Prancing Elites

We often romanticize cheerleaders, especially female ones. Most people don't even know or care about male cheerleaders. Now imagine this- Black, gay, cheerleading males. Far fetched? No. Meet the Prancing Elites of Mobile, Alabama, USA. In researching a topic, I came across these guys while both researching a blog topic and also working on an eBook. I had a chance to look at a bunch of videos as well as see some other online material on them. This is my opportunity to showcase these individuals in this blog post.

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Prancing Elites

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I'll try to find another image if I am unable to use it. But anyhow, here is a picture I found featuring the Prancing Elites. This sets the mood for this blog post:


^ from: www.adweek.com - Meet the Prancing Elites.

The Prancing Elites is a cheerleading squad consisting of gay Black males. This is a group based in Mobile, Alabama, USA.

Normally, the image of a male cheerleader is mostly of some guys performing routines along with female cheerleaders. Most male cheerleaders often don't wear really appealing outfits. Well, the Prancing Elites are different. This is a group of guys who wear cheerleading outfits of cropped tops, short shorts, and even bodysuits. These alone would make most people cringe at the notion of seeing males (let alone Black males) wearing outfits you normally would see any average cheerleader wear and perform routines any average cheerleader would perform. Even for the sake of being different, the Prancing Elites should be worthy of some credit. Even Shaquille O'Neal ("Shaq," of course) thought the Prancing Elites were cool. Their popularity has garnered them a reality TV series on Oxygen called "The Prancing Elites Project."

Now let's look at a few issues regarding the Prancing Elites.

Prancing Elites vs. Mainstream Perception.

I will try to be careful choosing my words for this section.

Our society is so wrapped up in social norms and certain perceptions. For one, we tend to think of Black males as being "hard" and freakishly athletic. We may even see hip-hop music videos of them living fabulous dream lives. The idea of someone gay usually disgusts some people. We also tend to romanticize females who have lustful body features. So when you think of a cheer company such as the Prancing Elites, there will be people who will be disgusted at the sight of gay Black males wearing skimpy cheerleader outfits and parading around in high-energy dance routines. Or maybe some people actually would find them entertaining- to the point of being the basis of memes and cruel jokes.

It Ain't Easy Being a Prancing Elite...

The Prancing Elites will admit that they get lots of threats and homophobic insults. Just about anyone would get any sort of cruel looks or be the butt of most peoples' jokes. Had the Prancing Elites been students in grade school, they would likely be the ones to most be bullied and made fun of simply because they aren't as "cool" as the "cool kids" at school. The Prancing Elites are mostly unapologetic and do what they do because they love cheerleading.

The Prancing Elites and Homophobia...

There would be people who feel like they need to go to an eye doctor or visit a psychologist after seeing males in feminine cheerleader outfits like with the Prancing Elites. Like some (especially heterosexual males) who will think, "yuck! I saw a dude's butt!" or "...I just saw hot legs... from a guy!" These would be the same types who are romanticized or aroused at the image of feminine beauty... only to be disgusted to find out the one with such feminine appeal is either a male or someone who was born a male.

I am not going to convince everyone who is against the Prancing Elites to think otherwise. At the same time, though, one would be foolish to say this cheer group represents anything that is wrong with America or society. Most of what they do is no different from any average cheer group or cheer company. So maybe they are different because these are gay Black males parading around in cheer outfits and performing cheer routines. This is at least a cheer group that is very different from the norm. Regardless of sexual orientation, the main point of what the Prancing Elites exhibit is primarily about the love of cheerleading. Let us not forget there is a certain passion involved regardless of the fact these are gay Black males performing cheerleading.

Homophobic types will immediately find the Prancing Elites as a disgrace to humanity and society. Some seriously homophobic types probably even wish to commit violence against such individuals. They would probably think, "who thought it was a great idea to have gay Black males as cheerleaders, wearing cheerleader outfits, and performing cheerleading routines?" The Prancing Elites are no more different of cheerleaders as any usual cheer company or group. So what if a male wants to be a cheerleader and dress up in feminine cheerleading outfits? If a male wants to take part in something like this and has the passion to cheer his heart out like any female cheerleader, why hold back or think he has no business being a cheerleader? And it would make that male honestly no less of a person just because he chooses to exhibit himself and conduct himself like almost any usual female cheerleader. He isn't a "sissy" or a "wimp" for choosing to be this way. The Prancing Elites are not going to back down or be told what they can and can't do. You don't have to like the Prancing Elites (even if you aren't homophobic), but at least respect them and respect what they do. Also, what makes you think the Prancing Elites are a disgrace to society and humanity? Have they killed people or animals? Have they plotted acts of terror or conspired to commit massacres? Or do you only dislike them because you simply hate what the Prancing Elites stand for? Simply being anyone in the realm of LGBT is not anything worth hating to the point of them being the bane of society or humanity.

My Final Thoughts on the Prancing Elites.

The Prancing Elites may not be to everyone's liking, but this is a most unique group of gay Black cheerleading males. Cheerleading is cheerleading no matter who does it and of what sexual orientation of the cheerleaders. The Prancing Elites should be inspirational in a sense because they do what they want to do and don't feel like they have to apologize for being themselves. If you dislike the Prancing Elites, that's fine. But if you see the Prancing Elites as some kind of disgrace, why so? The Prancing Elites are no different a cheerleading group as any more proper cheerleading group. Only instead of mostly girls and a few guys that make up the team, this is all a bunch of gay Black males doing most of the same cheerleading routines. One thing I may not be sure of is if there could possibly be other cheerleading groups of gay males that could get popular.

