Exceeding limits

DANCERS:

Never limit yourself!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As a dancer, I have come to realize that this has to be one the absolute MOST important things a dancer can ever learn.

 A good dancer continually studies their style of dance.  A great dancer continually studies them all.  

It makes me so mad when I am in class, whether it be hip-hop, jazz, contemporary, and I hear dancers saying--

in the OH-So-Snooty-way only a dancer can say

"oh, I don't do ballet." "I don't do jazz" " I am strictly a modern dancer"... etc etc.

                                                 UGH

If you don't learn to adapt as a dancer, you will never last in the industry.  As I have seen many a rising star come and go I realize, yes, you may have your moment; However the true talent is the dancer who trains their body to do adapt to every genre of dance. It's all about longevity yo. That is where the real talent lies.

this pic pretty much sums me up

 Never ever limit yourself.

 If you are a hip hop dancer, get your ass in ballet.  Modern dancer? Try  a Housing class (and a ballet class because every dancer should always do ballet)

There is an entire world of dance waiting for you to explore if only you can let go of your fear/ego and just let your body explore the movement.
ttyl beijos tchau
 BoifromIpanema

Calavera Surprises

My big sister Denise A.K.A Pearmama recently celebrated a milestone birthday age...

The big 4.0. 

Thus the siblings and I decided to throw a surprise party for her.
 Now I won't even get into the cray-cray-ness involved in planning, inviting, setting up, budgeting, AGREEING ON PARTY THEME...sigh because I want to keep this short and to the point-- And the point being......
               One of my tasks was to create a cool piece of art that the guests could sign and then be presented to Denise at the end of the night.
             So once the theme was decided upon (Dia De Los Muertos theme) my Left-handed-brain-oceans started a churnin'. "What about a GIANT sugar skull?!" I thought excitedly...it was A lot of work but luckily I had my big bro there to help me.

The first thing I did was to draw out the basic shape of the Calavera skull on a large piece of MDF wood which is simply recycled pressed wood board. I chose MDF board because it is relatively cheaper and can be cut and sanded easily, and also has no knots or wood grain to deal with.  

Calavera skull rough sketch

Once my brother cut out the shape of the skull, he was nice enough to prime the entire thing for me wich totally saved me on time.. I first began by drawing out the eye, nose and teeth shapes. I then began filling in the shapes with black paint.

once the basic shapes were all mapped out and filled in, I could begin on the detial work.  This is really what took the most time. All the tiny intricate scallops and swirls took me deep into the wee hours.  

Pretty much the finished product..

The party was a success, Denise was completely surprised to see our whole family there waiting to celebrate her birthday with painted faces and eager spirits.  

The evil twins(the name affectionately given to us by Denise because we are both sarcastic curly haired fashion conscious wonderful people with the strange affinity for dressing similarly to family functions  hah). My sister Jennifer and myself

The siblings 

Birthday girl blowing out her candles 

Denise's birthday altar

hope you enjoyed :D

ttyl beijos tchau

 BoifromIpanema

Long Overdue

As I have said before (or in the case of new readers, as I say, and say often) one of my biggest inspirations is my big sister Denise, also known as Pearmama. She's a fantastic artist and overall wonderful person.  So its kind of a big surprise that after 21 years of being alive, I have just recently done my FIRST art collaboration with her!!

               I am so stoked.
  Its nothing major or grandiose, however it means so much to me that she would even ask me to be a part of her art --even if it was just passed off to me because she was too tired to complete it-- hah

  I think it turned out pretty dope if I do say so myself ;)
Thanks for inspiring me sister ♥
ttyl beijos tchau

 BoifromIpanema

working on two projects..possible Boifromipanema T-shirts?? I think yes.

who wears short shorts?

As the weather begins to warm up and the seasons begin to change (here in California, beach season is just beginning) I find myself thinking..and I would just like someone to please tell me why us guys are still wearing long board shorts?? I don't mean to sound like a snob or anything -- trust me, don't think I am exempt from wearing these funky ugly abominations..I just recently made the switch!--

But do you not realize what they are doing to you??

Well let me fill you in. For one Bord shorts cut off in between the knee and the ankle, and I have seen shorts even lower. These types of baggy cuts with their extra long length literally makes even the tallest supermodel look like he has short stumpy little legs, not to mention the wide cut adds a few extra pounds to even the most athletic body.

It is time we move forward...and by forward I mean back.

Back to the days when real men were not afraid to show a little knee action a la John F Kennedy. Now i'm not saying we should all be sporting speedos or man thongs...dang PLEASE keep that to yourself hah.

Trust me, we can't all look like Daniel Craig in Casino Royal, but we can all do a little to help out our physique.

Try a swim trunk that doesn't have an elastic waist (especially if you have a little extra "love jelly" in that area) and cuts just above the knee. It will help to thin out and elongate your body. If you are EXTRA bold and in shape, you can try a shorter pair of trunks in a really bright color. If all else fails...pretend you are European. Maybe you will attract a hot European babe!!*he says to himslf*
 lol *sigh*
ttyl beijos tchau

 BoifromIpanema

Heart Burn crafty Shenanigans

 I was at Michael's arts and crafts a while ago and while browsing the aisle, I came across this really cool iron-on applique by the Crafty Chica.  I've had it sitting around for a while because I am very capricious and I could never decide where or what to put it on.  

   Well today I decided to man-up and just do it already.  So I pulled out my favorite denim jacket and made a commitment.. and I'm totally happy with the result :) I just may start to make more commitments...

hows about a face tattoo for starters??!!!!!!! 

ok maybe I'll start with giving my dog a bath or something first

anyways...application was totally easy 

My jacket was already pre-washed because I have owned it for quite some time, but if you are using a new item, it is important to pre-wash the item to avoid the applique coming off when the article shrinks.   

I then placed the patch on my Jacket in the location I wanted.  After trying many places I decided on putting the applique on my right shoulder.  

After carefully placing the applique in the exact desired position, I covered the area with an old t-shirt and pressed  the applique onto the sleeve of my jacket, held it there for about 30 seconds, turned the sleeve inside out and repeated the process from the inside.

Et voila! A rad patch that gives any Jacket, hat, T-shirt, backpack or bag a gnarly customized look

ttyl beijos tchau

 BoifromIpanema