“My life is singing. I don’t plan on retiring. I plan to die on a stage. I can have a headache but when it’s time to sing and I step on that stage there is no more headache.”- Celia Cruz
Celia Cruz’s Cure For Headaches…
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Blog Archives
The dancer in me…- by Devan Isaac
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“Ever since I was five, maybe even younger, I guess you could say my parents saw the dancer inside me. They’d walk into the room and I’d always be trying to do headstands or backflips on their bed. So they said, “Why not dance?”
They enrolled me in classes, and I took to it and I just fell in love with it.
The dancers I look up to are bboys in general. Bboys
and breakers all have their own style. They all have their own flow. It’s the way they dance and express how they feel, and just their moves in general, that is so great. That’s hard to achieve now, since there’s Youtube and all that. You have everyone coming up with the same style, the same kind of flow. But with breakers, they keep it original, and that’s what inspires me.”
-Devan Isaac- age 15
-member of The Freshh Crew
Dancing Makes My Day!- by Justin Nicolas
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“The way I got into dance was through watching movies and TV shows. I’d see all the mainstream dancing and I thought it was really cool. So I started dancing and training. And sure, it sucks sometimes when I make plans with my friends from school and then I remember I can’t hang out with them because I have dance practice. But then, once I come to dance, well, I kind of forget about those other plans because dance is so much fun.
The feeling I get from dancing, well, I can’t really explain it. It’s always different. I could be happy, I could be sad. But each time I dance, it makes me feel really good about myself. It just makes my day. And in our crew, we get to share that feeling with each other, as a family. It’s hard work, but it’s worth it. Because even though we’ve reached a high level, there are others out there who are better than us. And we don’t want to just stay at the same level. We want to get better too and be good role models. ”
– Justin Nicolas – Age 15- member of The Freshh Crew
Props to the Pioneers – by Cezar Tantoko
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“I started dancing, as a bboy first. Back then, in 1984, there was no Youtube, nothing like that. We would just see something on commercials or on TV – some breakdancing moves- and dancing looked like a positive way for us to channel our energy.
That’s how we got started, and maybe also because we thought it would help us get the girls at first (laughs). But later, you realize there is so much more to it. And when you get into dancing so deep, it becomes your passion.
I love dance, but it is the pioneers of Hip Hop who really inspire me. Crazy Legs, The Rock Steady Crew, and all the others who, despite the criticism they faced from everyone that didn’t believe in hip hop and breakdancing at the time, just kept going with it.
If it wasn’t for those guys who paved the way for us, those artists who constructed the highway for us, we wouldn’t be enjoying what we enjoy right now.”
-Cezar Tantoko- dancer, coach and choreographer
Creator of Fresh Groove Productions
To be a dancer…
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“There are so many kids, especially teenagers, that can get
really down on themselves and are not able to express how they really feel. To be a dancer is to have that outlet to really express yourself however you’re feeling at the time. How you’re moving, and the story you want to tell, can be portrayed through dance. And I think to have that is TRULY AN HONOUR. And you get to spend that time being around friends too. You get to share that experience amongst other people that feel the exact same way. It’s remarkable to have that.” – Zac Vran – Age 16-member of The Freshh Crew
A window to dance…- by MC Stewart
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“The reason I started dance goes back to when I was
very little- about four years old. There was a mall by my house, and whenever my mom would go grocery shopping, there would be this this big window nearby. And I’d always run away from my mom and go stand in front of the window to watch the breakdancing classes going on inside. I had a lot of energy, so my mom asked, “Do you want to try it out?” And I just got into it really fast.
Dance was more than just a hobby for me. Right from the beginning, I really looked forward to going to class. I played sports and stuff, which is fun, but it’s not the same. There’s just a different environment and a different vibe when you’re in a dance class compared to when you’re playing basketball, or football, or soccer or whatever. So why do I dance? I just kind of fell in love with it right away.”
-MC Stewart – age 16 – from The Freshh Crew
“I didn’t even know that I needed dancing so much… until now.” -Yesenia Peralta
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“I love dancing, and everything in my dancing career has been spectacular. But… I never had time to sit down and think, about… about ANYTHING to do with dancing until now.
… I’m doing better because dancing has really taken me to a place of healing that I never imagined. I didn’t even know that I needed dancing so much.
… It’s like everything kind of makes sense now.”
-Yesenia Peralta
(Stay tuned for the in-depth, candid interview from which this excerpt was taken. The full interview with Yesenia Peralta will be published here in a few days, and the link will be posted on Dance Me Free’s facebook page as well. Follow us here, or ‘LIKE’ us on facebook to be updated on this and other future posts by clicking here: Dance Me Free on Facebook)
You don’t have to be on your feet to dance…
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“Even if you lie, seemingly stagnant, you have the power to dance. While your muscles rest, your soul has the ability to soar free from this limiting body we inhabit. But one must first ALLOW the movement to happen. Our minds are the trickiest trap that we posses. Along with its great power, we have also inherited its greatest weakness… Judgement.”
-Orin McRey
Dance Floor Diary- by Joan de los Reyes
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“Dance and Hip Hop have been my constant saving graces. Dance is the best way I can communicate. Hip Hop is the language that my soul speaks. The marriage of the two on the dance floor is where I feel most “myself”.
In my recent exploration of expressive art therapy, I have discovered even more about dance and movement and its ability to heal. Before I even knew what this therapy was, I was already doing it, without even realizing it. Spending countless hours alone in the studio in my own thoughts, I was expressing- through dance- what I cannot say in words.
The dance floor is my diary, my confessional, my haven.”
– Joan de los Reyes
Dance in the rain…
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“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass;
it’s about learning to DANCE in the rain.”
– Vivian Greene
Dance Me Free 