Reading YouTube comments of one video of the Prancing Elites were more along the lines of saying the Prancing Elites are a disgrace to Black people. Some even may go as far they are a disgrace to humanity. I say no and no. It may be disgusting to a lot of people seeing such males performing in such routines and exhibiting themselves in this manner. However, what makes the Prancing Elites such a disgrace? What- the fact these are gay males (let alone gay Black males) doing most of the same cheer routines and dances as any usual cheerleading group? These guys are not killing cheerleading. They are not ruining the game. The Prancing Elites should be an example of people wanting to do what they want to do because they love doing it. In no way should anyone have to feel like the Prancing Elites are individuals who disgrace humanity. If there is something you want to do and love to do no matter what people think of you, do it. Why let people stop you in your pursuit of happiness and for your own personal gratification? Why hold back? I'm sure this is something the Prancing Elites would teach others if they did speeches and such.

If anything, the Prancing Elites should be thought of as a group of individuals who don't feel they have to apologize for being themselves. This cheer group is out to have fun and add energy to any space. So even if you don't like them, you don't have to like them. They'll be just fine cheering their hearts out and being their own inspiration to others.

Video Preview.

Let me share with you a bit of what the Prancing Elites are all about. This is a video montage featuring the Prancing Elites in a variety of routines and such. You may need to adjust the volume at parts of the video:


^ Prancing Elites: High Road to Fame


So now you know about the Prancing Elites more than I provided in text.





I hope you found this blog and this blog post to be interesting. Please take care of yourselves and be sure to Subscribe for more from me. Thank you for reading! Take care and be well.

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Pole Dancing

Many people readily associate pole dancing with adult entertainers. Pole dancing is usually associated with sleazy streetwalkers or adult entertainers. However, recent efforts have been made to promote pole dancing in a more positive way than how most people usually perceive it. It is because of its bad image that pole dancing will have a tough time being accepted by the general public-at-large. This blog post on pole dancing is more commentary than something informative on it.

WARNING: Because of a sensitive topic, there may be some material in this post that may not be suitable for all audiences. You are reading this post at your own discretion.

--- Pole Dancing ---

You know what I am discussing, but I need a picture to set the mood. So here you go:


^ from: guyism.com - Work that pole! Depending on who you ask, pole dancing is either as enticing as any other form of dance, or is incredibly sleazy and uninteresting.

This blog post will contain a combination of general thoughts and some commentary in regards to pole dancing. Feel free to agree or disagree at will.

Pole Dancing in General.

It takes flexibility and skill to work the poles. The art of pole dancing can very much be sensual, especially if dancing in such a way that you're aroused by the pole and want to do some hot dancing with it. Some people who watch daytime TV may have seen the Jerry Springer Show as far as poles are concerned. People who watch Jerry Springer may have seen Jerry Springer himself and certain guests dance with or slide down the pole. Most people usually think of sleazy women in regards to pole dancing. Even though that perception is prevalent in regards to pole dancing, there are more tasteful and less sleazy qualities to pole dancing. Some people are even trying to change most peoples' perception of pole dancing- emphasizing qualities opposite of the negatively perceptions of it.

Which leads to my next point...

Changing Perceptions on Pole Dancing.

Because of pole dancing's negative image, there are people who will fail to accept pole dancing outside of its sleazy image. Most people conjure images of a submissive young woman being seduced by the pole, as if the pole were a sexy and handsome man that the woman encounters in thinking of pole dancing.

In Season 6 of the MTV reality TV competition "America's Best Dance Crew," one of the finalists of ABDC Season 6 was called Jag6ed (pronounced how you'd normally say "jagged," it is just styled "Jag6ed"). Jag6ed was a dance team that tried to promote pole dancing in a positive way. They were unfortunately the first crew to be eliminated in that season. This example I provided is what I immediately think of in regards to trying to make pole dancing less sleazy.

IN CASE YOU'RE INTERESTED... Here is a video I found showcasing Jag6ed:


^ "JAG6ED - Week 2 - Sleazy - Kesha Challenge - ABDC6"

CAN Pole Dancing Be Acceptable?

I think pole dancing can very well be accepted. There is actually some skill and fitness involved in latching onto a pole and performing various gyrations or maneuvers. It is at least acceptable in the aspect of fitness. There is at least some incentive to pole dancing in that respect. I can see pole dancing as a good way of exercising the core and enhancing flexibility and balance. One can certainly look at pole dancing on these fronts.


So now that you have a little insight on making pole dancing, it's now time I try to offer my own thoughts on pole dancing.

--- Pole Dancing: Final Thoughts ---

Personally, I don't care about pole dancing. I don't like it or hate it; I just don't care about it or find any serious attraction to it. Since I don't really care for pole dancing, good luck trying to make it more acceptable. I do feel a lot needs to be done to make it more acceptable among more people. These efforts are helping, but pole dancing is still mostly taken negatively by the general public.

Even if this style of dancing is better accepted, I still don't care too much about pole dancing to accept it. I'd rather enjoy seeing go-go dancing or belly dancing instead. Good luck to those fighting the fight to clean up the image of pole dancing. Just don't expect me to care much about it or be awed about it any time soon.

