Don't wait...LIVE

(photo by Brittany Buongiorno)

Do you ever feel like you live in your own little world and instead of being fully present in the world you're living, you are almost existing in this "happy place" or "bubble" you've put yourself in? I have days like this once in a while where I go about my day through the eyes of a little girl: curious, thoughtful, and full of an inner giggle. I enjoy these days because I giggle at the impatience of a cab driver honking constantly down the street, or the angry person shoving me out of the way when exiting the subway car right behind me because I'm not moving fast enough for them. It doesn't affect me because I have my music playing or just my thoughts. It's in these days that I don't worry so much if I'm going to be five minutes late, and I take a minute to remember how lucky I am to have what I've been blessed with...until something snaps me back into reality and I'm forced out of my blissful state suddenly aware of all the craziness I am amidst.

Amidst my day jobs, auditions, and rehearsal lately I have been fortunate enough to have a few days where I am given the luxury of taking a [literal] break from the day to eat lunch at home while watching Obama's State of the Union speech on DVR, or to be able to go to dinner at Tao with friends (best lychee martini in the city there), or watch "The Hours" on DVD for the first time since getting it as a gift for Christmas. Nicole Kidman had a great line in that movie which was "You cannot find peace by avoiding life." This really spoke to me because the easiest way to take a [figurative] break is to pretend I'm elsewhere....or resort to my thoughtful state. However, I must live every moment and savor every moment for we never know how much longer there will be. Meryl Streep's character has a moment in the film where she tells her daughter that when she was young she would wake up at dawn and be so excited at the possibilities of the day, thinking life would always be that way. It then dawned on her that it was not the beginning of happiness she was experiencing and rather was happiness. It is about finding what makes you happy and keeping it around. I love my friends, family, and boyfriend and hope to nurture long-standing relationships.

I'd like to thank my friends, family, and boyfriend for all that they do for me and hope I have or will do the same for them.

With very much love,

Carolina

I love New York I dance New York

sleeping like a dancer...

Although not a native New Yorker (and a native Londoner gone Madrid-ian via Connecticutian with my heart in Brazil before settling in New York for University and beyond) I feel New York is my home and always was meant to be. The dance world in New York is no doubt the toughest there is and it will chew you up and spit you back out if you don't have a thick skin.

Luckily for me, I took up kickboxing during my time as an Ailey/Fordham BFA student...when they told me to develop more of an "attack" in my dancing because I "danced too pretty." I got a thick skin..at least around my knuckles since that first time boxing only to unwrap my hands to bleeding knuckles definitely made me vow to toughen up. I also lived in Harlem for a year...and in the words of my friends I was "gangsta." I loved living in Harlem and getting to practice my Spanish everyday, I really did! (You should have seen my neighbors faces when I opened my mouth to speak Spanish...they were quite confused). Living there made me less of a priss and I appreciated what living in a real community was like, unlike my spoiled campus housing in Lincoln Center. I also must add that I lived with my best friend in Harlem and although we live separately now I have a feeling our friendship is going to last a long time.

I digress. The point of this post was to say that although times have been really tough in New York for the artist, things are picking up, despite a recent letdown. I won't be joining Human Affect anymore due to their pushbacks in scheduling...and my circus contract and other work commitments. However, I should be starting to work on the Darren Aronofsky feature "Black Swan" (where Mila Kunis and Natalie Portman play ballet dancers who are rivals) as a dancer in the company and in the background scenes. I'm really looking forward to that, as well as an upcoming flamenco performance premiering at the end of March. In addition, the day jobs aren't too bad either;)

Over MLK weekend I spent some time in DC and went to see a wonderful documentary at the Smithsonian titled "Journey to Mecca." It was so inspiring and really spoke to me regarding dance being my journey to inspiring others and using my God-given talent for the good rather than for showing off or fame or any other wrong reason. I dance because it makes me happy, and because I've known in my heart since I was four years old taking my first ballet class: I was born to dance.

Where There's a Will...

...There's a Way.

I am now back from London and had such an adventure on the last few days. Last Monday I went up to Gloucestershire, England (an hour and a half North of London) to sign the Giffords Circus contract. I did just that as well as getting a full tour of the farm where the circus rehearses, and I saw the vintage caravans we will be living in. What a beautiful, imaginative, and magical job this is about to become! I looked at their website and archives of past shows, and the costumes are to die for! The newspapers and magazines in England come from far away to see the circus and photograph it. Another thing I loved was the British humor (or "humour") from everyone I met. They are all just like my British father and the silly phrases they used were all too familiar to me. As my boyfriend says: I will be in touch with my British side...and I couldn't be happier.

