Does Britney Got Her Mojo Back??

Here we go…I went on a spontaneous trip to Vegas, a fairly common activity for my southern Californian soul. However, it was the weekend before New Years and EVERYONE was wondering why I came at the awkward in-between time. Well ONE reason....It’s Britney, Bitch!

Yes I went to her show opening weekend. Yes I went alone. No I am not ashamed!

So what if she’s 32 and not the 18 year-old breaking boundaries with a nude body suit and breast implants. The pre-teen Sammy was out and ready to explode with emotion!!!!!!!!!!! The moment I heard “Baby One More Time” I probably shed a tear, but whose watching…

Alright. Here’s the three things you need to know…

1) Dance---If you’re not dancing you need another drink.

2) Costume Change---Multiple costumes changes moves your attention to he video screens that flashback through Brit Brit’s career or dancers ready to give you a lapdance.

3) And Dance---Glitter is pouring at this point, you should be best friends with the people sitting next to you.

The show if full of visuals and the dancers are on point. It’s vegas so OF COURSE there’s gunna be glitter and glow lights and cirque de soleil inspired choreography. Each song set has a theme from Circus to the enchanted princess aka her Fantasy perfume commercial. It’s something you can google but it’s SO much better live. The energy of the crowd really pumps you up.

Britney claims to be singing live, but whether she is or is NOT…we love her anyways.

Her dancing got a TON better…after her little rough patch at the 2007 MTV Music Video Awards…you can tell when she loves what she’s doing, yet she still is a little timid. I’m not sure if her E! Special was a promotions stunt or a look to make us love her more and see the dedication she’s putting into this residency, but the result is…she’s a POP DIVA SO WHO CARES. She plays her hits and that’s all you need to know. I post the set list below.

I’m pretty sure by Whiskey Sour number 3 I was looking like this…

Miley and I would have been GREAT friends that night.

If you’re looking for a good time and ready to dance your heart out like you’re at a gay bar. This is the place to be. Tickets range from $60 to $200. You may be lucky and find a good scalper deal if you wander the casino the night of the show…Ray might get you VIP for $100, but I didn’t say nothing.

Oh and he's the set list if you wanna memorize the words that you may have forgotten over the years:

"Work Bitch"


"Womanizer"


"3"


"Everytime"


"…Baby One More Time"


"Oops!…I Did It Again!"


"Me Against the Music"


"Gimme More"


"Break the Ice"


"Piece of Me"


"Scream & Shout"


"Boys"


"Perfume"


"Get Naked (I Got a Plan)"


"I'm a Slave 4 U"


"Freakshow"


"Do Somethin'"


"Circus"


"I Wanna Go"


"Lucky"


"Toxic"


"Stronger"


"Crazy"


“Encore / "Till the World Ends"

True Life: I Am An Intern.

In this Gen-Y chaos, every post-graduate is in a scurry for what they’re most comfortable with. There are people that know exactly what they want to do, but don’t know how to go about it. There’s people what have NO idea. There’s people you kinda of know, then magically get lucky. There’s people that don’t have to do anything. Then there’s people who HUSSLE. Most people don’t look at work as something we love, it’s a brainwashed action that gives us the green…which...we will blow every week we get paid, either at the bar to de-stress or on those Tory Burch ruby red rainboots that finally came in your size. We want everything to be spoon-fed and simple. Oh you want dinner in bed? There’s an app for that! But is there an app to tell you what you’re gunna be when you grow-up? What will happen in ten years? Hell no! To be 20-something is where adulthood truly begins. Even if going pay-check to pay-check to have a roof over your head while eating ramen feels like you’re an i.n.d.e.p.e.n.d.e.n.t. grown-ass-woman (or man)…you’re not. You’re still working at Nordstroms while you intern your life away to find the company where you fit-in or working the sales job with the sister company in order to become the director of the head company….so on and so forth.

But what happens when you find it? You find the place you want to be? I think I did. As a liberal arts student who studied communications, I’ve had one hell of a ride. I’m only 22 about to get my Masters and I feel like I should be placed properly into my career path. WRONG. SO. SO. UNBELIEVABLY WRONG! I have friends in business who get hired ASAP after their intern-screening and friends in nursing school who know where they’ll be placed for residency...They're asking me what I’m “up-to” as if I’m a starving artist who will be hussling until I’m 50 to land something decent! Why would I settle for DECENT?! If life is yours to create...I'm in the writers block of creating. I found a place where I can see myself doing my grind, yet I’m STILL lost. BLANK. Knock, knock did my brain cells explode from too many fireball shots? I sure hope not.

