The scariest and most exciting thing I have ever done!!!!! Ever!

I could not be happier to announce a new arts organization "Stranded Artists" that I have created with the help of some very talent dance artists.  

What is Stranded Artists?
Currently Sacramento does not have a professional Contemporary/Modern dance company so what do dancers, like my self, living in Sacramento do if they still want to dance? Unfortunately, the answer is leave the area, or stop dancing all together.  Neither options were good enough for me so I decided to create a place where dancers could continue to gain opportunities and not leave their community to do so. 

Stranded Artists will produce shows in Sacramento so that the Sacramento community can be exposed to works that they would normally have to travel to larger metropolitans like San Francisco or New York to see. We will bring in choreographers to produce original works as well as give dancers opportunities to choreograph on their peers. This helps dancers to continue to grow, as well as furthers their choreographic careers. It is also my plan to give these beautiful dancers the international exposer that they deserve. We will submit works to international festivals in the hopes to continue to gain experiences from the world of dance.

Is Stranded Artists just about dance?
No.
"It is in collaboration that the nature of art is revealed"- Steve Lacey
I believe strongly that all art forms are important and through collaborations we can find our full potential as artists. It is our plan to seek out collaborations with painters, installation artists, media artists, photographers, designers, and anything that we couldn't even fathom. The unknown of what this component will turn into is the most exciting of all. 

Want to see us dance?
We will have our inaugural show "Platforma" on Second Saturday July 13 at 213 26th St, in Sacramento CA. We are asking for a minimum donation of $12. All additional donations will go to event fees, payment of dancers, future shows, and a fund to help further collaborations and send dancers to festivals. Tickets can be purchased, and donations can be made at platforma2013.eventbrite.com 

If you want more information on Stranded Artists visit our website www.strandedartists.com and "like us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/StrandedArtists

The new L.A. dance scene

There was a lot to choose from if you wanted to see some dance in L.A. this last weekend. Alvin Ailey was at the Music Center, Trey Mcintyre was at The Broad, and North West Dance Project was at the Luckman. Whew, that's a whole lot of really good dance in one place. The dance scene in L.A. is changing and this dancer could not be happier. In the past if you were not a commercial dancer there was not a whole lot to do in L.A. With the exception of the few classical ballet companies, who always seemed to struggle, making it in L.A. was rough.



However now, in the last few years L.A. is making a name for its self as a legitimate dance city. In addition to The Los Angeles Ballet which was founded in 2004, there is also an eclectic group of contemporary companies cropping up. Bodytraffic founded by two dancers, Lillian Barbeito and Tina Finkelman Berkett, was named one of Dance Magazines 25 to watch in 2013. With their exquisite taste in choosing choreographers they are quickly making a name for themselves as an internationally recognized company, and really are one to watch. Then you have the highly publicized L.A. Dance Project. Headed up by choreographer (and movie star husband) Benjamin Millepied. Mr. Millepied shocked the dance world in January when he announced that he would be leaving L.A. to direct the prestigious Paris Opera Ballet. L.A. Dance Project claims that they will continue on with out him, but only time will tell.

So, next time you are bored on a Saturday night in L.A. go see some dance. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Sisters are doin' it for themselves

It's not an easy transition getting older as a dancer. Your body begins to disagree with your decision to continue, there is always young up and coming dancers biting at your heels, and what happens when life i.e. marriage, kids, or other interests become just as important? The answer is you need to adapt to what dance looks like for you.

For myself, I really like the age I have come into as a dancer. I have stepped away from dance enough to have life experiences and it is because of this that I have more to say now than ever as an artist. I have also found a wonderful teaching career in which I learn just as much from my students as they learn from me. There is also my interest as a choreographer, which in this last year I have really settled into my voice and aesthetic. So, my predicament is not how to deal with an allying body, but how to fulfill all of my interests and sill be home in time for dinner with my husband?



