HOT 5 VIDS OF THIS WEEK

So, it's been a while since I posted on my blog but I wanted to bring something visual to the table for you guys to get inspired by and to give you sense of what I am into at the moment. I could literally put up about 20 vids today but I appreciate you might be reading this on your lunch break or commute home so I have kept it nice and snappy....ENJOY!

x

First up is R-TIZT and UMA crew busking in Trafalgar Square. In my opinion, R-TIZT is one of THE best beatboxers in the U.K. He teams up it up with some explosive freestyle from UMA crew to make this a crazyyy asss performance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VnmnJm7VrQ

Next up is my music crush Bluey Robinson. If you love old school Craig David this is his predecessor...
He has been around on the music scene for about 4 years and was luck enough to tour with Justin Bieber and most recently the support act for the Trey Songz U.K tour.
Check his vids out on YouTube, insane talent that I just cant get enough of!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQaCKT_OULk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SA-HIE908M8

With Beyonce's new Mrs Carter world tour coming round I thought I would dedicate a few vids to that. Now, i'm not exactly a massive fan of B's new song 'Bow Down', but that aside she is one of my biggest inspirations ever; as a performer, a business woman and a class act lady. If you havent seen her 20 min vid about her journey to her last album 4 then you need to get on this ishhh NOW!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vXXiku0580

 

 Lastly, and still sticking with the B theme I came across this choreographer on YouTube. His name is Wildabeast. There is something about his dancers that I just find mesmersing. They are all performing his choreography but each one is individual in thier style and performance. It's like he respects that everyone is going to do each move different and embraces that. 

They pack it with rawness, expression, interpretation and nastyness...the kind of nastyness that gets me pulling that face like I have just smelt an old trout :0)

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3y17D_K9Zw

 

Hope you got some positive vibes running around after watching the above. Now go get out there and get where you want to be.

 

BIG LOVE!

 

 

 

 

 

it's been a crazy old week and manier nights I have been getting 4 hours of sleep (eeeek) but that hasn't bothered me because I'm finally making steps to where I want to be. The tiredness is never the same when your waking up to do what you want to do. I'm in a really good space at the moment and have so much gratitude for the movements I am making.

Stay focused and you will find that when your grind is right, your mind is right.

Big love x

my lady of the moment - Samantha Barks

Samantha Barks has quite simply captivated me.

She is an actress/singer who is currently on the most amazing journey. If you have seen Les Mis you will know her as the character 'Eponine' which she played fantastically well! Not just an amazing singer but a truly believable actress too.

She trained at Arts Ed and not long after was a contestent on the BBC 1 show 'I'd Do Anything' for which she was fighting week after week to be given the honourary prize of becoming Nancy in the west end hit musical  'Oliver'. Unfortunatley, Samantha only made it to third place on the show.

In a crazy twist of fate a few years later, and after various roles in West End musicals, she became Nancy in 'Oliver' and it was here when Cameron Mackintosh announced live on stage at the finale that he wanted her to play Eponine in the highly anticipated feature film, Les Miserables.

The film has gone on to recieve critical acclaim (which it thoroughly deserves) and everyone seems to be asking the same question...who is this Samantha Barks?

This is the begining of a very VERY bright future for the 22 year old. For me personally, I loved seeing her at The Oscars on Sunday night. It was quite emotional yet inspirational to see a girl roughly the same age as me go through setbacks and defeats but still push on and find this an amazing path which any actor dreams of!

Taking a swerve from the acting perspective and more onto style (which is a big passion of mine too) I thought she nailed the 'Oscars' look 100%.
For an actress that has only just come onto the scene, who wasnt nominated for an award but an actress who wanted to say 'hi, here I am' this was the PERFECT ensemble.

Understated yet bold. Classy, but sexy.

the perfect app for a working actor

So, I have heard many good things about this app, priced at £13.99 it's not exactly cheap for an app but in terms of the use you will get out of it, it is definitely worth the invest.

Script reading, line learning and note making is a process that ALL actors go through before and during any project. I don't know about you guys but when learning a script I always in depth study it by myself first. When it comes to reading it through and learning the text, 9 times out of 10 I need someone there to bounce off. I also like the added factor of recording the speech onto my phone/ camera to see how it sounds and what changes I could make to improve the way it comes across.

Rehearsal 2 has all this in one app so you don't need to bother your brother, boyfriend, teacher, girlfriend or...ahem...dog any longer! (sometimes my dog Jessie is a perfect study partner okkkk....)

Features include...

- opens your script directly from your email

- breaks down the script into your scenes to learn

- highlights lines in a range of colours for different characters

- record your lines and play them back

- peekaboo to memorise, it reveals your lines in blackout mode so no need for the old book covering your lines when learning

- create as many direction notes as you want


You know, this app isn't for everyone! Some people, myself included, like the old school way with pencils and paper script but for you tech geniuses this could possibly be your new best friend when on the go or at home.

Let me know if you purchase it and how it goes for you.

Big love x

be a phoenix

the actresses

The things I would do to have a cuppa and a chat with any one of these ladies... and here they all are, together, in a room, talking about their views on fears, the industry and problems they have encountered during their career to date.

Have a watch and get inspired.

street style

A small selection of street style from some of my favourite instagram accounts.

X

obsessed with Anthony Lister's street art

Im not particularly an art fan but after stumbling across Anthony Lister on Instagram I have become obsessed with his work. For me personally, he hits my creative button. Each piece of work he does stimulates strength, passion and urban creativity.

Check out his work at www.anthonylister.com

FOCUS

This weeks blogpost has January written all over it. I am hoping to give you guys a shot of inspiration to start the year positively.

It is something I have picked up on from personal experience, and what I have had to (and still have to) work on every day.

