who were clearly "models". I began to feel a little insecure. Here I was, with no representation, barely a portfolio and no model credits whatsoever. All the other girls looked chic, and I had on a hoodie and sneakers. However, I learned from previous auditions to always be prepared, so I changed into a pair of heels I had in my bag. That helped a little. The call was more of a go-see than an audition. I could see into the space that they were asking the girls to dance to the radio. My confidence went back up. Most of  the models couldn't move! When it was my turn, I kicked off my heels and went for it. The casting group was very excited. I ended up in a line with all the girls and they narrowed it down to 4 girls and 2 guys, including me. Needless to say I left feeling very optimistic! A few days later I got a call from the agency saying that they were interested in possibly using me for TWO shows! Wow! I thanked God for his blessings right then and there. In the end, I only booked the one that I originally auditioned for, but the money is awesome and I get a work vacation in Atlanta! God is good!

I haven't been auditioning much, but one audition really lifted my spirits. I auditioned for "The Color Purple" tour and got the furthest I ever have in an audition. I made it through two dance cuts and then was let go right before the singing. My ballet has improved alot since being in NY, and it showed when we had a short center barre. The choreographer made it feel more like a workshop than an audition which really helped to ease my nerves. Another thing that happened that isn't common was that once you were cut, she invited you to speak with her about why you were cut and what you needed to work on. I need to be more specific in my movement, meaning understand exactly what the choreographer is asking you to do and do it that way. It has more to do with placement than technique. That's why some people who may not be as technical make it through to the end. Although I didn't make it, that audition really helped me, and she will see me again at the next audition!

H-Town Visit and Miles of Styles

First off, I apologize for the gap in between posts, but I've been busy. After I finished "Steal Away" at the Paul Robeson Theatre I went home to have some dental work done and visit. I spent most of the week hanging out with Cameron and my family. I had a blast hanging out with my friends and enjoying simple things I missed like driving, the heat  and how CLEAN everything was.And yes I got my Blue Bell ice cream, lol. While I was in Houston I got a nice surprise. I had auditioned for a concert called Miles of Styles back in early March and I totally bombed the audition.

RECAP OF AUDITION....

It was a tap/jazz audition and I came in hip hop clothes.The tap was way more advanced than what I remember from 5th grade and one tap class sophomore year in high school. One girl left without saying anything. When it came time to do the combo in groups of three, I stepped to the side and slowly began getting my stuff together. I was hoping the choreographer would ask me to stay for the jazz. Sure enough he did! So I'm thinking, "Okay, I got this now." I pull out my hip hop sneakers and wait. After tap he tells us to put on our HEELS and get ready for jazz. I had never worn heels for jazz, or anything for that matter. I thought we were doing... I don't know what I thought we were doing. So once again I look out of place. The combo wasn't too hard and I did it the best I could wearing sneakers. After the audition I thanked him and left, mortified. Needless to say, I didn't get a callback. I learned alot at that audition.
1) I learned that jazz in NY is not the same as jazz in Houston or at least how I remembered taking it. I needed to take a cue from the title of the show and research all the different styles there were of not just jazz but everything.
2) When I decide to attend an audition, read the notice carefully and look at any references or resources it gives you. For instance, this audition had a website with videos of the previous year's show.
3) Bring ALL shoes (and sheet music if musical theatre) no matter what they say and dress according to the show auditioning for.

BACK 2 THE FUTURE...
I got a call from the choreographer asking me to join the cast of "Miles of Styles". I was so excited and looking forward to returning to NY. Plus the show was paid AND it performs at the Lincoln Center. That was a real confidence booster for me.

May 2010 Goals

As I continue this journey, I find inspiration everyday in many different ways. I thrive off people around me, especially my peers and friends growing in their talents and careers. I love hearing news from back home that others are succeeding. That makes me only want to work harder, to make sure we reach the top together. Every month I will set goals for myself and I will definitely blog to tell you whether I achieved them or not.

These are my May goals that I want to accomplish:

May 2010 Goals

1) Find a job and begin working before May is over

2) Improve vocally and add at least 3 more songs to my book

3) Have 4 "go-to" monologues and continue to perfect them

4) Compile a short list of commercial agents to submit myself to

5) Improve eating habits and drink plenty of water daily

6) Work on clearing up skin


That is more than enough to keep me busy for the next month and a half. I plan on sticking to focusing more on training my voice and dance classes than auditioning (Unless I'm really interested in the project) and not just showing up at EVERY audition.I am also happy to say that I finally got a dance workstudy with Alvin Ailey! It happened sooner than I thought it would and now I can take class for free! That takes a load of of my mind as far as finances go, because the amount of classes I mean to take would have been A LOT of money. God truly answered my prayer on that one.

