Saturday, October 10, 2009

Alleged Mugging Of Seth Green In Studio Parking Lot Prior to Freak Out


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Seth Green Freaking Out After Being Mugged


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Friday, October 9, 2009

ROCK STEADY CREW

The legendary, most successful, most respected and dopest breaking crew. Rock Steady Crew was founded by Jo-Jo. The second generation of Rock Steady which were worldwidely famous, consisted of Crazy Legs, Prince Ken Swift, Baby Love, Buck 4, Kuriaki, and Doze. Crazy Legs and Prince Ken Swift are still b-boying as members of Rock Steady Crew. Buck 4 and Kuriaki passed away couple years ago for unfortunate incidents. Doze are still doing graffiti. The original crew was established 1970s in South Bronx, New York. They have been a part of Zulu Nation. Rock Steady Crew has always try to keep the original foundation of breaking which is footwork. Nowadays, RSC has many chapters all over the places such as West Coast, Japan, UK, and Italy. To be a official member of Rock Steady Crew, it is necessary to battle with members of Rock Steady Crew in NY and to get props from them. Currently, the main members are Crazy Legs, Prince Ken Swift, Mr. Wiggles, Masami, and Orko. There are many young generation of Rock Steady Crew who will take over the crew in the future.

GHETTORIGINAL PRODUCTION DANCE COMPANY

Ghettoriginal Production Dance Company was formed by member of the hip-hop crew Magnificent Force, Rhythm Techniques and Rock Steady Crew. Many members of the company are founders of the hip-hop movement. While most of the hip-hop crews stay in street or club level, GhettOriginal is established for the purpose of putting hip-hop dance performances into a professional theatrical level. GhettOriginal has performed at the Kennedy Center, MiamiÍs Gusman Theater, Central Park's Summer Stage, the Vienna Dance Festival, Theater Jean Vilar in Paris, and the American-Japan Festival in Tokyo, which is sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution. Other recent GhettOriginal highlights include a commission for a new work and performances at Lincoln Center's serious Fun! series, a collaboration with Savion Glover and Stomp for Boston's Dance Umbrella, and a tour of the western United States. In 1992 the company had an extended sold-out run at P.S. 122 of its hip-hop ghetto story musical "So What Happens Now?" Television credits include "The Kennedy Center Honors"; "Hip Hop You Don't Stop" for Great Performances' 20th Anniversary special (directed by Ernest Dickerson); and the based on Kurt Weill music, that will be released by Sony Home Video. Some members of GhettOriginal received two choreographic grants from National Endowment for the Arts and a 1991 ulary of daring individual signatures and collective invention that continues to defy the conventions of contemporary dance, blurring the geographies of street stage, life and art."

Crazy Legs

an 18-year veteran of hip-hop culture, is one of the original members of the legendary Rock Steady Crew. Credits include many of the first hip-hop tours, which set the foundation for what the culture has become. He has been featured such films as Flashdance, Beat Street, Wild Style and Style Wars. He participated in the Peabody Award winning documentary "Dance in America:Everybody Dance Now" and in the Great Performances 20th Anniversary Special, danced in a tribute to the Nicholas Brothers at the Kennedy Center Honors and the Boston Ballet Gala. As a member of Rock Steady Crew, Crazy Legs performed at Lincoln CenterÍs Serious Fen! He won the 1991 Bessie Award for choreography and the 1994 hip-hop Pioneer Award from The Source magazine. Crazy Legs' success is a testament of the longevity of hip-hop.

Prince Ken Swift

His real name is Kenny Gabbert. He was called "the epitome of a B-Boy" for 16 years and has helped to preserve and promote hip-hop culture. As a member of Rock Steady Crew, Swift participated in the first hip-hop international tour, New York City Rap. His documentary and film credits include Wild Style, Style Wars, Beat Street, and Flashdance. For television, Swift has appeared on CBS's "The Kennedy Center Honors," Great Performances' 20th Anniversary, Kurt Weill's "September Songs." With GhettOriginal Productions Swift has performed at P.S. 122, Central Park Summer Stage, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, Boston Ballet and in Toronto, Paris, Vienna and tours throughout the United States. He won the 1991 Bessie Award for choreography. He continues to create and name new moves -1990's Kaboom, air babies and flowing downstream -adding to the vocabulary of b-boying worldwide.

MR. Wiggles

His real name is Steve Clemente. He began dancing in the clubs of New York. His unique dance ability has taken him and the dance group Rock Steady Crew and Magnificent Force on tour throughout the United States, Europe, South Africa, the Middle East, and Africa. He has appeared on Broadway in "Chess", "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" and "Largely New York". With members of GhettOriginal he performed a commissioned work at Lincoln Center's Serious Fun! His film appearances include Beat Street and Wild Style. For television he has appeared on "The Kennedy Center Honors" for CBS, performed in Bette Midler's "Mundo from Beyondo" for HBO, created many segments for "Sesame Street," performed in PBS's Peabody Award-winning "Everybody Dance Now," the Great Performances 20th Anniversary Special, and Kurt Weill's "September Songs," which was nominated for an Emmy Award. He has performed with the Monterey and Joffrey Ballet in Paradise, choreographed by Ann-Marie D'Angelo. One of the core members of GhettOriginal, he produces music for the company. He received artists grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Foundation for Contemporary Arts, inc. He won the 1991 Bessie Award for choreography and is currently distributing a compilation of his work on home video.

