Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: I just remember seeing you hanging from your hair.
[00:00:03] Speaker B: You're doing Ariel hair suspension.
[00:00:05] Speaker A: Do you call it? It should be called Harrial. I don't know why we're not calling you Harrial.
Hi, I'm Dana. This is Words that Move Me. We're getting right into it with my win today. I'm celebrating the most gorgeous Los Angeles sun shower. It's raining and it's sunning and. And I just saw a complete end to end rainbow while I was walking Riz. And the actual win in there, other than that she's cleaning herself right now on camera, is that she took a walk in the rain because the sun was out, and so she got tricked. And Riz doesn't usually walk in the rain, but today she walked in the rain and it was gorgeous. It was gorgeous. It was gorgeous. And so is our guest today. I cannot wait to share this conversation with Marie Poppins with you, but because on the podcast, we start every episode with wins. I go, then you go. You go, what are you? What am I? Why am I stabbing at you? You should be watching the podcast on YouTube if you're just listening. I do fun, jabby stabbies because culturally I'm sensitive to finger guns and the index finger point, which can be rude. So I'm using blades. I should be using the flight attendant to, you know, index and middle finger. I'll get right into that. While you get into your win, what's going well in your.
Fantastic. So proud of you. Keep on winning. Okay, guys, today we're talking to one of my favorite artists. I'm gonna start calling her a creature as she self identifies as a creature. Like a creator, like a creature whose bullets, if I were to bullet them, like dancer, choreographer, creative director, model, harialist, which is a word that I made up for aerial hair. It's called hair suspension. She also is a mime. She's a fantastic educator, and she is one hell of an inspiring human being. I sat in that chair and cried three times because her words and her thoughts about the world that we live in are so inspiring. And so please learn a lot and enjoy the one and only Marie Poppins.
This is it. We're doing it. The one and only Marie Poppins in my living room.
[00:02:45] Speaker B: What the heck?
[00:02:47] Speaker A: We have been trying to do this for so long. Thank you for your patience with me and my schedule. And I have a couple times I reached out to you. You're like, oh, I'll be in Mexico. Ooh, I'll be in Europe. Oh, I'm Gonna. This is two busy people trying to have a conversation.
Thank you for making the time.
[00:03:04] Speaker B: Thank you, Dana. Thank you for having me.
[00:03:06] Speaker A: Okay. We've got a lot in common, and we're very different people with very different skills, but we have some unusual overlaps, and I'm excited to get to that. But first, I want for you to introduce yourself and tell the listener, viewer, people out there, whatever you want them to know about you.
[00:03:23] Speaker B: So I'm Marie Poppins. I am a dancer, performer, choreographer.
I am originally from France. Now I'm American as well.
[00:03:32] Speaker A: Congrats.
[00:03:33] Speaker B: Thank you.
[00:03:33] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:03:34] Speaker B: Yeah. I'm a passionate artist that, you know, is in love with music first before being in love of dance. I'm a dancer who is in love with the style of popping. I'm a part of a collective called Femme Fatale, Iconic House of Ninja and Style Element Crew.
[00:03:52] Speaker A: Style Elements Crew. I did not know you were a member of Style Elements Crew. And I found that out, and I was like, damn, yes. That's fucking cool. Femme Fatale. Also cool. I'm a huge fan of you guys. That is one of the things we share in common is that we are both part of fantastic female trios of dance specialty. But we'll get into that in a second. You did leave off this list, Marie, that you are a model and a super smokin hot model at that.
I also was watching your feed a couple days ago. You're now dancing with fire. Like, you are a fire dancer.
[00:04:26] Speaker B: I wouldn't say I'm a fire dancer.
[00:04:28] Speaker A: I just dance with fire.
[00:04:31] Speaker B: I picked up the torches, and I was like, okay, I can practice.
[00:04:34] Speaker A: I can. I can do this. So it was more for training, actually.
[00:04:37] Speaker B: My friend had a show in Mexico, and her director was like, hey, I would love for you to do your style with fire. Would you be open to it? So you know when you have someone empowering you to do something, you're like, okay, it's not really me trying something. It's someone asking me to do it, so I'm just gonna try. And that was really cool. We had two rehearsals, and then she was like, okay, you're good. You're ready. You're not scared of it, so just. Just go for it. And, yeah, I like those little challenges.
[00:05:07] Speaker A: Yes. An opportunity, Something that was sparked by someone else.
[00:05:10] Speaker B: Exactly.
[00:05:11] Speaker A: But you said yes, not no. And you wound up, like, exp. Expanding your repertoire, your palette, your skill set. Is that the same thing that happened with mime? Because I talk about mime on the podcast a lot. People know this I've had Lauren, who is our mutual mime coach. Another one of our shared bonds. Eternal bond, by the way. Once you are a mime with someone, you are bound for life. But I found Lauren because I had an audition prompt. I tell this story a lot on the podcast, so I won't go into details. Rhapsody James had a casting. She was looking for Sirens. Assassins was the name of her project. She was looking for new characters. And in my mind, I thought of an assassin that was a mime whose weapons. What is this? It's a baseball bat whose weapons are fake, but the damage is real. And so I was like, wow, that would be so sick. Because I booked that job as this prototype mime. I had to actually learn how to mime. So that's how it worked for me. How did mime introduce yourself?
[00:06:15] Speaker B: So I am just always interested in learning different things.
I think it's cool to be yourself with always, like an open heart to different skills. And I was contacted to do a short film and I got asked if I was doing mime and, you know, I do, you know, popping and animation robot for that short film. They were like, are you willing to be trained in. In mime?
[00:06:44] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:06:45] Speaker B: And I was like, okay, sure. So they actually sent me to that. To the training with Lauren.
[00:06:51] Speaker A: Yep.
[00:06:52] Speaker B: And I got to train with him. I took the whole course. It was three days, and at the end they had me audition and they were like, okay, we'll get you for the short film. And the short film was about a modern mime that could actually pop and do animation and. And but on top of it, add miming. And actually they had me doing. They had me learn also some martial arts. Because in the short film, they had the modern mime fight with the more classic mime. So the whole scene, we had to mime a scene where I dance and she gets jealous and then we end up fighting.
[00:07:28] Speaker A: Where is this movie? I have to see this movie. Actually.
[00:07:31] Speaker B: I need to post it. I need to post that short film. I never posted it, but yeah.
[00:07:35] Speaker A: Or we could just have. I would settle for a private screening.
You do you. But I have to see that.
[00:07:41] Speaker B: It was really cool. And I remember that project sparked something in my career because I was like, how about I let myself open to learn different stuff, you know, like to learn different skills and. And always being open to. To whatever is. Is thrown at me. I think it always going to be a plus, you know, because then when you look at it, miming was. It got me closer to acting, you know, but without the words yet. And yeah, I think that's the beauty of what we do. Like, I'm trying to learn something new on any new gig or any new project I'm working on, making sure. Am I learning from it? Because otherwise, if it's just a job, then what is the point, really for?
There is so much you can mix. And it got me closer to my culture because, like I was saying miming, a lot of people do mime in France.