This is not an easy task. I could do what I did last year and spend four hours almost everyday in the car driving to dance in San Francisco and then rush back to teach my classes (but that doesn't work for my life), I could leave my husband for months on end and go dance for a company (but that doesn't work for my soul, or my teaching career), or I can give up dancing completely and just teach and choreograph (but that doesn't work for my heart). So to borrow a line from the Eurythmics, this "sister" is doin' it for herself.

I decided that if I want to continue to produce good work without leaving my city, which currently does not have a contemporary dance scene, I need to make it for myself. I started by approaching a choreographer who I am a fan of and told her, in all earnest, that I wanted to dance for her. To my surprise she was willing to create a new work, and with myself and two other dancers we created a new piece which we are hoping to take to some dance festivals, fingers crossed.

Many dancers now are taking their careers into their own hands. Being a freelancer provides you with a level of artistic freedom that you would not otherwise have working for a company full time.It is a great way to choose who you work with and what you do. However, there is the obvious pit falls of not having a steady stream of work coming in. As an independent contractor you have no benefits to fall back on when you are not working, and all additional costs; physical therapy, shoes, ect. come out of your pocket book. This also means working for free a lot. It is definitely a risky business, but recently an acquaintance of mine said, referring to her choreography "Careful does not a standing ovation get".  I think this phrase can also refer to the journey to the work.

Her are some stills of my first project as an independent artist, and check out my new website 

www.leahmariebueno.com

Where you can get even more information about me and my career.

  

To be or not to be a bitchy ballerina?

There are many ballet urban legends that have been going around for centuries. The most common is the tale of the ballerina who put glass in the pointe shoe of her rival. The glass only to be discovered mid performance which left the glorious prima ballerina hobbling off stage with a pointe shoe filled with blood. However, nothing can compare to the very real act against the current director of the Bolshoi Ballet Friday.

Sergei Filin, current Artistic Director of the Bolshoi Ballet, was hit in the face with a bottle of acid. He was leaving a meeting with The Bolshoi Ballet's general director when a masked man called out his name and threw the bottle in his face. He suffered third degree burns and may possibly permanently loose his sight. Although there are many possible reasons for the assault, police believe that one possibility could be professional jealously.

This, along with the recent news of a certain cycling hero using performance enhancing drugs and destroying anyone who tried to leak his secret really makes you wonder...How far would you go to make your dream happen?

Now, of course competition is a natural part of dance and sports. Everyone has their rivals and of course we have all wished for something that someone else has had at one time in our lives. But, what defines someone as a "go getter" doing what ever it takes to get ahead, or a "bully" doing whatever it takes to get ahead?

I personally had one person in my life who has always stood out as being a "Ballet Bully". Lets call her Suzy. Growing up my teacher told me I needed to be more assertive like Suzy. Yes, Suzy was assertive, but she was also cruel to her fellow dancers and would have walked over anyone who got in her way. Suzy went on to be a very famous dancer using her "assertive" personality to get ahead. I strongly believe that what goes around comes around, and yet, what seems to come around for Suzy is success.

This has always been a hard pill for me to swallow. I have often wondered if my teacher was right. Should I be a bitchy ballerina in order to get what I want?

 Last season I had the pleasure of working with a guest artist who has had an amazingly successful career. The difference between this person and Suzy was this dancer was humble, sweet, professional, and had absolutely no ego anywhere in their personality. Oh... and they also happened to be ballet superstar. This proved to me that it was possible to be both a good person, and make it as a dancer at the same time.

Maybe it is a harder road but I personally would rather go to sleep at night knowing that I made it on my own physical talents and not my talents of intimidation.

What do you think? Is a little bit of intimidation necessary?

A new year, a resolution to be "Fearless", and the suprising place that inspired my new outlook.

Do you typically make New Year's resolutions for yourself?

I sometimes do, and sometimes don't. This year however, I was really inspired to make a change about myself and I have to say I am really hoping this is one resolution that I can keep.

My resolution this year is to be fearless in my dancing and in my life.