Orko

His real name is Roger Romero. Raised in Los Angels, he has been popping and breaking since the age of 12. He has performed with the dance group Air Force Crew in Japan, California, Las Vegas, and New York City. His television and film credits include "Soul Train" Fox-TV's hip hop documentary special, music videos for ElMaestro, an Adidas commercial, and the feature films "Thrashing" and "Electric Boogaloo". Orko participated in the 1995 L.A Funk Festival at the Los Angeles Coliseum, the Big Five sporting expo in Long Beach and as part of the closing ceremonies of the 1984 Los Angels Olympic Games. His 1990 (8 times spins in row) is known as one of the best in the world.

SUICIDE WATCH PERSON CLOSE TO KANYE WEST FEARS THAT HE MAY HURT HIMSELF!!! - hate comments included

THE DIRTY ARMY: MediaTakeOut.com just got some DISTURBING NEWS from a person close to Kanye West. They fear that Kanye West may do something rash.

According to the individual, who is a fairly close acquaintance of Kanye, since the incident, Ye’s fallen into a deep depression and people close to him are worrying about it. Tells the insider, “you guys [in the press] don’t realize that you’re pushing him close to the edge. In his mindset he could do something crazy. Please go easy on him MTO.”

In the interest of Kanye’s health - we’re gonna fall back from all the criticism of Kanye. Get well bruh … Here’s the video of his apology last night.

He he is so full of sh*t (terrible acting skills)… and if MTO backs down because they think he is going to kill himself they are idiots.- nik


Actual Hate Comments:

98 Responses to “SUICIDE WATCH!!! PERSON CLOSE TO KANYE WEST FEARS THAT HE MAY HURT HIMSELF!!!”

Nik Snitchie Says:

LOL. Screw this piece of garbage.

Reply

do it ! do it! please do it kanye Reply:
September 15th, 2009 at 3:27 pm

think of all the coverage you’ll get if you just doit kanye…lol
just kidding but your an ass, you know that.. move on make some beats

Reply
September 15th, 2009 at 7:17 am Go Ahead......... Says:

Only less ignorant human being on this earth………no loss there.

Reply
September 15th, 2009 at 7:18 am Go Ahead......... Says:

One less……………I must be hitting that Henney bottle like Kanye

Reply
September 15th, 2009 at 7:20 am Let this through? Says:

90% of what MTO publishes is hear say, made up garbage anyways.

Reply
September 15th, 2009 at 7:20 am piratehooker10 Says:

wow, they’re saying this and DJ AM just died from an apparent suicide… classy kanye, very classy. he’s a piece of sh*t!

Reply
September 15th, 2009 at 7:20 am welll,,,, Says:

the music scene would be a better place without this ignorant N*g. He actis like he invented the vocoder. Kanye is a gay fish!

Reply
September 15th, 2009 at 7:23 am pat Says:

We can only hope.

Reply
September 15th, 2009 at 7:27 am rvrbnd27 Says:

good….one less *@!!* in the world!

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September 15th, 2009 at 7:33 am Please! Says:

I wish he would but he’s too big of a coward and this is yet another “Look at me!” attempt.

Reply
September 15th, 2009 at 7:39 am phileblunt Says:

Kanye West hates white people.I hope he [removed]

Reply
September 15th, 2009 at 7:43 am CC Says:

I Hope he jumps off a bridge today!!

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September 15th, 2009 at 7:45 am Elvis, The King Says:

Good Bye! So Long! Adios!

Reply
September 15th, 2009 at 7:53 am Dirk McGuinn Says:

Kanye West Out!!!! oh yeh GAY FISH

Reply
September 15th, 2009 at 7:54 am Sara from the STL Says:

Don’t tease us Kanye.

Reply
September 15th, 2009 at 8:07 am maverick Says:

hopefully he’s got a rope an can find a tall tree !

Reply
September 15th, 2009 at 8:09 am Brittany Says:

Oh boohoo, what a good reason to end your life. Stop being a crybaby and own up to your actions. Douche!

Reply
September 15th, 2009 at 8:10 am Anonymous Says:

he is such an assh*le. his “apology” is so not sincere, he’s acting. and besides, a narcissist usually doesn’t kill themselves. he wouldn’t do it, but we wouldn’t care if he did.

Reply
September 15th, 2009 at 8:12 am sameolenickel Says:

RIP Koonye!

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September 15th, 2009 at 8:16 am Mr.Peanut Says:

Please do it Kanye. Think about all of the attention you’ll get when you’re dead.

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September 15th, 2009 at 8:16 am Motorboat Captain Says:

I can mail him a free bullet.

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September 15th, 2009 at 8:23 am ed farty Says:

now the bad news? he isnt gonna follow through with it.

Reply
September 15th, 2009 at 8:24 am Neil $tarks Says:

any publicity is good publicity…
PR stunt all the way
MTV is famous for that kinda bs, que M&M and Bruno for the Movie awards…..

Reply
September 15th, 2009 at 8:35 am mr.tee Says:

I’ll hand him the razor!

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September 15th, 2009 at 8:36 am Kooga Says:

They’re trying to make people feel sorry for him now with hope that everyone will forgive him … Bahhaaha . These PR idiots are worse then Kanye

Reply
September 15th, 2009 at 8:36 am busta-nut Says:

He is so full of sh*t…its always been about him…he just finally got what’s coming to him…I hope his career is over teach all those f*ckers a lesson….

