Latest News

Posted on

I’m Interviewed Today at the Frugal eReader

Hey you guys,

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. I just got back from North Carolina late last night. I hope to post some pics soon – hopefully later today, and chat a bit about some great books I finished over the holiday, and write about what all I’m excited to see during Alvin Ailey’s upcoming City Center season, which begins tomorrow night! So excited!

For now, here’s an interview I did over at The Frugal eReader. This is one of my favorites, as Elizabeth, the blogger, asked such excellent questions! And she excerpted one of her (and my :)) favorite passages from Swallow, which you probably haven’t seen if you haven’t read the whole book (since the excerpt is not from a beginning chapter). The Frugal eReader is, by the way, an excellent site to visit if you’re looking for good indie books to try that are available in inexpensive ebook format.

Posted on

Paperback Dolls and Nutrackers

I have a guest post up today at the Paperback Dolls blog! They’re currently featuring New York authors and bloggers as part of their “Passport to New York” series. So, since I’m both, I talked about both my novel and the blog.

Regarding the blog, I gave their readers some recommendations on what to see in New York for the next couple of months dance-wise. I then realized I haven’t done that for my own readers yet, because I’ve been so blasted busy. But of course everyone who regularly reads my blog knows what I’ll recommend: Alvin Ailey, upcoming at City Center for the month of December (it’s Judith Jamison’s last season as artistic director so there will be lots of tributes to her); New York City Ballet’s Balanchinian Nutcracker which has already begun and continues on through the beginning of the year; and ABT’s new Nutcracker, which begins December 22nd and will be at Brooklyn Academy of Music.

I didn’t have a chance to write about it but I saw a small sneak preview of ABT’s new Nut at the Guggenheim’s Works & Process event a couple weeks ago, at which choreographer Alexei Ratmansky and conductor Ormsby Wilkins spoke. Several excerpts were performed including Veronika Part and Marcelo Gomes dancing part of the final Clara and the Prince pas de deux, the Russian dance, and some of the snow scenes. Ratmansky and ABT representatives had said earlier during a press conference that it would be pretty much traditional, but from what I saw it looks very modern. The costumes and sets – which are gorgeous and are made by Richard Hudson, the Tony award-winning set designer of the Lion King – are period, but the movement looked very modern to me, not at all classical. The pas de deux looked like lyrical and more romantic (without a capital “r”) and less fairy tale-like than I’ve normally seen, and the Russian dance looked folksy and even a bit slapsticky rather than the classical bravura dancing we’re used to with “Trepak.” Anyway, Ratmansky had noted that the original choreography for this ballet is no longer extant so that’s why there are so many different versions. The only two versions I’m really that familiar with, I guess, are Balanchine’s and the San Francisco Ballet’s two-year-old version, the DVD of which I reviewed a while back.

Anyway, I think the new Ratmansky Nutcracker is going to be a departure from the ordinary, and it will be interesting to see the whole and see how audiences react!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Posted on

Dancing With the Stars Season 11 Finale, Night II

My favorite dance of the night, maybe of the whole show: Jennifer and Derek’s waltz:

I also found The Situation’s “I’m Too Sexy” dance hilarious fun and Kurt and Rick’s competitive duet a total hoot. Of course some homophobic sports fans on Twitter watched the show for some reason (why?) and pronounced that dance the “gayest” ever on the show. Ugh, don’t watch a dance show if you’re going to be freaking out about guys dancing…

Anyway, so are you guys happy with the results? I really thought Jennifer would win. I didn’t really have a favorite to win, but thought this was one of the best finales in recent history. I was just happy with the fact that there were three very different dancers / very different personality types up there, each of whom brought something wholly different to the dance. Still disappointed – and kind of shocked – that people made it more about politics than dance. Of course Sarah Palin now has to ruin it all with this speech she wrote analyzing other reality competition shows, like American Idol, and reprimanding contestants she considers lacking talent from not recognizing that and dealing with it like grown-ups (by not trying out for the show). Which is going to bring out more criticism of her daughter’s performance on this show… Anyway, that is an issue for another day; I’m tired now 🙂

Posted on

Dancing With the Stars Season 11 Finale

So tonight is the finale, part 1. The three finalists – Kyle Massey, Jennifer Grey, and, I know, most controversially, Bristol Palin – are performing first a redemption dance (a former dance they didn’t do so well in the first time around), and then the almost always entertaining freestyle.

