Ah, the wonderful world of dance.... who can resist it? I certainly can't, even though at the moment I'm not taking any classes or even dancing around the house(maybe a few samba steps here and there) but it doesn't mean I don't love it as much as anything else I have done in my life. To give you a brief history, I began dancing the minute I could walk, at least that is what my mother told me. My mother, Marilia Ramos was a professional ballerina herself in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil many years ago at the Opera House. She came to America after her marriage and following the birth of two children proceeded to build up a dance studio. She had numerous students and was obsessed with dance, primarily ballet, but I remember as a child her taking classes in Flamenco with castanets and all. She danced a lot of character roles, popular ballets and even worked with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo when they toured through Brazil then passed on her obsession to me. And I am grateful for that gift.
It was difficult taking classes from my own mother. I was the rebellious type so I didn't take it too seriously. I danced quite a lot up until I was 16 years old then as fate would have it, the hippie movement swept me away to my new lifestyle in Laguna Beach and Hawaii. I became a young mother, had some fantastical "trips" searching for God, peace and love, and while living on the Big Island, my life altered drastically when I found I could follow a spiritual path but not have to renounce the world. I moved back to Oahu and began taking classes at the University of Hawaii, one thing led to another and I was told about an audition for a Vegas type show at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel and my professional life as a dancer unfolded and for 10 glorious years I danced in a plethora of shows. I could fill this whole blog with photos but I won't. I'd rather share with you where I am today with the experience I gained from hours in a dance studio and on stage. I continued to take classes, mostly ballet, after 3 more children but obviously my body was never the same. Alas, I moved onto working mostly in Musical Theater, happily discovering I could sing as well as I danced. Then of course the acting followed and I could actually refer to myself as a triple-threat, a phrase commonly used in the Broadway musical world. But it was too late, or so I was told. I moved around way too much but finally, so I thought, settled back in Los Angeles (with a brief excursion to San Francisco where St.Mary's College is located) into a great college program for current and ex-professional dancers called LEAP(liberal education for arts professionals).
This program was designed for us who would obviously have to change career paths because of the short lived life as a dancer. In 2008, I had just returned from living in Hawaii for over a year and found the extremely challenging world of academia. I discovered my love of writing, filmmaking, other forms of dance such as Afro-Cuban and Brazilian Samba, and now have so many passions at my disposal to incorporate my creativity, it's sometimes a feast
I couldn't possibly enjoy all it has to offer, but I try. In 2012, Before I left the LEAP program to go sing in NYC which I did, a lot,(with a side trip to NC)I had a senior project I was required to put together and it culminated in a documentary film I've half way completed called The Eternal Rhythm: A Global revelation of Drum, Dance and Song, here is a link to my trailer http://bit.ly/1mznoOi . After being gone for over two years, I'm now back in LA, and I have returned to finish my BA in Performance Arts and see where that leads me. I still continue to work on my two screenplays I hope to get produced one day, my doc, my acting/singing chops, I've begun another book, my third and who knows, anything can happen.
But I want to finish by sharing with you the joy I receive when watching the dancers of today and how much dance has evolved as an art form. There is so much fusion in dance going on, new names have to be derived to describe someone's "style." Actually, dancers today are required to do many styles but I do believe the best one's will always have a basic training in ballet. For example, this young man who now is on everyone's lips as one of the guaranteed top 20 on the dance show SYTYCD, Trevor Bryce, who did a routine at the audition I can't get enough of myself. You must watch this for sheer joy and creativity.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjXC_9MAhUY
I also believe this young woman who I have the pleasure of knowing, is one of the most gifted ballerina's I have ever beheld, and she was only doing a very inpromptu number at a gathering in Chicago a few years ago but she made me cry and have goose bumps at the same time. Mahallia Pollard, now with the Joffrey Ballet, comes from a family of performers, both her mother and father, Kailani and Mathew Ward were accomplished
dancers. They must be so proud. I tried to find a link to her video but may have to put it in here later when I can dig it up. At least you can enjoy a photo of this gorgeous ballerina. I may not have been much of a "ballerina"(bad feet) but I can at least appreciate good ballet and it's well-trained dancers.