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September 15th, 2009 at 8:43 am race card Says:

just simply playing the race card…i mean “playn”

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September 15th, 2009 at 8:46 am Raider Says:

Full O’ Shat!

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September 15th, 2009 at 8:56 am merry Says:

Somebody give him Dr. Kevorkian’s phone number. Or a couple of pistols & some rope.

Reply
September 15th, 2009 at 8:59 am pothead Says:

let him do it. he is just trying to get sympathy. what a baby.

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September 15th, 2009 at 9:00 am Nip Tuck Says:

So he is a victim now? Nice. He’s a f*ck.

Reply
September 15th, 2009 at 9:13 am Strider Says:

Take Chris Brown with ya

Reply
September 15th, 2009 at 9:20 am LBreezy Says:

Now, Dance N*gga, DANCE!! lol

Reply
September 15th, 2009 at 9:30 am Big Noize Says:

Remember Kanye, when cutting your wrists, it’s down the road, not across the street. Get it right.

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September 15th, 2009 at 9:31 am megs Says:

i feel truly honored to be in the company of you internet tough guys who have never ever EVER said or done something that you shouldn’t have said or done.

bunch of f/ckin self-proclaimed jesuses up in this piece.

get over it, kids.

Reply

King Douche Reply:
September 15th, 2009 at 12:48 pm

dont be such a c*nt Megs………

Reply

King Douche Reply:
September 15th, 2009 at 12:49 pm

dont be such a c*nt megs……..

Reply

megs Reply:
September 15th, 2009 at 3:42 pm

………………………………. no.

Reply

Canadian Bacon Reply:
September 15th, 2009 at 4:01 pm

you must be one of those ignorant ni$$ers who think we all owe you and him something. We are not going to get over this, what if that was a black person up there and Toby Kieth came flying on the stage claming Taylors vid was the best of the year. The ACLU and Rev reverse racisim sharpton would be all over it. Get a clue and realize we dont owe you or him sh*t.

Locking and Popping (Electric Boogie)

Electric boogie is a style of popping. Both locking and popping originally came from Los Angeles. Popping was created by street dance crew Electric Boogaloos. Locking was created by Don Campbell and The Lockers. Both locking and popping existed a long time before breaking was born. During breaking era, b-boys started to put popping and locking into their dance. People in NY twisted popping and made it more funky and something different from original popping, they call it electric boogie instead of popping. Nowadays, so-called mainstream termanology "Breakdance" will consist of breaking, locking, and electric boogie or popping. The following article is about history of locking and Electric boogie from a book "BREAKING AND THE NEW YORK CITY BREAKERS" written by Michael Holman in early 80s.

History
The sense of animation and futurism is strong in most poor inner-city kids because it's an escape to a world where everything is perfect, sharp, and in control. The hydraulic movements of the robot danced to music which was becoming more and more mechanically rhythmic, like James Brown's "Goodfoot" (1969), was a natural development in Los Angeles, a city of major street dance creations.

In 1969, a young black man by the name of Don Campbell was becoming known among street dancers in Los Angeles for inventing a dance called the Campbellock (he put out a record called "Do the Campbellock"). Don Campbell took the hydraulic robotic movements, which were all about total control and mixed it with wild, out of control body movement dances of the tap-flash dance days plus exact stop and start movements and spiced it all with comic facial expressions and clown-like costumes to develop a whole new dance movement which is still going strong called "Locking"

By the Early '70s Don Campbell had put together a whole crew of lockers called "The Lockers." One of the lockers was Shabadoo, the star of "Breaking," and Penguin, who was the chubby locker named "Rerun" on the TV show "What's Happening." The lockers of the early '70s wore platform shoes, loud striped socks, pegged pants that stopped at the knees, bright colorful satin shirts with big collars, big colorful bow ties, gigantic Apple Boy hats, and white gloves.

Around that time a known TV choreographer named Toni Basil, who was famous for shows like "Shindig," and "Hullaballoo," discovered Don Campbell and his Lockers and helped bring them to international fame. She was an incredible dancer herself and soon learned to lock. She became a member of The Lockers, helped develop their dance act, and got them on TV shows like "Saturday Night Live" and commercials such as Schlitz Malt Liquor Beer (the one with the bull).

Also around the time "Soul Train" hit the air (1972) and it became an instant media hit by featuring street dancers, especially The Lockers, of Los Angeles. The nightclub Crenshaw Flats the apartment on Crenshaw Boulevard in Los Angels was where the "Soul Train" gang hung out.

At the time breaking was developing in New York, locking the The Robot were getting popular in southern California. During 1972 and '73 in Fresno, California, a small city halfway between Los Angeles and Dan Francisco, a black family of all boys were inventing something new of their own. They called their dance the Electric Boogaloo. Pistol Pete (who also starred in the film "Breaking" and was involved with Toni Basil and The Lockers and "Soul Train" in the early days) and his brothers had created The Electric Boogaloo by combining locking. The Robot, and the more smooth and controlled movements of mime. Instead of throwing their bodies in and out of control like locking, or in total hydraulic control like The Robot, they passed energy through their bodies popping and snapping elbows, wrists, necks, hips and just about all the body joints along the way. Electric Boogaloo was more like mime in the sense that it pantomimed a live wire of electrical current, but it still needed the control of The Robot to give it style. The Electric Boogaloo became big in San Francisco, even before it hit Los Angeles, but when it did hit L.A., the TV capital of the world, it was introduced through "Soul Train" as the new dance form and challenged the popularity of locking. The Electric Boogaloo has since spread to New York as breaking later hit Los Angeles. It's interesting to see breaking and locking existing in the same sub-cultures. The Electric Boogie is in control and tends to imitate the movements of nature like a lightning bolt or a rippling river, whereas breaking is more out of control and anti-nature or anti-gravitational like a flying saucer. Another reason they're done together with the same kids may also be that they're both competitive dances where dancers battle each other to determine who's best. "If my breaking can't beat you, my poppin can."