[00:08:34] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:08:35] Speaker B: So that got me very curious. What I missed from it, though, doing the miming and stuff, was I was missing the connection with music, you know, and that's where robot or popping or any style is, like, super satisfies that. Exactly. Because I realized how much I'm happy when I become a physical manifestation of the music. I think that's the. The. The highest feeling I can get. And I love that. So. So it was. It was a really cool experience.
[00:09:03] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:09:04] Speaker B: And from there, I feel like I kept looking for different sensation, different people to work with. For instance, the. The fire show that I did, like last week was. It was very fascinated because I was working with people who are so professional with fire dance, but they were trusting me and they were interested in seeing how we can mix with street dance, voguing, popping. And he brought another layer of creativity.
[00:09:38] Speaker A: You have a real trade swap with people working at a high level, and you also working at a really high level. How long have you been popping, practicing this technique?
[00:09:49] Speaker B: For a while, I would say maybe 13 years. Okay. Yeah.
[00:09:54] Speaker A: And like, every day?
[00:09:56] Speaker B: Not every day, no.
[00:09:57] Speaker A: But, like.
[00:09:58] Speaker B: No, no, not every day. No, no, actually. Actually, I don't really practice it anymore. I'll be honest.
[00:10:04] Speaker A: At the beginning, what would you say?
[00:10:05] Speaker B: How often? Oh, at the beginning. I think the first three, four months I got quickly. I. I just loved it so much that I got really obsessed and I wanted to practice every day.
[00:10:16] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:10:16] Speaker B: So that's why I think it's. It's hard sometimes to measure someone's evolution in. In an art form, because that depends the time you put it. The time you put in. In a certain period.
[00:10:29] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:10:29] Speaker B: So I would say for three, four months, I was so dedicated, I was dreaming about it, you know, I couldn't wait to get better. Yeah. Because I was not really good at first, to be honest.
[00:10:40] Speaker A: Is anyone like. Yeah, I mean, maybe. I bet Pete was. But then again, when Pete tells the story of, like, learning from his brother, learning from Boogaloo Sam, he actually. No, I don't think he was good at the beginning. I don't know if anybody is good at that dance.
[00:10:54] Speaker B: I don't think we're not really good, but we have a spark. And what is cool is when you let people when your intuition listen to this spark, and especially when someone empowers you. And I remember being 16 in France, and my first teacher ever. His name is Piet. He was like, you're gonna be good at popping. I was all the way in the back in his class, and I had no idea what was this art form. And he was like, come in the front. You hit hard. And I was like, what do you mean? Like, you. You pop hard. And he was like, I'm gonna. He wanted to pass me the art form. He was like, I'm gonna train you. And he invested in you. And he gave me a dvd.
Oh, my God. Yes. He. It was the movie breaking.
[00:11:42] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:11:42] Speaker B: And he gave me that, like, it was a. Like, you know, light was coming around the tape.
[00:11:50] Speaker A: Angels sing.
[00:11:51] Speaker B: You're gonna get inspired. And from there, you know, my journey started. And I remember from that day thinking, okay, I'm gonna pay attention to the words of empowerment from people because it worth so much, and sometimes we forget to listen to it and how much it gets. You evolve. Like, if you really, truly, deeply pay attention. Like, he's telling you that you could be good at this, and you felt it.
Maybe studied a little bit and maybe lean into that. Yeah. And then after that, I kind of, like, I was dancing, but not professionally. I went to school, I got my bachelor, my master, and all this time, I was like, I don't think I can make a living off of this.
[00:12:32] Speaker A: But when I move off of dance.
[00:12:34] Speaker B: Off of dance. Yes. But then when I moved to the US My life completely changed, and.
And it's the same thing. My first competition was at Monsters of Hip Hop, and I entered the battle randomly.
[00:12:48] Speaker A: In what city?
[00:12:49] Speaker B: Chicago. That's where I was staying.
And I made it to finals somehow. And I was like, oh, my God, I love this. The feeling I got.
[00:12:59] Speaker A: I was competing.
[00:13:01] Speaker B: Yeah. Competing and dancing and just becoming in sync with the music. At a certain moment, it just felt warm. It felt good. And I was like, you know what? I love this. I want to feel this for the rest of my life also.
[00:13:13] Speaker A: I'm crying right now. Just on this journey with you, listening, you talk about finding your purpose in a place that is so far away from home.
[00:13:21] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:13:21] Speaker A: And far away from your school and things like that. Okay, sorry. Keep going.
[00:13:25] Speaker B: And then I remember the word of empowerment. I got it. At that moment in Chicago, From Napoleon and Tabitha and Dave Scott. I had no idea who they were. I just came from France. I was like, you know, like, I was like, hi. Hi. Thank you. Who are you? And they were like, oh, poor her. She has no clue who we are. Probably all the movies we. We've been choreographing, she's been watching, but she has no clue who we are. And it was like, they were like, hey, you should move to la. You, you're really good.
[00:13:53] Speaker A: Like, yeah, yeah.
[00:13:54] Speaker B: And I was like, is this real? Like, and yeah. And when I look back, I'm like, I vividly remember their words. And I was like, oh, okay. Another word of empowerment in my life. I'm going to keep going. And until now, I still, I think my.
Where I get grateful is when I can identify those moments, you know? So, yeah, that was the starting point.
[00:14:21] Speaker A: It sounds like there. Those were a few of the key moments, right? Your popping teacher in France gives you break. In Napoleon and Tabitha, Dave Scott, they say, hey, you're pretty good. Do have any happened since then that you can recall, like, in your professional life? You've been out here for how many years now?
[00:14:39] Speaker B: Maybe like, yeah, 15 years, something like that, over moments like this.
Pete, of course, Popping Pete is, is definitely someone that, that was a, A big part of my career because he told me, he was like, okay, you, you want to do this style, but you're going to have to open your knowledge to other styles. You're going to have to learn choreography, you're going to have to. To get more versatile because you want to work, you want to make money, to be, you want to make battles. Exactly. You, you want this to be a profession. And, and this resonated very heavily for me because if you want to make a living off of this, you, you know, you're going to have to open your, your mind to other things. And I remember he called me one time, he was like, okay. Randomly, he just checked on me. He was like, okay, are you taking classes? Are you learning over dance styles? Are you expanding your. Expanding your knowledge? He was like, it's okay to have a specialty and be good at it. Just make sure you, you, you're going to be flexible in doing maybe different jobs or being thrown at different things.
And also after one competition, I remember at Freestar session, I lost in finals versus Green Tech. And I was very sad and confused because people tell you to do this art from a certain way. He came to me, he said, block the noise. Do you never lose what you are doing? It's unique. Keep pushing it.
[00:16:15] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:16:15] Speaker B: And he left. Who is this? Popping Pete. And, yeah, it's another. Another empowerment in my journey.
[00:16:23] Speaker A: And that message is slightly different versus, hey, go do something you've never done. This message was, keep doing what you're doing.
[00:16:31] Speaker B: So I think the resume of this is again, like. Like I say, like, be yourself with an open heart. Keep those two. Like, make sure you open, you balance both. I think it's pretty cool. Then it's a cool journey.
[00:16:45] Speaker A: What I think is pretty cool is that we've been talking for, like, a handful of minutes. I've already cried once. I love this. This is my favorite thing to do.
Okay.
