Comic Book's Rising Influence on TV And Why That's Awesome

        For the past few years we've seen a shift of interest from the people towards comic book movies. From Spiderman, to Superman we've had a large genre of movies based on comic books being made. It's astounding really, sometimes you'll be watching something and have no idea that it previously was a comic book as in the case of 300 or V: For Vendetta. Thus this week will be a highlight of the great moments we've been having and the worst moments as well. We'll begin by addressing the influence of comics on Television shows, so here we go:

The Walking Dead

     This is the most famous zombie related comic book, and though this show is not for everyone, this is a great show. AMC really stepped up their game when they took on this show. It astounds me though the amount of people that had no idea that this was previously a comic book, the comic book series has been going for years now. Again this is a horror show, so it's more for adults, this show is not for everyone, but don't fret, there are other great shows out there that deserve our attention.

Once Upon A Time

      Now this one is a tad different, what they did here is that they took a really good working comic book called Fables, and adapted the story a tad to much, there is still hope that they are doing a prequel to the comic series and that it might end up that way, but we shall see. This series is about to start on ABC and I recommend it, more because they have amazing writers working on this than anything else. I also recommend you pick up the comic book, this is a series that has won countless awards, almost every year they win an award, it's pretty ridiculous how awesome they are.

The Dark Tower

       This show has not come out yet but this is one that we all should be looking forward to. Stephen King worked on this series and it was amazing, now HBO has decided to pick up the series and do what they do best, create a fantastic show. This comic story has everything one would like from a Stephen King novel, except this is based off a comic book series which basically means Stephen King unleashed. The comic book world allows authors to let loose, they are reaching a different audience so they don't have to bother with what their "book audience" will think, and the creative sparks just take charge. Another great move by a television channel, this movement is growing, expect more of these to come.

The Punisher

         Fox decided that they can't sit on the back-burner when it comes to the superhero game, so they are in the process of seeking rights to the Punisher series, where they will either A create a fantastic show or B ruin one the biggest tough guys in the comic book world. This one is a 50/50 still, there are talks on production and when it'll be released and so forth. Let's just hope it comes out better than the movies, that's not too much to ask, is it?

Tentative Titles

         The two biggest tentative titles that you should be aware of is Under Locke and Key, this is another horror suspense drama that really packs a punch. It's the leading award winner comic series right after Fables, it's got everything one would expect from a solid comic book series, and being that the writers are going to be involved with the series, there can only come awesomeness from whatever tv station gives them a chance, this is one you have to keep an eye out for.

         Another big deal that is truly a brilliant move by Marvel is the creation of tv shows that will tie in to the Marvel movies and provide us with fillers while we wait for the main movies to come out. The importance of this is huge, this is a legit attempt to accomplish something that has never been accomplished well before. To have series that take place before, during, and after the movies is a fantastic concept. Out of all the heroes they have lined up for this new move, the Hulk is the biggest baddest one of them all, I think this is either going to be brilliant or it'll flop, either way I recommend you check it out, Marvel hasn't disappointed yet...well let's pretend Spiderman 3 didn't exist.

    There are a ton of shows that I didn't mention as well, Smallville is the obvious one I failed to mention, and one that deserves the last paragraph. We've had our ups and downs with this series, but in the end I think they accomplished what they meant to accomplish, which was to give a good summed up account of what Clark Kent went through prior to becoming Superman and learning to fly and so forth. With the series coming to a close, I would have to admit that this was a good series, it wasn't great, but it was good/enjoyable. I'm still disappointed that they didn't go all the way to him becoming superman, but such is life I guess. Before being to harsh with this show first remember that this is a CW show, obviously we can't expect a ton from it.

