So sad! Today was the last day of the workshop! We were totally stoked when we found out that Pete and Pop decided to do a collaboration class!!!!!!!! The 2 Electric Boogaloos doing a collab class... out of this world!! Not only did they do a collaboration, it was a 2 class long collaboration meaning 2 hours and 45 minutes!!! For the first class they both taught popping and we did some warm-ups... things they would do normally. Pete came up with a few counts, then Pop came up with a few counts and then so on and so forth to create a combo. Then we gathered on one side of the studio and did some "training" for our arms for popping. It wasn't too hard to follow until they added the Electric Boogaloos taste to it which consisted of a neck roll... and that just threw everyone off! Then we made a line around the studio and practiced the old man until we formed a circle, then we faced into the circle and did the popping exercise inwards. It was so tiring that some of us started dropping our arms so when we got to the centre Pop all of a sudden yelled "and do the Thriller!!" It seriously looked like we were doing what the zombies were doing in Thriller haha!
Second class they did an actualy choreo combining popping and locking: Pete coming up with the popping portion and Pop coming up with the locking portion. It was amazing!!!! They made us do the combo in groups as well as facing and not facing the mirrors. Then they did the unthinkable... Pete and Pop sat at one side of the studio, facing the mirrors, and we had to turn around and do it in groups of 4 like it was an audition!!! They even recorded it!! They started with the first group doing the popping section and then the second group doing the locking section, and then after a while the rest of the people had to do the entire thing. It was completely nerve-wrecking but such a great experience! I'm glad they did it! I'm glad I didn't screw up! I've always looked at the floor or focused inwards when I danced, never looking up, and I've been told that's not good. But Pete never called me on it during the private and actually he even told us in class not to look at the mirror! Pop even said that when you dance at an audition you should focus in on yourself and not look at anyone else or it's going to screw you up even if you're doing it right cos you'll start second guessing yourself. I mean, I know that doesn't mean always look down, I'm just saying that you don't have to look at the audience the whole time you're dancing.
I was so lucky again the second half of the day, the very last class before everything ended (we had Q&A's after that's why the second half had only 1 class as opposed to 2) cos we were able to persuade Link and Caleaf to do a collaboration class! Actually this one was the most interesting I've done cos it was hip hop choreo mixed with house! SO cool! I really like it when Caleaf has us dance by facing a partner. You totally feed off them and it's so much fun! We danced to Daft Punk's Harder, Better, Stronger, Faster. ALl I can say is WOW! It was so different!!
Link and Caleaf did a bit of freestyling before the Q&A's right after the class. I can watch them dance forever!! Actually it was mostly Link freestyling cos he just has to move when there's music. It's so awesome! I learned so much stuff during the Q&A about all four of them and it just gives you that much more of an appreciation for them and what they do. It's so inspiring! I wish I started dancing earlier! You hear a lot about people starting dance lessons when they're like 6 years old, but these guys are the core of dancing no word of a lie! They didn't start lessons when they were 6 or whatever, they were actually full out dancing and moving and grooving to music! They didn't have to go to a class to have people tell them what to do and how to move (wouldn't know where they'd go anyways since they're the pioneers of locking/popping/house/hip hop). They were hardwired this way when they wre born! I myself hadn't learned to express myself musically through dance until I was 21. Before that I'd always expressed it through playing music, but I think there' a deeper connection through dancing. It's so cool to know that they've known each other for so long through dancing! Pop and Pete and known each other since Pop was like 15 and Caleaf and Link went to school together when they were young... they lived in the same neighbourhood! And you can tell that they're all the best of friends which is so awesome!
I didn't think I was going to stay for the Q&A but I ended up staying for the entire thing cos it was just so fascinating! Like for example I had no idea Pop played Grover from Sesame Street (couldn't wrap my head around it until he did Grover's voice!!), Pete's "Robotic Boy" story (lol!), Caleaf not liking elevators and Link being part of Elite Force! That last one there didn't really click until I was in the car going home and I went "wait, Elite Force? Jang Woo Hyuk!!!" And sure enough when I got home and looked up the video for 지지 않는 태양, there was Link dancing right next to Jang Woo Hyuk!! If I made the connection earlier I would have asked him to show me the choreo! hehe! I've wanted to learn it for so long and someone who actually did the dance was standing in front of me the entire week!!! Before I left I got a photo with all 4 of them and thanked them personally. Pete told me I had potential and to continue popping and practicing so that I'll be better the next time he comes and we do our thing! He burned a CD for me to practice but forgot it so I'll have to get it from Kerry in August haha! His music was awesome! Pop told me I did good as well! I didn't know what to say! I know Pop doesn't just hand out compliments (and it's for our own good!) so for him to say that to me is SUCH a huge self-esteem booster and I'm on the right track! I remember Pete saying that we shouldn't cheer or go "oh you're so good!" when someone dances unless it's really is good. We're all used to doing it when we see little kids dance cos it's so cute or when girls pop cos it's not something that is often done by girls, but we're just giving them a false sense of security. So these compliments are... omg I can just cry!! I'm so pumped to continue to better myself in popping and locking! I'm going to research as much as I can as Pete suggested!