Because of its competitive nature, Breaking and Popping will become a competitive sport, and eventually integrated into the international forum of the Olympic Decathalon.

Some of this article has been adopted from an original article Written by Michael Holman in early 80s.

More History
Courtesy of the ELECTRIC BOOGALOOS

What is "Funk Styles"? In the 80's when streetdancing blew up, the media often incorrectly used the term "breakdancing" as an umbrella term for most the streetdancing styles that they saw. What many people didn't know was this within these styles, other sub-cultures existed, each with their own identities.

Breakdancing, or b-boying as it is more appropriately known as, is known to have its roots in the east coast and was heavily influenced by break beats and hip hop. The term "funk styles" was coined to give what we do it's own identity and separate it from hip-hop. Popping, locking and boogaloo were styles that were created in the WEST COAST during the FUNK ERA, and while these styles were adopted into the hip-hop movement, its roots should still be recognized as pure funk. Hence the term, FUNK STYLES.

The Birth of Popping and Boogaloo Style

In a town called Fresno, California, there lived a shy boy named Sam. Inspired to create his own style of dance after seeing the original Lockers perform on TV, in 1975 Sam started putting together movements which later became known as boogaloo or boog style.

The name came from the old James Brown song "Do the Boogaloo". One day when Sam was dancing around the house, his uncle said "Boy, do that boogaloo!" A puzzled Sam asked his uncle, "What's boogaloo?". "That means you're gettin down" his uncle replied. From that day on he was known as Boogaloo Sam.

Not many people know what boogaloo style is or how to do it. Boogaloo is a fluid style that uses every part of the body. It involves using angles and incorporating fluid movements to make everything flow together, often using rolls of the hips, knees, head. Making your legs do wierd things, and covering a lot of space on stage using "walkouts" or other transitions to get from one spot to the next spot. Although it is described as fluid, please note that boogaloo is different from the style known as waving.

Popping was another style created by Sam. People get confused about what this style is. They think it is the name for all the styles that came out of the funk movement (1970's California). It is not. Popping is a style in itself, that involves snapping the legs back, and flexing your muscles continuously to the beat to give a jerky/snapping effect. Popping is a unique style. It's not the universal name for all the funk styles. If you pop, then you're a popper. If you wave, then you're a waver. If you Boogaloo, you're a boogalooer, and so on.

Sam would say the word "pop" (under his breath) every time he flexed while he danced, similar to the way someone might make machine noises when they do the robot, Sam would say the word "pop, pop, pop". People would always say to him, "Hey do that popping stuff!"

A lot of people ask what Electric Boogaloo style is. Electric Boogaloo style is combining popping and boogaloo style together. The two styles compliment each other well and is known worldwide as the signature style of the EB's.

OTHER STYLES

While Sam was creating popping and boogaloo, others were creating and practicing unique styles of their own. Back in the day many different areas in the west coast were known for their own distinct styles, each with their own rich history behind them. Some of these areas included Oakland, Sacramento and San Fransisco.

Although the EB's primarily pop and boogaloo, we still like to mix it up and encourage all dancers out there to learn and mix other styles as well.

The Foundation of Popping: The Robot

Posted July 23rd, 2009 by otisfunkmeyer

I remember the night well. It was me, PopnTod, Madd Chadd, J Smooth, and Boppin Andre, all sitting in our living room at the Kester Hostel. It was 2003 and we were all just really starting to learn. Chadd and Andre drilled into all of us that night how fundamental the robot was to all styles of popping.

We watched footage of Boogaloo Sam. “Just a funky robot” said Andre. Footage of Flat Top. “Just the robot slowed down.” Footage of Poppin Pete. “Robot with a hit.” Sally Sly. “Isolated robot moves.” The more we watched, the more apparent it became. All of our favorite dancers had super strong robots.

Andre went on to explain that the robot is where everything starts because it teaches you isolation so well. In order to have a good robot illusion, everything must be isolated. It also teaches you how to STOP your movements cleanly, also called a dimestop. The ability to stop and to isolate are really what sets apart the amateurs from the pros.

How Does This Help You?
Simple. Just start paying a lot more attention to your robot. Don’t just look at it as another style that you might do sometimes. The robot is not just one dance style, like waving and boogaloo. It is the foundation of waving and boogaloo. If you can do a great robot, the odds of you being a great boogalooer or waver go up infinitely.