Answer: I shouldn’t be lost. I guess I don’t know what to do next. I’m a baby lost in the department store. You want to explore your options, but you don’t know what will happen if you do. Then you start exploring and you kinda like it. Then as you get deeper into the mix of exploration, you get comfortable…so comfortable you’re blinded. Then you sense you’re done searching and realize you’re lost. What do you do? Freeze? Cry? Scream? No. Pause. You Breathe. I’ve learned a lot in the last four months. A lot about myself, my work ethic, my social skills and my anxiety. I’ve had five UNpaid internships and NONE have made me feel this way….EVER.

THE STARS HAVE ALIGNED! 

Honestly, I'm TOTALLY OVER IT. But I say this with love and respect. I've had about six...seven if you include the one I stayed at for 2 weeks, internships. I think I understand how it works and have knowledge on my skills I'm good and bad at. I'm ready for THE experience to learn while staying put. I'm tired of getting into a cycle...you know...it's like I get to know you then leave and even though we got along well we don't really talk besides seeing something cool on your Facebook...summer camp style relationships. I've dealt with that my entire life, it's a too comfortable of a feeling. It's time to be solidified. But am I really ready?? I think so! I can make the touchdown coach. 

As for y'all with less experience I look at it like this, an internship is becoming another part of the school process…or at least that is what I’m seeing happen through my classmates and colleagues all over the country. It’s a mess…a depressing mess because you’re either busting your ass working hard or being lazy to just get through the motions for it to end for your gold star. Yay! Barf. Will there be a proper way for you to get your thanks for doing this FREE labor appreciation? Well no…and never will, unless you’re mind-blowing amazing and happen to be god-like beautiful. In that case, I hate you. xox

Reality: take it seriously and focus. Nobody cares what you do, nobody is controlling you, nobody puts pressure on you...but yourself. You want it? Then YOU get it. YOU do it and YOU make a journey happen. Y.O.U.

Here is what I learned…Hopefully it can help you, do you:

1) Be confident and engaged. People are lacking determination and drive which will set you apart from many others who say they have it…but really do NOT. Don’t lie to yourself if this isn’t YOU. Stop, look & listen A.K.A. embrace and educate. This is your chance to test the way you work under different environments. If it's that awful...at the end of the day---go home, have some wine, vent to your dog and count down the days til you say, buh-bye! If you love it...nothing will get in your way, blast off...you're a free bird. 

2) Just because you score your dream internship doesn’t mean you will get a job. It’s a test of endurance, charm and will. Everyone starts from the bottom, but why pay you, if they can get another minion for FREE. That’s right FO' FREE. Take what you enjoy about it and see where it can be applied elsewhere, see if other departments are hiring or hell, maybe you’re a lucky bastard and they create a position for you. But it all comes in HARD WORK and DEDICATION don’t I repeat DO NOT expect anything…you have a set time. It’s a race you gotta run.

3) Take internships to discover what you feel is worth doing with your life. That’s the point right? It's great! It really lets you see the “real world” everyone is talking about. You see the insides…no more cookie-cutter image; this is business. It can even get students to change their major. You can explore without getting fired or quitting, three months here, six months there…it’s like volunteering at a food bank. Do it as many times as you want. Embrace it…brag about it! You done good kid.

4) We’re not best friends… Everyone at work has their work friends. You socialize on the regular yet can’t wait to not see their face. You’re an intern. You’re leaving, they don’t want to get attached to you because you’re leaving. Did I mention your leaving? No one is shouting OMG lets be friends!!! Or really care about you. You’re there to help and make their job easier. So how do you communicate without being present? What is appropriate communication to where you’re not annoying? It’s all a guessing game or is it a test to see how aggressive you are? Do you have the balls to say, “Yo this is how I feel, here’s my X, Y and Z.” When the new group comes in…will you even be relevant anymore? This is my hardest thing EVER. I’m social, I like people, I oddly get along with a majority of people of ALL kinds of shapes, sizes, ages, you name it…it’s my thing. But nothing can be taken personally. You do what you do, be yourself, have a personality…there’s nothing wrong with that…you don’t wanna be deadpan for months. You can’t take anything to heart because you’re the weakest link and that's OK! So don’t be asking if you can go to #MargaritaMonday, if they want you there they’ll ask. 