Yeah. I can see you as being a person who says yes to new things and says yes to what they know and what they're good at. And that combination of those two things is like, one plus one equals one million. This is working for you. I want to talk about what I'm calling the audition that was heard round the world, the audition heard around the world. Because I think auditions in particular are a place where saying yes and being open are like money in the bank. You don't know what you're walking into. And they're all different. So you have to be willing. Right? You have to say yes to whatever is being asked. And also you have to know when to just do you.
So there was an audition recently, I'm calling it the Audition Heard around the World, because it was the only thing people were talking about for probably, like, two, three weeks, maybe more. Still, if I bring it up, people are like, oh, like, it's triggering for some people. Dancers were asked as part of the first cut to stand in a straight line, do a turn sequence into a layout into an acro sequence to no music, just one at a time, standing in line, step forward. Turn layout, acro. Turn, layout, Acro. Turn, layout, acro. And people are getting cut left and right. People are. People who are technically trained are falling out of turns because of the pressure and choking. And I think I've heard horror stories of this moment. But then in that mix of horror stories that I heard, I heard that you were there and that you did not do a pirouette and you did not do a layout and you did not do an acro element, but you did you. And you made it past that first cut.
I want to hear about that experience from your perspective. What was your internal dialogue when that was being asked of you was something that I'm assuming is outside of your wheelhouse, but I don't know I could be wrong.
[00:19:02] Speaker B: Yeah.
So that audition, you know, when I went, I was in line, and you kept hearing. Hearing dancer getting out of the room and saying, like, oh, my God, this is crazy. They ask you to do pirouette and. And kicks and turn and lift. And as people were saying that other women were leaving, they were like, oh, I. It's not in my. I cannot do that. I'm just going to leave. I don't want to waste my time. And people are getting a little bit upset. So I'm like, this energy has been created. And I'm like, I drove all the way here. I printed out a resume, I put my makeup on.
I found a fresh outfit.
I'm not going to leave. Like, I mean, at least certainly not.
[00:19:54] Speaker A: Because other people have an attitude.
[00:19:56] Speaker B: And I feel like we have to be careful also with that in the energy pass to other dancers. You know, you hear you're going for a job, and you hope to get it. I don't think you should listen to the other competitors. Like, it's. We're in competition in that moment. Let's be real. We are friends, but we also. So I'm not saying people were coming out out of bad intention to sing that. That was the. The truth. Like, you know, they were filtered.
[00:20:21] Speaker A: They were sure. People were processing feeling.
[00:20:24] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:20:25] Speaker A: Outnumber or not outgunned people. People were processing feeling.
[00:20:29] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:20:30] Speaker A: Rejected or incapable or, like, scared or, you know, all sorts of things. Unwanted feelings come up in auditions. But certainly if you feel like you weren't well prepared.
[00:20:41] Speaker B: Yeah. Or if you feel like you don't match. Okay, cool. You can leave. But I'm like, okay, I came all the way and I'm here. Cool. The first thing I did is I went back to the audition notice, and it said three things. It says, stronger hip hop choreography, strong at freestyle and strong at contemporary.
Okay. I looked at it. I'm like, okay, well, that was kind of, like, clear that they wanted also contemporary.
[00:21:02] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:21:03] Speaker B: Train people.
[00:21:03] Speaker A: Yeah.
So we should.
[00:21:05] Speaker B: Okay, cool. I'm here. I have the info. But how about I'm gonna see myself what it is about instead of relying on what people say. And then this put insecurities on. On me. I will either way, I know who I am. I know what I can do. What is the worst that can happen? You know?
[00:21:22] Speaker A: Oh, I love that question. What's the worst that could happen?
[00:21:26] Speaker B: What is the worst that can?
[00:21:27] Speaker A: They say no.
[00:21:28] Speaker B: Yeah, they say no. Well, like, you. You. I think sometimes with dancers, we think like, the world care about us. No at that moment, they don't care if hurt. It's okay. You go home, you go practice.
[00:21:38] Speaker A: In a great way and in a terrible way.
[00:21:41] Speaker B: Yeah. I mean, I went to the room, right?
[00:21:43] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah.
[00:21:44] Speaker B: And then I remember at that moment, I was still hesitating. Like, should I just go home and. No, I'm here. Come on. Like, let's just go.
[00:21:52] Speaker A: Like, I already put my name, my makeup. I'm on the list. Yes.
[00:21:56] Speaker B: And.
And then when we were in the room, it was, you know, lines of girls, and then she, the choreographer explains what she wants to see. And then suddenly I see a lot of girls going, like, purette and. And kicks and turns and lift. And I'm like, okay, I have two options right now. Either I raise my hand and I'm like, I'm sorry, I'm just gonna go out, or I stay. I don't say anything. I don't want. I don't want them to waste their time. Like, do they really care at that moment that I cannot do it? Like, they're busy trying to book someone.
[00:22:32] Speaker A: Right.
[00:22:32] Speaker B: They're already committed.
[00:22:34] Speaker A: Book someone? Yes.
[00:22:34] Speaker B: Already committed to be in the room. Might as well make the best out of it. And what I loved about coming from battle scene, from street, performing from that world is that you're going to make sure people is going to watch you. You. You build that thing to where you're like, no matter what I'm going, they're going to remember me. Like. And I know I cannot channel it all the time. Like, maybe 5% of the time, I can channel it, but I know when I'm in tune, I don't think I'm stoppable. Like, I know people are going to watch me. I appreciate what I do because I have something to offer. It doesn't. It's not all the time. It happens. It's also a lot of insecurities that go. That I.
But I love when I tune in that page where I have that feisty character that is like, I come all the way here. I've been doing that for a long time. Please watch my art if you don't want me.
And then, well, what I did is, like, I know it mentioned you have to do turns. I do voguing, pop, dip and spin. The word spin. I can spin. I can spin and turn. Finish to a cobra, finish to something cool with a wave. And that would be enough. Yeah. I will make it short and precise, and let's see what happened. And so I do my thing, and they're like. And then they call my number and I'm like, are you sure? Okay. So I stay. And then somehow that was the weirdest thing that happened. I had, like, so many girls coming to me and be like, you staying? Like, they were shocked I was staying. Some people came and say, like, good job. You. You killed it. And some were, like, mad almost that I got kept. I'm like, well, work on your being unique and don't like. It's not my problem.
[00:24:21] Speaker A: It's not my problem.
[00:24:24] Speaker B: Eventually, after, the reality is, you know, I did the hip hop choreography was okay then. It was a pretty heavy contemporary.
[00:24:32] Speaker A: I heard about it.
[00:24:33] Speaker B: Choreography that was amazing. But I had so much fun. And again, I stayed with that open heart that I want to learn something from that process.
[00:24:40] Speaker A: Nice.
[00:24:40] Speaker B: And the teacher, I'm sorry, I don't know his name, but he was teaching the contemporary section of it.
[00:24:48] Speaker A: I believe it was Terry. Terry Bean.
[00:24:50] Speaker B: I loved it. I was like, I know. He was looking at me like, okay, she can already kick her leg. But I was taking the info. I'm like, I'm here. I'm getting a free class for an hour.
[00:25:00] Speaker A: A free masterclass, Terry.