5 Tips on Robotting
Here are a few things to make sure you do when you’re practicing your robot

1. ONE THING AT A TIME
I don’t care if you are super dope and can move 8 things all coordinated all at once. This isn’t helping anything. Just move one thing at a time. Really move it with a hit and stop it with a stop. The reason for this is that it teaches you to get really precise with your movements and by only moving one thing at a time, your eyes have a chance to see if you are REALLY isolating well.
2. GO SLOWER THAN YOU THINK YOU SHOULD
Most of the dope robotters are moving REALLY slowly. Much more slowly than you think. You don’t notice it because you are too busy going HOLY CRAP THAT’S INCREDIBLE. When you try to mimic them, odds are that you’re moving twice as fast as they do. So SLOW DOWN. Go unnaturally slow. Really zone out. And don’t forget to keep moving only one thing at a time. Make it a game.
3. USE YOUR SHADOW
This is only for the hardcore gangstas out there. Forget a mirror, forget videotaping yourself. If you really wanna see if you’re dope or not, use your own shadow! Your shadow does not lie! If you move AT ALL, you will see it in your shadow. If you can trip yourself out by robotting with your shadow, which I’ve seen many times from Tyson, then you know your skills are on point.
4. NO MUSIC
Don’t use music for this one. It will make you think about dancing and getting down too much. You really just wanna get into this game of robotting and focusing on your technique and isolation. So save the music for a while and just robot to the sounds around you!
5. FEEL LIKE A ROBOT
When I talk to the undisputed-heavyweight-master-of-the-robot-world Madd Chadd about robotting, he always says the same thing. He FEELS like a robot. He doesn’t blink. He doesn’t think. He isn’t curious. He is just moving. There is a control switch in his head. Gears get pulled and his body moves. It’s simple. Do that!

So if you wanna really get into this robot game, I highly recommend the How To Do The Robot DVD starring Tyson, protege of Madd Chadd and all around gangsta robot teacher. Be sure to pick up a copy if you wanna take your skills to the next level.

The Wrap-Up
We are all just dancing robots as Boppin Andre says. Don’t forget that. That’s what popping is. A dancing robot. So if you wanna be a dope popper, you better be a dope robotter. Keep it up, take your time, record yourself, get some critiques, and just keep working at it. It will pay dividends in every style you do.

This Is It' Trailer Captures Vibrant King of Pop

by Billy Johnson Jr. September 15, 2009

Watching the trailer for Michael Jackson's posthumous documentary "This Is It" confirms that I better purchase my theatre tickets the minute they go on sale September 27.

The tickets for the short two-week theatrical run, beginning October 28, will sell out quickly. I want to watch "This Is It" on the big screen with surround sound, Raisinets, popcorn, and other loud, responsive viewers.

The two-minute promo video is engaging, capturing Michael as he rehearses with his background dancers and musicians. He effortlessly runs through the choreography. When he explains his vision to his team, he speaks in a low, husky, more serious sounding voice that I've only heard described by insiders.

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?cl=15558738

The imagery is his usual grandiose design. There is a dance sequence of thousands of digitally replicated soldiers, dressed in black uniforms, and set in a desert. There are endless acrobatic performance shots. Michael embodies his trademark stage presence. He hits his marks precisely, and is fascinating to watch.

Michael demonstrates that he was the King of Pop, and that there has never been another artist like him.

The piece compiled from 100 hours of footage shot between April and June, looks incredible. Those who had purchased tickets to the show originally scheduled to run in July at London's o2 arena undoubtedly would have gotten their monies' worth.

Kenny Ortega, the director of "This Is It" and Michael's creative partner, said the film documents Michael's role in shaping the show. "You see him as the true architect and driving force of this project," Kenny said in a statement.

"It's a very private, exclusive look into a creative genius' world," Kenny said. "For the first time ever, fans will see Michael as they have never seen him before... It is raw, emotional, moving and powerful footage."

Considering the shock of his untimely death in June, I wonder if watching this movie will foster closure or if it will just make fans feel worse about his passing?

Nothing in the trailer suggests that Michael was 50-years-old or on the verge of death. I will not be able to get that thought out of my head.

Dirty Dancing' star Patrick Swayze dies at 57

By CHRISTY LEMIRE, AP Entertainment Writer Christy Lemire, Ap Entertainment Writer



LOS ANGELES – Patrick Swayze, the hunky actor who danced his way into viewers' hearts with "Dirty Dancing" and then broke them with "Ghost," died Monday after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 57.

"Patrick Swayze passed away peacefully today with family at his side after facing the challenges of his illness for the last 20 months," said a statement released Monday evening by his publicist, Annett Wolf. No other details were given.

Fans of the actor were saddened to learn in March 2008 that Swayze was suffering from a particularly deadly form of cancer.

He had kept working despite the diagnosis, putting together a memoir with his wife and shooting "The Beast," an A&E drama series for which he had already made the pilot. It drew a respectable 1.3 million viewers when the 13 episodes ran in 2009, but A&E said it had reluctantly decided not to renew it for a second season.

Swayze said he opted not to use painkilling drugs while making "The Beast" because they would have taken the edge off his performance. He acknowledged that time might be running out given the grim nature of the disease.

When he first went public with the illness, some reports gave him only weeks to live, but his doctor said his situation was "considerably more optimistic" than that.

"I'd say five years is pretty wishful thinking," Swayze told ABC's Barbara Walters in early 2009. "Two years seems likely if you're going to believe statistics. I want to last until they find a cure, which means I'd better get a fire under it."

A three-time Golden Globe nominee, Swayze became a star with his performance as the misunderstood bad-boy Johnny Castle in "Dirty Dancing." As the son of a choreographer who began his career in musical theater, he seemed a natural to play the role.

A coming-of-age romance starring Jennifer Grey as an idealistic young woman on vacation with her family and Swayze as the Catskills resort's sexy (and much older) dance instructor, the film made great use of both his grace on his feet and his muscular physique.