5) Listen. Observe. Repeat. You are a baby sponge. That’s all I have to say because if you do it, you get it. You better be on your tip-toes, ready to pounce! 

6) Know who you are...be honest. Understand your skills and not so skills, no one is perfect. The flaws. The Pros. The secret handshake. The annoying habits. What underwear you’ve got on. Etc. Your social mind mixed with your business mind will evolve. You know what you’re good at and comfortable with which gives you the option to challenge yourself. Questions are good. I’ve never done X, but I’m good at Y, how can I incorporate X into my routine? Give yourself that push because being able to try new things means you can FUCK UP because you’re the intern so FUCK IT UP...with class. But don’t forget to learn so when you do it again you KICK ASS.  

7) Groups VS. Independence. Adapt accordingly, but don’t try too hard. Be yourself! Stuff will always be done efficient and excellent as a team, but you have to play your independent part. Things go hand-in-hand and you WILL notice when there’s a glitch. Understand the different styles of doing things, yours might be good, but there will be a way that it can be done better.

8) Take the time to reflect. You’re too busy being “In The Zone” you don’t have time to experience your AWESOMENESS. It’s nice to see how you have grown. Right that shit off on that resume, girl. See what you learned different each day, what you got better at, what you’re actually doing and who’s helped you?! Be sure to take a break to see what you liked and didn’t like in order to explore your next adventure. You accomplished “something” with many outlets of support. #Networking

9) Learn to think in the environment you’re placed in. Working with others is a trait! Accepting multiple personas makes you valued to work with because everyone can ask you for advice since you view things openly.

10) The entire experience is a LEARNING process. Take this as that 10-week Anatomy course. You sense the professor’s style of teaching, you make some friends in the class, you know if you want to be apart of a study group. Then you do your thing; you work hard or not hard enough. Your effort will spill accordingly. 

Not everyone is on the get rich quick bus…although that would be FAB-U-LOUS. I’m willing to struggle my artistic struggle. My point is what if you fall into place, you discover something you really enjoy doing! Like…You really, really like it...SO much it becomes a cycle, a habit to your life…then all of a sudden time flies by. BAM. It’s gone, three months go hasta la vista and then you’re kicked to the curb, right where you started...at the bottom. You’re the tadpole swimming around wondering what happens when you swim to the left. But eventually, you’ll get that money!!! Is the motivated 20-something going to have to intern FOREVER? It feels that way. Especially since I discovered something actually worth doing. I don’t know what success feels like just yet, there’s always something better that will top your latest success. I say keep it going...impress yourself! 

That was my 10 cents. Now what? Do I have a plan? No. But I shouldn’t be afraid of that. Life is spontaneous. This is the beginning. I took it as what it was worth. NO "WHAT IF I..." ALLOWED. A new world has been opened and I’m gunna continue learning and understanding it…my way. If I get a job, CHEERS, rounds on me. If I intern again, SO BE IT, rounds on me. 

Don't stress the intern stress because when it's over, pat yourself on the back. Congrats, you road the bull. #winning #blessed #gifted #rockstar  Don't take it for granted. The entire point is to go out in the world to practice what you learned. You're young, you have everything to live for. Be real.

Keep The Arts Alive.

After working on hours of homework the clock strikes five and there’s a stampede of fifteen children endlessly running with excitement like chasing an ice cream truck on the first days of summer. The empty basketball gymnasium is loaded with energy that is so dense there’s anticipation for it to pop. All this vitality is for their weekly dance class with Dynamic Force Dance as a part of their enrichment program at Hyde Park Neighborhood Club (HPNC).

“I like to dance because it’s like gymnastics but you get to move your hips and stuff… that’s more fun. My legs are a weapon,” said Olivia, 7, aftercare student. 

The dance instructor of the day was Joel Villaruel, who taught a session of breakdancing for the five to seven age group. Villaruel always knew that he wanted to teach and bring a positive attitude to the youth to help them discover who they are or going to become. In the hour class there were constant screams of “Watch Me! Watch Me!” and “I can do it! I can do it!” The kids were fearless.

“It’s all about nurturing and culturing hip-hop and so after learning that, I wanted to do the same. I’m reaching the point where I’m the mid-generation so I should be teaching the young generation as they did me.”

