Live from LA, Day 2

i did it. i made it to LA in one piece. as the plane landed, i definitely had a small anxiety attack. since i'd put off addressing the emotions surrounding this move, it ALL hit me as the plane touched down on the runway. i began sweating, and taking lots of deep breaths, telling myself, "it's okay, it's okay." the pretty woman beside me tried to comfort me, but it didn't work. all the plans and "shit i have to do" ran up on me in that one moment, and it completely overwhelmed me. i'm prone to panic/anxiety attacks (i've had 4 within the past year and a half) so that is definitely something i must try to keep under control.

my little bro Cory picked me up fro the airport. Cory started off dancing in my company, Grüvment, years ago. he moved out here in 2003 with someone who's now insane and not dancing, but he held it together and did his damn thing. he was the quiet one back then, staying in back of rehearsals, learing choreography at his own pace, putting his own spin on things. now, he's been working with Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana for a few years, and is going back on the road with her in August. he's come a long way, indeed...we both have.

some pics from 2003...

so, we were both super excited to see eachother. he's been trying to get me here for years. he deemeed me "ready" years ago, but i held off. and after taking class yesterday, i see that i could have DEFINITELY slid right in ages ago. anywho...

he showed me around LA County. Bel-Air, Van Nuys, Sherman Oaks, the Hollywood Hills, Hollywood (the heart of it, the tourist hellhole), Glendale, a few other places i forgot, and then to where i'm staying in North Hollywood. we stopped for some grub at Mel's Diner in Hollywood,

which was amazing. gave us a chance to catch up a little more, and for my dad to grill Cory on if he thought i'd be "okay", via phone.

we then made our way to where i'm staying now, north hollywood. this area is called the NOHO Arts District. there are a handful of dance studios here, and HUNDREDS of dancers in particular live in this area. i'm crashing w the homie Adama. *handclap for Adama*

after catching up with her, riding around a little more with Cory (and some LIGHT shopping), Adama and I made our way to Debbie Reynold's Dance Studio, where I'm certain I'll be spending a ridiculous amount of time.

some of that anxiety returned upon entering and seeing people i'd seen on tours, videos, youtube, etc. surprisingly, the first class i took was Rhapsody, the woman i'd been training with in New York. i'm very comfortable with her, but in this new environment, i had to take a minute to get my mind right. lots of deep breaths. more "it's okay....it's okay...it's okay..." i can do this, right? i was fine. then, i overheard someone say she was teaching "Mannequin" by Trish Campbell, and i got nervous all over again. this piece is some of my favorite choreography from Rhapsody, ever (peep it here and here). so yea...amazing. class actually turned out pretty well. i'm proud of myself. according to Cory, however, my expectations were way too high for these people. i'd always assumed i'd be overwhelmed by dozens and dozens of ridiculously amazing dancers. i was wrong. not to say people sucked, because these kids WORK their asses off. but, i just wasnt as overwhelmed as i expected to be, which was fucking great.

i've pretty much fallen in love with LA. it's a beautiful city with ENDLESS opportunities. i met some dope people yesterday and will make the effort to meet a few more amazing people everyday. today: gym, ballet @ 1, contemporary jazz @ 2:30, and hip hop @ 6. should be another great day. i'll keep you posted.


stay tuned.