[00:25:02] Speaker B: Yeah, it was today. I was not having a job. I was not missing on another opportunity other than training with someone that is very skilled in that sense, in a.
[00:25:11] Speaker A: Discipline that you don't know much about.
[00:25:13] Speaker B: That I. I still have some knowledge about, but not at the level that I. I practice.
[00:25:18] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:25:18] Speaker B: And I had fun. I had so much fun.
And again, looking back, the casting said, strong at hip hop, strong at contemporary. I had that casting notice two weeks ago.
[00:25:31] Speaker A: Uhhuh.
[00:25:32] Speaker B: All I had to do was why? Why I didn't go take some contemporary.
[00:25:36] Speaker A: Train up a little bit.
[00:25:37] Speaker B: Yeah. Why?
[00:25:38] Speaker A: Why?
[00:25:38] Speaker B: I go refresh. Why go. I don't go, like, get those techniques a little bit. I know I'm not going to have it in two weeks, but. Yeah, to actually still, you know, believe that I can do a little bit.
[00:25:51] Speaker A: Of it or to speak enough of the language that you can. That you can receive and try.
[00:25:55] Speaker B: Exactly.
[00:25:56] Speaker A: A little bit more informed.
[00:25:57] Speaker B: And it went from having 100% confidence in my solo. At the beginning, I was like, you.
[00:26:04] Speaker A: Were tuned, no question.
[00:26:05] Speaker B: And then once it was time to go with the contemporary audition, you could see on my face like, no, no, I'm scared. And it's a blessing and a curse to be a street dancer, I think, to be specialized in. In street styles because we are so purist in what we. With what we do that it kind of goes against you. Where. When it's time to kind of, like.
[00:26:27] Speaker A: Do something that's not your thing.
[00:26:28] Speaker B: You're like. You kind of want to show it in your face. You kind of want to almost tell a choreographer like, this is not my main style.
Try all the way through. I have a friend. He's an amazing dancer. His main background is more hip hop, and he booked the job, actually, so. And we talked about it. He was like, you should. You should have sold it even more. And I went home. I'm like, I need to take responsibilities for these things. And if I know I have an audition like this, go all the way through with it 100%. Go take your contemporary classes. Go train in that. Try to understand it, and then do your best. But I think on my face, you could see I was like, no, I already defeated myself. Yeah.
[00:27:07] Speaker A: Yeah. You cut yourself.
[00:27:08] Speaker B: Yeah, I cut myself.
[00:27:09] Speaker A: The same way that the people who left before the audition even started cut themselves.
[00:27:13] Speaker B: Exactly. But the. The positive about it is the choreographer, when I left, she was like, you did a great job. And for me, this meant so much.
And looking at the bigger picture, I'm like, well, maybe in the future, this is someone who might contact me to choreograph a popping piece or something with our movement. Who's going to be like, okay, for a show like this? How about I call Mary Poppins for that?
[00:27:39] Speaker A: Yes. You made an imprint. You made an impact.
[00:27:41] Speaker B: She showed interest in working with me.
Who knows? So I didn't waste my time. I didn't regret going.
And, yeah, I invite dancers to make the best out of the situation, because I actually hate auditions. I, like, I never got any of my job. I never got jobs, rarely got jobs out of auditions. All my jobs, I got them, surprisingly.
I got a lot of my jobs from doing battles, like commercials, too. Like, I remember I did a battle one time in Seattle, and one of the judges was a choreographer, and she was like, hey, I have a Sonos commercial for you. You want to do it, like.
Or then going to the club or going to environments where I was fully myself. Right. And the audition, sometimes it's annoying because you feel like you cannot be fully yourself.
[00:28:33] Speaker A: Yeah. When you're trying to fit the specifications that are on the breakdown.
[00:28:36] Speaker B: And it's a skill. I think I really admire dancers who are so tuned in during an audition who are not all over the place and can focus. For me, I get very.
I get very stressed.
[00:28:47] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:28:49] Speaker B: Like, I. I mean, I don't want to audition that much anymore. Now I really want to choreograph More nice, because I see my piece there.
But I would say one advice, like, if you go to an edition, like, approach it like a competition. Approach it like a battle and be like, I'm gonna showcase myself at the highest level no matter what happens. So.
And, yeah, that's fine. I didn't fall. I had no one, like, mocking me. I had no one.
[00:29:18] Speaker A: Yeah, it wasn't that bad.
[00:29:20] Speaker B: Yeah. Did my career ended because I didn't do three pirouettes? No, it's okay. But I got. Yeah, I had a good time.
[00:29:27] Speaker A: Like, oh, I love this story.
[00:29:29] Speaker B: And I think I actually like that they did that at the beginning of the audition. It was a quick filter on what they want, and that make. That made sense to me. Why would I complain about that? Like, if I. If I do an addition that's going to require popping and voguing, you can make sure that the first step is going to be like, okay, show me you can pop first. Show me you can do a dip. Show me. The audition will probably start like that.
[00:29:56] Speaker A: Yep.
[00:29:57] Speaker B: So it's the same concept.
[00:29:59] Speaker A: Yeah. You respected it, and as a result, you left the room with their respect.
[00:30:04] Speaker B: Yeah. But it's. You know, I had. I had literally two or three people calling me, like, I heard you stayed.
[00:30:10] Speaker A: Yeah, I'm like, I heard you stayed. It was like. Like, word on the street.
[00:30:15] Speaker B: This is so weird. Anyway, that was kind of weird, but.
[00:30:17] Speaker A: I think I. Yeah, I think that a lot of people were upset with themselves for not upkeeping a certain level of training that would allow them to knock out those. Those things without batting an eye. Yeah, I think. I think a lot of people blamed LA for not offering great jazz classes. I heard a lot of people blaming the way the audition was held, but I think what it really was is people who were disappointed that a skill that maybe they even had at one time had gotten rusty and they felt like it was the skill that was being evaluated in that moment. It's so much more than the skill that is being evaluated. It's how you show up under pressure. It's how you perform. It's how you negotiate what you want versus what I have. It's like all the other things that are not the skill that. And all auditions are that way. From the second you walk in the door, we're observing things other than skills, because jobs are about more than the skills on their face. Right. Especially for this project. Nobody. I don't think. No, they're not standing, doing pirouettes from fourth on this project.
They're all performers.
[00:31:34] Speaker B: They're all, yeah, but at least they have the option to know that if they ask a dancer, hey, can you throw three pirouettes? Then the answer is, sorry, I can't. Yeah.
[00:31:43] Speaker A: But while they're doing that, you can be doing all these other marvelous things. Okay. Thank you for sharing that story. I've been dying to hear it straight from your mouth, and I am excited for people to hear about your experience of that room. And as a reminder of the importance of mindset, because you had that experience of the same room like, nothing was different about the circumstance, but your experience of it was so different because of the way you were thinking.
[00:32:09] Speaker B: Yeah, I think I was blocking the noise at that moment, and it's not something I'm able to do all the time. Sometimes I get, you know, caught up. It feels like a bunch of bees around you at that moment. Like, everybody talking, what is happening? How did it go? Blah, blah, blah. Wow. Block the noise and focus on you.
[00:32:25] Speaker A: Yeah.
Can I take a hard right turn?
[00:32:28] Speaker B: Yep.
