So You Think You Can Dance

by Lydia Uncategorized
Your votes on our So You Think You Can Dance Survey told me that you think Jacque and Ricky will go home. Let’s see if you’re right!
 

The Top 6 Perform

SYTYCD_Google_Profile The battle for the top spot grew even more challenging last night as the dancers had to  perform three separate dances, one with a fellow competitor, an All-Star partner, and a  solo.   Since we were down to the top six, the dancers really brought their game and there were  so  many excellent dances. Here are some of my favorites from last night.

The choreography of Valerie and Ricky’s Broadway piece had a very difficult component  to it regarding the main prop. Their somewhat silly and carefree feeling dance, used a  swing which Ricky had to leap through several times throughout the dance. Valerie’s  dress was poofy and fun.

Next up was Jessica and Casey who went back in time with their sparkly disco and had the  costumes to match. Casey spun Jessica around so many times during the dance it almost made me dizzy just watching them!

 

Last night SYTYCD was joined by the band Rixton, who performed their hit song Me and My Broken Heart.

 

After that energetic performance, the All-Star couples began their routines. Jacque and All-Star Will’s contemporary routine was light and airy, with the song to match, 99 Red Balloons by Nena. My absolute favorite dance of the night was Zack with All-Star Fik-Shun. Their hip hop routine was choreographed by Phillip Chbeeb who was inspired by the Rorschach  Inkblot Test. The dancer’s movements were completely synchronized to form interesting shapes with their bodies. This routine was accompanied by a song I like listening to Sail (Unlimited Gravity Remix) by AWOLNATION. 

Then it was time for the results. The final four dancers are Ricky Ubeda, Jessica Richens, Zack Everhart, and Valerie Rocky. Sadly, we said goodbye to Casey Askew and Jacque LeWarne.

Frame Dance Rehearsal

by Lydia Uncategorized

Frame Dance Rehearsal

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Yesterday in rehearsal, we celebrated Laura Gutierrez’s birthday. We all laughed as her fellow dancers carried her throughout the room to Donna Lewis’ “I love you, always forever.” After starting off on a fun and energetic note, they wasted no time getting into the movement. Lydia taught the dancers new movement before reviewing their work from previous rehearsals. They experimented with different music to give their movements a more distinctive feel.

One of the new sections they learned was inspired by Lydia’s visit to the Blanton Museum, where Frame Dance will be performing  September 18th.  The section involved using the space in an interactive walking  sequence, and is something I will look forward to seeing during the performance.

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The dancers combined their previous work and new sections together weaving an intricate larger dance piece. The dancers took their cues from the different components of the music. The music for their next show is composed by Robert Honstein and named An Index of Possibility, which will be performed live at the Blanton Museum in Austin. Don’t forget to mark your calendars, because this is a performance you won’t want to miss!

SeptembIMG_4432er 18, 2014 5:30pm 
Blanton Museum
Austin, TX

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So You Think You Can Dance

by Lydia Uncategorized

The Top 8 Perform

SYTYCD_Google_Profile

Michael Jackson was the theme of the night.   The top 8’s reflective, extra-terrestrial group dance  was choreographed by the man who was the star’s personal choreographer, Travis Payne.

The judging panel was joined by Jenna Dewan-Tatum, as they kicked off another great episode of So You Think You Can Dance.

We learned that each dancer would get the opportunity to showcase their solos along with  their duets with the all-stars.

Casey Askew’s contemporary solo was accompanied by one of my favorite music artists M83.

My overall favorite solo was performed by Jessica Richens. Her contemporary solo was flawlessly liquid.

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Tuesday Tunes: Live Music In Dance Class

by Lydia Tuesday Tunes
Framers, today we’re looking at a dance class from a different perspective: the perspective of a musician accompanying a dance class. So I interviewed Kirk Suddreath to get a some more details.
 

Tuesday Tunes: Kirk Suddreath

 

kirk_framerR: What do you find to be the most challenging part about playing live music for a dance class?   

K: I very much enjoy providing musical accompaniment for dance classes. I enjoy the “in the moment” communication between the teacher, the dancers, and myself. As a percussionist, most of my experience playing music involves collaboration with other musicians, but playing for dance allows me to basically improvise to the meet the immediate needs of the class. The most challenging part would be interpreting the teaching style of each teacher, finding their level of musicality, and identifying how they are most comfortable communicating what they want. 