Cross-Promotion/Other Reading.

The only post I can offer related to this is my old blog post on ABDC. So check it out:

"America's Best Dance Crew" (John's Blog Space)
^ I mentioned ABDC. For more about this show, click on the above link.

Discussion...

Here are some questions I'd like to ask my audience:

• What are your thoughts about pole dancing?
• Can it be made more acceptable to people?
• Would you try pole dancing (if you've never tried it)?


That concludes this blog post on pole dancing.





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American Beauties: Mountain

(UPDATED: November 21, 2019)

American Beauties of Mountain states is up next in my American Beauties series. There are eight states I will try to feature, but a handful of beauties from each one will be featured in this post. I've crammed several beauties into your mind from the previous posts. Ready for more? Get ready, then... because the Mountain states will be featured in this post. At least one representative of these eight states will be featured. So get ready for your look at some beauties from the Mountain states!

LATEST UPDATE(S)/REVISION(S):

NOV 21 2019 - made several edits

NOTE: Having to load more embedded videos means lower browser performance, so fewer videos will be shown. Click on the links to view videos away from this blog if you want to view certain videos away from John's Blog Space. I am doing this as a performance measure for my blog in addition to using Jump Breaks.

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American Beauties Series

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Beautiful American ladies. I love doing these "Beauties" posts regarding some of the world's loveliest ladies, but I have decided to go close to home for this series. What you will see here is my list of various beauties. You may not know who I may feature. What you probably will be aware of is certain personalities I've showcased based on certain interests of mine. As you may be aware in my blog posts, while I do mention those in Beauties posts as women, some of my Beauties posts may NOT be exclusively feminine. So you'll see a little of everything.


Here is a preview of what all this series will entail. There is no really serious designation in picking out a set region for which to feature each location. I will break up my American Beauties focus into five individual regions:

American Beauties Series: Rundown.

Here is a look at how I'll be doing this:

• American Beauties - South and Southeast
(REGION: Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia, and Washington, District of Columbia)

• American Beauties - Northeast
(REGION: Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine)

• American Beauties - Midwest and Central
(REGION: North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan)

• American Beauties - Mountain (YOU ARE HERE)
(REGION: Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Montana)

• American Beauties: Pacific
(REGION: California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and Hawaii)

American Beauties: This Region.

After doing most of the central and eastern portions of the United States, it is time to feature beauties from the Mountain Time Zone states. These include beauties from the four corners states (New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado) and other locations. You will see personalities featured from the following eight states:

• Colorado
• Wyoming
• New Mexico
• Arizona
• Utah
• Nevada
• Idaho
• Montana


I will try to feature at least one personality from each state. Not every featured person is featured is featured in any specific order.

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American Beauties: Mountain

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(REGION: New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Nevada, Idaho, and Montana)

Time to meet some lovely ladies hailing from the Mountain States. Click on any hyperlinked headers to visit their official websites or fan pages.

Maggie Flecknoe.

Marguerite "Maggie" Flecknoe (or "Blondie") and her appeal are as high as the Rocky Mountains. This beautiful blonde from Aurora, Colorado whom has supplemented her talents in voice overs and anime. The beauty has a voice that is both sweet and silky at the same time and without compromise. She lent her voice to a number of different anime series such as "HighSchool of the Dead." She is a lady of great style- loves shoes, has lovely curly hair, and a smile as sweet as her voice. Meet Maggie:


^ "Voice of the Voices - Maggie Flecknoe"

Maggie Flecknoe is also best known for sounding off on hot-button issues with her highly successful "Online Dish With Maggie" program. Online Dish is a brief segment where she discusses topics ranging from sex-related material to certain pieces of bizarre news. Those discussions delve into her sounding off the way only she can about certain issues. No matter what, "Blondie" delivers with her own commentary. Here is a sample of her successful program:


^ "School Bans Boy From Being Prom Queen"

I actually reviewed "Online Dish With Maggie" long ago. To read my review of this program, you are invited to visit this link: "Online Dish With Maggie" (John's Blog Space). Maggie is nowadays part of the "morning dose." program on CW39 as part of the "Where's Maggie?" segments.

Helen Su.

Of Chinese and Hawaiian descent, Helen Su hails from the Mile High City of Denver, Colorado. Mile High is fitting for her because her beauty and charm are miles high of any other lady. I know Helen Su mostly for her being a sexy go-go dancer. She is the founder of and instructor of a fitness program called BodyBarre. Get to know Helen Su in this 2007 video (uploaded in 2008):

• "helen su"

AnnaSophia Robb.

Many people know of AnnaSophia Robb today mostly for playing Carrie in the CW Network's "The Carrie Diaries." (Born: December 8, 1993)-year old AnnaSophia Robb is a Colorado girl from Denver. This girl from the Mile High City is a petite actress (AnnaSophia is 5'0") whom has taken part in lots of roles, including the remake of "Race to Witch Mountain." This is AnnaSophia Robb as a young Carrie Bradshaw in "The Carrie Diaries":

• "The Carrie Diaries - Anna Sophia Robb Interview"




I must include a Jump Break to improve the performance of this blog post for those not reading the full post. Click "Read More" to see more beauties in this blog post, especially if you are not reading the full blog post! I'll introduce you to some beauties who are from Nevada, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana after the Jump Break. Please make sure you're subscribed to my blog(s) to be in the know of my latest blog posts. You need to "like" me on Facebook to keep tabs on my blog and of other material. Get social with me!