[00:32:29] Speaker A: I am a person who's very influenced by how I feel while I'm dancing, and I was very fortunate in my timing and placement. I met Pop, and Pete learned most of what I know about popping directly from him. I got to train with him and with others who know what the fuck they're talking about. I got to perform for more than a year some of Pete's choreography. So nightly or daily practice, at least to an extent. And what I can tell about myself is that I have to really feel the way my clothes hang and the way my body looks in order to dance that style.
As soon as you take away my baggy shirt and my baggy pants and make me wear, like, a bra and a tight, short, I. My dancing, I feel whack. And then I look at you as you just watched today, and I'm gonna include a clip of it. The piece that you shot in front of all these lights, and you're wearing, like, just, like. Like, barely covering the bits.
[00:33:41] Speaker B: Oh, yeah.
[00:33:41] Speaker A: And you are popping. You are really dancing. You're not just, like, posing and, like, making shapes, but you're really hitting in. Really? Almost nothing does that.
What is that conversation like, in your head? Did that trans. Was that transition easy for you? Did you always, like, practice in your underwear? So this was no big deal. Look at me. Like, my fake Fresno. Like, what? Like, how did. How does that moment of, like, okay, and here's what you're actually wearing.
[00:34:11] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:34:11] Speaker A: How does that moment work for you?
[00:34:12] Speaker B: I have a. I'm gonna mention Someone.
[00:34:14] Speaker A: A friend of ours, Tony Basil, of.
[00:34:16] Speaker B: Course, is coming in the conversation.
So my first popping battle I won was hip hop international. And I was dressed up, like, so large because my people I was looking up to at that time, it was less girls doing popping stuff. So of course I was looking more up to, you know, people that I admire. And I would, you know, you modeled yourself subconsciously. You kind of start copying and. And the looseness of clothes also, it feels. It does feel good.
And after I won the battle, I went to Tony.
[00:34:52] Speaker A: Oh, no. Did she pinch you?
[00:34:54] Speaker B: No. I said, hi, Tony, can you give me a little feedback about my dance? I asked her Boogaloosam and Don Kambalog, them three. And look, it's so funny, that story. I'm like, can you guys give me, like, some feedback on my technique? Yes. I was so hungry to get better.
[00:35:11] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:35:12] Speaker B: And she was like, girl, you close. Like, look. Look how you dressed. And Bugalu Sam and Don Cabolo look at me. They're like, yes.
[00:35:21] Speaker A: They co signed her.
[00:35:22] Speaker B: They were like, yeah. They were like, so sad and looking at me, they're like, kind of like, wow. And I'm like. And I had like a very loose shirt.
Like, yeah. You couldn't see a little bit of my. Of my skin, you know, But I did good in the battle. I had a bandana in my hair. It looked so terrible. Oh, Gerard gave me that bandana. That's why I wor. Because I was like, this going to give me luck.
[00:35:45] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:35:45] Speaker B: For the story. I don't think he knows, but so.
[00:35:49] Speaker A: Jrock also, I'm coming for you. I would love to have you on the podcast.
[00:35:53] Speaker B: And then, so Tony Basel. I'm like, I couldn't understand. I'm like, what do you mean? She was like, she was like, bring something else. You, you, you, you know, you woman. You're a beautiful woman. You can love her for this and wear something else. And then I told her, I'm like, but I'm not comfortable, you know, wearing something else. And she was like, well, at least try something different, you know? And she's like, how do you dress in your everyday life? Like, do you dress like this when you. And I'm like, no, not really. And there you go, you know, the first. The. My first, like, how do I say? Fog?
[00:36:28] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:36:28] Speaker B: Like, you know, I was like, so confused. I'm like, I asked for technique and move and they.
[00:36:33] Speaker A: And you're telling me my outfit is lame. Thanks.
[00:36:36] Speaker B: So then, yeah, that's where I started. And. And that's Where I kind of started questioning the gender, you know, gender.
[00:36:46] Speaker A: Norm.
[00:36:47] Speaker B: Norm, yeah. Within that style.
[00:36:49] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:36:49] Speaker B: And I think one of the reason why I love popping style is, like, I was never able to say, like, okay, that's for men. For women, this is more masculine, feminine. What is masculine energy? What is feminine energy? Is it fire and water? Is it. What is it?
[00:37:02] Speaker A: What is that?
[00:37:02] Speaker B: Even so I think now that I got mature, I always define this as not masculine and feminine. I always see it like, okay, water and fire. That's, for me, the best definition of it. Like. And as a dancer, you kind of want to have the strongest answer I know are the ones who have those two. And then after that, I actually learned another art form, which is a tribal belly dance. I got a. I got to learn a little bit of tribal belly dance for a little bit. And they use a lot of isolation and stuff with popping movement, but they don't wear a lot of clothes. And I thought it was really beautiful. So again, I was thrown. Put in this and trying. So, yeah, I was like, how about I make it, you know, more.
You know, what is the problem with revealing a little bit of skin about the body?
[00:37:54] Speaker A: Like, the dance is so physical and so mechanically interesting.
[00:37:58] Speaker B: And, you know, what is it?
[00:37:59] Speaker A: Why would you want to not see it?
[00:38:00] Speaker B: I had a ballet teacher, Jennifer Nimsmith. I don't know if you know her.
[00:38:04] Speaker A: I don't.
[00:38:04] Speaker B: I don't. She's a ballet teacher, and she came to me, she was like, I don't understand why people who do popping wear loose clothes. I don't understand. I don't get it. I'm like, and for you, it's obvious that we have to. And she was like, no, it should be like, ballet dancer. We need to see what's happening. Yeah, we need to see what's happening. And again, another person who tell me something else interesting that makes me think. And. And I don't think there is right or wrong. It's just finding comfort in.
[00:38:32] Speaker A: In the clothing style and confidence in your technique.
[00:38:36] Speaker B: Confidence in the technique. And. And. And always find what material fits you more. More. Of course, a loose shirt. You would see the. The pop more, but there is no rule on that topic, you know, And I started playing more with, you know, my.
You know, my body type and how I can move and what I'm okay to showcase and not showcase. And. And for me, that. That's my definition of my femininity. You know, it's how I feel comfortable.
And I. I remember choreographing stuff for People and be like, yeah, we're gonna be in bras, and are you okay?
[00:39:16] Speaker A: And they're like, sure.
[00:39:17] Speaker B: And that's the kind of the same thing. Like, okay, let's jump into it and see what happens. But if someone wants to go even less dress. Why not? If you want to cover more, go for it. Like, it's. No. I invite women to just find whatever is there sexy and whatever, make them comfortable. Like, you. You could see she's not a popper. But you look at Kathleen Watson, for example, like, when she teaches, she has, like, a, you know, baggy pants and shirt, and it's like the movement is like, like super flowy and sexy. And I'm like, it really doesn't depend on the. On the clothes. You know, at the same time, I love also the challenge of, like, you know, I look at a burlesque dancer, and I'm like, oh, I could do a burlesque number. I think my next thing will be probably a burlesque number. Yeah. A choreographing burlesque dancer.
[00:40:06] Speaker A: Yes, my friend.
[00:40:07] Speaker B: I don't know. There is. There is no limit to it. But coming back to this, thank you, Tony Basil.