     Love from your humble blogger,

Solid Advertising

    There is an art to good advertising, one that is commonly ignored by those in the ad industry. The key element that is missing within most ad agencies is creativity, meaning thinking outside the box. This is true to most agencies that work on car commercials, 9 out of 10 car commercials will start and finish the same way, we have the "man voice" in the background and the car going through some pasture or a wide stretch of road with trees all around. Very few times do we get an actual car commercial that makes us go, "wow that was new and awesome". This is also true of other companies as well, the most difficult type of advertising, besides radio, has to be picture advertizing, it's a rough field, but some companies have succeed, and thus they deserve our attention.

 Here is a list of the top 3 most obnoxious ads of the week and top 3 awesome ads that we will never forget . In order to qualify for the top 3 list the ad must have increased the companies' sales, while being amazing or obnoxious. The amount of good ads out there is rather impressive so forgive me if I'm not including your favorite ad within this article.

TOP THREE MOST OBNOXIOUS ADS

Nissan Frontier

      I cannot think of a more BRASH truck commercial than this one. The amount of awesomeness and absurdity that this commercial brings to the table makes you shake your head but also makes you think "hey, maybe I'll check that car out next time I'm looking for a truck". It's brilliant really, a brilliant advertising move.


 Dr. Pepper 10

     This is another super brash commercial, it's incredibly obnoxious, I personally hated it when I first saw it, but guess what, every guy I ran into that was drinking a Dr. Pepper 10 told me they "had to try it after they saw the commercial", and there were girls drinking it to in spite of the commercial, meaning, mission accomplished, new drink, everyone is drinking it, well done Dr. Pepper, well done indeed.

Nissan Frontier (Take Two)

        I don't know who the advertising team over at Nissan is but they deserve a medal, not only did they release two original commercials, but they also managed to make both brash obnoxious and at the same time awesome. You gotta hand it to them, this was rather brilliant. Some at Nissan needs a raise.

TOP THREE AWESOME ADS

Apple

       Obviously Apple needs to be mentioned here, there is no escaping it, their ads are always simple, brilliant and engaging. The message is simple, Apple rules and you need one. And they accomplish this message so well that not only do we buy their products but we also become small fanboys/girls, not everyone is an Apple lover but everyone loved these commercials. It was Apple's slap in the face of PC's and it was brilliant.
   
  Coca-Cola

    
       Coke has had a long history of good commercials, the most famous and cute one has to be the polar bear one, everyone loved it and it quickly become a peak in their advertising success. It's one we'll always remember and no matter how many variations they through at us, they are always cute and fun, gotta love the creative team at Coke, they truly know what they are doing.

Batman: Arkaham City

       Clearly this is the most awesome Batman commercial out there, it had me laughing for a while. This is a simple straight forward ad about a new Batman game that has just come out. It gets the point across, and provides us with some laughs. Take notes advertising agencies.


     And there you have it, a new series we'll be doing every month. There are plenty of good commercials out there, if you have any favorites let us know with a comment below.

    Hope you all have a great weekend,

  Love from your humble blogger,

Anne Polajenko's: "Carreno Dance Festival Revisited"

       Huge success of the first Carreño Dance Festival.

        Sarasota, Florida, was abuzz with talk following the student performance of the Carreño Dance Festival in August.

      The two week program culminated in a spectacular student showcase, enhanced by performances from modern dance stars Jacoby & Pronk and leading dancers of American Ballet Theater.

A dinner reception followed the performance.

Enjoying the festivities are (left to right): Gennadi Saveliev (ABT soloist and Festival faculty member, Anne Polajenko (Public Relations for So'Dança), Larissa Saveliev ( Artistic Director and co-founder with her husband Gennadi of Youth America Grand Prix), Lisias Ransan (CEO of So'Dança) and Jose Manuel Carreño (recently retired star of ABT and Festival Director).

                       --- Anne Polajenko
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      We hope to see you at the next Carreno Dance Festival, it is sure to be even more amazing than this last one.