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More beauties after the Jump Break! Click "Read More" or disregard this section if you are reading the full post...

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Gangnam Style!

The latest craze is Gangnam Style. This is the musical and dancing phenomenon started by the entertainer PSY. You are going to get a full course of Korean loving here in this "John's Blog Space" post. Most of you know I love Japan. However, Koreans can be just as entertaining (or weird) and awesome. So I got to give the Korean crowd some love. Most of the time, I don't give into trends or immediately want to get my voice across based on some of the latest trends and phenomena in social media. Usually, my involvement in some trend or phenomena just means I am just another voice or entity trying to get my contribution. I figure if I'm going to be part of something, I'll have to be original and distinctive. So that's why I don't take part in things like Internet memes, certain online trends, certain trends in the news, etc. But in a rare exception, I decided to show some Gangnam Style here.

So what the heck is Gangnam style? Watch the video, learn the moves, and see for yourself:


^ "PSY - GANGNAM STYLE (강남스타일) M/V"


This video has 740M YouTube hits for a reason. Let me say this- "Gangnam Style" is one catchy song. It's something to latch onto and enjoy, unlike the unspeakably annoying "Friday" song from Rebecca Black. And come on now- how can you not get into the groove watching PSY go to work Gangnam Style. Even typing up this blog post, I was doing the Gangnam Style dance myself sitting on my bed! :) Hey- just because I'm a blogger doesn't mean I can't have fun blogging, okay!? But really can't really help but doing those horse riding moves. That even includes Texans like myself. We're used to horse and cattle here in Texas. So imagine doing the Gangnam Style in a place so used to horses and cattle.

But like I said earlier- Gangnam Style is immensely catchy.

[Briefly] About PSY.

(Born: December 31, 1977)-year old Park Jae-Sang is the South Korean fellow known by the stage name of PSY. He has been active on the music scene since 1999. The single "Gangnam Style" marked the sixth album by PSY. This song was CLEARLY the hottest song of Summer 2012. To learn more about PSY, you are invited to view the Wikipedia (English) page on PSY.





How you loving Gangnam Style? If you want more PSY, or more Gangnam Style; here are some more links for you:

• PSY's official home page
• PSY's official Facebook Fan Page
• PSY's official YouTube channel
• "Gangnam Style" videos on YouTube « in case you want more Gangnam Style on YouTube...
• Follow PSY on Twitter!
• PSY on iTunes

Thank you for reading!

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Take Your Pick: Dance Dance Revolution or Pump it Up?

Two of the most popular dancing arcade game series make up this "Take Your Pick"- Konami's Dance Dance Revolution series and Andamiro's Pump it Up. It is Japan's Konami vs. Korea Republic's Andamiro in the dancing game realm. Which is better? I invite my loyal blog readers to offer their thoughts. Those of you who don't have two left feet are invited to choose between these two dancing game giants! :)

--- Take Your Pick: Dance Dance Revolution or Pump it Up? ---

Both Dance Dance Revolution and Pump it Up are two games with an exceptional list of songs to dance to. These are either high-energy songs or some dance-worthy remixes of real songs. The songs are divided by difficulty. Some songs are easier to dance to with not as many moves. The harder songs require more movements. If you are not a very good dancer or not very good playing, it is best you start with some of the easier songs before attempting to dance to some of the harder songs.

The goal of both games is to watch the screen and step on the pads as the arrows approach the top of the screen. Try to land each movement at the right time to score the most points. You may see a string of arrows. That means you need to tap on that pad and hold for the full duration. Chain together many Perfect or OK moves to rack up the points and get the highest rank!

There are two stages for both games with the same number of pads to step on. This allows either for one-on-one dance battles or even (and I've seen this happen before) one player using both stages for special challenges.

It is probably a good idea to play this game with some appropriate footwear. So if you wear something that comes off easily (like flip-flop/thong sandals, clogs, mules, etc), or if you're wearing something not suited for sudden dance movements; it is best to take off your shoes before playing either game.

Here is a look at both games at a glance. If you can't view Flash media, click on the link to each video to see the video on YouTube. Thanks to the channels that allowed these videos to be embedded.

Dance Dance Revolution Series.

The Dance Dance Revolution series made its debut to the world in November 1998. A standard DDR stage consists of four pressure pads with arrows pointing up, down, left, and right. A number of DDR games for both arcade and home would be released through the life of the franchise.

Here is a demonstration of DDR:

^ "DDR Arcade - Exotic Ethnic - Heavy" - YouTube

Here is another sample of DDR. This time, DDR Extreme. This is an example of what you see on screen. By the way, this song sounds awesome:

^ DDR Extreme - White Lovers [SP Heavy] - YouTube

Pump it Up Series.

The direct challenger to Dance Dance Revolution is Korea's Pump it Up series. The first PIU debuted in 1999 for PC and arcade. It was made by Nexcade and published by Korea's Andamiro. Pump it Up is played on a stage with diagonal directions. Pads point northwest, northeast, southeast, and southwest. There is even a center stage pad to touch.

Here is a demonstration of PIU:

^ "Pump It Up Fiesta EX 2011 - TX Cabinet - BMIGaming - Andamiro - Remix 3 Final"

This video is an on-screen demonstration of Pump it Up:

^ "[Pump it Up Fiesta] Kara - Wanna"


Both games deliver some great music to dance to as well as unique challenges to keep the dancing interesting.