[00:40:12] Speaker A: Yes, thank you, Tony. Always.
I knew that she had a piece in that, but I didn't know that it was your first battle that you ever won.
[00:40:21] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:40:23] Speaker A: Riding off of that high, she's like.
[00:40:25] Speaker B: No, no, you got it. She's like the fit baby saying the same thing.
[00:40:30] Speaker A: Co signing. Oh, that would have. That would have tipped the scale for me. I would have probably shed a tear.
Thank you for that. Speaking of women and powerful women, I want to talk about Femme Fatale because I admire the shit out of you all so much. Could you talk a little bit how you three met? Because you're not from. You're from far different corners of the world. How did you meet and how do you manage being an individual choreographer, performer, working person in the world and having this thing that you love and choose? And I know, for me, anyways, it can be difficult to balance carving out time and money to produce seaweed sister projects when the paying work out there is also not good.
[00:41:17] Speaker B: So Femme Fatale is a dance collective with me, Dasili and Lily Frias, and we are from different part of the world. South Korea, France, Mexico. And it's pretty much a collaboration of three brains. And where we want to express something on a higher level than that, you can do alone. You know, we can go far alone. We can go even further with an amazing group. And beyond that, it becomes your Chosen family in la, in the industry. Yes. And I really wish to any dancer in LA to find their chosen family, their circle of life, because that's. That you're a foreigner or not, that's gonna help you grow.
And it comes with time. And I think the first performance we had, that's where I felt it. We create a piece. We created a piece and it was like three superheroes on stage. And it's kind of like what I was feeling performing alone. I could fit it three times stronger with these two ladies where we would lift each other.
[00:42:33] Speaker A: What was the first thing you performed?
[00:42:35] Speaker B: So we did a competition in Sweden called Dance Delight that we won. And then after that, we performed it at Carnival and the video went like 20 million views. And we were like, oh, wow, we have something here. This one. Yeah. Well, it felt like this. It felt like we have something here. And when your intuition is telling you that something is good and let's go for it. And I think we understood each other on. On certain points, such as being women in street dance. Starting our career with the battles, wanted to work in the industry, looking beyond the stereotypes, like a lot of things we had in common. Yeah. And as we created, we had so much to say.
And I think now we are three pillars to where if one fall, everything can fall. So we have to check constantly on each other. Are you okay? How's everything beyond dance? How is life?
You know, how you doing?
And watching them doing good, push me to do better. You know, you just elevate each other. And going back to what you were asking, like, how do I manage myself? Mary Poppins separated to Femme Fatale. We have our downtime. We learn how to have our personal space as well for our own creativity, and we empower each other with that.
[00:44:02] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:44:03] Speaker B: For instance, if I'm about to do a solo for, I don't know, World of Dance, I asked them like, hey, ladies, like, what do you think? What do you think of my song choice?
[00:44:12] Speaker A: Nice.
[00:44:12] Speaker B: And they're going to be honest, like, yeah, but how about you use something where you can showcase your voguing, for example?
It always going to be about, like, hey, like, you can push further, you know, and it feels so good to have to have that support.
[00:44:30] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:44:30] Speaker B: And I think it's. It's always having that balance. And I see what you. You mean when it's like you want to have this collective grow and, you know, crew collective, however you want to call it, you want it to grow and you have so much vision. And also it's important to not lose yourself, your personal identity as well. Otherwise you're going to affect the group.
[00:44:50] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:44:50] Speaker B: So it's. It goes with a lot of communication. Like in any family relationship. It's a family relationship. Yeah. And with different personalities. And in our case, we are from three different countries, which is super interesting when we speak English, because it's a bunch of accents.
[00:45:05] Speaker A: I want to be in the room.
[00:45:07] Speaker B: We have our own, like, you know, words that we make up.
[00:45:11] Speaker A: Your own, like, fourth language that only you speak.
[00:45:14] Speaker B: Yeah. But it's just great, you know, whenever we have something going off beyond dance, we are here for each other and we help each other. When it comes to the industry.
[00:45:28] Speaker A: You.
[00:45:28] Speaker B: Know, like, when it comes to the fee, when it comes to the treatment, like, hey, ladies, I was on this job, this happened. What do you think? Is it normal? Should I say something? Ah, it's good to have your circle.
[00:45:39] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:45:39] Speaker B: Like that you can check with. And.
[00:45:42] Speaker A: Yeah, more brains, more better.
[00:45:44] Speaker B: Yeah. And then, you know, automatically people always want to put you in competition. Like, I had people telling me, like, oh, but you guys are in straight up competition. You guys, three. I'm like, no, we're not. We completely different. Three different people.
[00:45:56] Speaker A: Absolutely.
[00:45:57] Speaker B: Three different creatures. And we just, you know, collaborate and make something, you know, work together. But I love that we. Not really. Yeah, we do the same style. But why does it have to always be one women in one style, in one thing. No, it can be many version of it. And we always go back to one thing. We all unique at the moment. We hear music differently.
Music make us feel and move and act differently because it triggers stuff from your past or how you grow up or anything that is unmatchable and comparable.
[00:46:36] Speaker A: So infinitely different.
[00:46:39] Speaker B: Infinitely, infinitely different. So from that point, we. We good, you know, and we also, you know, push each other to develop our own, you know, thing. Like, for instance, I know I want to do more creative directions. I want to tap into acting. I want to choreograph. You know, Dassie has her online platform. Like, we have.
[00:47:00] Speaker A: We have our own projects.
[00:47:03] Speaker B: I think it's healthy to do both.
[00:47:05] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:47:05] Speaker B: But also in certain moments, I know how it feels. I'm sure they see with Sister is the same thing. You're gonna have to dedicate some time.
[00:47:11] Speaker A: Yeah. You're gonna have to say no to something and yes to each other. Yeah.
[00:47:15] Speaker B: And. And it's. It's a gamble. You don't know. I, like, I had no idea where this project Fun Fatal would go. And we got blessed to do amazing things and Be contacted for this.
[00:47:27] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:47:27] Speaker B: We did a job with Vogue, for example, where we. They got inspired from our Men's world piece where we did I'm a. With a suit, you know, like, this is a men's world. And then from there, they were like, hey, we want Adidas and. And Gucci. Put the suits on you, and you're gonna walk the Runway with that.
[00:47:47] Speaker A: That's cool.
[00:47:47] Speaker B: And I think I would have. I prefer to do this than, you know, then maybe be among a cast of 100 dancer, which is okay, too. It's fine. But we put the work for that.
[00:48:00] Speaker A: What a special thing.
[00:48:01] Speaker B: Yeah. So the work pays off. Usually the work pays off.
[00:48:04] Speaker A: And very cool. To be recognized globally for a thing that started as only not a small connection, but a personal thing. Something that is so personal and specific and singular, to be recognized as having value on a global level is really cool. It's very affirming.
[00:48:27] Speaker B: So, yeah. So right now, the opportunities are endless. Like, you know, creating a theater show, doing a collaboration with the Seaweed Sisters. Same.
[00:48:36] Speaker A: I'm telling you, it's a matter of time.