Dynamic Force Dance (DFD) is a performance program that gives kids the chance to express themselves through the arts by uniting youth from different race, religion and soci-economic backgrounds. They encourage kids to intuitively free their mind and build creativity, confidence, coordination and communication skills. The owners share an intense passion to inspire today’s dance talent by teaching through partnerships. Partnerships are after-school programs that allow their company to teach dance for free or at a fractioned price to the kids in their enrichment organization. Their goal is to open up a new world for children who never or will never be exposed to dance in their lifetime.

Sheena Baskerville, CEO and Founder of Dynamic Force Dance, said, “We are big for non-for-profit we’re big on diversity and soci-economic areas, we want to bring everyone together we felt if we went the route of partnerships that would expand us to all these different neighborhoods with all this diversity instead of being molded into this stereotype.”

Baskerville runs the company with Lisa Soloman, CFO, co-founder and psychology graduate of DePaul University. Once this pair met they knew they were going to be best friends, now their relationship is more like sisters. While talking to them inside-joke intertwine constantly with A.D.D. subject changes. As we got to the core of the topic after rambling about Baskerville’s father being the weatherman of CBS-2, Starbucks lines, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, a yogi friend’s pregnancy and the valet off Hubbard Street crashing her car, it clicked…they saw everything eye-to-eye…everything.

Obviously this is what can make a business crash or succeed. However, they’re in a positive place.

“We are usually on the same track that’s why we are great partners…when I went to college I knew I wanted to work with children and I kinda stopped dancing. Then Sheena and I met and we knew that’s what we had in common. I miss it, it’s the one thing I wish I never gave up, but I felt like I could fix that. This is the perfect time. This is the right time in our lives where we can make a change and to give kids that chance,” said Soloman.

 

Cultural programs like Hyde Park Neighborhood Club want to dedicate time to extracurricular activities, which is the focus of DFD. The kids always look forward to seeing Baskerville and Soloman because they get to experience something different.

“I love little kids they’re so honest they’re so real…if you catch them at their young age they’re not forced, they have that innocence of if they like it or if they don’t, you know you’re not forcing anything, its just happiness of what they choose to like,” said Baskerville. 

Hamzeh Jabber, youth counselor at HPNC, said, “Just because someone wants to come here and work with these kids doesn’t necessarily mean that they know what they’re doing with kids. But it is also the feeling they got the moment they met all the kids. The kids asked about them the next day, they look forward to seeing them and building that relationship, it’s awesome.” 

For an after school program this is valuable because they see how dance is affecting their physical and mental energy. Jabber discussed how parents were not keen on having their child dance and wanted them to focus more on homework. He explained that doing homework for three-hours straight will burn the brain and there needs to be an alternative break to make the brain pliable.

“I mean, some of our parents initially, they were really bent at not stopping homework…they didn’t want us to take their kids to the enrichment programs. Then they realized how lethargic their kids looked afterwards and how some of them were upset that they weren’t allowed to participate in the activities…and I think that’s when parents sat in these classes and saw how happy their kids were.”

DFD began their fourth partnership and hired a few new teachers to get ready for the new year with potential to add two new partnerships. As for a long-term goal for 2014, talking about the future brought up giddy jitters giving them hesitation to share or not share some news. They hinted at saying one of the partnerships will be “a big deal…a huge deal” and ended with the hopes of opening a storefront studio. 

“It is so disappointing to me when a child comes up to us and they know that they can’t afford it and we don’t want that to stop them because we want to show them something that will open up opportunities for them for their future, in their life, I believe that is something that they shouldn’t be denied,” said Soloman. 

To keep kids from all economic backgrounds around they provide scholarships with the Chicago park district. Eventually when the open their own storefront studio, they will be true to their word and keep these scholarships around. They want to make sure the demographic they are connecting currently will stick with them to continue learning and discovering a passion for the arts.

Dynamic Force Dance teaches through technique training, social workshops, performances and camp programs based around ballet, jazz, hip hop and breakdancing.  They work with social media to keep connected with their students and parents via Instagram (@dynamicforcedance) and Facebook. Updates and reminders for when to register for classes or workshops are posted monthly. For the rest of the fall season, Dynamic Force Dance will be at Hyde Park Neighborhood Club on Tuesdays and Fridays from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

“The arts bring out creativity, self-esteem, confidence, discipline, its one thing to learn something to have it or not, but with the arts you can absorb the skill that can take you farther in life.”

It's My Time.