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MFA Monday: Lauren Ashlee Small

by Lydia MFA Mondays

MFA rightPart 3 After a year and a half in New York City I knew it was time to go. I missed my family and having a community I could go to when I needed a hug or a pause from the daily grind. I missed academic study. The intense focus on the physical aspect of my training and performance left me feeling underdeveloped. The analytical, question-asking side of my dance experience was not being explored to its fullest and had not been since college. I moved home to Illinois once again and asked myself if it was time to go back to school. I had been studying various graduate programs since senior year. I knew that I wanted an MFA in Dance… until I moved home to apply for the fall semester. All of a sudden a billion questions surfaced that had never before been an issue for me. I questioned whether dance was for me at all. If I had not stayed in New York City and sustained a life of prominence within an elite professional company was I cut out to dance at all? Was I getting too old?

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Free Events Thursday

by Lydia Free Events Thursday

Houston Restaurant Weeks 2014

Participating Houston Restaurant Weeks Restaurants

August 1- September 1, 2014

For 32 days, diners will enjoy specially priced multi-course prix-fixe menus. Participating restaurants make donations to the Food Bank based upon their HRW sales. Check out the website for more details.

Price: $20-$45

 

Haircuts at Supercuts Studio

Supercuts Studio at 5727 Westheimer

August 14: 9 am – 11:45 am, 2 pm – 3:45 pm
August 15: 9 am – 11:45 am, 2:30 – 2:45 pm

Walk-ins are welcome or make an appointment! Email your name and phone number to supercutsstudiowestheimer@gmail.com. They will reply with your appointment time and date. Mention the cut you prefer in the email.

Price: FREE!!!

 

Summer Nights Salsa

Thursday, Aug 14, 2014 from 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM

Discovery Green Conservancy

All the music, soul and passion of street-style Salsa. Plus bachata, merengue and salsa suelta. No partner required.

Price: FREE!!!

 

Full Gallop

8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays until September 14th.

Stages Repertory Theatre, 3201 Allen Parkway

Diana Vreeland was an American fashion icon for more than 50 years. As a columnist and fashion editor for Harper’s Bazaar and then editor for Vogue, the undisputed fashion bible of the era, Vreeland influenced styles, set trends and ran with a very famous crowd (she “discovered” Lauren Bacall, advised Jacqueline Kennedy, and was an early champion of Diane von Furstenberg, Manolo Blahnik and Oscar de la Renta). She was 70 when she was eventually fired from Vogue, and that’s where playwrights Mark Hampton and Mary Louise Wilson’s comedy Full Gallop picks up.

Price: $19-$65

 

Drama in the House: On Approval

5:00 p.m. August 17, 7:00 p.m. August 21

Museum of Fine Arts-Brown Auditorium Theater

1001 Bissonnet Houston, TX

Clive Brooks’s restored 1944 comedy On Approval caused a sensation at the 2014 TCM Classic Film Festival in L.A., Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Film Curator Marian Luntz says. “[When] it became available on 35mm…we just had to [get it on our schedule]!” The film, which has Brooks pulling double duty as director and star opposite actress Beatrice Lillie, follows two cash-poor aristocrats hoping to wed wealthy widows.

On Approval is one of a number of films that represent the English country house being shown in conjunction with the museum’s current exhibition, “Houghton Hall: Portrait of an English Country House.”

Price: $9

 

Blissful Warrior Yoga

Saturday, Aug 16, 2014  from 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM

Discovery Green Conservancy

Blissful Warrior Yoga, taught by Michelle and Anandaji, will unwind and rehabilitate you as well as challenge and strengthen you. You will discover the basics of vinyasa yoga, breath and fluidity, and the movement of energy, known in ancient cultures as prana, mana, or qi. Blissful Warrior Yoga brings together elements of tai chi, kung fu, balance techniques, and energy building poses. 

Price: FREE!!!