You know what? I'm loving about you, and I love hearing your discernment between, like, it's all mindset. Right. Our experience of our life is so much determined by the way that we're thinking about our lives. But I love the way you discern or that you choose when. We're all the same. We're all the same here versus. Oh, no. We are absolutely 100% different.
You decide at the exactly most valuable time when to deploy which of those thoughts in an audition. It's powerful for you to think, nope, we're not the same. I have me. You have you. I am singular. So are you. But we are in competition right now, and we're different versus we. Three women from different corners of the world.
Our women. We're the same. We've got so much in common.
Please be mindful of your minds when you are choosing to think. We're the same and we're different because those two thoughts dramatically affect how you experience whatever is coming next. And I love the way you choose. We're the same and we're different because, man, it seems like you're really serving yourself and your projects by deciding when to think which of those thoughts.
[00:50:00] Speaker B: Yeah, and it's cool, you know, it teaches you also how to collaborate with people listening to other ideas and. And when you can bring yours and. And listen to others. Like, we learn so much from that, from that process, you know, and it.
[00:50:15] Speaker A: Is in this business, in this medium of dance, it is all a collaboration. Like, you can get better at dance on your own, you can even make dance on your own. But as soon as you introduce an audience, it's already a collaboration between you and the viewer. And when you start making work on larger scales, it's almost never made in a vacuum by one person for one person. So getting good at collaboration is essential. And it sounds like your openness and your encouragement of other people to also get better helps you get better.
[00:50:54] Speaker B: And I just like the process of getting better. Of course it goes with, like, you know, some insecurities. It goes with doubts. Yeah.
I just feel like recently, very recently, I decided to keep considering myself as a creature that evolves more than a dancer or an artist or a popper or whatever. Because if you see yourself as a creature, you keep mutating, you keep like evolving, and you can allow yourself to really get to the next level edges.
[00:51:32] Speaker A: Of like, what you thought was even available to you.
[00:51:34] Speaker B: Exactly. So even getting, you know, more mature, older, you're like, okay, but that's actually cool. Like, then you get more at peace. When you evolve with your age, with your knowledge, you're like, no, I'm just like something that mutates, that. That's going to.
Gonna need new food and gonna need new stuff to. To get.
[00:51:55] Speaker A: Grow into whatever this next shape is.
[00:51:57] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:51:57] Speaker A: I just remember seeing you hanging from your hair.
[00:52:01] Speaker B: You're doing aerial hair suspension.
[00:52:03] Speaker A: Do you call it. It should be called hariel. I don't know why we're not calling it Ariel Suspension.
[00:52:08] Speaker B: Hair suspension. Yeah.
[00:52:10] Speaker A: How does it work? What's the rig like?
[00:52:11] Speaker B: Okay, so again, I'm not a professional hairsp suspension person. Like, there is people that do.
[00:52:16] Speaker A: Oh, for sure.
[00:52:17] Speaker B: You know, you can look up to people like suspension sisters. Like, they actually hang each other from the hair. It's insane.
[00:52:24] Speaker A: But again, suspension sisters should also collaborate with the se.
[00:52:27] Speaker B: It's. It's amazing what the. The body can do. And I had a friend, same thing. She was like, have you ever thought of doing hair suspension?
[00:52:37] Speaker A: No, can't say that I have.
[00:52:39] Speaker B: And then she was like, because it would allow yourself to move all your. Your parts.
[00:52:46] Speaker A: 360 degrees of freedom.
[00:52:48] Speaker B: Exactly.
[00:52:49] Speaker A: No weight.
[00:52:50] Speaker B: Exactly.
[00:52:51] Speaker A: But isn't it. Is it hard to hit without weight? Is it hard to pop without.
[00:52:55] Speaker B: And that was very interesting. It was like, in term of anatomy, I had to play with it and see what works, what doesn't work. So I know a backslide worked well.
[00:53:05] Speaker A: I saw that.
[00:53:05] Speaker B: And then I'm always fascinated about, like, mixing art forms. And I think, for me, the best artist or the most interesting. I wouldn't say best. I would say more interesting. Most interested artists or the one who's gonna dare to take a base and tweak it and try something different with it, according to your intuition with it. So first you need to learn the foundation of it, which is like, you know, it's a whole art form.
[00:53:35] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:53:36] Speaker B: It's a whole secretive things on how you make the knot and stuff.
[00:53:39] Speaker A: Right.
[00:53:40] Speaker B: And from there, like, the first time I lifted in the air, it was over. I'm like, oh, I can do anything in life now.
It was so cool.
[00:53:52] Speaker A: Do you have to be conscious about, like, core and support? Like, I know when I'm lifted by humans, counter resistance is really important. Are you thinking about, well, this art.
[00:54:05] Speaker B: Form is made more. Is this art form is more made by circus artists that already have a strong base.
[00:54:11] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:54:12] Speaker B: In other art forms. So they're already very strong. So. Yeah.
[00:54:16] Speaker A: These are acrobats.
[00:54:17] Speaker B: You have already, like, a whole workshop on how to, like, warm up. My teacher in Mexico was teaching me. It's an art form I learned in Mexico, and I just loved it.
I haven't practiced, to be honest. I haven't practice it more.
[00:54:35] Speaker A: Yeah. Limited. Limited spaces you can practice.
[00:54:38] Speaker B: Yeah. But what I love about this is, like, if one day I get the chance to work with, you know, circus artists and choreograph a piece where you have three people doing popping and three people doing hair suspension. I know the feeling of it, and that's why I want to get all those skills. Because if one day I have to.
[00:54:56] Speaker A: Work, you want to be able to speak.
[00:54:58] Speaker B: I want to be able to. To have that empathy. I'm doing okay. I know they cannot see, stay in the air too long. Like, the ma works well.
[00:55:06] Speaker A: And that. That doesn't work well. If we put a lot of energy in this, the reward is not so strong. But if we do that sort of thing, then yeah.
[00:55:12] Speaker B: Yeah. But it. It was cool to feel. Yeah. I love to feel like a creature in that sense. To where it's like, I can try stuff. It put me at ease to where I'm like, no, I'm not only a popper or a dancer. I can try other things.
[00:55:24] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:55:25] Speaker B: It doesn't have to be perfect.
[00:55:26] Speaker A: Suits you so well.
[00:55:27] Speaker B: And this. That's why I like people. Sometimes I can see they are scared to even dance in front of me or pop because they think I'm gonna judge.
But no, I don't. I don't own this dance. It's. It's for, you know, if anything, people who. Who created it, own it more. And still it's movement, you know, just. Just try stuff and. And experiment and. And let your. Let it be free. Like, technique should never be something that stop your freedom. If anything.
[00:55:58] Speaker A: Technique facilitate freedom.
[00:56:00] Speaker B: Technique should facilitate freedom. So if it does the contrary, then it gives you a block. So then.
[00:56:07] Speaker A: Oh, my friend, thank you for saying that.
[00:56:08] Speaker B: Yeah, it's true. It's like sometimes we want to do it so well, we want to pay respect. Of course we should pay respect to it. And at the same time, giving. Allowing ourselves to exist within that technique and find our freedom. Because when you think about it, you are. When you're between. I don't know, you're a teenager, you hear some songs, and you love this song. It moves your soul. But you don't have the tools yet to express those songs.