I am also thrilled to be dancing (and assistant rehearsal director) for a type of project I have yet to embark on: a circus. My past projects have consisted of movies, music videos, modeling, musicals (including "Evita" at the Ivoryton playhouse in Connecticut where I played the tango dancer...one of my favorite roles to date), and concert dance performances.

On the plane ride from Heathrow to JFK last night I watched two movies which both used the saying "where there's a will there's a way." Coincidence, eh? I certainly thought so. The movies were Jennifer Anniston's "Love Happens" and the new Vanessa Hudgens film "Bandslam." In the former of the two films Jennifer's character takes Aaron Eckhart's character to a concert in an unconventional way: via cable-repair truck (where they both are lifted in the little bucket raised into the air by a crane parked just outside the concert) due to a lack of ticket availability. In the latter film Charlotte uses the phrase to refer to her best friend Will managing her band. It got me thinking how grateful I am for the opportunity to take on freelance jobs the way I do, and it is because of my persistence despite the constant rejection one learns to take when in the entertainment industry. As Jay-Z says in his new song Empire State of Mind: "If you can make it [in New York] you can make it anywhere." Thank you, (Sinatra) for your wisdom it certainly rings true!

I'm looking forward to recovering from jetlag this weekend and catching up with my wonderful New York friends. Home sweet home, New York City! Au revoir, London...see you in April!

***

Some career links just for fun

photo by Ben Hertzog for Lucky Magazine

The Agency - Carolina's Profile

I just added this today as The Agency (formerly UGLY NY) is re-vamping itself. While I'm at it I might as well add a link to my website. Click on the links section in my website to see other artists I've worked with and their websites, as well as the charity I love to work for every year and more good links;)

http://www.CarolinaSantosRead.com

also, here's one of my favorite current YouTube videos about the world singing one of my all-time fave Beatles songs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nh7D2g5v-Sg

Have fun web surfing!

xoxo

Carolina

I love London

This is Lina Ballerina. Once just a ballerina, now a modern/hip hop/flamenco/tap/jazz/ballet dancer. I'm a recent graduate of the Fordham University and the Alvin Ailey School's BFA program in dance and also the first dance major at Fordham to double major: I wanted to also graduate with a degree in Political Science. So here I am a year after graduating (well technically two since today is the first day of 2010) and I've booked my first two TOURING jobs dancing.

The first: The Human Affect. I will travel Africa (Burkina Fasso, Senegal, and Ethiopia) and Amsterdam advocating human rights through arts and athletics. Our theatrical initiative is a musical performance backed by policy affiliated with the United Nations where we will advocate human rights through panel discussions and performances. I could not be happier as I am now living my dream: TO DANCE FOR THE UN!!! hehehehe. This tour runs February onwards after a New York City show run...NYC is currently my home.

The second: Giffords Circus. I will travel to Gloucestershire, England where Giffords Circus will rehearse before going on tour through England and Wales in the summer of 2010. I am so excited to be dancing for such an amazing circus company! This tour runs May-September.

I can't wait to explore these places, but first I'm currently on a trip to London which is part holiday with my family and part business trip to finalize my contract with the circus. I rang in the New Year here in London though my heart is at home in New York City. If I might indulge you with a brief history of my past, I'm London-born but raised in Madrid, Spain and Connecticut though the daughter of Brazilian parents. Weeee! I am so blessed to have had the opportunity to travel as a young girl up until now. I cherish all the family vacations and the backpacking/cruises with friends. But something I've never done? Travel for work, let alone for almost a whole year.

They say the way you live your 1st day of the New Year represents the way you'll spend that year. Welp: dancing in the new year followed by sleeping in, going to lunch with my parents and London friends and then tea with my Godfather and his family, followed by dinner with parents, grandparents, aunt and cousins and then doing work online whilst secretly hoping my boyfriend will skype me means what exactly?! If it means I'm a dancer that hates mornings and loves family, friends, my boyfriend and eats too much that's pretty damn accurate. Let's not forget that I started a blog today....good thing because I've promised a lot of people I'd blog while away this year;). 2010: BRING IT!

lots of love,

Lina xx