Written on Jan. 2017

Please, don't

Follow me human
Color my soul
Peel my dream
Do not sever my goal

Buy me hope
Draw my silver lining
Bring me guidance
Do not quit fighting

Greet my teeth, roll up my sleeve, shell my fortune, frame my timing, but do not ever tell me what to do, when to do, and the worst: to change

Be continued...

By Laila Chris Batista

optimism

This influence has great potential for achievement, but you must heed certain dangers. Potentially the basic success drive signified by this influence will enable you to get ahead in all your endeavors, but especially in your work or profession. At its best this influence has a basic optimism that puts you in the right frame of mind to ensure that things will work out as you want.

However, there is the danger that you may overreach yourself, taking on too much and getting too involved. You may find yourself out on a limb when reality catches up with your overinflated expectations. But a far worse result is that you may become arrogant and overbearing in dealing with others. In your self-confidence you may assume an attitude of personal righteousness, a feeling that your aims and goals are much more important than those of anyone around you. It is extremely important that you be willing to compromise and make an effort to understand someone else's position. If you do not, you can be sure that others will make you feel the effects of their power. They will certainly not stand by and let you dominate them. But if you make a reasonable effort to include others in your efforts and in your success, this should not be a problem.

A related problem is the possibility of being carried away by some religious, metaphysical, spiritual or similar idea. But it is very hard to draw the line here, because at its best this influence makes you very properly concerned with religious and spiritual regeneration. The problem is to maintain your sense of proportion in these matters. Again do not try to force your ideas upon other people. It is natural and desirable that you want to communicate about these concerns, but let others make their own choices and also listen to what they have to say. Do not become so possessed by an idea that you will not listen to alternatives.

Enjoying beautiful art photography and perfect writing from a former student

"Depois de cair:

        Não sei como dei meus primeiros passos: mas, hoje, enquanto caminhava, vi um garotinho dando os seus. Ele provavelmente também não se lembrará de como foi, e eu escrevo agora porque não quero esquecer.

        Talvez ficar de pé tenha sido nosso primeiro medo de altura. Ele estava muito atento no chão, em todos os seus obstáculos. Já caiu algumas vezes, e como quem procura por equilíbrio, se protegia com os braços esticados para frente. Ele saberia se levantar. Sei que dizem que são estratégias biológicas de defesa: um “instinto natural”. 

        Baixei a guarda, desacelerei meus passos, e vi a velocidade criar distância conforme ele avançava os dele. O seu destino não era o “lá”, era até onde ele caísse para tentar de novo. Talvez eu devesse chegar lá também.

        Eu já estava parada quando alguém o pegou no colo antes que ele pudesse cair longe demais. Quando voltei a caminhar, sei que dei os meus primeiros passos também."

By Júlia Bonella

Look ahead, chin up, enlightenment now.

JAZZ DANCE TERMINOLOGY

General Vocabulary

* Choreographer: A person who composes a dance

* Choreography: A dance composition

* Downbeat: An accented beat which begins a musical measure

* Downstage: Toward the front of the stage or room

* Floor pattern: A path followed during a movement combination

* Lyrical: Smooth, sustained movement

* Stage left: The left side of the stage or room as one faces the audience or front

* Stage right: The right side of the stage or room as one faces the audience or front

*Upstage: Toward the back of the stage or room

*Upbeat: the unaccented mid-point between beats

Positions

* Brush: A movement in which one leg moves away from the standing leg and returns. The foot skims the floor as one moves it out or in.

* Contraction: Position or movement in which the center of the torso retreats

* First position parallel: Feet about 8" apart with toes facing front

* First position turned out: Heels together, toes facing the diagonal

* Flexed: Feet and toes are retracted back and heels are pressed forward

* Forced arch: on ball of the foot with heel off the floor and knee bent

* Fourth position parallel: One foot in front of the other with @ 10" between them . Toes facing the front

* Fourth position turned out: One foot in front of the other with toes facing the diagonal

* Lunge: Position in either 2nd or 4th where only one knee is bent and the other straight

* On the walk: Starting position for locomotor movement. Back foot is lightly resting on the ball of the foot

* Parallel: Stance where toes face forward

* Plié: A knee bend with careful alignment of the knees and torso

* Point: Feet are fully extended forward from the ankles

*Pretzel: A sitting position where one leg is crossed over the other and the bottom one is tucked in bent

* Retiré or passé: Position in which the toe of one leg touches the knee of the standing leg

* Second position: Feet side by side @ 24" apart ( can be parallel or turned out)

*Second position arms: Arms to the side at just below shoulder height

* Standing leg: The weight bearing leg

* Turnout: The outward rotation of the feet and legs from the hips. Toes to the diagonal.

* Working leg: The non-load bearing leg

Steps

*Ball Change:Syncopated weight shift onto the ball of the rear foot and back to the flat front foot

(Can be done as a travelling step)

* Chassé: Step together step

*Cut: Quick displacement of one standing leg by the other while remaining on the same spot

*Fan kick: A kick in which the working leg makes a sweeping arc in front of the body

*Fondue: A bending of one's standing leg all the way from releve to plie

*Grapevine: A series of steps that move sideways with a side, back, side, front pattern

*Hitchkick: A scissor-like movement where one leg is in the air while the other leg kicks up to pass it

*Isolations: Movement of only one part of the body

*Jazz walk: Many varieties but generally a turned out low walk using shoulder opposition

*Jazz pas de bourree: A back-side-front three step move in the floor pattern of an isosceles triangle

*Jazz square: A crossed front-back-back-front four step move in the floor pattern of a square

*Mambo: A front/back, back/front step with hips swiveling in a figure 8

* Piqué: A step onto half toe with a straight leg from a plie standing leg

* Relevé: A lift onto the toes

*Step: Transferring weight fully onto a foot

*Touch: A placement of the working toe or foot on the floor without shifting weight to it

Turns

* Chainés: Consecutive half turns traveling and rotating in a single direction

* Inside turn: forwards turn; A turn toward the standing leg

* Outside turn: Backwards turn; A turn away from the standing leg

*Paddle turn: Several small pivot turns that take one 360 degrees

*Pencil turn: Pirouette with both legs straight

* Piqué turn: Inside turn which begins with a step onto half-toe with an already straight leg

* Pirouette: Turn on one leg that begins in plie and goes to releve from a plie

* Pivot turn: Half-Turn on two legs with weight transfer from one leg to the other ; Feet stay stationary but swivel

* Soutenu: Full-Turn on two legs which begins with legs crossed, legs unwind and wind up crossed the other way; Feet stay on the same spot but swivel

* Spotting: Focusing on one spot while turning to prevent dizziness

Jumps

* Chassé: Step one foot, together in the air, land on the other foot; A gallop or slide

* Hitchkick: Kicking one leg in the air while it is up there jumping off the other one to join it to the first and landing on the first leg

* Hop: Taking off from one foot and landing on the same one

* Jump: Taking off of two feet and landing on two feet

* Leap: A jump from one foot to the other foot usually with an opening of the legs in the air

* Skip: Alternating hops from one to the other or with steps in between.

My Make-up Shrine

Nope. I am not into make up. Yeah, riiiiiight! I love being ironic. This is my small collection that I so much appreciate. I have always been this way. My mother never allowed me wear make-up. It has always been okay to change my hair color... But make-up? Never! Now it is my vengeance time. Yes, to tattoos. And Yes, yes, yes to "MAQUILAGE".