Category Archives: Uncategorized

Uncategorized

East Coast West Coast Body Wars!

Ok so while we on the East Coast are somewhere between a North Face bubble jacket, trench coat, and leather jacket, the West coast has shed their light winter fare and have already headed for the beach. Not only do we East coasters have to contend with our uncooperative weather patterns (though trying not to be bitter (cold) about it) we are also inundated via Internet blog sites with West coasters tanned and toned bodies hitting the surf. I don’t know about you but when it’s 45 degrees and I am trying to decide which coat will be light enough for the day but provide enough insulation for the cooler evenings, I don’t want to have to contemplate with the fact that (even though our beach weather is months away) I am not in “Bikini Shape” It’s just too much pressure.

There was a time when the coasts where completely oblivious to what the other was doing or wearing. It was all quite Little House on the Prairie; we would hear tales of sunshine and bliss, but would have to await news in a letter that arrived at the general store from someone out west who would tell us how people there going to the beach in the middle of April. Now with the Internet and Social Networking sites, we have streaming feed of fashions actions and happenings from around the world at a click, and that includes how great and in shape all the West coast celebrities are months before we know we have to put down the bagel and get ready for the great shedding of the clothes.

I was lying in bed the other day and absentmindedly (as dancers are wont to do) threw my leg up in the air. I was feeling quite good as I gazed fondly at the pointed foot and well formed calf muscle (never my “problem areas) however as my eyes traveled down past the knee I was stricken with horror as my thigh looked like one of those sides of lamb they shave to make Greek Gyro sandwiches. Clearly my calf looked good because all the winter weight had been propagated by gravity southwards towards my hip. I pinched at poked at this foreign mass and thought to myself “Oh this is not good”

I knew I had to do something (like stop hoovering everything that came into my path into my mouth like an anteater) but there was something in my that said, “Hey you’ve got a couple of months before the big reveal” As I made my way to the living room I grabbed a snack off of that Snack Shelf and went to the computer. That’s where the East Coast West Body Wars are played out. I was immediately confronted with the likes of Courtney Cox’s bikini body, Halle Berry’s Bikini Body, and Maggie Gyllenhaall’s. Ugh. It was enough to ruin a good snack! I immediately felt behind (pun intended) in the game, but why?

Technically I *do have at least 3 months to pull it together before putting on shorts, baring a midriff or a bathing suit, and that is on the time line for *my coastline, however with the world shrinking to the size of a hand held device it gets harder and harder to not pay attention to that is happening on the other side of the country or the world. Now this is both a positive and a negative. We now receive critical news at the time that it happens, we can stay on top of what is happening in Japan, Haiti and Libya as it happens, which as citizens of the world it is are responsibility to do, or we could be up to the minute on the fact that Victoria Beckham is 12 months pregnant and looks like she ate a piece of bread drank some water and bloated a little bit…

Ok I’m going to Bikram!

Uncategorized

Size Matters: But You Have Such a Pretty Face

I found this interesting argument on BitchMagazine.com. sparked by comments blogger Tasha Fierce made about Grey’s Anatomy star Sara Ramirez when she called her fat. Here is her quote:
While there are endless examples of fat female characters portrayed in an unappealing light on television, fewer and farther between are positive portrayals of female fatness. When you come across one, even if it’s on an otherwise dull show, it’s refreshing to see. I’d like to take in a few of those breaths of fresh air here, for your reading pleasure.


Grey’s Anatomy: Dr. Callie Torres (see above picture)
Played deftly by Sara Ramirez, Callie is a strong, complicated, nuanced and gorgeous woman of color who happens to be fat—a characteristic that doesn’t hamper her ability to get it on with some of the hottest people on the show, from Dr. Mark “McSteamy” Sloan to her current love interest, an attractive, thin blonde woman by the name of Arizona. This relatively recent development in Callie’s love life earned her the adoration of legions of queer women (myself included). Her character proves that fat female sexuality can be portrayed in a tasteful, positive light without the partner of the fat woman being positioned as a “chubby chaser” or in some other way a fat fetishist.
read the complete post here

This pissed some reader off and sparked and interesting argument and observation about how we categorize people as “fat”.
Here is what it it sparked in response:
Size Matters: But You Have Such a Pretty Face
Social Commentary post by Tasha Fierce, Submitted by Tasha Fierce on August 9, 2010 – 10:52am

As there seems to be a basic lack of understanding of fat acceptance among many readers here, I think it’s appropriate to take some time out and illustrate some of what I consider the main lessons taught by the fat positivity and fat acceptance movements. I recognize that Bitch does not regularly deal with issues of size and fatness, so we’ll just discuss some key points and then we can go back to talking about fat in pop culture.