My 1st month in NY Update

So I have been in New York for a month and a half now. So far my progress is acceptable. I can be hard on myself when it comes to pushing myself to succeed simply because I know how lazy I can get and how much I love to procrastinate. However, since being in NY, I haven't really found myself doing the things I used to do in Houston. I  have been auditioning and improving my networking skills. I make sure that by the end of each week, I have filled my calendar with classes and auditions. I don't spend all day shopping with money that could be put to better use somewhere else, i.e classes, voice lessons, RENT, lol.  I guess it's because I've been talking about focusing on my career and getting somewhere for so long, it's now time to "put up or shut up". I have no excuse now. The sky is the limit!

"Unchain My Heart" Audition

So there is a new musical coming to Broadway about Ray Charles. I went to the Equity dancer call and it was PACKED. I signed in on the non-equity list and ran into this girl I met at another audition named Jennifer. She was auditioning as well. We chilled together while waiting to see if we would be seen or not. I met a couple of other black girls, some of which I had sen around before as well. Some were equity some were not, like me. Finally we get word that they were going to take all non-eq headshots and type the list down from about 120 to 16! Needless to say, I wasn't called in. Jennifer knew the guy in the holding room and asked for some tips as to why she wasn't called in. He said that the casting team were probably only skimming each resume', looking for Broadway or touring credits and he also noticed that here voice wasn't listed at the top. You would think that was a minor point, but it made sense. He said that the casting directors would think they were just looking at a dancer who couldn't sing and toss the headshot aside and type you out.

I ended up talking with a couple of ladies who had been in the game a minute and one of them so graciously helped me plan how to improve the look of my resume' and make it more readable and make the most of the credits I did have. I will forever be thankful to her. Most of the young women I met were so nice and we exchanged, cards, numbers, email etc. with the promise to hang out together sometime soon.

With the day pretty much gone I prepared to head home. As I walked out with Jennifer, one of her friends told us that Harvard was having a showcase at Theatre Row that her friend was in and asked if we wanted to tag along. Since it was free and I wasn't ready to end the day I decided to take her up on the idea. Plus it would be nice to get know both of them a little better. We ended up having a good time and seeing the showcase really motivated me to work even harder at achieving my goals.

I learned a lot that day, and I believe I'm going to have to rethink my stand on not working towards getting an agent soon and trying to become apart of the union. It's no fun waiting in line all day, just to be told that there's no time to see you. 

In the meantime, I'm still taking class and attending my voice lessons. This weekend I'm going to ATL to be a hair model in "The World Natural Hair Show" I'm so excited! I've never been to Atlanta before. Here is a picture of the flyer that my face is on. I love it!

 

This is a picture of me and my new friend Jennifer at the audition:

Here I am at Theatre Row. I really liked the colors and design of this sign. Oh, and I found these fresh flowers in the trash and I clipped one off and put it in my hair. Had the girls rolling! I was cute though! lol

Here is Jennifer. Cute pic!

Happy Easter! and a mini Update...

So I am sitting at my apartment, getting over a day of homesickness. I didn't think to find a church to go to for Easter because I planned on attending my church back home via the internet. Well, the program decided not to work at all, even after I tried for 3 hours. I was frustrated and mad that I missed church today. I started missing my family and friends, especially after I called and spoke to my son, Cameron. And that's not all. I've been here for one month and I can't help but start to feel a little exasperated. I  haven't been as productive as I would like to and need to be. I haven't been going to as many dance classes as I need to, and when was the last time I looked for new material and monologues or worked on the monologues that I do have? I'm worried about my financial situation since I do not have nor am I looking for a job right away. I wanted to focus on taking class and auditioning first. I am going to rig something up to keep track of the auditions and classes I take, besides the posts I write. This way I can evaulate my productivity regularly. Be on the lookout for that.
As the day went on, I pulled myself together, cooked some comfort food and a home favorite, seafood gumbo and watched a little TV. I'm going to wash my hair and get ready for TWO auditions tomorrow. Needless to say I will be going to bed earlier than usual tonight. But before my head hits the pillow, I will do a little scripture reading. I know that will ease my mind to read the word of God and draw strength from his words. This week will be a great week for me! I am claiming it!