First on are Kyle and Lacey re-performing their Foxtrot. Well, I can’t remember the first time they did it but this was smoldering! I loved him! So dazzling, such a man! I love how he licked his lips at her at one point, while she did a little solo, before he took off after her. And when they did their side by side footwork, he seriously looked Fred Astaire-ish. This dance alone honestly made me want him to win. He was a marvel – excellent dancing and loads of style. What more can you want!

Next are Bristol and Mark re-dancing the jive. Well, this was definitely much better than the first time around, where they were in those silly bear costumes. I thought she was cute and he gave her lots of little shake-y things to do – with her shoulders, hips, and those cute sassy forward walks – but she looked a bit tired. Her legs weren’t coming off the ground enough; there was a real imbalance between them. And she lacked his precision, which isn’t surprising at all considering her lack of experience. And she looked a bit unsure of the footwork, though she seemed to get all of the steps right. Still, she did have fun and looked like it, and put on far more of a show than she did the first time around. I still don’t think this is her dance though. I’m hoping for more from the freestyle.

Finally, Jennifer and Derek re-do their paso doble. Well, it was better than last time. She definitely had more control over herself. Derek didn’t give her a whole lot of dancing though; gave himself all the flashy stuff – with the crazy cape swirling, the tour jete, the turning jumps. I mean, I felt like she didn’t have a whole lot of chances to screw up here. But she did what she was given well. She looked polished, albeit a bit stiff in the upper body. That dance is so serious, it’s hard not to look stiff though. Overall, I still feel it’s not her best dance.

My winner for the first round is Kyle. Judges gave Jennifer the top score though (perfect score of 30; Bruno says he wished he had an 11 card).

Now onto the freestyle:

Kyle and Lacey do a full out funky hip hop to “Tootsie Roll.” Yeah, I’m not so in love with the freestyle round. They rarely involve any ballroom at all. It seems like they’re more for the pro ballroom dancers, who get to do something else for a change. He was a lot of fun though. Song was a lot of fun. It was the perfect dance for him.

Next are Bristol and Mark doing a Broadway routine (“He Had it Coming” from Chicago). I LOVED it! I can’t believe how well she did for never having seen the movie, or any Broadway show before! I didn’t expect her to do so well, since what she’s done well on this show has been the real girl, the authentic person dancing ballroom at a social but elegant ballroom event, and totally stealing the show. But this required real performance quality, and I believe she pulled through. Though the judges don’t… Audience seemed to love her though. I thought she had that Fosse-esque quality, with the hips, she used the props well – the chair, the hat, the cage, that crazy sash that they wrapped themselves up in! (Latin champs Max Kozhevnikov and Yulia Zagoruychenko have done something similar in a showdance, and I’m sure that’s where Mark got the idea from, because I certainly don’t remember that from the movie! – and damn, did she do well with it; that could have been a recipe for disaster, you know…). Seriously, she had that combination of jazz and tango down, and went back and forth between the two with surprising ease. I know a lot of people will disagree with me, but I thought she did unbelievably well. I liked hers better than Kyle’s anyway.

Now Jennifer and Derek: cute, they dance to “Do You Love Me” from Dirty Dancing. Wait, is that also from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off? Well, it makes sense for her, of course. I thought she did well, but, honestly, wasn’t great. She looked nervous and had a couple of flubs where she was a slight bit off on the footwork and on the rhythm. It didn’t matter much; she was still a lot of fun and “sold it” personality-wise, and I guess that’s what the freestyle is all about. Still seemed to be more dancing for Derek though, more tricks at least. Judges have nothing but praise though, and audience is on its feet.

There weren’t very many lifts in this freestyle finale, huh? Overall, Bristol is my favorite for the freestyle round.

