Fashion Magazines

"I think what i often see it that people are frighteened about fashion. Because it scares them or makes them feel insecure; they just put it down. On the whole, people that may say, the many things about our world I think that's usually because they feel, in some ways, excluded or, you know, not a part of 'the cool group' so as a result they just mock it." 


- Anna Wintour (Editor in Chief of US Vogue)





If you ever want a true insight into the fashion world, watch this. Personally I found it deeply intriguing and that working in fashion isn't all that glamourous as it's been brought up to be. 


- Ballerhino

Time Flies when you're having fun

It's been a month since i arrived, full days of dance with singing lessons and masterclasses on the side. I have yet to watch a Broadway show, i might do that this weekend to get in the mood for audition frenzy!

November is audition month apparently in NYC for Broadway shows, I'm just going to tag along and see what the competition's like.

First up Wicked the musical: auditioning MAIN PARTS!

Second Chicago the musical: auditioning Dance parts. Fosse!!

Third up Memphis the musical: auditioning singing and dancing parts! I could see if i could rock the 50's look.

Oh and by the way some gossip i heard through the grapevine. Tom Cruise going for the Bartender role in Rock of Ages the musical!? I really hope he does take the part, it could pan out to be very interesting.

Happy Halloween Everyone!

-Ballerhino

Number numbers and more Dance Numbers!

Bye Bye Blackbird


Nowadays/Hot Honey Rag


I'm learning these two alongside all the other numbers i've posted up. I have to say these rehearsals really give your legs a workout and kick your ass. After 12 hours of back to back dance i could barely crawl out of the studio, I felt like Jabba the Hut to be totally honest.

The raven haired woman in the second video, she's my teacher and she has taken a liking towards moi so I guess it's time to invest in one of those $500 USD custom made bowler hats! Yeah right..

-Ballerhino

Whatever you can do I can do better!

That's right guys, its Classic Broadway Jazz Pas De Deux. Bowler hats, Tap shoes and Everything in between, I'm playing the part of Tommy Rall (the guy with the brown hat) Hope I don't conk out to these 7 pirouettes.

PS: the embedding doesn't work, click the "watch on youtube" link

-Ballerhino

SAKS! Fashion show? Yeah right.

So all this hype about this SAKS mens line fashion show turned out to be just a dude showing off his new mens line, which really wasn't all that amazing. I got all dressed up, went down to Wall Street and everything! The free flow of alcohol did make up for the misleading advertising of the event though.

Browsing through fashion blogs today and I want this Cardigan/Jacket hybrid:

  
It gives off the feel of part young playboy, part old college professor. (Ralph Lauren) please remake this.

- Ballerhino

Bob Fosse is a GOD

So this is one of the many dance numbers I'm currently rehearsing in the studios for a major Bob Fosse Revival. Taught be one of the leading ladies in Broadway, Diana Moore is definitely a cougar.

Will post more photos up when i get a chance.

-Ballerhino

Gay men in New York City and Me

There have been one too many encounters between good looking men and moi. No wonder "all the cutest guys are gay", as i quote from all my female friends in New York City. 

At where i dance, i can safely say that there are not straight men walking those halls or dancing in those studios. From the very first day i have tried finding a single straight man to hang out with and talk about "Guy stuff" but to no avail they all don't fill the straight criteria. What i see down at the dance academy is surprising, interesting and frankly quite funny. It's all cool, now let me tell you about the incidents that i have... encountered.

1. I was getting out of my ballet gear in the changing room and this mature man walks in, claims to be called Mark and is a pianist for one of the Ballet classes. As we introduced ourselves, we shook hands and once our hands connected his face suddenly broke into a smile. "Oh my god what is this?! What soft hands you have!" he said, feeling my palm as he said this. I was standing there only in my ballet belt, in the midst of putting on my pants. Lets just say i politely let go and got the hell out of there. 

2. It was early tuesday morning, i was in my ballet tights and warming up at the barre in the hall waiting for the studio to be feel. It was pretty crowded and as i was scouting around to see if there was anyone i knew i caught eyes with this other ballet male, he was warming up on the floor. As i turned away to continue stretching he winked at me. I rolled my eyes and smiled, shouldn't have done that really. Cause he came over and started stretching next to me, trying to impress me with push ups. 

3. Today at the Met museum in the greek statue section my cousin saw a guy on his phone leaning against a pole checking me out walking from one statue to another. I never noticed but hey if my cousin said so i'd believe her.

4. Bloomingdales next, browsing the many designer lines i got complimented by not 1, not 2 but 3 men about my shoes. then i accidently bumped into a man going round a corner and he told me that i looked... nice, quote "Oooo you look FINE today!" 

Got to love Bloomingdales, total ego boost. That's all the encounters so far, but you can bet there will be more. Guess that's the life i've chosen, being in the musical theatre industry and all. 

- Ballerhino   

All Korean-ed Out!