      For more information go to their site at: http://www.carrenodancefestival.com/

    Love from your humble blogger, 
  

Sweet Adelines International 2011!

http://www.sweetadelineintl.org/index.cfm

       So Danca got a chance to sponsor and be present at this years " Sweet Adelines" competition. This competition is one of the biggest most world renown quartet and choir competition, and boy did we have fun there. It was a pleasure to meet so many of the Adelines and to also get a chance to hear them sing, this memory will truly be one I will cherish. So Danca would like to extend our congratulations to Martini (Quartet) and Melodeers (Choir) who worked very hard and were rewarded for their hard-work and showmanship by getting first place, Congratulations!

Voila! Check them out on FACEBOOK!!

        All the groups within this competition are special to us, but there is one group that we could not help but sponsor individually, Voila! is a Quartet group Consisted of Nancy Bourell, Caroline Rocco, Bebe Caldwell, and Hilda Mancillas. Here's a quick Bio found within their Facebook page:

    "We are an a capella quartet hailing from San Antonio, Austin, and the DFW metroplex. For performance information, please contact nbourell@austin.rr.com. We hail from Alamo Metro Chorus, Austin Harmony Chorus, and Rich-Tone Chorus (Region 25). We look forward to singing for you soon!"

 

         Here is a quick segment of a medley they wrote for So Danca! We got a chance to listen to them sing this within our booth, and boy did they sound amazing! It was truly amazing to be part of a show that is filled with the most fun loving ladies all around the world. So Danca is proud to be part of this community and looks forward to all future competitions, surely they will continue to be amazing.

Voila! Quartet and Me

    "We Love Your Shoes!!!" -- Voila!

    Love from your humble blogger,

Top 4 Dance Related TV Shows

         So far this week we have covered 4 shows that you should give a chance to, 4 shows that we all love but must recognize are at the same time obnoxious, and today keeping with the spirit of this week I will attempt to highlight the 4 best shows that have dancing as one of their main premises. One issue though that needs to be mentioned and addressed is the lack (meaning it's few and far between sometimes) of professional dance talent that is shown within these shows.

        Here is what I mean. Though I enjoy these shows and consider them to be a solid tool for growing the love of dance in America, we cannot ignore the fact that these shows do not host many professional dancers. That there is only one show that handles the "story" of a group of dancers, meaning only one show that has dance included in it that is not a "reality tv" show. I think it would not only make for a good show but also be well received if they came out with a show about a dancer that is trying to make it big, think Fame the tv show, or something like it. The amount of drama surrounding the growth of a dancer is sufficient to not only produce a solid show but to also capture the hearts of America. Just a thought, TV producers should get on that, there is money to be made, and people that want to be entertained.

So You Think You Can Dance

     The "American Idol" of dance, obviously well received by dancers and non-dancers alike. This show not only had a positive impact on the dance community, but also made dance "cool" within culture again, so much so that this show brought on a series of shows that for the most part function along the same paradigm. This first show changed the scene and for that we are eternally thankful, plus its good television.

Dancing With The Stars

    The mother of dance shows, this show came out into production about a month before "So You Think You Can Dance", and laid out the needed foundation for all other dance shows to be able to receive the recognition they deserve. How do you get America back into dancing? Simple, get celebrities to do it and the rest will follow. This is true of the dance industry in general when it comes to the masses. When did we have a boom in the dance industry? Well, put simply it was when we started having a plethora of musicals that included dancing round the 1950's, of course it started before that and went for a good while, but recently we have not had a ton of musicals that include dancing, thus why the creation of a TV show that hosted celebrities dancing was such a brilliant move. And an enjoyable one as well.

America's Best Dance Crew

      Ok ok, I know that there are other shows that I could put here, but this particular show has always caught my interest. The amount of talent shown within this particular show is overwhelming, one can only hope that possibly in the future they will create other show focusing on a specific dance style that follow the premise of this show. Think this show with the premise of having ballet, jazz or tap as being the soul focus, it would be brilliant. I think that this show could possibly bring about other more genre focused shows in the future, and that is something to be excited about.

