“Debemos preparar a nuestros hijos para el gobierno propio, con el sistema tradicional no lo conseguiremos; acostumbrarlos a la herencia es mal sistema; debemos instruirlos para que se basten a sí mismos.”  -Luisa Capetillo Perón

El fin de semana pasado nos sorprendieron las noticias en Puerto Rico con los arrestos de la secretaria de educación, Julia Keleher, seguros de salud, Angela Avila, presidente de BDO, Fernando Scherrer y un contratista Alberto Velázquez Piñol. Y aunque el FBI ha confirmado que hay varias personas bajo investigación todavía, lo más preocupante es un ‘group chat’ del gobernador con funcionarios públicos y personas civiles. Después de leer sus discusiones en el grupo, si ignoramos los comentarios (aunque difícil) machistas, sexistas y homofóbicos, encontramos un nivel de corrupción no imaginable. 

En este grupo se habla del pago a los medios de comunicación para mover la opinión pública en una dirección favorable para ellos y su partido político. Varios reporteros, bien reconocidos en el país, fueron mencionados en las conversaciones, haciendo que se pierda un poco de credibilidad en los medios de comunicación. Además del pago a los medios de comunicación, información confidencial fue expuesta a ojos civiles que cabildean para que sus empresas o clientes se ganaran millones de dólares en contratos. Hay evidencia en el chat del mal uso de fondos públicos.

Siempre ha habido corrupción en el gobierno. Pedro Rosselló siendo gobernador tuvo varios funcionarios públicos arrestados, incluyendo su secretario de educación por sobornos y mal uso de fondos públicos. Acevedo Vilá fue acusado de utilizar dinero del pueblo para devolver donaciones y deudas de sus campañas. El gobierno de Luis Fortuño ejerció sus influencias para conseguir contratos a personas con ataduras al partido político (PNP) de ellos. El hermano de Alejandro García Padilla aceptó regalos de los donantes del partido político (PPD) entre otras cosas. La corrupción siempre ha estado ahí pero es la primera vez que se puede atar al gobernador de la isla a estas acusaciones.

“Nuestros enemigos no son tan grandes, lo que sucede es que nosotros estamos de rodillas. Levantémonos.”   -Ramón Emeterio Betances

¿Que colmó la copa? Además del cansancio de siempre ser cogidos de mango bajito, el mal manejo y la indiferencia por su pueblo después de la tragedia del huracán María. Quizás fue que admitió que puede coger de pendejos hasta los suyos. Quiero pensar que ya Puerto Rico ha sido exprimido tanto que rompió. Se cansaron de las mismas promesas vacías de nuestros gobernantes. Nadie puede decir que solo un partido es corrupto, todos han hecho lo mismo y es hora se sacarlos de raíz y sembrar algo nuevo. Ya se dieron cuenta que votar por los mismos corruptos siempre, es odiarse a si mismo y los puertorriqueños tenemos demasiado orgullo para eso.

“La sociedad es posible entre iguales. Si una parte hace lo que quiera y la otra obedece, entonces hay que llamarle a eso suciedad.”  -Pedro Albizu Campos

La división más grande en Puerto Rico son los partidos políticos y el hiper partidismo por no decir fanatismo. Esa división de ideales ha mantenido al pueblo sedado al imperialismo cultural. Cuando pensamos en PROMESA podemos pensar que el desarrollo nacional de Puerto Rico es una política fallida y que los Estados Unidos puede arreglar la deuda que claramente nosotros no pudimos. Los Estados Unidos es nuestro héroe de un estado corrupto que tenemos. Y por todos esos pensamientos y más, podemos decir que vivimos con una mentalidad colonial. Ahora que sabemos la enfermedad, estamos mejorando y despertando de la coma. 

“En tiempos de epidemia, la salud de uno solo, nos alienta.”  -Eugenio Maria de Hostos

Y mientras despertamos, ¿qué pasa? La ira, la indignación y la decepción han causado que miles de personas salgan a las calles a pedir la renuncia del gobernador de Puerto Rico. Las redes sociales no dan abastos para la cantidad de memes, comentarios, videos y artículos de noticias que están circulando. Las manifestaciones más grandes en San Juan aproximan 380,000 personas en una isla de 3.5 millones. Eso equivale a casi un 10% de la población sin incluir las manifestaciones en el resto de la isla, las personas que tenían que trabajar o la diáspora que estaba uniéndose a sus protestas. No hay ninguna señal apuntando a que estas protestas vayan a disipar. 

“Como el calor reanima los organismos más caducos, porque se hace sentir en los conductos más secretos de la vida, el sentimiento despierta el amor de la verdad en los pueblos no habituados a pensarla, porque hay una electricidad moral y el sentimiento es el mejor conductor de esa electricidad.”  -Eugenio Maria de Hostos

Mientras la mayoría del pueblo pide la renuncia del gobernador tenemos que tener en cuenta que una minoría es arraigado a su hiper partidismo. Tratan de disuadir las protestas, hablando de como es que no se protesta. Dirán que sus actos son peores que el del gobernador. No dejen que te desenfoquen! Todo dialecto en contra de las manifestaciones es para cambiar la narrativa y hacer que te olvides de la verdadera razón por la cual estás protestando en las calles. La policía es una organización política subyugada a las órdenes del Estado y por ende en estas ocasiones no son tus amigos.