So, Kyle is my winner for the ballroom redemption round, and Bristol for the freestyle. I think Jennifer’s going to win it overall though.

I thought Brandy and Maks were going to perform their freestyle though. I thought that’s what the judges said last week. Instead, they’re doing a little preview of Skating With the Stars. Huhm, maybe it will be tomorrow night.

Posted on

Wow, Riccardo & Yulia Take Latin World Title!

Holy crap – according to Dance Beat, Riccardo Cocchi and Yulia Zagoruychenko placed first in the worlds in Bonn, Germany a couple days ago. When I first heard, I thought the current world Latin champs, Michael Malitowski and Joanna Leunis, might not have competed for some reason. But they did. They placed first only in Cha Cha. Riccardo and Yulia placed first in all other dances, making them the first American couple ever to be Latin world champs. I never thought they’d overtake Michael and Joanna – just because of the way ballroom competitions are, with the judges scoring couples the same year after year. I’m in shock!

Read more about the worlds, and about the Ohio Star Ball, in Dance Beat’s current issue.

Posted on

Black Swan-Inspired Fashion

I was flipping through Marie Claire and saw this spread on current fashions inspired by the Black Swan movie:

They also had a spread on fashions inspired by Burlesque, the new film starring Cher and Christina Aguilera:

And then as I kept flipping through the magazine, it seemed I kept spotting more and more Swan-looking garb:

Posted on

Big Holiday Book Giveaway!

Hey everyone, I’m participating in a big holiday book giveaway on the Quiet Fury Books blog. There are many authors participating and many books being given away, so if you’re a book lover, do check it out. Also, the giveaway is international, so you don’t need to have a U.S. address to enter.

Posted on

So You Think You Can Dance Auditions, New York

Earlier this week, thanks to my friend, Taylor Gordon, I was able to sit in on some of the New York City So You Think You Can Dance auditions. They were held at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, in the opera house. This was my first time watching, so it was really enlightening.

First, it wasn’t at all as formal as I was expecting. I got there an hour early, fearing there’d be a huge line, and there really wasn’t. I don’t know how many people really knew about them; if it wasn’t for Taylor, I wouldn’t have known. So I got there early for nothing! But while I was waiting in the outside line, I spotted Alex Wong running down the street across from the opera house. Actually someone else spotted him and then everyone looked over and started waving wildly. He smiled and waved back. I didn’t see much of him but it looked like he still had a very slight limp. Later, former contestants Katee and Will were inside. They didn’t do anything onstage though; were just watching.

Anyway, when we got into the auditorium, we were confined basically to the far right-hand side of the orchestra. The middle of the orchestra was taken up with all the audio and camera people, and of course the judges. And the left-hand side was where the contestants and their families sat. A camera man was standing all the way to the left-side of the auditorium, right in front of the path the contestants took up to the stage. As their number approached, a contestant would walk up to the camera man, and stretch and pose in front of him while he shot them close up. As a contestant would leave the stage after auditioning, another camera man would follow him or her down the aisle. Funny, but I always thought, when I watched on TV, that of all that was happening in separate rooms, but it all happened right there in the same room.

Also, when the judges first came out, they had makeup and hair people kind of touching them up right there, before they sat down. Tuesday’s judges were: Mary Murphy, Jason Gilkison, and of course Nigel Lythgoe.

I’d thought they were going to make us check in our cell phones, etc., and that there would be all these production assistants roaming the aisles shushing everyone. But no. We could totally talk and laugh and make whatever noise we wanted; none of it would be heard on the tape without a microphone being nearby anyway. That was actually kind of annoying to me because of course everyone around me was taking on the role of critic him/herself, saying what they thought of the dancer to everyone around them. I couldn’t always hear what the actual judges were saying. Sometimes people even talked during the performance – talking about the dancer onstage, so they were involved in what was going on – but I just found it really disruptive. I guess I’m just so used to ballet performances, where everyone is silent.