First off, the last post I did, “Size Matters: Small Screen, Big Women” ignited an angry firestorm of folks upset because I called Grey’s Anatomy’s Sara Ramirez “fat.” These comments included statements like:

I never thought of Sara Ramirez as fat. I however do agree that she is super hot.

It is sick you are calling Sara Ramirez fat! What is going on in this world when a woman who doesnt look like she is dying of starvation is called fat! Her stomach is flat!

Sara is BEAUTIFUL. unbelievably beautiful and NOT fat. if she’s fat then most of the world is freaking obese.

I believe that questioning whether Sara Ramirez is fat is a pertinent question. […] The truth is she has a healthy way and the fact that she is a plus sized woman shows how even sizes tend to consider a healthy weight and figure as plus sized. I believe she probably considers herself as plus sized because, amidst a Hollywood where ultra thin women are the rule, a healthy and beautiful voluptuous woman is an exception when she should be the rule.
(emphasis supplied)

I’d be very insulted and hurt if someone called me fat. And as I said above, I’m 5’5 and 190 lbs, and I’m sure people think I am, but I do not consider myself to be fat in any way.

There are many different layers and flavors of fatphobia in those comments. The first comment may not have been meant to imply that fat was bad, however it does illustrate that Sara Ramirez is considered beautiful, but not fat, to that commenter. Maybe the commenter feels fat is bigger than that, but is not upset by hearing Sara Ramirez called fat. I don’t know. The point is, fat and hot are not mutually exclusive.

What is also interested is that Tasha makes a salient point when she points out that on the same show there is another (as she would say) “Fat” actress Chandra Wilson:

Now, in the post there was a bit of a trick (unintended) that ended up bringing out the true reasoning behind many of the comments defensive of Ms. Ramirez. Chandra Wilson (pictured above), another fat actress on Grey’s Anatomy, is actually much smaller in all dimensions than Sara Ramirez. Yet no one took to her defense. She basically got thrown under the proverbial fat bus. Why is that? Well, Chandra Wilson is not conventionally attractive. She is also not portrayed as a sex symbol on the show. She’s a stout black woman who I happen to think is gorgeous, but she’s not part of the sex antics on the show.

Basically what these comments are saying is “Sara Ramirez is hot, and fat people are not hot. Ergo, Sara Ramirez is not fat.” They are also, by lack of inclusion, saying “Chandra Wilson is fat, even though she’s smaller than Sara Ramirez, because she is not hot (to me).” And finally, they’re saying what every fat woman who has a conventionally attractive face hears many times over their life as a fatty: “You have such a pretty face.”
Read the complete post here

This is a very interesting topic, if you are “beautiful” or “hot” does that somehow make you exempt from the stigma that “unattractive” heavy people are subjected to? does it make the “extra” poundage, sexy instead of sloppy? We all know that beauty has it’s privileges albeit seldom do we think of those privileges extending beyond the waif-like, blond, bee stung lipped model types. This made me think about how I perceive such prejudices. It reminds me of when there are incidents of children being harmed or killed and people say “Oh it’s so sad, she was such a pretty girl” which makes me ask, “If she were ugly would it then be more understandable?” Bad things shouldn’t happen to “pretty” people. Or if you say that a woman is gay and people say “Oh but she’s so beautiful” as if her sexual orientation hinged on her attractiveness (to men). There are a number of things in our society that act as exemptions: race, wealth, lineage and “breeding” talent, fame and yes beauty. I think it’s Darwinian, natural selection however in the human race there are far more social politics then in the lower animal kingdom. The t’ruth is that there is little that we can do about it other then to be personally aware of then it creeps into our own thinking and effects our own actions and behaviors. Either way we all know the code “She got a GREAT personality” means that she’s fat and so does “But she has a pretty face” .