Last but not least, I must wax lyrical about my own granddaughter, Luciana Tarantino, who is another very talented dancer. And I'm thrilled to be going to see her perform this weekend at Santa Monica College. I knew there was a reason to move back to Los Angeles,(winking). But this is such a special treat to watch a fourth generation artist in my own family. Dancing as a passion may have skipped my own daughter Elea(she is immensely gifted in other areas) but Luciana surly inherited the legs and talent for this particular demanding art form. I'm so blessed, grateful, and overjoyed to be near family once again and share their talents and accomplishments. The next time you hear some music that moves you, get up and dance. It's so much fun!!!
It's been a couple of weeks since I was inspired to write in my blog. Why does it take someone passing away to pay attention to the wake up call? The summons reminding us we are only here for such a short time. A twinkling of an eye in fact. I think about it all the time and I will make my point eventually.
It's been 6 weeks since I left the East Coast for warmer and sunnier climes. Oh, how I love the weather here, even though we had a bit of a heat wave this last week. The verdict is now in. Residing in LA has definitely cemented it for me. I'd much rather be warm than cold. Living in mild temperatures has the added bonus of not having to wear all that paraphernalia which comes along with living in cold weather. Warm coats, hats, boots, scarves, gloves, layers. Ouch, I don't ever want to live like that again. Okay, so why am I going on and on about cold versus warm?
It's the realization, we are forever striving to be "comfortable" in our own skin. I'm witness to so many folks complaining, it's either too hot or too cold. We all love the balmy 70 degree weather. If we can't live in it, we layer on as much clothing to make it seem warmer. Something about our body temperature or what we are used to feeling. But why? Maybe one of you out there will have the answer. All I can recall though is a quote from a book I had to read in school during a course on religions and I remember so well how it impressed me. "Life here is similar to a stay in an uncomfortable inn." Obviously, it was written over a hundred years ago because we refer to 'inns' as hotels/motels now. But I've noticed the truth to this statement. We are all forever trying to attain some comfort level, not just for our bodies, but our hearts and minds too. No one likes being uncomfortable.
As long as we reside in this fleshy envelope, we will always know discomfort. I am also so aware of my inner feelings and even though I can't see what is bothering me, I can sure sense something isn't right in my world. But this last weekend at a Helpers Retreat, the epiphany came, the reality of why I continue, every week, to get to my spiritual practice of the latihan of Subud and even though my outer life isn't the way I want it to be (yet), something is taking place which is beyond my expectation and another realization has been made concrete for me. No matter what I'm faced with in life, the challenges, the blessings, the heartaches, they will all pass and I know for fact I am preparing for that crossing-over, check out time, the big Aloha and this amazing gift of the latihan of Subud is what will make the transition easier and the next life better. So I'm uncomfortable for now but it will not always be the case.
In Subud we have this truly extraordinary ability to receive an answer, to any question if asked in a quiet state. My lovely sister and friend Alexandra asked a question I had on my mind alot. "If we are doing the latihan, how does it help us as we transition to the next life?"
Well, sports fans, it did it for me. We have this amazing gift which is for All Mankind and I for one am so extremely grateful. I know now why I continue to practice this exercise taking me out of myself and to an indescribable place. It's a huge preparation and admittedly I don't know a lot about the next life, even though I've had my two out of body experiences but I always had an inkling we don't really die.
Okay, enough said on the subject. I couldn't stay the whole weekend retreat and bathe in the love filling the Subud hall but this one question and answer is what I needed. We are so much more than our bodies folks. And in essence we are purely LOVE. Believe me or not. The world of course would have you feel and experience otherwise. Funny, I had no idea what I was going to write and this just poured out. Please forgive me any and all of you who don't know what Subud is, but I've been practicing for 44 now years and it's still a mystery. (she smiles here.) Wishing you all God's blessings.