It became an international phenomenon in the summer of 1987, spawning albums, an Oscar-winning hit song in "(I've Had) the Time of My Life," stage productions and a sequel, 2004's "Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights," in which he made a cameo.

Swayze performed and co-wrote a song on the soundtrack, the ballad "She's Like the Wind," inspired by his wife, Lisa Niemi. The film also gave him the chance to utter the now-classic line, "Nobody puts Baby in a corner."

And it allowed him to poke fun at himself on a "Saturday Night Live" episode, in which he played a wannabe Chippendales dancer alongside the corpulent — and frighteningly shirtless — Chris Farley.

A major crowdpleaser, the film drew only mixed reviews from critics, though Vincent Canby wrote in The New York Times, "Given the limitations of his role, that of a poor but handsome sex-object abused by the rich women at Kellerman's Mountain House, Mr. Swayze is also good. ... He's at his best — as is the movie — when he's dancing."

Swayze followed that up with the 1989 action flick "Road House," in which he played a bouncer at a rowdy bar. But it was his performance in 1990's "Ghost" that showed his vulnerable, sensitive side. He starred as a murdered man trying to communicate with his fiancee (Demi Moore) — with great frustration and longing — through a psychic played by Whoopi Goldberg.

Swayze said at the time that he fought for the role of Sam Wheat (director Jerry Zucker wanted Kevin Kline) but once he went in for an audition and read six scenes, he got it.

Why did he want the part so badly? "It made me cry four or five times," he said of Bruce Joel Rubin's Oscar-winning script in an AP interview.

"Ghost" provided yet another indelible musical moment: Swayze and Moore sensually molding pottery together to the strains of the Righteous Brothers' "Unchained Melody." It also earned a best-picture nomination and a supporting-actress Oscar for Goldberg, who said she wouldn't have won if it weren't for Swayze.

"When I won my Academy Award, the only person I really thanked was Patrick," Goldberg said in March 2008 on the ABC daytime talk show "The View."

Swayze himself earned three Golden Globe nominations, for "Dirty Dancing," "Ghost" and 1995's "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar," which further allowed him to toy with his masculine image. The role called for him to play a drag queen on a cross-country road trip alongside Wesley Snipes and John Leguizamo.

His heartthrob status almost kept him from being considered for the role of Vida Boheme.

"I couldn't get seen on it because everyone viewed me as terminally heterosexually masculine-macho," he told the AP then. But he transformed himself so completely that when his screen test was sent to Steven Spielberg, whose Amblin pictures produced "To Wong Foo," Spielberg didn't recognize him.

Among his earlier films, Swayze was part of the star-studded lineup of up-and-comers in Francis Ford Coppola's 1983 adaptation of S.E. Hinton's novel "The Outsiders," alongside Rob Lowe, Tom Cruise, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Emilio Estevez and Diane Lane. Swayze played Darrel "Dary" Curtis, the oldest of three wayward brothers — and essentially the father figure — in a poor family in small-town Oklahoma.

Other '80s films included "Red Dawn," "Grandview U.S.A." (for which he also provided choreography) and "Youngblood," once more with Lowe, as Canadian hockey teammates.

In the '90s, he made such eclectic films as "Point Break" (1991), in which he played the leader of a band of bank-robbing surfers, and the family Western "Tall Tale" (1995), in which he starred as Pecos Bill. He appeared on the cover of People magazine as its "Sexiest Man Alive" in 1991, but his career tapered off toward the end of the 1990s, when he also had stay in rehab for alcohol abuse. In 2001, he appeared in the cult favorite "Donnie Darko," and in 2003 he returned to the New York stage with "Chicago"; 2006 found him in the musical "Guys and Dolls" in London.

Swayze was born in 1952 in Houston, the son of Jesse Swayze and choreographer Patsy Swayze, whose films include "Urban Cowboy."

He played football but also was drawn to dance and theater, performing with the Feld, Joffrey and Harkness Ballets and appearing on Broadway as Danny Zuko in "Grease." But he turned to acting in 1978 after a series of injuries.

Within a couple years of moving to Los Angeles, he made his debut in the roller-disco movie "Skatetown, U.S.A." The eclectic cast included Scott Baio, Flip Wilson, Maureen McCormack and Billy Barty.

Swayze had a couple of movies in the works when his diagnosis was announced, including the drama "Powder Blue," starring Jessica Biel, Forest Whitaker and his younger brother, Don, which was scheduled for release this year.

Off-screen, he was an avid conservationist who was moved by his time in Africa to shine a light on "man's greed and absolute unwillingness to operate according to Mother Nature's laws," he told the AP in 2004.

Swayze was married since 1975 to Niemi, a fellow dancer who took lessons with his mother; they met when he was 19 and she was 15. A licensed pilot, Niemi would fly her husband from Los Angeles to Northern California for treatment at Stanford University Medical Center, People magazine reported in a cover story.

Happy Birthday Michael Jackson [R.I.P 1958-2009]

BIOGRAPHY on Michael Jackson

The Bio History of Michael Joseph Jackson began when he was born on the 29th of August 1958 in Gary, Indiana. He was the 7th of nine children. (brothers: Sigmund "Jackie", Toriano "Tito", Jermaine, Marlon, Steven "Randy", and sisters Rebbie, Janet and La-Toya Jackson.