Uncategorized

Do thin models warp girls’ body image?

By Nanci Hellmich, USA TODAY


When Frederique van der Wal, a former Victoria’s Secret model, attended designers’ shows during New York’s Fashion Week this month, she was “shocked” by the waiflike models who paraded down the catwalk. They seemed even skinnier than in previous years.
“This unnatural thinness is a terrible message to send out. The people watching the fashion shows are young, impressionable women,” says van der Wal, host of Cover Shot on TLC.

Psychologists and eating-disorder experts are worried about the same thing. They say the fashion industry has gone too far in pushing a dangerously thin image that women, and even very young girls, may try to emulate.

read more here

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Victoria’s Skeletons!!

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Is Victoria’s secret the fact that she doesn’t EAT!!!
ok I may be dating myself but I remember when the Victoria Secret models had meat on their bones and were full (model full) and sexy. Here are Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio the frighteningly thin Candice Swanepole in the center. What is sexy about that? I am sorry but she looks like someone put a pair of animal print boy shorts and a blonde wig on the model skeleton from science class. That CANNOT be healthy, can it?

Dance Studio, Uncategorized

Milano’s Academy for the Arts- MUSIC ARTS SHOW- MAS

Just recently I had the pleasure of visiting Music Arts Show in Milano Italy. It is an Academy of the Arts which offers both dance and theatre arts training with classes in Ballet, Pointe, Cunningham and release techniques, hip-hop, as well as voice, drama and on camera Television training. There are two programs in the Academy one that is primarily concert dance based, and the other which is more of a musical theater, television, video commercial track. They also offer open classes making it the “Step on Broadway” or “Broadway Dance Center” of Milan.

I had the opportunity of not only teaching contemporary classes in the program but sat on the Jury of their Dance Machine competition, after which some of the students of the program performed in both hip hop and contemporary. I was highly impressed with not only their level of training bu their professionalism and stage presence. That having been said what impressed me most was the joy and love of the arts, and for learning, their openness and willingness to embrace a new style and their patience with my broken Italian was endearing. Thus I was compelled to share my experience by interviewing Antonella Bruno the Director of the Program at MAS, Music Arts Show.

Here is Part 1 of our interview. Learn some interesting facts like in Italy if you are under the age of 18 you are not allowed to work professionally. How does that effect young dancers and performers there?

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Khloe Kardashian In Cosmopolitan Middle East: Star Talks ‘Love Handles,’ ‘Fat Days’

If I had to choose a Kardashian, I would undoubtedly choose Khole. She is kind of no nonsense, and straight to the point. Although she seems hard you can tell she is extremely sensitive. With all of the horrible things that people say about her in relationship to her sisters I am sure that it must me hard to deal with it, and so publicly.. Hear what she has to say…

“Dealing with the Kardashian body image,” she answers when asked what is the toughest part of being a Kardashian. “Kim and Kourtney have said to me, ‘If we were put under the same negative attention that you are, we couldn’t handle it.’ If I want to wear a long flowing dress, someone will say I’m pregnant. I believe we’re not given any more than we can handle and most of the time I can handle it. But we all have fat days and if I’m having one of those days, those sorts of things make me feel down.”

That said, she isn’t ashamed of her curves.

“Girls tell me and my sisters, ‘We love your booties,’ Khloe reveals. “Just yesterday a really thin stylist said to me, ‘I wish I had your booty. I don’t have one.'”

Even her sister Kim has insecurities, Khloe adds, which surprises her. “Kim, who I think is flawless, is always complaining. She complains about cellulite and I tell her, ‘I’ll trade your cellulite for my love handles.'”

continue here

Dance Studio, Uncategorized

My (Double) Life as a Black Swan

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Courtesy of Sarah Lane

Sarah Lane on the set of “Black Swan” covered with tracking marks that allow filmmakers to digitally capture her dancing and replace her image with that of actress Natalie Portman.