The first contestant came onstage from the left wing, her number pinned to the front of her waist. Nigel told her to approach the microphone directly in front of them and she shyly did so. She was petite and blond, and very nervous. She said she was dancing contemporary. Nigel asked her her age (I think it was 19) and dance training (she’d trained in almost everything). It all seemed sweet and informal; no nastiness from anyone, at least in the beginning. Nigel was really nice and considerate, as were the other two. Then, he told her to proceed to center stage and when she was there, called out, “cue music.” She danced very well. Good technique, and nice choreography. You could tell she was very nervous, though, and didn’t give it the emotional punch it needed, as the judges said (along with the very vocal people behind me). She was sent through to choreography.

Continue reading “So You Think You Can Dance Auditions, New York”

Posted on

Why I’m Happy With the DWTS Finalist Results

So now everyone knows of tonight’s results, and who made it into next week’s finals on Dancing With the Stars: Jennifer Grey, Kyle Massey, and Bristol Palin. I really felt sorry for Brandy as she couldn’t help but cry at the results. And I thought she was a very good dancer. Actually, I think she’s an excellent dancer in general, and a good ballroom dancer.

But it seemed the judges and hosts felt it was Bristol who should have gone home. And last week on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Jimmy asked Kurt Warner and Anna Trebunskaya whether they thought Bristol should still be on the show – meaning did they think it was unfair Kurt was booted when Bristol remained. Both wisely refused to judge Bristol’s dancing. Tonight, when Brooke questioned him about the results, Maks Chmerkovskiy said he believed in the American system of freedom to vote for your favorite, meaning he also thought Brandy deserved to be there more than Bristol but that Bristol had won what was simply a popularity contest.

But, to me, this show isn’t about who’s been the best since day one and remained the best throughout. It’s about who works hard and improves the most. Bristol’s like a Kelly Osbourne, like a Kelly Monaco all the way back from season one. She’s the proverbial underdog – the one with no dance training, no performance background but a modicum of movement ability, enough anyway to work with throughout the rest of the show. And she did work with it. She was just a regular person and now she’s an accomplished ballroom dancer.

I like Brandy too, but to me Brandy was another Sabrina Bryan. She can obviously dance hip hop, and many of her ballroom dances looked a bit hip hop-py to me, which is completely normal since that’s her dance background. Bristol was more of a blank slate. And I think, at this point in the show, she’s more of a natural ballroom dancer than Brandy. And that’s what this show is about.

I think voters voted the way they did not because of Sarah Palin’s fan base for cry eye – please! – but because many felt the same way I did. A lot of this show’s contestants who started out not so hot ended up getting far: besides the aforementioned, Kate Gosselin, Christian de la Fuente (remember what a weightless goof he looked like at the beginning?), and I remember thinking Helio was cute but that he had a long way to go at the beginning of his season, and ditto for Drew Lachey and Emmitt Smith. I don’t think Bristol’s going to win the whole competition – I really think Jennifer’s going to win – but I’m not at all surprised she went as far as she did, as far as Kelly Osbourne.

I also like Bristol for the exact reason the judges keep criticizing her. I like that she’s natural and she “just” dances and doesn’t overact everything. Acting is for the story ballets, not ballroom. Yes, you should show some expression but it shouldn’t be about that. But, who knows, maybe I am just burned out from watching So You Think You Can Dance try-outs for five hours today in Brooklyn, where the judges constantly told the contestants, however breathtaking their movement and excellent their technique, that they either smiled too much, didn’t smile enough, only smiled once, made weird expressions, mouthed lyrics, looked down and not at the judges, danced too far away from the edge of the stage and hence not “to” the judges, etc. etc. etc. – all comments that had nothing to do with dance, basically.

But more on that soon. Anyway, I am happy with the DWTS final three: the Dirty Dancing star, the underdog who’s come from behind, and Mr. Entertainment. So, Bristol’s the exact opposite of the other two. I’m really excited now for next week in a way that I wouldn’t have been if the three finalists all had the same strengths.

Posted on

I’m Interviewed at Smashwords Blog, Iranian Publishers, and SYTYCD Auditions

I am way behind on blogging again, you guys, and again I’m sorry. It seems like for the past year book issues always seem to be popping up to keep me from blogging. I’m several dance reviews behind and I will try to catch up this week.

