Dear Dejan Tubic, Love Dancers Anonymous

There are many choreographers that will inspire you in life. Perhaps it's not their work exactly that inspires you, but the way they teach it, the way they handle their business, or the way they care about people they don't even know. The dance world is full of competition, so to find someone who not only made their living and has become such a big name from posting some YouTube videos, but he does his best to respond to the people he comes into contact with. Most big names wouldn't even take the time.

The choreographer I'm talking about, is Dejan Tubic. He's based out of California (of course, because that's where all the cool people are) and he teaches his own style of Hip Hop. Just from watching his videos, he seems to have a fun personality, a great grip on life and an idea of what it means to have a good time in class. Great teachers know what it means to show their kids a good time, and make them strive for more. That's exactly what he did for me, and my kids.

I'll share a little side note with you. I did email Mr. Dejan Tubic and ask him what it would take to book a class with him so he could come here to New Mexico to teach our kids. It would have been great to give our students an opportunity like that! He was not the only choreographer I had tried to email, but he is indeed the only one who responded to me, which made me respect him even more. I explained to him that New Mexico has very limited opportunities when it comes to pursuing their dreams. Dance in this area, (good/well instructed technique and dance) is hard to come by, and most students decide to leave their dreams behind once leaving high school. I can't tell you how many dance students embarked on the college journey to pursue dance, and decided to give up. I wanted them to all realize that there were plenty of opportunities out there, they just had to go after them. I also explained to Dejan why I started Dancers Anonymous, to give him a better understanding of what I was trying to achieve with my students, and to let him know I would do anything for these kids. I want the best for them. Dejan so kindly wrote back, and here's what he had to say:

Hi Courtney!

First of all I want to say that you are absolutely amazing for what you are accomplishing and I commend you for that. I do have some bad news unfortunately and would not be able come that day or even that weekend due to a job that I am doing. I am literally booked out from the 26th of July all the way to the middle of August. I hope you don't take this email as a set back and continue to what you are doing. I want you to let everyone know involved that I wish I can be there and to have an amazing time at your workshops. Dance Dreams are Reality and I hope you all achieve it.

Thank you Courtney and I do hope to hear from you soon."  -Dejan Tubic

So, to show him our appreciate that he even responded to us, we taught one of his routines during one of our Dancers Anonymous classes. We taught it, made a video, and emailed it to him to show him. Before you proceed to watch the video, please note that their are a few bad words in the song, so if you're offended by that kind of thing, we apologize ahead of time. We again would like to thank Dejan for his encouragement and for all he does in the dance world! We hope to book him for next summer, or possibly around winter time for the kids to have such a great opportunity. Below is the video, and under that is the comment he left us on YouTube after watching the video :) he truly is a great person for the kids to look up to!

"LOVE THIS! Good job everybody!! I loved the video! Can't wait to come out to DejANCE with all of you!! Much love to you all at Dancers Anonymous!"
-Dejan

Dance Is A Flower That Blooms Forever.

Dance is one of those things that only improves over time. Go with me on this...

For example...

1) Dance in general over the years has not only improved in its performance, but its technique as well.
2) Each dance style continues to rise. Even when it hits a steady pace, it quickly picks back up and sky rockets.
3) And as dancers, our talent only improves not simply with practice, but with time as well.

I suppose you could say that dance is like fine wine. The older it gets... the better it gets.

I think I could say the same for our instructor Morgan Taylor. I've known Morgan for quite a few years now, and each time I watch her dance it's like a flower blooming in a meadow. She is extremely talented, and one of those dancers that picks up all styles extremely quickly. Watching Morgan dance a contemporary piece is like watching the best of the best. I feel deep down that Mia Michaels and Stacey Tookey would enjoy throwing their work at Morgan and watching the beauty that comes from it. She is a brilliant individual to say the least.

The work she creates is no different. Her choreography is unique and it causes you to feel something when you watch her do it. When she taught her contemporary choreography, the students were a little nervous because many of them have never done much when it comes to contemporary. She taught the class slow, but she also taught it well, by making sure all the students fully understood the movement. While the moves were not easy (we apparently like to challenge our students) the kids picked up each movement as if it were second nature. Okay.... well maybe not second nature... more like fifth nature... but none the less they did a great job and really tried to embody what Morgan was looking for. Her choreography and song choice was up lifting and fun, and I think the students left with a sense of accomplishment at trying something new.

Courtney

Morgan is a dancer at heart. She studies dance at New Mexico State University, and will hopefully continue her career for a very long time. She will hopefully continue to perfect her art and who knows... you'll probably end up seeing something on the news about her being kidnapped, but don't worry, it's only me taking her to the So You Think You Can Dance Auditions so that she can realize how awesome she is!!

Sometimes It's Good To Be Quirky.