“Ya no es canción. Es grito. Grito de fuerza viva, de hombres que luchan, de mentes que se libertan, de brazos sueltos prestos a no caer. Las masas rugen. Piensan. Son”  -Julia de Burgos

El comisionado de la policía, Henry Escalera, ya dijo “…vamos a defender la democracia hasta las últimas consecuencias, hasta la última gota de sangre.” Hemos visto que quiere cumplir con sus palabras incitando a la violencia en cada una de las manifestaciones. Si no fuera cierto, los gases lacrimógenos no hubieran sido dispersados ya que uno de los mandados de la policía es velar por la seguridad de los ciudadanos. Esas órdenes crearon caos y pusieron en riesgo las vidas de los cientos de manifestantes que estaban ahí pacíficamente. El cumplimiento de las leyes y el orden público nunca pueden ir por encima de la seguridad del ciudadano. 

“La mejor semilla del mundo, de nada sirve, si la tierra no está preparada para recibirla.”  -Luis Muñoz Marín

Hay diversas maneras de mantenerse exigiendo al gobernador, Ricky Rosselló, que renuncie. Sigan haciendo las manifestaciones organizadas como lo han hecho el lunes y miércoles. Todas las protestas pequeñas entre medio son importantes para que el fuego no se apague pero organicen bien. Continúen utilizando los medios sociales para regar las fotos y videos de los acontecimientos e inviten a la prensa a observar y comunicar lo que se está viendo. Mientras la gente prosiga viendo lo que está sucediendo y acordándose del por qué, no morirá la causa. Verifiquen que los medios de comunicación están llevando la información correcta y si no es así, comente y riegue la voz. Comuníquese con líderes de su pueblo y sus representantes. El número de la Cámara de Representantes es (787)721-6040. El senado es (787)724-2030 y los Asuntos Gubernamentales del Senado es (787)544-4924.

“La organización es el único medio defensivo con el actual sistema. Es el único medio a combatir las injusticias que se cometen con los que todo lo producen.”  -Luisa Capetillo Perón

Siempre habrá individuos que inciten a la violencia y con el enojo del país, es entendible, pero lo mejor que pueden hacer es protestar pacíficamente. No le den munición para cambiar el tema a ‘manifestantes destrozan propiedad privada’. Enfócate en el problema a mano y evita discutir temas no relevantes.

“Los jóvenes tienen el deber de defender su Patria con las armas del conocimiento”  -Pedro Albizu Campos

Luego de que el gobernador y todos sus secuaces se vayan, tenemos el deber de colocar funcionarios públicos que den la talla. No se puede mirar un partido político, se tiene que mirar la plataforma que propone. El pensamiento erróneo de tener que rajar la papeleta o si todos son corruptos para eso voto por el mío, no sirve. Obviamente ese pensar no ha funcionado y nos han robado todo. Tenemos poder sobre nuestros legisladores, si votamos por ellos, podemos despedirlos y nuestros legisladores deberían reconsiderar antes de querer hacer algo en contra del país. Tienen que sentir nuestro furor y si no pues piensa en lo que dijo Luis Muñoz Marín, “Si quieres vender tu voto, adelante, es un país libre. Pero asegurate que recibas algo por ello. No puedes tener a la vez justicia y los dos pesos.”

“Con mi partido contra mi pueblo, ¡no!; con mi pueblo contra mi partido, ¡Dios no permita que sea necesario!; con mi partido y con mi pueblo, contra el dolor de mi pueblo.”  -Luis Muñoz Marín

Ojalá Ricky Rosselló renuncie pronto. Ojalá escuche las palabras de su padre que cuando el pueblo habla, él obedece. Por lo visto quiere mantenerse en el poder a través de chantajes y crear una cuasi dictadura democrática. Ojalá en estas manifestaciones no ocurran desgracias porque las desgracias estarán manchadas en las manos de este gobierno que no responde a las exigencias de sus ciudadanos. Sigan batallando que Ramón Emeterio Betances estaría orgulloso de ver a los puertorriqueños rebelándose y José de Diego te diría algo entre las líneas de, ¡Levántate! ¡Revuélvete! ¡Resiste! ¡Embiste!

¡Despierta, borinqueño, que han dado la señal! ¡Despierta de ese sueño que es hora de luchar! …No hay que temer, riqueños al ruido del cañón que salvar a la patria ¡es deber del corazón!  -Lola Rodriguez de Tió

The Royal Academy of Dance exams are next week and it will be my first time submitting students into exams. Since January, I have been scrutinizing every step of every exercise, making sure all of the students are on the same page.  We have discussed the dynamics of every single step, the timing and phrasing of each exercise, the control of the body while executing the movement, the performance quality, the list can go on and on. I can assure you that my students can recite everything I just listed, they are probably tired of hearing me say it.