Anyway, today I am interviewed at Neil Crabtree’s excellent Smashwords blog! My sales have been so much stronger at Amazon – and I realize that’s probably because I’ve done so much promotion on the Kindle blogs, so I’m really trying to get the word out about my ebook’s being available at Smashwords and their distributees – iBookstore, Kobo, Nook, Sony, and Diesel – as well. So thank you, Neil!

Yesterday, I’d planned to blog about the Dance Times Square ballroom showcase and the Guggenheim’s preview of Ratmansky’s new Nutcracker for ABT, but one such aforementioned “book issue” popped up. I’d exhibited my novel with ForeWord Magazine’s small press collective at the Frankfurt Book Fair in October. (I was a finalist in ForeWord’s Book of the Year Award and they gave me a very good review in their online magazine. Frankfurt is the largest book trade fair in the world, where foreign rights are often negotiated.) Anyway, an Iranian publisher saw my book at Frankfurt, spoke to the ForeWord rep, and gave her his contact info to send along to me and the others whose books he was possibly interested in acquiring foreign rights to. Curious to see what kinds of books his company publishes, I went to look up the publisher on the internet, and couldn’t find anything. I called ForeWord and they had no further information but said the rep did meet with him and he expressed interest in several of their titles; he was legit.

I posted a query on a publishing website I belong to just asking if anyone had heard of the company, and no one had, but several people expressed disbelief that I would even consider sending my book to an Iranian publisher. People said: with 9/11 happening in the book, you shouldn’t send it to an Iranian publisher; there’s an embargo, you could get in serious trouble for entering into a business agreement with an Iranian company; the publisher couldn’t possibly be serious about acquiring American books with the censorship committee there; and – my favorite – oh my god, are you trying to get your name on Homeland Security’s “people of interest” list sending a package to Iran???

I knew about the embargo but am certainly not anywhere near any stage at which I’d be entering into any business agreement. The publisher just wants to see the book at this point. If I ever was at such a stage, I would definitely have an agent do that. As for the 9/11 stuff, I mean, I don’t know. I didn’t write about it in a political way at all. You just never know how someone from a completely different culture will view something you write. There are sexual connotations as well in the book – who knows; it’s not something I ever thought that much about before. The whole censorship thing made me interested though, and I spent yesterday doing a good deal of internet research on publishing in Iran, and there is supposedly a big backup because of all the books waiting to be inspected by the committee.

It’s all very interesting. This whole year has taught me so much about publishing, book-selling, book buying, publicity, marketing, advertising, trade shows, rights, agents, ebooks versus physical books, Amazon versus everyone else, self-publishing versus traditional publishing versus small presses versus foreign presses, bloggers versus professional critics, etc. etc. etc. – it’s all so much. But it’s really been one of the most educational years of my life I have to say.

Anyway, back to dance: I’m off to see a So You Think You Can Dance audition at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. At least I think I am. After I signed up, I received my verification tickets, which said that it didn’t guarantee a seat; it was first come first served. If it’s the type of thing where people are lining up for hours beforehand, I’m not getting in. But I figure I’ll give it a try since I’ve never been to an audition. Wish me luck 🙂

Posted on

Benjamin Millepied Interviewed at Black Swan Premiere

This is actually a pretty interesting interview, by Amy Kaufman, of the Los Angeles Times, at the Black Swan premiere in LA. Millepied talks about the differences between working with trained and untrained dancers, and how he trained the untrained specifically for film. When asked whether Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis are ready to join a ballet company, he says “oh no”! 🙂

Posted on

Swallow Discounted for the Holidays

Just letting everyone know I was able to reduce the price of the paperback version of Swallow to $9.99 on Amazon. The price of the ebook is still 99 cents; Amazon and Kobo have it discounted to $.89. I intend to raise the ebook price after the beginning of the year though. But I will probably keep the price of the paperback as low as I can for a while. I know not everyone has, or likes to read with, an ereader 🙂

Thank you again for all of your tremendous support you guys!

Here is the link to the Kindle edition (above is the paperback version):