Homemade Sushi

I would probably eat Sushi 5 times a week if I could, but unfortunately it's suuuuper expensive, especially if you have a healthy appetite like me and my roomies. Making it ourselves took about 2.5 hours total, but it was really fun, and for about $12 per person, we had an enormous sushi feast for six (and plenty of sake to go around). It didn't hurt that we had a couple of people on the sushi team that actually knew what they were doing (Guido's actually kind of a sushi wiz), but the fact is it would have tasted just as delicious even if our rolls hadn't turned out so darn pretty. Everyone loved it so much, we decided to try and do a homemade sushi night twice a month at our apt- needless to say, I'm into it.

Sandeep, Forgive Me

My cousin, Sandeep, hates it when my brother and I post stuff on our blogs that he would rather keep just for us. But I think in this case we would all be really amped if the band Braids blew up big time, because they are that good and I want it for them. Let me 'splain. Last night Sandeep and Carly and I went to Music Hall of Williamsburg to see Toro y Moi. We thought the show was going to start at 9:00, but when we got there we found out that Toro y Moi wouldn't go on until 10:45. Having NO desire to sit through two bad opening bands, we talked about bailing. BUT THEN Adventure came on, and they were rad. We decided to stay. And then, Braids happened. We all looked at each other as if we knew were seeing something awesome. Like, Arcade Fire good. Meets Do Make Say Think & The Cranberries & Joanna Newsome & Yeasayer and all THAT kind of good. Toro y Moi was excellent too, but Braids definitely stole the show. A delightful surprise! This NY Times article about them is right-on too.

Do the Charleston

What did you do last night lovely people? I don't usually work on weekends, but last night, I spent the evening doing the Charleston dressed as a flapper at the NYU Stern Business School Gala. I was there with the Tze Chun Dance Company, to perform for the guests and to try and teach them some swing dance moves for the 1920's theme of the party. Apparently business school students aren't the BEST dancers, but they sure did enjoy the performances. It's nights like these that really make me love my job: VIP room, free champagne, and I get to dance all night long. It seemed like people were intimidated by the Charleston at first, but once we broke it down, half the ballroom was giving it a whirl!

post-show partum

Last weekend I had the honor of performing at St. Marks Church, alongside my brilliant choreographer Douglas Dunn, no less. St. Mark's, or Dancespace, as it's called now, is a prestigious venue where I've seen a handful of performances since I was about 12 years old, so it was a big weekend for me! One of the highlights was being on stage (well, just off to the side) for Douglas's solo to the song, "Goodbye" by Emmylou Harris. He is a remarkably captivating performer...I could watch him just walk around the stage for hours. Seeing Douglas dance his own specific movement to such a heartbreaking song had most of the audience tearing up, to be sure. The end of a performance always seems to bring with it a post-show letdown, no matter how short the run. This week I've already jumped right into two new exciting projects, one with Daniel Gwirtzman, and another with the Tze Chun Dance Company, but I am definitely missing Douglas's cast, and feeling the inevitable sadness of the show's end.

Ranunculus

Having fresh flowers in my home increases my happiness almost disproportionately. I think Ranunculus might be my favorite, (along with Poppies and Peonies) they are just so whimsical and otherworldly, aren't they?
Ps. These are the first snaps from my brand new Canon Rebel t2i!

Today's Inspiration: Special Delivery from Japan

This weekend my father surprised me with two tickets to see the piano prodigy Aimi Kobayashi play at Carnegie Hall. She is 15 years old now, but I saw her play first when she was 7. It was and is surreal to watch her, as if she is receiving the notes from somewhere else. I've actually never seen anything like it.


And on a completely different note, but also from Japan, I am super into this music video by Genki Studio, it's definitely inspiring me to choreograph some site specific moves in industrial locations!
via Black Eiffel

Wanderlust: Paris

I've been daydreaming a lot about traveling, plotting my next escape with the fervor of a prisoner. Until then, I'll have to get my fix elsewhere... I think a romcom set in Paris (and featuring a pile of my favorite actors) might just hit the spot.

via the glorious Little Brown Pen.