Monday, June 7, 2010

Dance Like No One's Glaring

Alright, I teased you in the last entry about why I don't take dance classes in Los Angeles. I know you've been waiting with bated breath for the follow up entry. Well wait no more - here it is!

When I first moved to Los Angeles I had about $200 in my checking account and no job lined up. I also didn't have a car yet. I basically was stuck in a room with nothing to do. I wanted more than anything to start taking a dance class but it just wasn't logical. By the time I finally got a job and my life started to come together I didn't have the time to take a dance class. My first PA job I was working six days a week and 10-12 hour days. The idea of moving, let alone dancing on my day off made me want to cry.

It wasn't until about a year into living here that I started to look for somewhere to take a regular class. My dance studio back home is like a second family so finding a place that felt the same wasn't going to be an easy task. I literally searched for weeks before I found somewhere that seemed like it might be right. I won't say the name but they had a hip hop class that seemed like a good fit. It wasn't too advanced (since I had never taken the style of hip hop before), seemed to be taught by a legitimate dancer, and looked liked it'd be a fun community of people. Best of all it wasn't way too far or expensive.

The first time I went there I was pretty intimidated right from the start. There was a very advanced ballet class before mine and there was a lot of awesome dancers in it. Not to mention, a woman that had to be somewhere between the ages of 75-85 dancing right along side the other girls. By the time my class started I kind of wanted to run out the door. However, once I got into it I instantly was excited to be dancing again but it wasn't fun. The girls in my class weren't friendly at all. Most of them were much younger than me and were not just there for a good workout and to make some new friends. They'd give you dirty looks if you weren't getting a move exactly right and made me feel inferior. I know I'm a good dancer but I definitely was rusty. Their looks and comments weren't very forgiving. The teacher wasn't much better. I went there several more times after that and each time it was nice to be dancing again while getting a good work out but it just didn't feel right. I wasn't there to become one of Beyonce's back up dancers.

My next stop was trying out the gym dance classes. LA Fitness must be much better right? Guess again. Somehow it was even worse. People were literally shoving to get in front of me to see themselves in the mirror. Plus, there's no size limit on the class so it was double the diva dancers throwing themselves in my face, figuratively and literally. Thrusting high kicks before class and the glares of people were just as bad as the last place. I quickly switched over to the pilates class but wasn't getting that creative outlet that I needed...

It wasn't until this past February until I've finally found my place. Cirque School LA. I'm taking their tricks trapeze class and am absolutely in love. It's an amazing workout and it's 100% fun. The environment is my favorite part. There's people in my class that have been taking trapeze for years but they're not rude or boastful in any way. The instructors are helpful and never call you out on anything. It's exactly what I needed to find here and I couldn't be happier. Although, my blistered hands disagree with me.

The moral of the story is this is a point for the other side. If I was all LA I'd be high kicking my way to the front. Instead, I'm just hanging upside down enjoying the view.

In the spirit of the NBA playoffs:

Celtics Girl: 1
Lakers Girl: 1

PS I will ALWAYS be a celtics girl. I think that technically should make it 2 to 1 but I'll let it stay for now.

Friday, June 4, 2010

Girl I Think Your Butt Gettin' Big

One thing that has for sure changed since I moved out here is worrying about my weight. My first job here as a PA I vividly remember inhaling Rice Krispie treats off the craft services table any chance I got (mostly to stay awake). One of my fellow female co-workers would watch me in awe and ask me why I wasn't worrying about gaining weight. The answer back then was that I never had to before...

I've been a dancer since I was three years old. While you would think that would make me obsess about my weight and become anorexic it did the exact opposite. I was probably exercising about 14 hours a week, if not more, and never had to think twice about what I was eating. I received my dance minor at Emerson and taught at a dance camp in the summers so it wasn't like I ever gained the Freshman 15 like most people do. No my weight awakening happened 5 years later than most people's.

It didn't happen right when I stepped off that plane at LAX. And I didn't balloon up to 200 pounds either but one day I realized I was at least ten pounds over the weight I had been since I was probably 14. That was the day I finally started to worry about what I ate. Sitting at a desk all day and munching on the free (not healthy) snacks in the office doesn't make for a very active body and I live in the land of skinny bitches. On this very day I'm on a "food plan" that a nutritionist made up. I'm only currently about 3 pounds over that "goal" or what used to be "regular" weight but I see it all over my body. I have two award shows, a wedding and beach season to worry about (wow don't I sound annoying) and therefore I'm eating fruit and vegetables at any chance I can. I also take a weekly trapeze class (cause the dance classes out here are brutal but another entry, another day) to exercise and belong to a gym.

This in itself wouldn't make me too jaded. The food plan is actually really healthy for you and probably just makes me feel better in general. I also don't do it all the time just when I feel myself creeping up towards the 10+ pound level again. Yet, I find myself judging other people, especially when I'm on "the plan". Earlier today I saw a woman holding a bag of cookies and eating one. I can't even begin to write what went through my head when I saw her. It was awful. I've definitely eaten a bag of cookies in my life and it's Friday - live it up! Right? Eat a fucking cookie or maybe even two. Nope, in that moment I judged her for well I won't write it.

But because of that the score currently reads...

LA Judging Lady: 1
Delightful East Coast Doll: 0

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Los Angeles aka Elle Eh

At the start of July I'll be celebrating my three year anniversary of living in LA. Although, I'm not sure I'll be celebrating per say. I'll more be in shock that it's actually been three years since I graduated college and decided to make my way in the entertainment industry. I'll also be in shock that I'm no where near where I thought I'd be in my career when I was 25.

The idea for this blog started the other day when a new intern started at work and I saw on her resume that she went to Emerson College (my alma mater). I let her know that I went there too and then she asked me what year I graduated. I said, "2007" not thinking it was all that long ago. However, she promptly responded with, "Oh well that's when I graduated from high school..." and I instantly felt like I was 87 years old.

Yet, that realization lead me to question if I've changed since I moved to Los Angeles three years ago. Of course everyone evolves as they move through life. I remember senior year of college when my roommate at the time (Hi Leyla!) told me how different I was from the preppy girl she had met Freshman year. But what has happened since I moved here? Have I become jaded and one of those girls that I hated/made fun of when I visited LA in February of 07? This blog is to chronicle all those moments when I feel like I'm a utter and total valley girl and when I feel the complete opposite and long for my east coast roots.

If nothing else maybe someone will read this and want to make it into a TV show. Wait, does that sentence make me jaded?