LETS GET READY TO SALSA AND MAMBO

Alexandra is my very success driven daughter (chip off the old block) She is working towards her degree in engineering and has her inner voice telling her she is an actress.

I have always supported whatever it is that she is passionate about…You could say i am one lucky Dad.

Vote for Alexandra if you get a chance and even if you don’t check out her video statement and monologue…thanks

Part two of some silly observations ….yada yada yada

Entertainment segment for EnLaEscena.com taped while im on the air on my Sunday show. Part one of two.

Watch this quick Mega Top Ten Countdown…Snippets of each video..so you’ll get your  Mega Top Ten in 10 minutes.

My very success driven daughter Alexandra is shooting for her engineering degree at Texas A & M…but has a new found bug for acting…actually it’s not new…she has been cracking up the family and friends for years already..anyway a while back Mad TV came out with a very funny sketch featuring “Bon Qui Qui” at “King Burger”  here is her interpretation of that skit … afterward check out the original (or vice a versa) HERE

I have a very talented niece…and i want all my followers to know how proud so i asked Kariana to send me a few paragraphs of her experience with the Moscow Ballet…. way to go Kari…Tio loves you and is so proud!     Here is her story….

I’ve always wanted to be a dancer. Ever since I was a little girl, I dreamed of being a prima ballerina in a big, puffy tutu and pointe shoes. In October of 2008, I had the opportunity to audition for The Great Russian Nutcracker performed by the Moscow Ballet.

I was nervous and excited and just thrilled to even meet a Russian instructor from such a talented ballet company. I arrived at the studio, pinned a number to my leotard, and started one of the most nerve-racking and exhausting days of my life. I was joined by over ninety other ballet dancers, eight of which were on pointe like me.

Ms. Anna Tyutyunyk gave us short ballet combinations from each of the variations in the Nutcracker: Spanish, Arabian, Chinese, and Russian. Each piece highlighted different skills. The Spanish highlighted pirouettes, Arabian: flexibility, Chinese: balance, and Russian: speed and stamina.

It was hot, and there was no air conditioning. To top it all off, we could not use the fans because Ms. Anna’s voice was so soft it could not be heard while they were on. After two hours of dancing with only short two-minute breaks every now and again, my feet were throbbing, and I was beyond tired. Finally, it was time for the cuts. Ms. Anna called names in her thick Russian accent, either making girls’ dreams come true or sending them home.

It was down to the last few girls on pointe, and I thought for sure I was done. I was ready to call my mom and cry when Ms. Anna called, “Number seventy.” Her accent was so heavy, I thought she’d said seventeen and apparently, so had number seventeen. The girl jumped up enthusiastically, only to be told it was not she who had been called, but me. As she trudged away, we began rehearsal.

The show was amazing. We never actually rehearsed with the Russian dancers. Our first time dancing together was opening night. My costume was very traditional: red, gold, and white with a long headpiece and a fake chicken on a pole. Yes, I had to dance for two minutes holding a fake chicken. The choreography was no joke either. It was fast and left me out of breath every time I did it. I felt a little silly holding the chicken, but I had a great time dancing to the beautiful music, meeting new people, and listening to the principal ballet dancers shout at each other in Russian.

Even though I didn’t get to dance on pointe (my feet had given out from exhaustion after auditions), I still enjoyed the excellent experience of doing what I love with a professional ballet company.

Eileen and I were so surprised today when Nya swam out to get the stick we threw out…we have been doing this with her for the last 3 1/2 years without success…

today we were like proud parents watching their child walk for the first time…so much fun with our little Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever…yes that really is her breed… We are at Skyline Drive near Oakland, NJ i believe its part of Ringwood State Park.

The dance floor would go berserk once i banged this in from the very first beat…my light man Jumpin’ Jason would black out the room and build the lights right along with the build up of this track… not only that but the Funky Black Man, Timmy Butler would wait for my cue and play live keyboards as well…wow…what an experience!..i always felt like a conductor

yes we usually played almost the entire song…made dancers sweat their asses off and assisted in making many love connections over the years….very much the opposite of today’s dj’s that play for what i call the “short attention span theater”

you know what i mean if you have been to a club anytime in the last 10 years…you’re lucky if you hear even 30 seconds of any particular song…naturally not all,  but most of today’s club dj’s are more interested in showing off how fast they can call up an mp3 on their Denon Serato system and bring it in while three different effects are going on, than in programming a flow and ebb throughout the night…i know the times they will always keep-a changin’ but thats why the music biz is so fragmented.

It is ok though since i am still in the dance music scene to an extent, it keeps me young…and i can always take it back whenever i want right at home with my Bozak 1620, Original Technics 1200’s, some friends and a few cold ones.