 

Word Around Town Poetry Tour 2014

Aug. 14 – Boomtown Heights – 242 W. 19th St. at 8:00 pm
Aug. 15 – The Alley Kat Bar and Lounge – 3718 Main St. at 8:00 pm
Aug. 16 – Brasil – 2604 Dunlavy St. at 8:00 pm

The Word Around Town poetry tour is a week-long poetry marathon held at different venues. The lineup comprises Houston’s top poets and a select nightly feature that promises to bring the type of diversity and excitement that defines the Houston poetry scene.

Price: FREE!!!

 

“Back-To-School Event and Fashion Show” benefiting M.D. Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital

Saturday, Aug. 16th, 2014 at 1 p.m.

The Galleria
5015 Westheimer Rd.
Houston, TX 77056

Children, including pediatric cancer patients, and M.D. Anderson physicians will highlight this season’s popular trends on the runway with looks from Naartjie Kids, Macy’s, Peek Kids and more.

Price: FREE!!! Suggested donation of $10 – $25 for fashion show seating.

 

Nicole Longnecker Gallery opening reception: Help Yourself by Sketchy Neighbors

Saturday, Aug. 16th, 2014 at 6 p.m.

Nicole Longnecker Gallery
2625 Colquitt St.
Houston, TX 77098

Nicole Longnecker Gallery presents Help Yourself by Sketchy Neighbors, an exhibition inspired by self-help. The concepts and materials were randomly drawn and paired, defining the parameters for each artist’s piece.

Expect to see unorthodox materials such as modified Easy-Bake Ovens, cereal boxes and vitamins. As it’s Sketchy Neighbors tradition, some weirdness will most likely transpire during the opening reception. In conjunction, there will be an area for exhibition guests to make their own works of art using devices and processes created by Sketchy Neighbors.

Price: FREE!!! Proceeds from this creative zone area will benefit Neighborhood Centers.

 

 

 

 

Eat Well Wednesday!

by Lydia Eat Well Wednesday Uncategorized

EWSA Logo

 

 55 Healthy Snacks Under 200 Calories

 http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=1792

 

nutella fudge

 

Chocolate Nutella Fudge

(Gluten-free and no-bake!) (Plus it has  absolutely ZERO added sugar and it can be made in 5 minutes flat!)

  • 1/4 cup coconut butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup choc-hazelnut spread or Healthy Nutella
  • 1-2 tsp cocoa powder or cacao powder
  • 65g very-ripe banana (about 1/4 a large banana)
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • sweetener if desired (Some people want it, others don’t.)

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender. (It’s best if the coconut butter is not solid, and if you use a frozen banana be sure to thaw so it doesn’t harden the coconut butter.) After blending, taste to see if you’d like to add any sweetener. Scoop into a container or even a little pie pan, and put in the fridge or freezer so it will firm up. This is freezer fudge, so it needs to be kept cold. It makes a small serving, but feel free to double or triple the recipe!

Puff pastry waffles filled with fruit jam

Ingredients:
1 roll of puff pastry (± 230gr)
3 1/2 tsp fruit jam of your choice
1 egg yolk
icing powder, for decoration
1. Preheat waffle iron
2. Roll out puff pastry and cut out 14 circles, around 6 to 7cm each, (± 2,5inch), by using a glass
3. Two pastry circles per waffle are needed; place 1/2 tsp of fruit jam in the middle of one pastry circle
4. Beat the egg yolk and spread it on the border of the pastry circle with the jam on
5. Close the ‘waffle to be’ with 2nd pastry circle on top and press well on the edge, close the edge by using a fork
6. Place prepared pastry circles in the waffle iron, two at a time, (that is if your waffle iron can make 2 waffles at the same time) and bake them 6 to 8min. or until golden brown.
Once they are baked, let them cool for 5min., sprinkle with icing powder and serve warm.

Tuesday Tunes: piano cover bands

by Lydia Tuesday Tunes
Happy Tuesday, Framers! 
 

Tuesday Tunes

Many dance teachers prefer to have the sounds of the piano in the studio during their classes. Recently when taking a class, I’ve observed teachers using piano accompaniments of popular songs. For example, the Piano Tribute Players cover songs by popular artists such as Lorde, Bastille, Icona Pop, and Katy Perry.

These songs by the Piano Tribute Players are fun and still keep the original rhythm, but without the distracting lyrics for class.  What do you think?