Had a bit of a dilemma today as to which class I wanted to start with. Although I really enjoy Link's classes, I absolutely love popping and I already missed Pete's class yesterday. Luckily my dilemma was quickly solved as Pete told us those who wanted to do his class was to stay in studio 1 and those who wanted to do Link's class... was to stay in studio 1. Why? Cos they did a collaboration class!!! It was so amazing!!! Popping in combination with hip hop choreo was so friggin cool! I never thought they'd do something like that! I had a bit of trouble with some of Link's moves like usual, but I in the end I was able to do almost the entire combo without a hitch!
I missed out on the sushi yesterday cos Saarah had mentioned she wanted sushi on Tuesday and we had planned to go yesterday. Luckily they were craving it again so I went to Edo with Arianne and Sierra while Saarah and Jackie waited for us at our usual spot. Maybe it was a bad idea to eat so much cos 1 hour was definitely NOT enough time for eating and digesting. We decided to do Caleaf's house class after eating and I was SO full!!! I could feel the food slowly creeping up my stomach and I seriously thought I was going to throw up. But I couldn't be bothered to stop cos I was on a roll today! I got ALL Caleaf's moves and was able to do the combo no problem (unlike the classes before where I screwed up halfway when we got broken into groups). Friggin awesome!! I still felt kinda sick by the time Suga Pop's locking class started. We learned the scoobot and did variations of it. I did it a few times full out but then my foot started hurting again so I couldn't do anything that required jumping. But it was so hard not to cos once he turned on the music I couldn't help but groove to it! We put a small little combo together and then even went down to ending with floor work!! The combo was 1 scoobot, 1 scoobot hop, 2 scoobots, and then scoobot down to the floor and turn around to end like you would in a box split. It was so much fun!
I can't believe there's only one day left!! It's going to be so hard to choose what classes to take!
Omg I got there early today but I SO thought I was going to be late for my private cos the bus broke down! Luckily they got it working again and I arrived quarter to 12. Pete showed up a few minutes after and he thought Jackie was supposed to be there at the same time (I thought maybe they changed something) so we waited a bit. I chatted with Pete a bit and he asked me how I started dancing. I told him it was because of guilt and he was shocked but thought it was funny. He likes asking that question cos everyone dances for a different reason and it's fascinating to him. I told him how my family doesn't really support me doing this (they do, but they don't at the same time cos while they come watch shows and stuff, they keep telling me it's a waste of time and they don't understand why I do it at the same time). Pete's been around the world teaching and he told me he totally understands cos having been to Japan, Korea, and China, he realized it's all the same with Asian families. Turns out he didn't have much support either. He had the opportunity to tour when he was 16 and his dad said that ok, you tour for 2 months but then what after? Was he going to make money dancing, raise a family on the money he makes from dancing? But he said once you make it on TV and your parents see, they all go "oh that's my baby!" cos it's then turned into a type of accomplishment and makes them proud ^^. Pete's really patient at teaching cos he understands that not everyone grew up around that kind of music so it's a little difficult for some people to grasp. He actually recently came back from Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou and said he was talking to someone there and they realized that it was so difficult to grasp because they didn't grow up listening to that type of music so while it seemed natural to him, it was something completely foreign to them. I myself grew up trained in classical music and listening to Chinese pop songs. He's even danced to classical music before! He said that as long as there's a beat, you can dance to it. He actually likes to listen to classical music when he's on the plane cos it helps him relax.
Throughout the class Pete was saying the I was doing really well and it was great! There was one move that I kept screwing up though cos he said I kept thinking about the move too much. After a while he realized I was leaning back instead of forward and that was throwing off my timing, which is VERY important in popping! He apologized for not catching it earlier and then I finally got it. Omg, he actually made me FREESTYLE for 30 minutes! I thought I was going to DIE! Well, actually it didn't really feel THAT nervewrecking and I knew he was there to help me, but it was Poppin Pete!!!! I don't freestyle in front of no one and then all of a sudden I had to do it in front of Poppin Pete! I finally understand what it means to sit in the pocket of the beat! I heard it a lot before but I never understood it until now and I finally realized I wasn't popping in time! Pete taught me to listen to music like I never did before! He gave me great pointers too. He kept stopping me and showing me what I could do with my arms. I don't move my feet enough and I don't finish my moves. He didn't mind that I was constantly staring at the ground, since I am a beginner! I finally got in the groove and there were a few times that he was saying "nice! good! there we go!" which boosted my confidence ^^ One of the times I was finally getting into it and the song ended... so he made me do it again lol! He constantly reminded me when I was off beat to listen to the music and move to the music. Freestyling is actually just random movements. If you can move your arms, you can freestyle. If you look up what popping is about, it's a freestyle dance where you apply the popping technique to. He said it's good to have an appreciation for other dance styles and to learn from them, and he recommends people look up the history and stuff about dancing and popping, etc. instead of just taking it for granted and doing what we just see on TV or YouTube. It's good to learn what it's actually all about and how it came about. I then got a photo with Pete ^^ and he said he was going to burn a copy of the music and give it to me so that I can practice popping. Yay!!!