--- Dance Dance Revolution vs. Pump it Up: My Thoughts ---

So which arcade dancing game series is better?

Why the "Dance Dance Revolution" Series?

The Dance Dance Revolution series is a very fun dancing game series for the most part. Even if you are no kind of dancing star (like my lack of dancing talent), at least this is a series you can enjoy when at the arcades or playing home versions of the DDR franchise. I would say it's more of a dancing game everyone can enjoy without needing to feel like some sort of established dancing ace to play the game to begin with.

Why the "Pump it Up" Series?

Reading Wikipedia in preparing this post, I read that Pump it Up better suits more technical dancers. Mostly your breakdancing types would enjoy this game more than someone who just casually dances. So I probably would make that your primary reason to love this franchise over DDR. I have had only so limited experience playing "Pump it Up."


It's tough to choose one, but if going on experience alone, I favor Dance Dance Revolution on experience alone. That's not to that that Pump it Up is a bad game or a bad series, but I am just more familiar with (and a bit more comfortable with) DDR than PIU.





For more information on either or both series, have a look at these Wikipedia pages:
• Dance Dance Revolution - Wikipedia
• Pump it Up - Wikipedia

So which do you like better? Thank you for reading!

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Ballet

(UPDATED: October 16, 2011)

Whether you love it for its grace or if you dislike it because it's too "pretty," ballet is one of the greatest showcases of grace and spirit among any art. It is by far one of the most popular and oldest performing arts in existence today. Both males and females ranging from children to adults take part in the beautiful and graceful art of ballet. This blog post is my contribution to ballet. I don't know much about ballet or is any kind of aficionado of ballet, but I will do my best to discuss and showcase ballet in a classy and respectful manner. I hope you will enjoy my blog post on ballet.

If any of you are in ballet or have done ballet before, I'd like to salute you and thank you for visiting John's Blog Space!

LATEST UPDATE(S):

OCT 16 2011 - made a few simple edits to this post

--- Ballet at a Glance ---

Some information supplemented from Wikipedia for this section.

(from Wikipedia) The origins of ballet originate back to the the Italian Renaissance courts in 15th Century, and then later enhanced by the French and Russians. Ballet is something that requires great concentration and grace to be amazing. No one average person- not even my out-of-shape self- can ever do any of these moves as gracefully as a conditioned and trained ballet dancer. There is an exact science to precisely and properly executing the many maneuvers ballet dancers make. A good deal of fitness and exercise can help in more precisely executing each stunt and performance. I don't know the name of any such ballet moves even if my life depended on it.

Anaheim Ballet mentions ballet as a "beautiful strength." This video will set the mood for the style of dance to be showcased in this blog post:


You have now been introduced (by me) to ballet. You can read much more about ballet from a much more qualified source than I by reading the Wikipedia page on Ballet.

--- Ballet Misconceptions ---

I touched on it a bit in the introduction. I won't name all of them, but I will touch up on some of the most common misconceptions.

I guess for a lot of people, ballet is too pretty and girly and soft. Like EVERYTHING is supposed to be hard and raw. Almost as if many people believe those who are in ballet are somehow wimpy and couldn't fend for themselves if in a compromising position. Then again, who said ballet dancers are as tough as gridiron football players or any hockey players? I think people often look beyond the grace and charm of ballet and just think of ballet as a pretty art form where everything is seemingly perfect. The training to have everything perfect is tough. I wouldn't survive one day in ballet class, let alone multiple days trying to get EVERYTHING perfect.

If you'd like to learn about more ballet misconceptions, I invite you to read "Ballet Myths Busted" at www.theballetbag.com.

--- Ballet Outfits ---

Let's see these ballet dancers in their outfits. This is ballet from a style perspective. All of these are descriptions of what most ballet folk wear.

Leotards and Unitards.

The most basic outfit for any ballet dancer is a leotard. Leotards cover the body much like a one-piece swimsuit. Some leotards may or may not have sleeves to them (most do not). These leotards mostly are in spandex, but some may even be polyester among other materials.

Leotards are usually accompanied with tights to complete an outfit. Unitards can be thought of as rompers/playsuits or jumpsuits for ballet dancers. They consist of the leotard top and are joined with either short legs or pant legs as part of the whole outfit.

Ballet Skirts.

Dress yourself up a bit with a ballet skirt. Accompanied to a leotard or unitard, a little extra diversion is offered to your ballet outfit with these skirts.

Ballet Dresses.

As beautiful as any leotard, a ballet dress can be equally graceful and beautiful to wear. What girl wouldn't want to be just a bit more lovely in her ballet dancing?

Tutus.

The tutu is a petticoat for ballet dancers. Just put one on and twirl to your heart's delight!


And of course...

Ballet Shoes.

Ballet shoes are mostly form-fitting shoes designed for various foot movements. A good pair of shoes designed for tip-toe moves and bending the feet are needed for various ballet dancers. Two of the most common ballet shoes are your basic ballerina slippers and pointe shoes. Their soles range from full sole shoes to split sole shoes. My best guess is that they offer different levels of comfort and control when performing ballet moves.