Yesterday was probably the most Asian i have been since getting to New York, It almost felt like i was in the Matrix when a De Ja Vu moment happened. Anyways i met up with a couple friends for lunch in K(orean)-town and we ate what looked like a feast! From Japchae to seafood Pajeon, it was pretty fulfilling. Though i must say that the purple rice that came with the meal looked like it was drenched in blueberry juice. When the bill came i was shocked, 


ASIAN FOOD IS EXPENSIVE IN NEW YORK. = Not cool. 


Going to have to find myself more $$, hope i get this dancing job. 

Grabbed Pink Berry after because life without froyo is never a great life. The Mochi was not as fresh and sticky as i wanted it, Hong Kong 1 New York 0! As we left our separate ways, i thought to myself "wow these Princeton and Columbia students really take a lot of crazy subjects." I mean who takes Russian politics for fun!? I don't think reading 6 books and doing a midterm paper for it is exactly my definition of fun, but hey i dance so i can't really judge.

8 pm came round and the people i was meeting up with made plans to go to K-town, which means round 2 for me! I took the exact same subway, crossed the exact same road, walked the exact same distance of 3 blocks and entered a different restaurant called Ms Korea. Tried the Bibimbap which i found was like a Asianized Carbonara/Risotto, very distinct taste with a tich of seaweed. After dinner guess where we decided to have dessert, that's right PINKBERRY.. again. I didn't mind, i even got served the same dude. he didn't recognize me though so that saved some awkwardness. Finally we headed out to sing K in this high tech disco place filled with Soju.

Soju: is a distilled beverage native to Korea. Its taste is comparable to vodka, though often slightly sweeter due to the sugars added in the manufacturing process, and more commonly consumed neat.


Yeah i didn't know what it was either until i just got given it! Got devirginized by Soju. 


All in all i felt pretty Asian today, and it felt good. 


- Ballerhino

Facebook, the Story

So I just came back from watching:



or in other words "The Social Network"

and I must say as it was thoroughly entertaining with cleverly placed witty lines and an impeccable script for Jesse Eisenberg's character Mark Zuckerberg, the book was still better. Here's my simple algothrithm:

The Social Network < Accidental Billionaires (the book)!

Nothing fancy like what they had on the kirkland window but hey you got to have a sense of humor right?

By the way is it just me or who else thinks Andrew Garfield the actor who plays Edwardo Savin in the movie looks a bit like a younger version of Roger Federer??

- Ballerhino

Temperature Drop

That's right, it's suddenly gotten windy and cold in the city. But then again its like a sauna in the subway, it's times like these where i ask myself "what the hell do i wear?" I hope the sun doesn't hide away too long or my S.A.D might kick in again which is never a good thing.

Had a double dosage of Broadway dance, the first two hours i thought i was auditioning for a job at Abercrombie and Fitch. We learnt a routine from a heavy beat techno song, unusual? Yes. Fun? definitely, I guess being picked up and placed in a different environment is always an interesting thing to explore. Having said that, my teacher told me to bring in a picture and resume for her next time so she could offer me places to audition to. This is a good sign, since i learnt the steps with ease and added character almost immeadiately into the piece she told me that there's a club where you dance for 3 hours and earn $300 smackers!

I could really put that money into good use. $300 a night being a GoGo dancer? Well if you put it that way it doesn't sound that appealing.. We'll see what she has to offer me.

Anyways something much more interesting, learning the choreography of this particular Bob Fosse piece . Might seem useful in the future, i'm studying the role of the White lead. Check it out.



- Ballerhino

Sales Sales SALES. Where are you!?

I want Kitsune's waistcoat

I want Brook Brother's reversible Bow ties

I want these Steve Madden Combat Boots

And Abercrombie's Gingham Shirt

-Ballarhino

Ballet with Sullivan

This is where I train.

I woke up at 7 am making breakfast and packing my bag for today's class, nothing special. Walking into Ballet and shadowing behind the front line of New York City Ballet professionals (yes I train amongst them) all I could think about was getting some gatorade in me, I needed to wake up. As we warmed up, Assembléd and Battement sur le cou-de-pied time crawled by. I was not feeling good, having slept on the couch for 6 hours the previous night due to renovations in the house I just wanted the day to end. When the one and a half hours were up, Sullivan quickly came up to me and pulled me aside, she said

"Jonathan, you have to stay tuned in. You're very talented and from now on i want you on the same line as the NYC ballet."

FRONT LINE! I could not believe it, i had to take a second for my mind to process what i had just heard but that made my day! 

-Ballerhino

New York New York

 

It's been two weeks since I arrived in New York City, and since I'm going to be here for a while i might as well record everything I do. I am a theatre major training in singing, acting and dance. I am currently dancing at Steps training in Ballet and Broadway Jazz. I live with a Graphic Designer and a Fashion Buyer, life in the Big Apple is about to get very interesting. This is my blog, enjoy.

- Ballerhino