Amy Rose Ramenili is a public relations/advertising and English creative writing senior at DePaul University. She has been a part of the Cosby Sweaters, a DePaul improv team, since she was a freshman. It all started when she saw a flyer for auditions and her acting career rocketed from there. Thanks to the people she has met, she was able to connect with people in DePaul’s Theatre School through the DePaul Theatre Union which gives non-theatre school students the chance to express their art. Within the past four years, she has been a part of Second City’s conservatory for comedy and music and been claimed as an accredited writer for “Same Sex, Different Gays” which was featured in the Red-Eye. Her next goal is to continue writing projects through the image of being a strong female comedian. 

Currently, she is in a performance group called Lady Lab, “We’re a team of all ladies that uses sketch and improve to explore our place as a twenty something in this world: not a girl, not yet a woman, not yet a khaleesi.”

The last show is November 9 at Donny’s Skybox at midnight. Tickets are $12.

Q: How did you get started with doing improv?

A: I am from the South suburbs of Chicago so a lot of my teachers were Second City people themselves who went through course, because of that they started an improv team at my high school.

Q: Was it a style like Comedy Sportz (shortform comedy troupes)?

A: Ya. We were called Improv Army and it was short form (comedy.) I never even heard of imrpov before that. I knew Chicago was the city and it meant something in comedy in terms of SNL, but I didn’t know what it meant. It turns out that the big chunk is about taking improv classes, doing shows and being a part of this really big community. This opened up my world of theatre.

Q: Now that you’ve been exposed to this Chicago theatre world, do you study other people by watching theatre or want to explore more script study?

A: I didn’t know any of the theatres like Neo-Futurists and Steppenwolf and acting programs. My next step is to take acting more seriously. I want to start studying more acting (than improv). I’m really interested in taking classes at Steppenwolf. Ideally I can do that after I finish school, after I’m done with all my other projects.

Q: So you enjoy the spontaneous-ness?

A: Oh man, it’s awesome! I’m in class from 3 P.M. to 6 P.M. Our teacher had us do five scenes, four black-outs and you have to perform at the end of class. I was so excited because first of all it removes the pressure…’cuz ‘look this is hard everyone, lets not beat ourselves up, were set up to fail so just have fun.’ And I don’t know…if you do really want to do this, it’s fast pace work, you got to thrive and enjoy that.

Q: Do you write your own work or rather be handed an idea?

A: I write stand-up, but I don’t do it as much as I’d like to. I like writing, as a real foundational level because it feeds into improv and many people argue that improv is just a thing to make written sketch.  I love writing sketch, fiction, stand-up. I love writing. I’m trying to teach myself to write screenplays and write treatment. At the base of it I’d like to be a writer in the end.

Q: Since, you really like writing, would you consider writing sitcoms and television versus stage?

A: I would love to write something like 30 Rock or Parks and Rec. Or even SNL. I’d be super happy. I’d be done.  In the meantime, I would really like to get involved with grant writing at Second City, it’s a diversity outreach program. As I’m pursuing this arts sort of entertainment writing I like having a base in English and Communications to make it worth something pretty useful and meaningful.

Q: Do you think that discovering the arts at a young age benefits you in your overall lifetime?

A: They were taking away the arts at my high school and it was awful. I think it’s beneficial because I feel that a lot of my peers that are graduating are still figuring out that question… what do I love doing? What do I feel is fulfilling and good? I think that when you’re encouraged to do something more creative, you figure out that passion earlier. I think you should take it seriously and get the opportunity to find that. I’m not saying its acting for everyone or music for everyone. My brother is a trader and he can geek out as had on economics as hard as I do about improv.  The earlier you find it the better because it is already this daunting thing and it gives you courage.

Q: Who is your role model?

A: I admire Sarah Silverman’s attitude and boldness. In the past year or so I haven’t really met a women in my world that wasn’t someone I saw on television. Then teachers I had this year, like Holly Lawrence were people that I see as super inspirational. I look at them and say I want a career like that. I see them doing the work right in front of me. It’s cool to see women doing this in my world.

Q: Do you like targeting toward the women demographic?

A: I just like working with women. There are a lot of women in my classes right now, but how many women are going to step up? I just like the comradery about it. It’s kinda cool to be like, you had that one scene too when you were the mother or the girlfriend. It’s also cool to be something else than that and talks to dude improvists and ask are you aware of this, do you understand? It’s an exciting time to be a woman in comedy.