The $250 was SO worth it!!!!! I learned more today in that 1 hour class than I have learned in these past 2 years!!! Pete is SUCH an amazing dancer and teacher. I'm TOTALLY going to take another private lesson in the future!!!
Not really much to write about Day 3 considering I had to leave during the break cos I had guzheng practice. Because I didn't get a chance to do Suga Pop's class, I went for his popping class as well as his locking class. We did some boogaloo as well as popping in the first class. The combo he taught us had some difficult spots! He added a turn in there and that threw some of us off for a bit. Suga Pop's so nice! I know everyone was kinda scared of him and was all "omg he's such a tough judge!" when he came to AE last year and told everyone they weren't dancing. But trust me, he knows his stuff! He's actually one of the nicest people I've ever met and so genuine! He wants nothing more than for you to do well and to learn everything properly, and he's soooo good at teaching! If you have any problems or any questions he always takes the time to answer them and gives you more! And if you're a little slow, he doesn't mind either! His locking class was awesome too! I love funk music even more after taking his class cos he's so cool and funky when he dances! There were a few locking moves that were a little difficult, but the class was totally fun. He really challenged us and to make things more confusing, made us partner up and go this way and that, but it was so entertaining! I absolutely loved every minute of his classes!
Had to bus today. Wasn't TOO bad. Very strange though... after 7 months of ignoring me SOMEONE decided to start talking to me again! I was walking to the door and they were going to their car and called my name. I then got a big hug and was asked how I was doing and whether I liked the workshop! We talked a little bit and about how good the workshop was and how we caught a glimpse of something like that in Korea, and it was so strange to me! As if nothing happened!! Huh... why ignore me for so long then?
I decided to wait a bit before doing Suga Pop's class, so I started out with Link's class cos I absolutely LOVE hip hop (although I think I'm more suited to watching it than doing it haha!) We did old school to a song called "I'm the Shit" by DJ Class. It was so cool! We did the ATL Geek, a move that inspired the Shamrock in popping, the Smurf, a bit of house, the TLC, Janet Jackson's Control, the Reebok, and the Guess. The names are so cool! The dance was even cooler although I totally looked like a geek who didn't know how to dance! I still can't move like that!
Then it was upstairs to Poppin Pete's class which was AWESOME as usual! I LOVE watching him freestyle! He actually pointed at random people during the class and that meant you had to freestyle until he said you could stop. I was SO scared he was going to point at me! But luckily he didn't! Although I kinda wished he did so I could try cos he said that if you can't dance in front of other people then you're not a dancer. I have to get past that fear of mine eventually! I just don't know how to freestyle though! He played different songs and had us do the same routine again and again to them so that we could feel the beat and change the dance to fit it. There's this one song that's very Asian-esque that he played yesterday and today and I love it! I TOTALLY felt the dance when he played it!
After the break I decided to give Caleaf's class one more try. It was so long! Even longer than yesterdays and it was like Kerry's first few classes of house this year but even more intense! He had us do it in groups and I totally screwed up. I thought I was going to DIE after I finished the class! I was absolutely DRENCHED! But it was such a workout and I could really feel it in my legs lol! I still don't know how he does it without breaking a sweat!
We were going to do Suga Pop's locking class next but the studio was packed so Kerry asked us if we wanted to do Link's class since Suga Pop's going to be teaching locking the rest of the conference (as well as popping). So once again Arianne, Sarrah, Jackie, and another girl from Kerry's class this year (I never got her name T_T) did Link's class. We danced to MJ's Dangerous and it was awesome! We started the class with a few basic moves though and he spent like 20 minutes on one move cos we just couldn't get it! I don't know, his moves are so intricate! We all thought we were doing it right but apparently we weren't cos even Poppin Pete was laughing at us! We couldn't see what we were doing wrong though and he finally gave up haha! Towards the end of class my foot was starting to hurt and it's now swollen. I hope it's ok! I signed up for a private with Pete tomorrow morning before the workshop! I'm at noon and Jackie's at 1pm. So excited! I got in a bit of an argument with my mom over it cos it's $250 for an hour and she couldn't understand why I was "wasting" my money. I think it's totally worth it.