A lot of times as dancers, we take ourselves WAY too seriously. We have a lot of goals and ambitions for our futures, we invest time and money into perfecting our craft, but sometimes... there comes a point where we have to stop being so serious, and just learn to have a little fun. If I'm allowed to to brag for a second, I would like to. I believe that Dancers Anonymous is fun from start to finish. We have really personable teachers, kids who enjoy a good time, and dances that are fun even when they are challenging.

If there is one thing that our instructor Josh Bernal knows how to do, it's show our students a fun and challenging routine. He never fails to deliver. This time was definitely no different, but he wanted to add a little extra fun to the challenge. He chose to do a song by Nicki Minaj with a beat that brings out everyone's quirky side, and we did just that... we got quirky! :) The moves may have been fast, but they also required the kids to add their personality into it, which made for a fun class, and lots of smiles. It's what makes being a teacher so rewarding, when your students have smiles on their faces the entire time they're learning, you know you're doing a good job. It was a fun class to just let go of trying to be so perfect and to just have a good time!

Kudos to Josh for yet another great class!

Courtney

Viewer Discretion Advised... Dancers Anonymous Style :)

So while our title may raise a few eyebrows, I must first apologize for getting so behind on the blogs. The classes have been taking up a lot of time, along with taking care of my mom. Classes however, have been going really great and this class, was no different. Well... it was different in a way! This class might be a little questionable for some, but while we did not have a full class, our students came with their curiosity in tact.

Desiree Clark has been one of my students for years. We went to high school together, and I was blessed when she came to take classes at Dancer Anonymous when she had time. I was even more excited when she wanted to teach! Desiree came up with a class called Street Tease, which is a phenomenon starting up all over the place. It was kind of awkward at first to start learning for a couple students, but they quickly warmed up to the choreography, the music, and allowing themselves to just open up to something new. Desiree was a great teacher for just that! She did a great job keeping the students comfortable and making sure they really got into the movements. We really enjoyed having her teach, and hopefully we can have her do it again in the future!

So, just as a fair warning... the moves are suggestive, so if that kind of thing bothers you, just don't watch the video at the end! HA! We had a great time, and the dance really isn't that provocative! Actually, I thought it was quite tasteful! It was a lot of fun and can't wait to do it again.

So without further ado... should we introduce you to Desiree? I think so...

Desiree has been dancing for 5 years, and it started when she danced with the LCHS Performing Dance team, mainly for her interest in Jazz/Broadway. Not only does she love dancing, but she sings as well, which makes her the perfect candidate for being on Broadway! "My dancing is less technique and more about expression and performance, which is why Broadway is my forte." While she is quite the Broadway extraordinaire, she decided to teach something a little different in class. "I came across street tease on the internet and fell in love with it. That's why I decided to bring the style to Dancers Anonymous!"

We're definitely glad she did bring it to class, because it challenged our students and gave us something new to explore! Tons of fun and we can't wait to have her back!

Courtney
 Please follow the link to watch the video because for some reason the blog hates me today.
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1442582962265

If I Want A Good Time... I'll Go To Dancers Anonymous.

It's hard to believe. Here we are, at the start of a new month with Dancers Anonymous. To be honest with you, I didn't even think it would last this long. It's a joy to see so many students who keep returning, and those that bring new faces. What a journey it has been so far, and thank the Lord it's not over yet. July is a jam packed month, and you're going to be hearing ALL about it!

But first...

I'm a little behind on getting these recaps out. It's been hard trying to get my mind in the right mood to write. So... let's jump into it! Julian joined us yet again to teach another class. He did a great job, just like his last class, and everyone had a really great time. Julian brought us another smooth Hip Hop and he taught it with ease. The students now knew what it meant to be smooth after taking Julian's other class, and it was incredible to see how much the students had grown in only a week! They were even more smooth than before.

Have you ever lost track of time? It happens to everyone more than once in our lives, but it usually doesn't happen when we're working (with the exception of  being crazy busy). However, during this class, time went by so fast that we did not even have enough time to finish the routine! Which I was really sad about because Julian had some great choreography! You'll get to see the video here in a sec. None the less, Julian finished up his routine and we all split into our groups to record the video. Even our students were surprised that time had gone by so quickly... but I guess that's what happens when you're not only having a great time, but when you're surrounded by people you enjoy spending your time with.

Julian is an incredible person, student, teacher, and friend. I look forward to seeing where his dancing takes him in the future because I have no doubt that it will take him far.

Courtney

"Accept The Challenges, So That You May Feel The Exhilaration Of Victory." - General Patton

It's one thing to challenge ourselves because we want to better ourselves, and it is another thing completely to walk into a room, not sure what your getting yourself into, and challenging yourself anyway. Going with the first idea, in a way, you've mentally prepared yourself for the challenge, which means you know that you are going to have some rough moments up ahead of you. However, if you go with the second idea, you may see those rough moments as obstacles that you cannot handle. Sometimes... it is those moments that are in fact extremely defining.