Michael began his musical career at the age of 5 as the lead singer of the Jackson 5 who formed in 1964. In these early years the Jackson 5, Jackie, Jermaine, Tito, Marlon and lead singer Michael played local clubs and bars in Gary Indiana and moving further afield as there talents grew and they could compete in bigger competitions. From these early days Michael would be at the same clubs as big talented stars of there days, such as Jackie Wilson and would be learning from them even back then.





In 1968 the Bobby Taylor and The Vancouvers discovered the Jackson five and from there they got an audition for Berry Gordy of Motown Records. The Jackson 5 signed for Motown and moved to California. Their first 4 singles, "I Want You Back", "ABC", "The Love You Save", and "I'll Be There" all made US No1 hits. The Jackson 5 recorded 14 albums and Michael recorded 4 solo albums with Motown.

The Jackson 5 stayed with Motown until 1976, wanting more artistic freedom they felt they had to move on and signed up with Epic. The group name Jackson 5 had to be changed as it was owned by Motown, so they reverted to The Jacksons as they had be known in the early days. Brother Jermaine married Berry Gordy's daughter and stayed with Motown. Youngest brother Randy joined in his place. The Jacksons had a number of hit records and in total made 6 albums between the years of 1976 and 1984.

In 1977 Michael made his first film debut when he starred in the musical 'The Wiz' playing Scarecrow with Diana Ross in the lead role of Dorothy. It was at this time Michael met Quincy Jones who was doing the score for the film.

Michael teamed up with Quincey Jones as his producer for his first solo album with Epic Records. The album titled "Off The Wall" was a big success around the world and the first ever album to release a record breaking 4 No1 singles in the US.

In 1982 Michael Jackson released the world's largest selling album of all time, 'Thriller'. This album produced 7 hit singles, breaking yet again more records, and went on to sell over 50 million copies worldwide. Michael was keen to use music video or short films as he called them to promote his singles from the album. He worked with the best directors and producers, using the latest technology and special effects for the hit song 'Billie Jean' The short film 'Thriller' used the latest make-up artists technolgy combined with fantastic dancing and cherography, to produce a 14 minute video, with a start, a middle and an ending. So successful was this video that 'The Making Of Michael Jackson's Thriller' became the world's largest selling home video combined with soaring album sales. In 1983 Michael performed the now legendary moonwalk for the first time on the 'Motown 25 years' anniversary show. This performance alone set Michael undoubtable into the realm of a superstar.

In 1984 Michael won a record breaking 8 Grammy awards in one night. The awards were for his work on the 'Thriller' album and his work on the narrative for the 'ET Storybook'.

On December 9th 1984 at the last concert of the Jackson's Victory Tour, Michael announced he was splitting from the group and going solo.

In 1987 Michael released his much awaited third solo album, titled 'Bad', and lauched his record breaking first solo world tour. 1988, Michael wrote his first autobiography, Moonwalk, talking for the first time on his childhood and his career. At the end of the 1980s Michael was named 'Artist Of The Decade' for his success off of his 'Thriller' and 'Bad' albums.

In 1991 Michael signed with Sony Music the largest ever recording contract and released his fourth solo album, 'Dangerous'. He toured world again in 1992, taking his concerts to countries that had never before been visited by a pop/rock artist. Also Michael founded the 'Heal the World Foundation' to help improve the lives of children across the world.

In 1994 Michael married Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of rock legend Elvis Presley. The marriage only lasted for 19 months, as they divorced in 1996.

1995 saw Michael release a fifth solo album, 'HIStory', which was a double album, first half new material and second half half greatest hits. Michael toured again over a legs covering a 2 year period. In between legs of the tour on November 14th 1996, Michael married for his second time to Debbie Rowe who was a nurse that Michael had met in the treatment of his skin pigment disorder. Together they had their first child Prince Michael Joseph Jackson jr born on February 13 1997 and a daughter Paris Michael Katherine Jackson born on April 3rd 1998.

In 1997 Michael released the remix album 'Blood On The Dance Floor' which also contained 5 new song linked with a 38min film "Ghosts". This film Michael played 5 roles using the latest special effects and make-up artistry, combined with his dance and music.


In September, 2001 Michael celebrated his 30th anniversary as a solo artist with two concerts to be held in New York, USA. Many artists such as Whitney Houston, Usher, Destinys Child, Shaggy and many more performed there own and Michael Jacksons past songs. Michael then reunited with all of his brothers and performed there biggest hits. Michael then went onto perform solo some of his biggest hits.

In October 2001 Michael released the album 'Invincible' releasing only 2 singles including the big hit "You Rock My World". Shortly after the albums release there were rumours of a rift with Sony Music and a clear lack of promotion of the album. The second single "Cry" was released with a very poor music video which did not feature Michael and no other singles were released.

In November 2003 a new single "One More Chance" was released as a single and was also a track on new compilation album "Number Ones".

In March 2009, Michael annouced a shock comeback tour at the O2 Arena in London to start in July 2009, intially for 10 dates but the total grew to a sold out 50 dates with over 750,000 tickets sold. All sold tickets sold out within minutes of being released.

On June 25th 2009 Michael Jackson died suddenly of a reported cardiac arrest. He was 50 years old.

History of Salsa Dance and Music

Salsa is not easily defined. Who invented salsa? The Cubans, Puerto Ricans? Salsa is a distillation of many Latin and Afro-Caribbean dances. Each played a large part in its evolution.