[00:56:34] Speaker A: Yes, yes.
[00:56:34] Speaker B: And then as you grow as a dancer, you're getting all these tools to be able to express those songs you loved when you were younger.
Why? Why limiting yourself now? You have the technique and go back to your teenage time.
[00:56:47] Speaker A: What? Lights yourself.
[00:56:49] Speaker B: Yeah. Go back to your kid in tradition that wants that love that song. And now, boom, there you go. You. You have it for you to express. And that's where you chase the. The technique or the knowledge because you're like, oh, I want to be able to understand how to express that song. And that's why I love now doing solos on songs that I loved when I was 10 or 15, because now I can. I can show the layers of vocabulary.
[00:57:15] Speaker A: To express yourself. I'm crying again, so great job.
Okay, are you ready for our. Our next and final round? This is our rapid fire. I call it Wrist roll with it. Okay, I'm just gonna. Just answer from your guts. Use your intuition. Here we go. Coffee or tea?
[00:57:32] Speaker B: Coffee.
[00:57:32] Speaker A: Dogs or cats? Riz is listening.
[00:57:34] Speaker B: Dogs.
[00:57:35] Speaker A: Good answer. What's the most French thing about you?
[00:57:39] Speaker B: My crepes.
[00:57:40] Speaker A: You make crepes?
[00:57:41] Speaker B: I make the best French crepes in the world. Yeah, I'm very.
[00:57:44] Speaker A: Do you have a griddle? Or, like, how do you.
[00:57:46] Speaker B: Just one. I make. Every Sunday, I make crepes, and I'm the best idea. Yeah, I'm very arrogant about that.
[00:57:54] Speaker A: We're coming over as an. As an episode release. You get this over not at the mention of crepes.
I get emotional.
That's who I am. What is your favorite song to dance to?
[00:58:11] Speaker B: Oh, my God.
[00:58:12] Speaker A: I know, I know.
[00:58:14] Speaker B: Shadow, Smooth Operator.
[00:58:18] Speaker A: You two were meant to be.
[00:58:19] Speaker B: It was my. So you think you get in song, but I still, you know.
[00:58:22] Speaker A: Oh, you two were meant to be. You and that song are synonymous. I love it. Is there a song that you'd be like, oh, don't need to hear that again, ever. That's. That can be retarded.
[00:58:34] Speaker B: I'm sorry, America. Any country song fair? I don't know. No, actually, no, I have. There are certain country songs I like. Is there one song?
I'm sorry, there is no song right now.
[00:58:48] Speaker A: That's okay. That's fine. I think that's very, very polite of you.
Do you sing?
[00:58:57] Speaker B: I do karaoke.
[00:58:58] Speaker A: Okay, got it. That's fair. What was the last song that you belted? Like saying it. Full voice.
[00:59:03] Speaker B: Ain't Nobody. Shaka Khan. That's my karaoke song.
[00:59:07] Speaker A: I love it.
[00:59:08] Speaker B: And yes, I cannot sing, but wow. I feel like.
[00:59:13] Speaker A: Yeah, I bet you feel very in yourself when you sing that song. Okay, kind of on the song front, what is your favorite move and your least favorite move?
[00:59:24] Speaker B: My favorite move is probably any tutting movement.
And my worst move, I cannot flip. Anything that has to do with dealing with doing a. Being upside down flip or something. Yeah, I can't.
[00:59:43] Speaker A: You're very tall. It would take a great amount of momentum to get you to flip. Okay, so I think I already know the answer to this. Based on your previous answer, your last meal on Earth, we know the. The world is ending. Something terrible is going to happen. You get to free reign on what you're going to eat. What is it?
[01:00:04] Speaker B: I will say a meal cooked by my grandma.
[01:00:07] Speaker A: Oh, good answer.
[01:00:08] Speaker B: Yes, very. Which one? She's so good. So I don't know.
[01:00:12] Speaker A: Yeah, well, she should make a buffet of things of her specialties.
What about a dream collaboration, somebody living or dead, that you could collaborate with.
[01:00:22] Speaker B: Oh, wow.
Wow, what an amazing question. Okay, let me think. Huh?
Galen Hooks.
[01:00:31] Speaker A: I bought my tickets just now. Oh, yeah, I'm coming to see that show. Yeah. Two very powerful, very talented and capable women that would.
[01:00:42] Speaker B: Yes, Galen, I asked you already, but you know, I'm still waiting.
Or Dana Wilson, by the way.
[01:00:49] Speaker A: Here.
[01:00:49] Speaker B: By the way, one time I had a friend from France. He messaged me. He sent me a video of you and he was like.
He was like, why don't you collab with her? She's so dope. Like, I can see you guys collab. So, yeah, this was like maybe five years ago. Yes, please.
[01:01:04] Speaker A: Yeah, actually, I mean, I have a little space over there. Like, we could definitely do that. Like, now. Yes. The answer is yes. And also, I'm very free right now. So what are you doing? Because I'm so free. Like, so free.
Okay. Favorite word.
[01:01:23] Speaker B: Courage.
[01:01:24] Speaker A: Nice. Least favorite word.
[01:01:28] Speaker B: I can't.
[01:01:31] Speaker A: Yeah, that means two words. That's a doozy.
[01:01:33] Speaker B: Cannot.
[01:01:34] Speaker A: Well, can't by itself is.
[01:01:37] Speaker B: That sucks.
[01:01:39] Speaker A: Okay. And then I ask all of my guests this question, because this podcast is about the words that move you. Do you have a quote or a mantra or a guiding principle or a North Star? The words that move you.
[01:01:54] Speaker B: Wow.
[01:01:58] Speaker A: It's fine. I'm also shopping for mine. I don't know what mine are right now.
[01:02:02] Speaker B: Love what you do. It never gets old.
Yeah, I eat a lot of crepes.
[01:02:11] Speaker A: Eat crepes. Love what you do. Put that on a T shirt.
Well, I love all of the things that you do. I'm a huge fan of yours. I'm so grateful for your time and your talent and your ability to express yourself even in your second language. So good on you for that. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you a thousand times for being here.
[01:02:33] Speaker B: Thank you so much, Dana.
[01:02:34] Speaker A: You're very welcome.
[01:02:36] Speaker B: Yeah. That's it.
[01:02:37] Speaker A: That's it. We just did a podcast. If you like the podcast, please leave a review or rating. Click the bell for notifications. Visit words that move me.com to find out more ways that we can move the world together and move each other and get out into the world and keep it very funky.
[01:02:53] Speaker B: Bye.
Merci.
[01:02:57] Speaker A: This podcast was produced by me with the help of many Big, big love to our executive assistant and editor, Riley Higgins. Our communications manager is Ori Vajadares. Our music is by Max Winnie, Logo and brand design by Bri Reitz. Thumbnails and marketing by Fiona Small. You can make your tax deductible donations to Words that Move Me, thanks to our fiscal sponsor, the Dance Resource center, and also many thanks to you. I'm so glad you're here. And if you're digging the pod, please share it, leave a review and rating. And if you want to coach with me and the many marvelous members of the Words that Move Me community, visit Words that Move Me Dot com. If you're simply curious to know more about me and the work I do outside side of this podcast, visit thedanawilson. Com.