I know you've heard me say it a million times already, but I really am impressed to see how these students here at Dancers Anonymous face challenges that they just simply walk into. Half of the time I know they keep pushing forward simply because they love to dance. What more could I ask for in a group of students? I mean... is that not the same thing we want in every job? Employees that want to be at work, students who want to learn, dancers who love to dance, teachers who ENJOY teaching, and people who just actually want to better themselves in every way. Today was no exception for these great kids! Most of them are used to Hip-Hop... or some form of whatever they learn off music videos these days, but to throw in a more flowing aspect to it, such as contemporary, is like asking them to walk a tight rope. No... it's not impossible, but it sure does feel like it! Especially limiting the class times to only an hour and a half, makes it even harder on them, but I become more and more impressed with them as I watch them take on these styles they've never done before. They always prove to me that they know they have to work hard to get some things, while they may not have to work as hard to learn others.

A student, Eddy Rodriguez, mentioned that he would enjoy teaching a class to our instructor Josh Bernal. Josh swore to me that I would be impressed and that I could trust Eddy to have amazing choreography and do a great job teaching. He was right! Eddy taught a really great class and I was so impressed with his choreography! There were moments when he was on one side of the room and I was on the other we all would have just learned a new move and I would be telling the students how much I loved that particular move. What's funny is that I'm pretty sure I mentioned loving a particular move about twenty times! It was definitely a challenge for me as well, but one that blessed me in a great way! Not only was I blessed because these students were working their butts off trying to get the choreography down, but also because I was challenging myself and also (as General George S. Patton said himself) feeling the exhilaration of victory. Sure... most of us messed up quite a bit but we had a great time and we pushed ourselves to do something new, and ended up having a great time. (Even if they were WAY too quiet for my liking for most of the class) Ha!

Courtney

I only got to know Eddy through our instructor Josh Bernal. He's been to quite a few of our classes, and seems to have enjoyed himself. His style is really great and his personality is easy to get along with. I wish he had taught sooner, because I really enjoyed his class. Hopefully even after he moves, he will return back for a class or two :)
"Well I first started dancing the way most other small town kids start; in their room, emulating what they saw on tv. My favorite style by far is hip hop, naturally, and pop, but I also like the movements and stories that contemporary can tell, so I always try to merge the two if I ever have to choreograph a piece. I would just like to see myself continue to use dance as an outlet to vent my feelings, emotions, thoughts, ideas etc. The way I have always done it. I've never sought notoriety for what I can do or compared myself and my 'skills' (for lack of a better term lol) to other dancers, nor do I think I will ever. To me, dance has always been one of the friends I can go to, if I need to set myself right by venting to them." -Eddy

It Was Smooth. Like Cherry Dr. Pepper.

One thing I did not know, even with the extent of my love of Hip-Hop, was how many different forms there could possibly be. Not really sure what my style of Hip-Hop would be called, but we've had some girly hip hop, gangsta hip hop, and Thursday, we got to experience a real treat, and it was smooth hip hop, taught by our very own Julian Rodriguez. To get a better understanding of what smooth hip hop is or looks like, imagine if you will, Justin Timberlake and the way he dances in his music videos, and there you have it!! Smooth Hip-Hop!

I am by no means very good at being smooth... I mean... I'm not a boy... only boys are supposed to be smooth when it comes to these kinds of things. Lucky for me I had a good teacher, and while I still may not be very smooth, I think the whole class started to feel a little more suave by the end of class! Julian has a style ALL his own and he makes dancing smooth look really amazing! So amazing that as a girl, you can't help but smile. It's like being 12 all over again and at the concert of your favorite boy band. It's hard not to get giddy! HA! The students obviously had a great time and we are all looking forward to Julian's next class! He has a great personality, great dance style, and he is turning out to be a wonderful teacher. But then again... I had no doubts! :)

Julian has been dancing for almost four years now and he enjoys every second of it. In fact... it's hard to even have a conversation with the boy without him movin around or trying new ways to "Tut" with his hands. :) Which is quite entertaining! What's funny, is that Julian did not even begin to dance because he had a passion for it. He actually started doing it simply because he wanted to see how it was to dance! It was only then that he realized he was a journey he would never want to end! "I love dance because of the fact that you're able to just let loose, let your emotions out, and just have fun with it!" Julian see's himself hopefully traveling with his dance career and possibly touring. If he can't do that, he knows he wants to be teaching in a studio somewhere... ( Hopefully with me ;) ). "Dance has made me who I am. Without it, I wouldn't be who I am today!"

I'm glad Julian just simply decided to try dancing. He's great at it, and he's so much fun to watch! We all look forward to what Julian has in store for DA this summer and for his own future!

Courtney