 Now...Where did my fearless idea come from?

My inspiration came from the men and women I take open class with. In open class it is always a mixed bag of dancers taking dance for all kinds of reasons. You have the current professionals on break trying to stay in shape, the aspiring professionals there to work towards their goals, the former ballerinas who take class once in a blue moon, and then you have the individuals who found dance later in life and are in there for no other reason than they love to dance. It is the last group that inspires me the most.

One day I was attending open class at a place I had never been before. I myself have always had some reservations when attending class in a new place. It is kind of that new kid in school feeling. As I was surveying the room to see what kind of dancers I was up against, in walks an older gentleman with all the confidence in the world. He takes a place next to me at the barre, and as he begins to stretch it becomes very obvious that he never danced a day in his life until recently. The class begins and although he struggles to learn the combinations his love for dance oozes out of every part of him. After we moved into the center I continue to observe the man. Every time the teacher speaks he leans in with such intensity, making sure he does not miss a second of what the teacher is saying. And when he danced he might as well have been the only person in the room.

Seeing this gentleman's enthusiasm for dance made me want to dance like that. I wondered why I didn't approach the class with the same careless abandonment. It was an easy answer. I was afraid!

Afraid I would make a mistake.
 Afraid I would look foolish.
Afraid I wouldn't improve.

So here I am. Putting it out into the world. I, Leah Marie Bueno, resolve to be fearless in 2013. I am sure that this declaration will be an adventure.

Happy New Year everyone!

Behind the scenes at a Napoles Ballet photo shoot

Normally a day at the "office" is hard, grueling, and exhausting work. However, every now and again we get to take a break from all of the hard work and do something a little glamorous.

Like have a photo shoot!

 

Here are a few behind the scene photos of our photo shoot day 

I must say though, as fun as it is to get dressed up and pose in front of a camera. It is not easy to contort your body into cool dance poses and hold it for the camera.

I was so sore the next day.....hmmm....maybe this should be my new workout plan.

Fembot Ballerinas and that dream where you're naked

Last week my friend invited me to the San Francisco International Arts Festival. She is from Estonia and was excited to see a company perform from her home country. The Cid Pearlman Performance Project (the Estonia company) was not our favorite. I like my touchy-feely modern with the best of them, but when there isn't any technique to back it up, I have a hard time enjoying it.

The show stopper for me was a Finnish group The Susanna Leinonen Company. Two tall, powerful women commanded the stage as what I can only described as "Fembot Ballerina's". They began on stage in muted light with only their silhouettes visible to the audience. They then began moving around the stage much like the street performers painted in silver who pretend to be robots for cash. I was a little unsure about the concept at first because I think we have all seen dancers as robots before, but then they began transforming their movement into this wonderful mesh of half robotic, half sultry, "I am woman" type movements. I love when I leave thinking "I want to do that!"

Also performing that evening was local San Francisco based company Post Ballet, directed by choreographer (and nicest person ever) Robert Dekkers. Post Ballet had a wonderful eclectic group of dancers which included Dominic Walsh Dance Theater dancer Domenico Luciano. Before the performance I kept seeing this guy who I told my friend "I know him from somewhere". She tried to encourage me to go up to him and ask where I knew him from but I didn't have the nerve. I knew that I knew him, I just didn't want to put myself in that awkward situation where I say "Do I know you from somewhere" and they just stare blankly at you. After seeing the bios for Post ballet I am so glad I did not approach the mystery man. Because as it turns out, I do not know him, I just know who he is. It was Dominic Walsh Dance Theater director Dominic Walsh. I imagine if I had approached him it would have ended with me feeling like I was trapped in that dream where you show up at school naked for a test that you didn't study for.

That being said, Post Ballet was beautiful and I really encourage everyone to go to see them for their next performance.  I also encourage everyone to imagine themselves as a Fembot Ballerina next time you are faced in an embarrassing situation. I bet nothing phases a Fembot ballerina!