You are probably thinking of ballet flats if you're reading this. However, ballerina slippers are the real dancing shoes of ballet dancers. These shoes were specifically designed for ballet dancing. They contour to the feet and are more comfortable to wear for the various routines and moves such ballet dancers execute. The appeal and style of ballerina slippers found their way into ballet flats you've probably seen or worn. I asked online what makes ballet flats different from ballerina slippers, and one girl said that ballerina slippers were specifically made for ballet dancing; not just to wear with your outfits casually. The cute ribbons and bows you see on most ballet flats usually originate from the lovely ribbons and straps you see on ballerina slippers. Just know that your ballet flats are for wearing with your outfits; ballerina slippers are graceful shoes to wear in your ballet routines and moves.

Pointe shoes are so beautiful with the ribbon ties to secure them. Pointe is so graceful and beautiful as a form of ballet dance. Pointe shoes offer a basic ballerina shoe with many ribbon ties to help secure them. To get an idea of what Pointe is like, I have found this video, courtesy of the Ballet Center of Houston. Take a look at this video and see these Pointe shoes in action as well as pointe ballet:



By the way, I doubt they were wearing blue in support of my blog. ;) The song playing in the background is beautiful.


Many of these items have even influenced everyday fashion. In fact, the movie "Black Swan" in 2007 offered up a look at ballet-inspired fashion. For a detailed look at ballet-inspired fashion, please check out this site: "ballet inspired fashion" on dancemana.biz.

--- Ballet Videos ---

Would you like some ballet videos? I've found a number of them online to share with all of you. Feel free to get your ballet fix right here!

• Russian Ballet
I mentioned Russia as one of the key players in the evolution of ballet. Well, a young lady named Natalia Osipova at Moscow's (as in Moscow, Russia) Bolshoi Ballet Academy performs a ballet routine for all of you in this video. Take note of her graceful moves. This is a beautiful performance:



• Twinkle Toes!
Here are some videos showcasing a few different ballet moves.

Italian fouettes are performed by this (then) 13-year Canadian old girl named Alys Shee:


How about some pirouettes? Here you go:


Finally, here are some arabesques. These are done beautifully by this lady:



• Ballet Boys
My objective in blog posts like this one is on factual material. So therefore, I tried to find a proper video to suit this section. I tried to find a proper video on a male in ballet rather than some random video of males fooling around as ballet dancers. I don't have just one video... I have two. Many people think that males who practice ballet are gay or wimpy. Fact is- males have performed ballet LONG before mostly females have taken up the ballet scene. So what you're about to see is the kind of ballet most have come to know before most know ballet as a girly form of dance.

Believe it or not, what you will see in the first video is classic ballet... but are all played by males! Before women essentially took on these ballet roles, these roles were played by men. So have a look at this interesting video featuring men wearing feminine ballet outfits and wigs:


This male performer practices in contemporary ballet here. Check out his moves here:



• Ballet Fun With Kids
This video could not be embedded. Therefore, I will make this link regarding the video. This is a very cute and fun video of a little girl (then) 10-years old showcasing a vivid imagination coupled with ballet dancing.

Again, embedding was disabled. So if you want to see this video, click on "KIDS BALLET DREAMS Rochelle Marks (10yrs old)" on YouTube.


There are your video inspirations on ballet. Hope you enjoyed your time here!

--- To All Who Practice (or Have Practiced) Ballet... ---

You all are the ones who help exhibit and showcase what makes ballet so enjoyable and graceful. You help showcase the beauty and grace of such fluid movements while also dancing to lovely musical scores. It is just too bad you ballet folk get such a bad rap from most people. Those especially include people who think ballet is just pretty and wimpy, like everything has to be hardcore and tough. People fail to realize (let alone appreciate) all that goes into being great ballet dancers. I am not any kind of serious fan of ballet, but I greatly appreciate what all goes into ballet.

So uh, keep doing your thing! You dig? :)

--- Ballet Resources ---

That concludes this blog post for the most part. I may make a post to my alternative blog, "John's Shop Space," but JSS is still being considered and mapped out for renovation. So I will not be posting to that site until renovations are complete. And if I do post to JSS, it will feature more personal selections for you ballet lovers/dancers.

So here are some resources for you ballet dancers. More will be added in future edits. These are all my own words on each resource. I am not paid anything to talk about any of these resources in the way that I do:

Discount Dance Supply.

With many kinds of dancewear items for dancers (including those in ballet), this is one place to look towards online for your ballet gear. Dancewear for other kinds of dancing are also offered here.

The Ballet Store.

All the gear and merchandise you could want for ballet can be found here at The Ballet Store. There are even various resources available for all of you into ballet including news items regarding ballet. This is more of an all-in-one place for all kinds of ballet fans.

Capezio.

Capezio is one of the most respected companies in the realm of dancewear. With over 125 years of dance, Capezio has something for just about everyone.

Motionwear.

From ballet to cheerleading to gymnastics, Motionwear has just about everything for every kind of dancer. Relevant to this blog post, click on the "Dance" link to see the ballet material.

Dancewear Solutions (links to Ballet).

Dancewear Solutions has all kinds of items for all kinds of dancing. The link above takes you to the Ballet store of the site. Various items and accessories are offered on the site for ballet dancers to be properly suited for gracing the floor with their moves. Everything from ballet outfits to ballet shoes are offered on DWS.

Tip Toe Dancewear.

With a variety of items offered for various dancers, Tip Toe Dancewear has you covered with many different items to dress you up for dancing. There are also items offered for cheerleaders as well. So if you enjoyed my Cheerleading blog post, you may find some great cheer gear here as well.