Sarah Lane, an acclaimed dancer with the American Ballet Theatre, served as Natalie Portman’s dance double in the movie “Black Swan.” Shortly before the movie was released on DVD this week, a controversy was kicked up about who actually performed the bulk of the ballet in the film, which tells the story of a dancer who loses her mind but finds her true artistic self. Director Darren Aronofsky claims that Portman, who won an Oscar for her role, performed 75% of the on-screen dancing in the movie, while Lane says Portman performed only about 5%. The Wall Street Journal asked Portman and Lane to write essays about their experiences on “Black Swan.” Portman, through a representative, declined. (You can read the director’s defense of Portman here.) Here’s Lane’s take on “Black Swan,” screen credit, and her love of ballet. Lane is currently in Moscow

I’m not trying to instigate conflict here.

There is enough conflict in the world as it is, and the whole point of ballet is to allow people to escape that for a few moments. For me and all of the incredibly inspirational dancers that I work with, this is our art. It’s what we love to do and it’s a huge part of who we are. We come in to the studio everyday because we have a vision of what we want to achieve and what we want to create. Perfection is unattainable and so we keep working on developing in each aspect of this multi-dimensional art form.

When I worked on “Black Swan,” I didn’t just do some steps, I tried to incorporate all of the still limited experience that I’ve suffered to attain. I knew that a lot of people in my field would see this movie and I felt very honored to represent it.

When we go on stage, we want to bring the audience with us to another world. Not a perfect world but a world where in brokenness there is beauty, in love you find freedom and through faith comes peace. We want people to feel something deeper.
continue after the jump

Dance Studio, Uncategorized

Sarah Lane’s Proof gone!! Black Swan Youtube FX vid Replaced!

1 Comment

ok so I go to my previous post and I see that the special effects video is “No longer Available” The one with the shots of ABT soloist Sarah Lane doing the very diagonal of turns that Milliepied said Natalie Portman did, and how they replaced her head. so I go and find what I think is the same video but when I watch it the three scenes that showed Lane doing the dancing (the diagonal in the studio, the diagonal on stage as the Black Swan) have been edited and no longer show the head replacement and fouetté turns in the living room scene has been omitted entirely. These people should just stop. it’s ridiculous… here is the bogus video

Man this sucks!!

but check this out these are the originals!! It’s getting ugly!

Uncategorized

Abercrombie Padded Bikini Top For 8-Year-Olds Angers Parents

And you wonder why we have issues.
What I think is crazy I that in the video the narrator says “Tweens spend 24 million dollars a year” I love how it makes it sound like these children are earning this money, driving themselves to that mall and going shopping while telling their parents to just be patient, “We’ll get ice cream when we are done if your good”. “Tweens” are not spending this money, their parents are letting allowing them to. Somewhere I think that parents think this is somehow “cute” and that it is an expression of their “femininity” which I find very telling about where women’s heads are. When you start to tell your daughter that her body and her image, and the augmentation of it is the root of her femininity, there is a problem, not with the kid but with the mother.

Here is a note:

It’s not cute to dress your 4 year old like a stripper 6 year olds are not supposed to be worried about being hot! 8 Year old shouldn’t be pushing whatever they might have up!!

I find it interesting that more and more celebrity and pseudo- celebrity parents are falling prey to this. Perhaps it’s the fishbowl effect of the ubiquitous paparazzi that makes them feel like they, and by extension their children must always be camera ready. Suri Cruise running around in sub-degree weather in ballroom heels is just ridiculous, it’s not cute it’s crazy. You see the women on the Real Housewives franchise dressing their children like baby dolls and forcing them to accessorize and sit to get their nails done when they would much rather be playing in the dirt.

What Dr. Michael Bradley says in the clip below is absolutely right, these objects, and this mentality not only sexualizes these children but also robs these young girls of their childhood, while creating a belief system in the process, I am not good enough I need make-up and a push up bra to be beautiful, or feminine. We are all so afraid of pedophiles and child predators yet somehow we are dressing our children as bait. I am not making and excuse but seeing a child dressed as a miniature version of a full grown sexualized woman can not help the situation.

Look I went to the hair salon with my mother and got my Shirley Temple curls for Easter, it was a special occasion and I regarded it as such. I think that getting mommy and me mani- pedi’s is is a cute bonding experience at a certain age, and fun and sweet. But when your 5 year old says that she couldn’t possibly go to the playground with her nails looking like this, well then I think you might have gone too far…..