It is ‘distractions’.

Distractions are always going to be there. It is nearby impossible to avoid them what with internet, social networking, tv's and the overall hustle of fast paced modern life. Putting the material objects aside, even your brain has a way of distracting you. For example, you need to put some work into a song, dance, script, essay etc but you just can’t think clear therefore heading to the nearest procrastination dock you can find. You then get annoyed with yourself and question do you really have the passion, or motivation to be the best at what you do? Yep,I have been there. People get bogged down with how far they have to go when achieving something. It overwhelms them and puts a sub-conscious barrier up filtering procrastination through .

When you focus on problems, you have problems. When you focus on possibilities you will have more opportunities.

Focus on how far you have come already. The journey that has led you here.  Be patient, sometimes your ahead of them, sometimes your behind but you MUST keep your clarity and integrity strong.

Clarity = Focus = Determination = Success

I'm no brain scientist but that’s common sense right? So why do we sometimes not put this method into action?

We don’t need to be rigid, stiff, boring people. But if you feel you’re going astray from your goals/dreams then consciously do something about it! Just put some time aside in your day to become clear. The most valuable thing I have learnt this last few months is that your thoughts become things. So, manifest them in a positive way, a way that is going to lead you down the right path.

Rid yourself of distraction, get clear, get focused, make goals and get your butts out there in the world.

Distraction is the divided attention of the individual. Focus is the ONLY attention of the individual.

BIG LOVE x

'the time you think your missing, misses you too'

'the time you think your missing, misses you too'



Ok, so, I have just started a new job. It’s not a job I particularly enjoy and it’s not exactly mentally stimulating either but never the less; it’s a job and I know just how hard it is to find one in the current climate so for that I am grateful.

I am now working 40 hours a week, 5 days a week putting my best smile on for work when deep down I would rather be on stage, in front of a camera, at creative meetings and learning my craft etc etc.

After my first 2 weeks I came home one evening  after a mind numbing shift and just sobbed. Sobbed to the point where I thought even my dog had enough of my spluttering and was tempted to go and get me some Kleenex. I had so many negative emotions floating around in my head. Fears and anxiety’s.

Is this where I was going to stay for the next 20 years? How was I ever going to keep doing the creative work when I was too busy working at a dead end job to pay the bills? You’re going to be left behind whilst others succeed, you’re  this, you’re that...

Before I could even slap myself I had already talked myself out of my career and viciously bullied my poor little head. I woke up the next day and realised there HAD to be a way around this and luckily I had my lightbulb moment of clarity.

What’s stopping me from living the life I want, and how do other people get it?

My inspirations, you, me...we all share one thing in common...TIME.

Each of us has 24 hours in a day, 1440 minutes and 86,000 seconds. In a week we all have 168 hours, 10,080 minutes and 604,800 seconds.

I did some maths (which impressed my inner maths critic) and worked out that minus my 8 hours sleep a night, 8 hours work 5x a week and my travelling there and back, I have 67 hours FREE TIME in a week!! That is another full time job and more...

The realisation this bought to me was crazy, I can no longer complain I dont have time to do anything. Those 67 hours each week are going to be my priority and I won’t be wasting a minute; it is my other full time job and one that feeds my soul.

Gone are the hours watching T.V/ internet surfing or staring into my fridge (which everyone does when they first walk in...right?) I have replaced these with reading/watching/training in my craft, emailing, sourcing and devising my next goals.

I had realised the people I look up to most didn’t have easy like everyone thinks these days, they too had to do these crazy jobs to keep a roof over their head, but their secret was too never get complacent with time. They used every minute of it to their advantage.

Ask yourself this...what do YOU do with your 67 hours spare a week??

If you don’t like the answer then shake things up. Make an appointment with you and create a list of goals and aspirations to do in this time, before you know it, it will be next year and you are still ‘getting round to it’ after being ‘too busy’

For instance, imagine you got given £1440 everyday for the rest of your life but you had to use it all in a day otherwise it would dissapear...what would you do? You would bust a sweat to go and make sure you spent all that in a day right!?

The method of time should be used in the same way.

NOT HAVING TIME IS NO LONGER AN EXCUSE FOR ME.

Do what you gotta do peeps, and I just hope I have inspired you to change your own personal concept of time..

BIG LOVE x



THE HOT 5 DANCE VID'S

Below are my top 5 solo YouTube dance videos for this week, have a watch and get inspired...


1. Lil Kida

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pz2z-bx9rzY

Ok, for real, this kid has me gobsmacked! Not only is his style and technique WAY ahead of his years he has also choreographed this amazing piece! It's not the best in terms of picture quality but Lil Kida distracts us from this minor detail and kills it with charisma and talent.


2. Ukweli Roach

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qae8GLpPP6A

I love the creativity in his choreography; rather than standardised hiphop, he brings something a little bit different to the table. Just wish it was longer!


3.  JayFunk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyMfpJh3h4A

I have been a massive fan of this video for a while. JayFunk's tutting combined with visual graphics is something special. Effortless and watchable.


4.  Romeo H20

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3EoG68vYQU

Some dancers get too wrapped up in 'perfection'. This guy oozes realness, his ability to just let go of everything and show the rawness and expression he has is to be admired.
There is a famous saying 'love the art in yourself, not yourself in the art' and this pretty much sums up this dancer to a T.


5. Rhiannon Villareal

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNqkqCC_f7c

You literally cannot take your eyes off this girl, she commands the floor and gives us a performance. I love commercial style but sometimes I feel like I am watching the same thing over and over; in this video it's not the choreography that defines the dance it is Rhiannon.


So, there we are...my collection of all styles from dancers around the world!


BIG LOVE x