Men's Dancewear.

An Australian author on HubPages named Marisa Wright mentions mens' dancewear on her page. My male audience can look at this site for some notes on male ballet items.


Again- more items should be made available to this blog post should I find some more worthy resources. If there are some you think I should consider posting, I would appreciate if you contacted me via Email. Help me help my reading/visiting audience.



Special request for all of my readers- please help support my work by finding items online featured in my blog posts. One such way is by checking out these items on Amazon. Use these widgets to dress yourself up for ballet. I would appreciate your business if you buy something useful. If you enjoyed my blog post (or any of my blog posts) please support my work, if you don't mind, by finding certain items that interest you based on this blog post:

Ballet on Amazon: Apparel.

Ballet on Amazon: DVDs.

Ballet on Amazon: Books.

Thank you for visiting (and shopping (if you done any))!





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Haka

A haka is a Maori war dance designed to ready warriors for battle and strike fear into their enemy. It is a really powerful routine. I usually think of the New Zealand All-Blacks rugby team when I usually think of the haka being performed. If you follow American pro wrestling, you may have seen that The Usos have adopted a haka routine before their matches in World Wrestling Entertainment. One other thing- it is considered disrespectful to laugh or taunt at someone if the haka is being performed.

If you've never seen or experienced the haka being performed, this blog post will introduce you to this Polynesian war dance. I will show you some videos showcasing the haka routine. The blog post mostly showcases the haka routine being performed and isn't really supposed to be a completely educational look at the haka.

Since expanding my blog horizons to the South Pacific, I have tried to come up with more posts that may interest my readers from the South Pacific. I am really sorry I haven't done more blog posts to cater to my South Pacific and Pacific Islander audiences.

--- Haka in Videos ---

Here are some videos showcasing the haka. I'd like to thank all the YouTube channels that have allowed for video embedding.

Haka: An Informative Look.

A PBS documentary kicks off a look at the haka. The haka has been a ritual for over 50,000 years. Have a look at this video to gain insight on the haka:



I had actually learned long ago that what most of the world know as New Zealand is Aotearoa to the Maori. That was my sort of reminder of Aotearoa if you saw the above video.

Haka: New Zealand All Blacks.

Because I mentioned the All Blacks, I will continue discussing them. What you are about to witness in this video is the haka routine performed by the All Blacks. There were actually those who wanted to ban the All Blacks from performing the haka. I know very little about Maori culture. I actually planned on blogging about Maori culture as part of my "Pacific and Oceania" label. Anyhow, here are the All Blacks performing the haka before a rugby test:



I told you it was powerful. BLOGGING NOTE: I actually tried to post a blog entry about rubgy football, but I've never completed it. I do want to introduce that topic to John's Blog Space eventually for my readers.

Haka: University of Hawaii [Rainbow] Warriors' Football.

Now for a different kind of football. The University of Hawaii/Hawai'i at Manoa is known for their haka routine in the realm of college football. A lot of football players who play for the University of Hawaii mostly come from Hawaii, Samoa, American Samoa, and some other South Pacific island nations. Here is a look at the Warriors performing the haka:



On the other hand, though, there are those who disapprove of Hawaii doing the haka. I read that Hawaii has a similar routine called the ha'a. One time in a game, Hawaii received an Unsportsmanlike Conduct penalty for performing the haka. Some Hawaii types felt it was some sort of targeting against the Warriors in performing this routine. A lot of others feel that while it's great to see Hawaii perform the haka war dance, that not as many tend to credit that the Maori were the ones to originate the haka.

Here is another video showcasing the origin of the haka by mentioning the University of Hawaii's football team. It is a video featuring the the haka as well as some insight on what the haka is meant to incite. Check this out:

Haka: The Usos.

This video showcases pro wrestlers, Jimmy and Jey Uso, performing the haka before a match. Have a look:



This is already a powerful tag team. They are even more so readying themselves for matches with the haka performance.

--- Final Thoughts... ---

All in all, celebrate and honor your culture and heritage. Just learning about the haka and the power and story behind it really enhanced my knowledge of this war dance. I had once planned on blogging about the Maori culture as an educational deal, and I was going to include the haka as part of the discussion.





If you are of Maori descent, you probably know MUCH more about the haka (and other rituals and customs) than I do. So feel free to supplement your input to help enhance my knowledge as well as the knowledge of my readers/subscribers. Thank you for reading!

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America's Best Dance Crew

A show that I've watched for the first time ever was America's Best Dance Crew. Each season of ABDC showcases eight of the best dance crews to compete for the honor of being... America's Best Dance Crew. This past season was the fifth season of ABDC. When I saw this show for the first time, I actually thought Blueprint Cru was going to win over Poreotix. Didn't happen. Still, ABDC is a lovely show. Every crew that competes would LOVE the honor of becoming...


^ from: photobucket.com - America's Best Dance Crew logo.

--- Champions of America's Best Dance Crew ---

This section focuses in on the five champions of the past five seasons of America's Best Dance Crew. YouTube videos will be embedded to give you a first-hand look at what each crew brings to the dance floor.

Please visit the hyperlinks to each heading to visit their official websites. You can click on the links to learn more about any performance fees for each crew if you're wanting to book them.

JabbaWockeeZ.

^ from: photobucket.com - the first champions of ABDC, the JabbaWockeeZ.