I was so nervous today for the workshop! I mean, pioneers of popping, locking, boogaloo, house, and hip hop dancers teaching us FOR A WEEK! I started off with Caleaf's class. It's the first time I've seen him, but he's HUGE! He's like close to 7 ft. tall and his feet move SO fast! I can't even catch up! And he's so graceful! It was so cool to watch him dance! His entire body moves at different times and it's so funky! Something I just can't comprehend. But man his classes are SUCH a workout! I was soaked in sweat by the time the class was over!
I took Link's class second and omg he's SUCH an AMAZING hip hop choreographer! I've NEVER seen anyone dance like that in Edmonton... I mean his style is out of this world!! He's DEFINITELY got swag! And he doesn't really try, but he's SO cool when he dances! His moves are a combination of fast and smooth, and he can just switch between the two just like that! We had trouble following him and we actually felt so bad we apologized for butchering his dance haha! He said it's not bad unless you quit! By the time his class was over, studio 5 was pretty... um... funky haha! Actually it was pretty "funky" after Caleaf's class!
After the break we did Poppin' Pete's class. I did one class of his last year and it was SO amazing! I absolutely loved it! I still remember how I was waiting for my ride last year and he came up to me before he left and told me I did a great job! hehe! We had to use the tiny studio 3 upstairs and it was PACKED! After teaching us a bit, he told us about his first time meeting MJ and how MJ loved to watch them dance so much that he'd sumon his bodyguards to get them whenever he wanted to show someone and he'd be all excited, looking out his trailer going "look! see! I told you they were good!" Pete said the first time he got the call about dancing for MJ in his "Beat It" video he thought it was a prank call so he hung up. Then the manager called and they were like "omg!" He said he went out to buy the CD cos he never heard the song, but he was a fan of Jackson 5 and MJ since he first saw MJ on TV when he was 8 years old (MJ was 10 at the time). Apparently he didn't like the song when he heard it lol! There were lots of different kinds of dancers on set for the MV: jazz dancers (they called them frou-frou's back then), them, and actual REAL gangster who were all bad ass until they saw MJ and then they screamed like little fangirls cos they too thought it was a prank! lol! Anyways, they were really shocked when the choreographer showed them the dance moves cos it was NOT what they do (which was street dance) and he said that if you watch the video you can see him behind MJ and he probably has a petrified look on his face cos of the "body roll" move they had to do, which he did for us and said he will never EVER show anyone ever again haha! He said when it came their turn for the canon, he looked at Suga Pop and they were both saying to each other "Are you ready? I don't know about this..." haha! I think I actually found him in the video but it's rather hard to see cos a) he was so young I couldn't really recognize him and b) it's hard to find a HD version of the video. Anyways, he respected him then and he still respects him after he's gone and I totally respect the both of them! ^^
I didn't think I'd be able to survive another class of Caleaf's so I took Link's class again. He wasn't lying when he said the second class was going to be hard! It was "lyrical" which means he followed the lyrics of the song for the dance. And you guess it, it was a FAST song. There were so many details and moves it made my head spin! He said it was easy but fast, which in the end makes it hard! lol!
So that was the end to day one! Suga Pop is going to be here starting tomorrow. Can't wait! And I'm DEFINITELY going to do a private with Poppin Pete even though it's $250!
I watched the MJ memorial live online today and it was absolutely touching. Listening to the music, it made me think of my dad and the CD he had made of his favourite music, a lot being from the Jackson 5. MJ was such a huge influence regardless of the events that occurred in the later part of his life and it definitely showed. I never imagined that something so big would happen during my generation. They did a tribute to MJ at HH4H 6 this year would was all too coincidental that it was almost creepy. I mean, they planned the whole tributes thing about a year ago and the idea for the MJ tribute was under way at least 3 months ago. Who would have thought that it would be this type of tribute. Nonetheless, it was so well done. I shed tears every time I watched the performance, both in rehearsal and during the actual show. Both nights Harman stole the show and even received the much deserved standing-O at the Sunday night show. I wish I had time to audition for the number and to be part of something so epic. This is the second time I could have been part of an MJ dance set... first time was my second year dancing at DA, but it didn't happen. Honestly, I never really listened to MJ when I was younger. I listened to more of his earlier music, when he was part of the Jackson 5. And I didn't get into dancing until a few years ago so it's not like I idolized him from the start like other dancers. Don't get me wrong, I did look up to his dancing and he was the first one that popped into my mind when I thought about dancing, but I wasn't a die-hard fan like a lot of dancers are. Still, the first move I wanted to learn when I started was the moonwalk.