Salsa is similar to Mambo in that both have a pattern of six steps danced over eight counts of music. The dances share many of the same moves. In Salsa, turns have become an important feature, so the overall look and feel are quite different form those of Mambo. Mambo moves generally forward and backward, whereas, Salsa has more of a side to side feel.
A look at the origin of Salsa
By: Jaime Andrés Pretell

It is not only Cuban; nevertheless we must give credit to Cuba for the origin and ancestry of creation. It is here where Contra-Danze (Country Dance) of England/France, later called Danzón, which was brought by the French who fled from Haiti, begins to mix itself with Rhumbas of African origin (Guaguanco, Colombia, Yambú). Add Són of the Cuban people, which was a mixture of the Spanish troubadour (sonero) and the African drumbeats and flavora and a partner dance flowered to the beat of the clave.

This syncretism also occurred in smaller degrees and with variations in other countries like the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Puerto Rico, among others. Bands of these countries took their music to Mexico City in the era of the famous films of that country (Perez Prado, most famous ...). Shortly after, a similar movement to New York occurred. In these two cities, more promotion and syncretism occurred and more commercial music was generated because there was more investment.

New York created the term "Salsa", but it did not create the dance. The term became popular as nickname to refer to a variety of different music, from several countries of Hispanic influence: Rhumba, Són Montuno, Guaracha, Mambo, Cha cha cha, Danzón, Són, Guguanco, Cubop, Guajira, Charanga, Cumbia, Plena, Bomba, Festejo, Merengue, among others. Many of these have maintained their individuality and many were mixed creating "Salsa".

If you are listening to today's Salsa, you are going to find the base of són, and you are going to hear Cumbia, and you are going to hear Guaracha. You will also hear some old Merengue, built-in the rhythm of different songs. You will hear many of the old styles somewhere within the modern beats. Salsa varies from site to site. In New York, for example, new instrumentalization and extra percussion were added to some Colombian songs so that New Yorkers - that dance mambo "on the two" - can feel comfortable dancing to the rhythm and beat of the song, because the original arrangement is not one they easily recognize.

This is called "finishing", to enter the local market. This "finish" does not occur because the Colombian does not play Salsa, but it does not play to the rhythm of the Puerto Rican/Post-Cuban Salsa. I say Post-Cuban, because the music of Cuba has evolved towards another new and equally flavorful sound.

Then, as a tree, Salsa has many roots and many branches, but one trunk that unites us all. The important thing is that Salsa is played throughout the Hispanic world and has received influences of many places within it. It is of all of us and it is a sample of our flexibility and evolution. If you think that a single place can take the credit for the existence of Salsa, you are wrong. And if you think that one style of dance is better, imagine that the best dancer of a style, without his partner, goes to dance with whomever he can find, in a club where a different style predominates. He wouldn't look as good as the locals. Each dancer is accustomed to dance his/her own style. None is better, only different. Viva la variedad, Viva la Salsa!

Jazz Oral Interview of ISRAEL LÓPEZ "CACHAO": (Link is dead? http://www.picadillo.com/picadillo/figueroa/cachao.html)
Highlights by FRANK M. FIGUEROA

The interviewer asked Cachao what he thought about salsa music and performers who called themselves salseros. His answer, which is typical of most of the "old guard" musicians, was a total repudiation of the term. As far as he is concerned it is all Cuban music and salsa is a term that has more relation to the kitchen than to music. He jokingly said that there should be a law against anybody calling himself a salsero.

Read more: http://www.centralhome.com/ballroomcountry/salsa.htm#ixzz0Q5ipUuOl

Troy D's Dance School

PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact October 21, 2009

Troy D. Haskin – Owner Dance Instructor

903-917-2846 Studio

409-273-4330 Cell

Email: tddanceschool@hotmail.com

Website: http://tdanceschool.ning.com/

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/TDanceSchool09

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TDanceSchool09

Learn To Dance Like The Professionals At An Exciting New Dance Studio Here In Longview. ’’Troy D’s Dance School’’

Beaumont, TX August 1, 2008

Who I am, is Troy D Haskin. I have been dancing for 24 years and teaching several styles for more than 10.What my supreme goal here in Longview, is to teach and bring completely different dancing styles to this great city. Toward the end of August is when I plan to open up my studio for Longview. 2037 S. High Street is where my studio will be located. I have been dancing all of my life and it has often saved me from myself and other harmful situations. There has not been anything like what I have to offer hence the very reasons why I am here to teach and share it.

In August of 2008, I began a business venture with Jack Koch former CEO of Beaumont Metropolitan YMCA, to teach dance classes to at risk kids ages 4 – 13. Later that year, I then teamed with 102.5, 94.1, 95.5, Park dale Mall & Lisa Christensen with FOX64, to bring a ’’So You Think You Can Dance’’ challenge to Beaumont, TX.

My family and I recently moved here about 4 months ago after losing everything last year due to two hurricanes back to back. I am here to claim a new start and hopefully a successful new dance school.

For References:

Jack Koch 409-291-9207

Lisa Christensen Harris 409-363-2130

In Closing Below are dance styles and levels that will be taught at my studio

All Hip-Hop Styles such as: Break-dance, Popping, Liquid Pop, etc

Basic-Intermediate & Advance

Latin styles such as: Salsa, Cha-Cha, Mambo, Lambada etc.

Basic-Intermediate & Advance

Basic Ballroom styles may vary

Basic & Intermediate