America's very first Best Dance Crew is the fun and creative JabbaWockeeZ. They have great style and some creative moves. They are best known for the white masks they wear. They are absolutely creative in their moves. Maybe what's best about this exclusively American Southwest crew is that there's no real leader and they they all march to the beat of their own drum. This is really a great crew.

Want to see the JabbaWockeeZ in action? Check this out:

Super CR3W (Super Crew).

^ from: laist.com - Meet Super CR3W. They won the second season of America's Best Dance Crew.

The second-ever team to take the honor of "America's Best Dance Crew" is Super CR3W. These boys from Las Vegas have some sick breakdancing moves. Super CR3W is more like a team of possessed dancing demons because their style is unreal. Their flexibility and style are nothing short of amazing. They'll wow you with some insane breakdancing-style moves. They have amazing flexibility.

This video below is a video compilation of Super Cr3w in action. Not sure what the song is, but the video is audioswapped. Be warned that the song contains some foul language. Here's the video:

Quest Crew.

^ from: poptower.com - The Quest Crew took top honors in the 3rd ABDC season.

ABDC Season 3 champions, Quest Crew, is a crew all with unique characters. This is a diverse and creative crew with a great convergence of styles. These Los Angeles guys are crazy. They should have called themselves Crazy Crew.

Here is an insane performance by Quest Crew from Season 3:

We Are Heroes.

^ from: dancetalk.info - We Are Heroes is the first all-female crew to win ABDC, winning the fourth season of ABDC.

Girl power reigned supreme as Los Angeles' We Are Heroes won Season 4 of America's Best Dance Crew. They are the first all-female dance crew to win ABDC. These ladies have their own intense style and moves. While they aren't as eccentric as their male counterparts, this group has shown to be every bit as capable and fluid as any male dance crew. Some regular watchers of ABDC thought Rhythm City or Artistry in Motion should have won instead of We Are Heroes. Some of the more chauvinistic fans think that the only reason why We Are Heroes won is because they are females.

Here's your chance to see We Are Heroes light up the dance floor. This was part of a Karate/Martial Arts challenge:

Poreotix.

^ from: angryasianman.com - Poreotix is the most recent champs of ABDC as the fifth season of ABDC.

A close championship battle between Poreotix and Blueprint Cru saw Poreotix pull off the win. The boys from Westminster, California says that "Poreotix" is a combination of popping, choreography, and robotics. They try to incoporate humor into their routines.

These guys are silly. About as silly as the lady who Poreotix danced to in this video below. Watch them dance to Taylor Swift's "Love Story" here:



Who will be the ABDC Season 6 champs? I'll start watching this deal more often.

--- America's Best Dance Crew: Bonus Video ---

Here is my friend Arika Sato interviewing both the first two champions of ABDC. Check out this interview:



If you like Arika Sato's videos and commentary, check out Arika's home page!



(ADDED: April 7, 2011) The Sixth Season of "America's Best Dance Crew" started (to my surprise) tonight! This season is the "Season of the Superstars" I want to wish on all the crews the best of luck this season.

Here are the crews for this season and where they are from:

• I aM mE (Houston, Texas, USA) (woohoo!)
• Eclectic Gentlemen (Los Angeles, California, USA)
• REQUEST DANCE CREW (Auckland, New Zealand)
• PHUNK PHENOMENON (Boston, Massachusetts, USA)
• STREET KINGDOM (Los Angeles, California, USA)
• 787 Crew (San Juan, Puerto Rico)
• FootworKINGZ (Chicago, Illinois, USA)
• ICONic Boyz (Englishtown, New Jersey, USA)
• Instant Noodles (Los Angeles, California, USA)
• JAG6ED (Crenshaw, California, USA)

Should be a great one!

--- Meet the ABDC Season 6 Champions! ---
(ADDED: July 5, 2011)

The sixth season of ABDC was the Season of the Superstars. This is where producers District 78 had a number of Superstar Master Mixes of hit songs from some of the top names in hip-hop and pop. Many crews battled in Season 6 until it came down to two. I actually missed seeing crews like Instant Noodles (I loved those guys!) go down. I was even sold on Boston's Phunk Phenomenon. Season 6 came down to ICONic Boyz and I aM mE. This would be the first time in ABDC history where a crew NOT from the West Coast or from the western part of the United States will win the title of "America's Best Dance Crew." And...

I aM mE won Season 6 of "America's Best Dance Crew!" So here's another one to add to this blog post:

I aM mE.

I aM mE caught my eye when I actually noticed what all they brought to the dance floor. This was a crew that took risks and never failed to captivate. 15-year old Olivia "Chachi" Gonzales was surely one hard-hitting girl on the floor. I was not only proud of I aM mE not only because they're representing my hometown of Houston, but because they really brought it.

Want to see the finale (all 42+ minutes of it) of ABDC Season 6? Check this out: http://www.mtv.com/videos/americas-best-dance-crew-season-6-ep-10-the-finale/1665165/playlist.jhtml






Thanks to all of you for reading my blog! Hope you have a great day/night! An unofficial Blogspot blog I found with more on ABDC can be found at a blog called Blogging America's Best Dance Crew. Check it out if you get a chance.

Thank you for reading!

Become a Fan (or Like) my Facebook Fan Page and subscribe this blog (and my others) via FeedBurner (or any other aggregator in the sidebar)! Visit (or subscribe):
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