Glee

    There is a significant importance to this show, this is the first successful TV show that hosts not only great music and dancing but also follows a story line. Including a story to a dance TV show is essential, this could mean that possibly we will have a TV show about a struggling dancer in the future. This show changed the game altogether. They choose to instead of doing a dance movie to create a television show that not only is entertaining but is also very heavy on dance sequences and singing, performing in general, its a bold and magical move. Because of the success of this show we now have high hopes for the future of dance within television. Plus it's a great show, with a solid cast handling true life issues, meaning it's a show that you must check out at some point if you are not already doing so.

     One can only look forward to the certain bright future of dance within the television industry, let us hope that it continues to be a good one.

Love from your humble blogger,

Top 4 Most Obnoxious Reality TV Shows

       Not all reality tv is obnoxious. Take American Idol for example, that's a great show, or Dancing With The Stars or even America's Got Talent. All of those are legit shows about people with talent wanting to make it big, and we get to experience a good journey along the way, almost feeling like we are part of everything that happens within the show. That is good television.

       The beginning of reality tv came from The Real World then Road Rules shortly followed, and they were into getting a group together to live together and perform takes and such. It had drama within it, but it was never over the top, never did you think "Wow, that's wretched", as in never did you have episode after episode of just rotten trash. What I mean by this is that we have a few show now days that are extremely popular but have crossed that line to the point that the line is no longer even in sight. They consists on every episode being around the crud of human life, how horrible or dramatic life could be, and really never come off of that funk. As in Real World you got some drama, it was never overpowering, there were never a series of events that occurred every episode that made you cringe (at least not in the first few seasons).

      Here are a few shows that I believe push the line, in fact they don't just push the line, they get on a flight and see how far over the line that can get. Don't take me wrong though, I've seen all of these shows, and sometimes I've enjoyed them myself, I know what the appeal is, but again, one must learn to critique everything in life, specially the things we approve of.

Jersey Shore

      I feel like this one is an obvious choice. Every episode you can count on: someone taking their shirt off, them getting drunk, hooking up with each other or other bi-standards around the cities they are at, there will be cursing, fighting, trash talking, and will portray women in a light of not only "non-intelligence" but also "sleaziness" that in the end of the day hurts the image of what it means to be a woman. Even when it comes to men as well, if we are to take this show as an example of how men and women ought to behave then honestly there is no hope left in the world. With all that said, I still find it funny, and sometimes witty, but it is still obnoxious.

Real Housewives

      I could pin point one of the many versions of this show as being the worst, but honestly they are all pushing the limit. This show makes me never want to get married. If this is the norm for marriage relationships then why should anyone ever want to get married? No wonder marriage is on a decline. I think there should be a warning logo in the beginning of the show saying something like *Warning: The wives in this show are the scum of the earth, by following their example you will also become a scum of the earth, do not attempt at own risk*. In fact I think that warning label should be on all these shows. *end rant*

Keeping Up With The Kardashians

     Take the "Real Housewives" and get them to breed with the "Situation" from Jersey Shore and you got the Kardashians. That's really all I can say about this show, it's by definition obnoxious. The warning label for this how would read *Warning: This is not representative of what a family should look like, we found the richest most messed up family we could find, so do not attempt at own risk*. Can you imagine the amount of damage one episode of this show does to a girl with low self-esteem? Think about it, hence why this show made it to the obnoxious list.

Survivor

       The new survivor "Redemption Island" is on it's way doing it's whole survivor thing, which can be a fun event over all. Survivor is a show that had big press then died and now is being reborn, but there is a distinct reason for this show being obnoxious, one very important fact that we as American's forget, and that comes off really offensive to everyone else. In the show Survivor we are sending Americans to live at places for a few months THAT PEOPLE ALREADY LIVE AT! we're talking there are full civilizations there starving, with little medicine and so forth, and instead of helping those people we go "Hey, you know what would be awesome? If we sent some Americans to try and live like those people! Man, I could never imagine living that way." The whole thing is obnoxious, can you imagine the guy that grew up his whole life on the harsh regions seeing that show and going "I survived 60 years of this, can I get a million dollars?", and of course he can't, cause he's not American and we care more for entertainment sometimes. Not all the time, don't take me wrong, we rock when it comes to helping other nations, but one should be able to understand where I'm coming from with this survivor thing, it's just a tad insensitive.

