Find the truth

I saw STATE OF PLAY the other night and I have to say I found it truly impressive.
The story is highly enthralling, full of twists and turns. The screenplay clever, the dialogue real. Amazing directing, great cinematography and... MY FAVORITE PART, PEOPLE!!!!! THE CHARACTERS AND THE ENSEMBLE CAST WHO PLAY THEM. They are all so textured and three-dimensional, so profound and superficial. So full of contradictions. I could not get enough of them.
The tag-line for the movie is "find the truth" and I think suits it perfectly not only thematically but also because this is what they've achieved with the movie itself: They have found the truth and that is very inspiring!
A must-see for anyone interested in the performing arts and the craft of movie-making.

Flyer!

Golden Bridge Yoga

I was there this morning for my absolute favorite class: Women's Kundalini Yoga & Meditation with Gurmukh.

I hadn't been there in over a month and I didn't know how much I missed it until I re-entered that very sacred space, a true hidden urban temple and suddenly I was beaming.
That place is so enchanting and soothing... So very inspiring!!! And it's right there, at the very heart center of Hollywood too!!!!

Has anyone ever tried a Kundalini Yoga & Meditation class before?
More specifically, has anyone ever tried a Kundalini Yoga & Meditation class with Gurmukh over at Golden Bridge Yoga?

If you haven't you should.

It's just so powerful. So amazing. So invigorating. So beautiful, magical and profound.

They have many wonderful teachers, I've taken classes with a few: Sat Siri, Tej and more.
They offer different workshops and throw special events all the time, such as the "Full Moon Kundalini Yoga & Meditation" class, which I love.

Check out their website and online schedule or just stop by. You will instantly know what I'm talking about.

http://www.goldenbridgeyoga.com/

SAT NAM.

When times are hard... Dance your heart out!!!

Remember when you were a little kid and used to break into the music the moment you heard it?
When it was hard NOT to jump, twist&turn and go up and down a million times, certain you could touch the sky and then land back on the floor without a scratch?

Maybe you don't, but one thing's for sure: You were once that kid, so in tune with your body and so careless and free. So happy to be moving, so happy to hear the music playing. So happy.

Well. I'm happy to remind you it's never too late to claim back that magical, primal and powerful connection in which your body, music and movement become one.

I had never EVER taken dance classes before in my life, until a few years ago I was going through a personal crisis and a very intuitive friend (who's an actor) told me I should start dancing.

So I reached out to the universe and I was lucky to find the most amazing, encouraging and patient teacher, Seda Aybay, who's also a choreographer and has her own dance company in Los Angeles.
http://www.kybeledance.com/index.html

She teaches over at KATNAP DANCE CENTER in Mar Vista/Venice http://www.katnapdance.com/index.html
Monday 7;30-9:30pm (intermediate /advance)
Thursdays 6:30-8:0pm (beginning/intermediate)
Saturdays 2:30-4:00pm (beginning/intermediate)
Sundays 6:00- 8:00pm (intermediate /advance

And also @:
- Downtown Dance Loft: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 1:30-3:00 pm (beginning/intermediate)
http://www.thenewlatc.com/

- Pasadena Le Studio: Tuesday, Thursday 2:00-3:30pm (beginning/intermediate)
http://www.lestudiodance.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=38

I have taken lots of friends to Seda's classes and they've all come back for more. Thing is, her classes are not only amazing opportunities to have fun and express yourself but also to work-out and stay fit.
I can proudly say in the three years I have been dancing, my body has changed significantly (for the better). I feel more flexible, stronger, fitter and healthier than I've ever been.

Needless to say, actors and performers have historically been trained in dance. It is just so fundamental for an actor to feel good in her/his own body. To be able to be free and expressive and connected to everything and everyone else in the room.
I've also read dance betters your short term memory, so if you're an actor, dance class might collaterally help you in memorizing your lines!

I will finish up by saying I find my dance classes extremely therapeutic. Mainly during stressful times I try not to miss them. They're my chance to meditate and float in my own emotions in a realm that is not verbal, logical or analytical. I can let my inner child out and about and, just like Billy Elliot says in his song "Electricity" by Elton John: "I'm free. I'm free."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoomfOZ2elw&feature=related

Finding your true voice

As artists, we are often encouraged to "find our true voice".
But have you ever stopped to think what that means, practically?
I have and I can volunteer at least three possibilities (which are not mutually excluding):
1) Find your unique message: What do you want to say to the world through your art? (in that scene, in this movie, with your character, etc)
2) Know "thyself", own up to it and speak up!
3) This is the most literal of the three, and yet not the least important: train your voice (as in "the sound produced in a person's larynx and uttered through the mouth, as speech or song". Explore it, challenge it, strengthen it, stretch it, play with it and sing your heart out until you find it.

I've always loved to sing but, although curious, I had been postponing vocal lessons all my life. Until one day, about two years ago, I said (or sang) to myself: "You live in LA-LA-LAND, for Grammys' Sakes!! What are you waiting for?!?!?!"

So I did some online research and found the SPEECH LEVEL SINGING technique particularly interesting.

http://speechlevelsinging.com/

"Speech Level Singing (SLS) makes singing as natural and easy as speaking. Used by more than 120 Grammy winners and developed by Seth Riggs, legendary vocal coach to the stars, SLS produces an effortless, powerful and expressive voice."

Their web-site offers an interactive database through which you can find a certified SLC instructor close to you:
http://speechlevelsinging.com/db/clist/search.cfm

And that's how I found mine: Kelly Kernohan, in West L.A.
I have to say about her, not only is she the sweetest and most amazing teacher, but her passion and enthusiasm as well as her commitment to this technique are truly inspiring.



Check out her website @
http://www.kellykernohanvocalstudio.com/

Give her a call. Give it a try. You will never find your true voice unless you look for it.

To accent or not to accent: LET'S NOT BE FOOLED

Whether acting or directing, I know you know how important it is to make oneself clear.

This truth is certainly harder for foreign actors and directors who must communicate in their second language all the time.

And although having an accent can be cute and charming, it is important to make sure of two things:
1) That people can understand exactly what you're saying,
2) That you can get rid of your accent if you need to.

I had the pleasure of crossing paths with Joel Goldes, an L.A. based dialect coach of 18 years of experience.

Apart from coaching all accents (literally); he is expert at teaching the American accent to actors AND directors (or producers, writers, D.P.'s, etc) who want to be better understood or sound like they grew up in the US.
In regards to his approach, I like it when he states: "This is sometimes called accent reduction: I refer to it as learning a general or neutral American accent."

Having coached actors like Nic Cage, Julia Ormond, Ryan Phillippe and Jennifer Garner; Joel, an actor/director himself can be a true ally in our quest to both exploring a character or sharing our vision.

He's got a studio in the Valley and he also offers phone-call and web-cam sessions.
He's got clients in NY, Australia and so many other places.
I encourage you to take a look at his website. You will be impressed!

http://thedialectcoach.com/