African Dance (Foundation)

My next Entry for my blog is drum roll please.....real drums that is.......lol African Dance :)  I'm really excited to share with you my experience of this style. I trust that you can do anything once you conquer Ballet & African. LearningAfrican made it much easier to handle other styles like hip hop, house, reggae etc. I started taking african 1996 when i was 11 at Kips Bay Boys and Girls club in the bronx by my teacher Mrs. Elenor. She taught us styles like KouKou Manjani and more (can't remember every name). I left KipsBay 99' to go to my high school (Professional Performing Arts School) where we trained at the Alvin Ailey School of dance. My african Teacher there was Ms. Escobar....she was a bald headed older woman who would have more energy than all us students put together. She taught styles like   DunDunba, Manjani, Koukou, Soli, Sunu, Funga and more i can't remember. Thank God i started in the highest level because i got the push i needed. Around my sophmore or junior yr a friend of mine Jessica (lil Jessica) brought my best friends Ebony, Georgia and i along  to "Larocque Bey" in harlem where she studied under my teacher 'Jerome'. He teaches many styles as well as plays and makes African Drums.  He's a little over me because i haven't been to his class in forever lol but I know i need him in my life. He always starts with a  cardio that make you want to die then has the nerve to say "ok time to start class"...n ur like "that what?" haha!
Today i took class from another teacher "Ester" that is freaking amazing. Its in a school gym in harlem and only ask for donations to the drummers that play. Its an open level, she does beginners intermediate and advanced across the floor so everyone can be in their level and have challenge. Of course i'm trying to keep up with the black girls in the advanced line (cough cough) lol....and i wasn't complimenting myself. As an adult i haven't been taking African like i need to, which explains why today i started looking like a puerto rican doing african......I can't stand it!  I'm usually the Latina thats eating all the black squirrels lol.
So I encourage all you dancers, the ones who have experience or never took an African class in their lives to at least try it. Believe me when you go in with an open mind and heart and feel the rhythm of the drums you would say to yourself "Why the hell wasn't i doing this as a fetus?" hahahaha true story!
www.LarocqueBey.org - Jerome teaches an Adult class in harlem thats 10 dollars i believe. Saturday 3-5 i believe. Check the site to make sure i'm not buggin.
www.AfricanDanceSchdule.com - Go here to see every african class in NYC.

Thanks for supporting my blog...hope i helped :)

Ok this is my 3rd recommendation and its a real good one people. Drum Roll pleasee.............'BRIAN (Footwork) GREEN'  Yeeeheyyyyy! Oh how i love that man, you have 0 clue. I'm one to always preach about versatility because i truly believe that every style can compliment another. When you think of Versatility the first person you should think of is The Brian Green. I've always been obsessed with how good he is in sooooo many freakin styles. It actually makes me sick lol. The footwork in his name stands for his amazing footwork in house and pretty much anything else. I'm talking styles like Tap, African, Ballet, Hip Hop, Popping, Locking, Waacking etc etc. And he's not just mediocre in these styles he's freakin amazing in all of them. Thats why he will always be above the rest.

 I met Brian when I was 17...right around the same time I met Tweetie and a lot of other pioneers of the underground dance scene! I was in this crew "Nexx Level" with Bam Bam, Marvelous, Eric Negron, Tech, Sharaya, Kinue, Tenile and some others....most of the time i would go with the guys to this Underground Party that Brian hosted called the "House Dance Conference" that happened every 1st thursday of the month! It was at this spot called Demararas on 28th n 7th i think....anyways DJ Doc played hip hop for the poppers lockers and bboys downstairs & Various DJs played House Upstairs.  The first time experiencing the House Conference I honestly felt at home with all these amazing people. I have an old soul, so i'm used to not having so much in common with my generation and usually gravitate towards my elders and the more Elite....always been that way. Any who my first encounter with Brian was pretty funny. I of course heard of Brian but i never met him in person. At this time i was voguing on my own and nobody was really doing it outside of the Ballroom Scene....the only style being done that was similar was Waacking, and the only ones i remember doing it up in the circles was Brian and Marjory before myself.  My first time going to the Conference he was in the circle waacking and i was like 'who the fuck is that' wit my rowdy ass lol. I went in after him and tried to serve him and he wound up serving me instead haha. But I guess my i don't give a fuck attitude drew attention to the scene, hence the name "Female Brian Green". Thats how i started waacking. Brian even let me sub his waacking class at BDC twice and i fused Voguing into it. It was my first official teaching experience 2004! Til this day i can still go to his class and feel like i can't dance for my life. He's just Perfection!!!!

If it wasn't for this man with his amazing guidance and opening up a new world of dance to me where I met so many of my talented people i now call friends, I wouldn't be where i am! Thank you Brian for your brilliance :)

Almost forgot to mention that he's teaching House tomorrow March 4th 5pm at Alvin Ailey :)

This is exciting :)  My 2nd recommendation is drum roll please........Tweetie. OHhhhh my Tweetie byrd (i'll slap that bitch) lol. I've known Tweetie since 03 and loved her spirit and her talent ever since. Back in the days when i wasn't giggin & was pretty much a peasant, I took that time to upgrade my vocabulary and train heavy! Luckily i had Tweetie and Stretch by my side....there used to be a practice spot called the 'POP SHOP'. Thats when i was learning how to pop, lock, waving, tutting....tweetie and i were just giving and taking from each other. Around the same time i introduced her to voguing but this before her and i were original members of the House Of Ninja! If it wasn't for this girl right here there would have been no 'Touch Girl'
Now Tweetie is on an entirely different level than she was then. Her Power, Confidence, Swag, and Ability is something we should all work up to. She teaches in NY and all over the world.....her schedule in NY is Alvin Ailey Mon&Wed 7pm - 8:30 http://www.alvinailey.org/aileyextension/faculty/tweetie and @ PeriDance Tues&Thurs  1pm -2:30pm http://www.peridance.com/facprofile.cfm?fid=458   Please support a teacher True to Hip-Hop  :)