      And there you have it, the top four obnoxious shows that happen to the on the top 10 most popular shows in America. If you watch any of these shows that does not mean you are a terrible person, I watch some of these shows as well, chances are most people recognize the obnoxiousness within them and that's the entertainment level of the shows. I am concerned about the kids that don't know that these shows are obnoxious, and think that this is the norm, and trust, those kids exist. We need to spread the word that being smart about the things we approve is a must always, we must always take the time to analyze what we are watching and what kind of impact it's having in the world around us.

   Think about it,

  Love from your humble blogger,

Top 4 Original TV Shows That Deserve Your Attention

      There are various shows on tv right now that are doing a rather good job, but the need for creativity is great at our time and age. We've come to a period of time where we do not have a lot of original ideas when it comes to movies and television shows. The only new thing for the most part are all the various reality tv shows that just explore the various facets of our human condition, showing the crud beneath every aspect of society. Its not only disgusting but the whole concept is repulsive at times. We've abandoned creativity and gone back to the time of the Romans with their Coliseums, soon we'll have people killing each other on national television for entertainment.

      Which is why one must give a round of applause to the SyFy network, they have truly stepped up their game. The SyFy network used to be a place for nerds to hang out in, but with their new shows coming out truly anyone can get into them. They have everything we've been needing on Hollywood's side in series format. It is not a fact that everything they do is perfect, they have even fallen so low to have created their own type of reality tv, it's sad really. But there are three shows which come from original ideas, full of originality, and fun, and one that is coming out that we definitely need to keep an eye out for.

       Think of these shows as our version of the X-Files, with less suspense, more humor, way better graphics, and better writing, so not really ,like the X-files at all, besides the fact that they are equally good shows.

Sanctuary

      This is a newer, 3 seasons so far, show that has been so far wowing the masses, it has all the elements one would want from a show, action, comedy, romance, and so forth. Though they are starting out, this show has much potential for growth, so keep a look out, cause this one might just blow you out of the water.

Eureka

      Eureka has been around for 4 seasons now, and their 5th and final session is about to start airing in January. This is a great show about a practical minded cop being stuck in a town full of theoretically minded scientists. It's a fantastic show, full of humor and "I didn't see that coming" endings, which are rare and far between. Seasons 1 through 3 are on netflix instant stream, I recommend you check it out.

Warehouse 13

      This show I've recently gotten into, they are on season 4 right now and seasons 1 and 2 are on netflix. The show follows two secret service agents that save the president and get reassigned at Warehouse 13, which is a place where everything and anything supernatural gets stored up in order to prevent catastrophes world wide. The whole concept of this show is not only super original, it's funny, brilliant, and it truly has a great cast. So far I just finished season 1 and loved every second of it.


Neverland

     Normally I would be skeptical about a show that hasn't come out yet, but Neverland looks fantastic. It follows the story of how Peter become Peter Pan, so it's a prequel to J. M. Barrie's classic Peter Pan. It looks really good, it has amazing cast, a great concept, and though its a prequel to a child's book, it has a very real palpable adult vibe to it, I'm sure like every other SyFy show it won't be beyond PG-13, but the concept of creating a darker prequel to Peter Pan is rather awesome I think. Thus I recommend you check it out when it comes out in December.

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      Well there you have it, four new shows that you could check out and enjoy that come from original ideas, and deserve the support of any and all that value imagination.

   Love from your humble blogger,

100th Post: Remembering The Top 5

     I wanted to thank everyone that has supported our blog since it's very beginning, we've come a long way so far and there is still a long road ahead of us. Look forward to more articles on culture, dance and what's new with So Danca. Within these 100 posts there were 5 posts that stood out the most, here is a highlight of the top 5 most viewed posts, just is case you missed them :)

#1 No surprise here, it was a great movie, and hopefully you all enjoyed the honest blunt review.

#2 Again another no surprise, So Danca has the best Pro Tap shoe in the market, and with the ability to customize your shoe however you want, there truly is no way the competition can handle it. There is just one word that can properly describe it and that is Swagger.

#3 One of the biggest releases we've had this year yet! Our now famous pointe shoes Claudia and Toshie, were first introduced on here! The place for all So Danca news :)

 #4 A lot of people focus on July 4th from all different angles, but very few people actually focus on America's favorite pass-time, watching movies. So I compiled a list of the top movies I found that people love to watch during July 4th, I of course am partial to Independence day, the presidential speech gets to me every time.

#5 And of course, the great announcement of Harid Conservatory now wearing exclusively So Danca ballet and pointe shoes. Great news :)

   It's been a good start so far, and there are plenty of other posts that received a lot of good feedback :)
Look forward to what we've got coming, there is a lot still to do, and a lot that is going on. So be sure to stay tuned! <3

   Love from your humble blogger,

A Little Motivation

           

          There is an art to being grateful, to being able to look at all your problems and troubles and instead of focusing on the negative to take the time to focus on the positive things happening at the time or that have occurred in the past. The art of gratitude is a neglected art for good reason, it’s much easier to focus on the negatives that life brings than the positives. Thus I feel that there is an importance in talking about this, surely you are going through some sort of tough time right now, and surely there might not be many solutions to your dilemma, or at least it might seem like there aren’t any solutions, my advice is take breath, take a second to focus on the good things, on all the conflicts you’ve overcome and notice all the blessings that have gone unnoticed within your life.

            The worst part about bad times is that they never come alone, they always come in groups, thus making it seem like life is closing in on you, and that there is no way out. This is not the case, yes when life throws troubles your way they generally come in packs, but there are always ways out, ways solutions. When you are undergoing a problem it’s tough to see the solution, but that does not mean that the solution is not there. And remember that sometimes the solution is as simple as “let it be”, some problems just need to be worked out by themselves, you cannot and will never be able to solve all the problems in your life, thus the importance to take a breath and realize that you don’t have to, that sometimes you just gotta let things go and let the bad times run their course. 

            The key here is to remember the good times, to remember the key awesome moments in your life, and I bet they are many. Everyone experiences good times, no one ever only has bad things going on in their life. The trouble is realizing that you are de-prioritizing the good things and prioritizing the bad things. Things like being alive get taken for granted until that becomes a problem. Whatever is not a problem in your life is a potential thing to be grateful for. 

            “If it wasn’t this it would be something else” so remember to be grateful, remember that you are not alone in your troubles, remember that though things might seem bad that there is always a way out, always a solution. And remember to smile more, to laugh more, to surround yourself with good friends and remember the good times that are happening and those that have passed.

            Be Grateful.

  Love from your humble blogger,

Anne Polajenko: "More quotes to tickle your funny bone"

"If you can't get rid of the skeleton in your closet, you'd best teach it to dance."

                                                                                               George Bernard Shaw

“I do everything the man does, only backwards and in high heels!”

                                                                          Ginger Rogers  

“Dancing is a perpendicular expression of a horizontal desire.”

                                                                                                George Bernard Shaw  

“There are shortcuts to happiness, and dancing is one of them.”

                                                                        Vicki Baum  

“Dance first.  Think later.  It's the natural order.”

                                                        Samuel Beckett  

"Beginning dancers prefer to take "intermediate" level classes. Intermediate dancers prefer to take "advanced" level classes. Advanced dancers take private lessons to work on their basics. Go figure"

                                              Author Unknown

    --- Anne Polajenko

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    We hope you had a great weekend, and may this week be a great one as well :)

     Love from your humble blogger,