The number one step that has made me cringe over and over is the glissade. Pick any student in my class to execute a glissade and they will do it quite lovely. Now, put some petit allegro music and tell them to go across the floor doing glissades and assemblés or glissades and jetés. Not sure you’ll see the same results yet. Emphasis on yet…

They lack the plié at the end of the step. The closing looks like they’re kicking out the front leg and merging it with the next step. There is no finish in 5th position, they step through to the next step and sometimes that step isn’t even turned out. Allegro music turns on and technique flies out the window.

Students have told me that there is no way to straighten both legs in 2nd position without jumping. They’ve told me that they searched on Youtube for videos of glissades and they saw people teaching it with a jump so why can’t we do the same?! Obviously they are deflecting the fact that they are not closing in 5th position. With all the complaints lately, I decided to pull out all of my books and see what every ballet system had to say about the glissade.

The Royal Academy of Dance has a dictionary of classical ballet terminology and for glissades it says:

• a dance step which consists of gliding or sliding along the floor. A connecting step travelling in any direction and performed terre à terre. …the supporting leg pushes away from the floor and is released so that both legs are momentarily fully stretched; transfer of weight continues, lowering through the leading foot into a fondu, and the freed foot from it degagé in 2nd is drawn firmly into 5th position demi plie.

The Technical Manual and Dictionary of Classical Ballet by Gail Grant:

• Glide. A travelling step executed by gliding the working foot from the 5th position in the required direction, the other foot closing to it. Glissade is a terre à terre step and is used to link other steps. …working foot glides along the floor to a strong point a few inches from the floor… both feet strongly pointed for a moment; then the weight is shifted to the working foot with a fondu… other foot slides into 5th position in demi plié. Glissades… all begin and end with a demi plié.

Classical Ballet Technique by Gretchen Ward Warren:

• Glissades (from glisser, “to glide”) are terre à terre steps in which the toes barely leave the floor. They are performed in all directions and are most commonly used as the preparatory step leading into jumps. … executed in one smooth, continuous motion. The legs are thrown outward on the upbeat, with the accent “in” (on the count) on the closing to 4th or 5th position. A soft, pliable demi plié at the beginning and at the end of a glissade is essential to the correct look of this step. At no time must it ever look brittle or be executed “in pieces”, without flow.

The Classic Ballet. Basic Technique and Terminology by Kirsten, Stuart and Dyer:

• This is a gliding movement with the accent in demi plié in 5th position, usually preceding jumps and leaps. (* according to Cecchetti). Posture and muscular control: At moment of transition from one leg to the other, both legs are stretched to maximum from thighs to pointed toes, just off the ground. When executing demi plie in 5th position there must be a slight counter-pull upward; both heels on the ground.

Augusto Bournonville, History and Style by Elna Matamoros Ocaña (translated from Spanish to English) says:

• Glissades are jumpy and with a clear accent on the opening, they tend to be quick and energetic.

But when I do a quick search online for Bournonville glissades it says:  A small jump which is mainly used to power a big one, or to connect another step. Starting from fifth position, the dancer does a demi-plié and springs slightly upwards. Front leg glides along the floor towards second position, the whole body traveling towards this extended leg, while the back leg glides onto fifth position, so the dancer is again in demi-plié, ready for the subsequent step. So one book tells me it is jumpy but then this article states it is a slight spring.

Technically most of them, if not all, are describing a travelling terre à terre movement that starts and finishes in a demi plié and that both legs are fully stretched in 2nd position. Merriam Webster describes terre à terre as performed on or close to the ground. Performed with little elevation. Performing with feet close to the ground.

Knowing my students, if I tell them they can execute the movement close to the ground, not necessarily on it, they will jump and the terre à terre dynamic will get lost. Thinking that they did a Youtube search, I thought that if I could find a good video of a glissade, they could see for themselves that what I ask for is possible. (side note – I have demonstrated it but they need proof that another human being can do it.) I set out to looking for a correct glissade and through a lot of jumpy glissades, this was what I found:

Here is a nice video of a teacher and student executing a Balanchine glissade, emphasis on what I want, the closed 5th position in demi plié.

http://www.dance-teacher.com/2014/03/deborah-wingert-teaches-glissade-assemble-in-the-balanchine-style/

My impression is that I need to give them more exercises where they do a glissade followed by a soubresaut, changement or an entre chat step. This way they can feel stuck on the floor without the demi plié that is needed to finish the glissade. If they practice it enough correctly, it should be ingrained by the time they need to do it before an assemblé or jeté. What are your thoughts?

As a teacher I’ve noticed that my students will likely not correct this feedback unless I explain what their core is. Let’s be honest though, many teachers, myself included, sometimes do not have time to explain this.

So what is your core?

Your core muscles are composed of extrinsic and intrinsic muscles. Extrinsic muscles are your hamstrings, adductors, obliques whereas your intrinsic muscles are your diaphragm, iliopsoas, abdominal and lower back muscles.

These are a lot of muscles and for many dancers, talking about the body anatomy can be tedious, specially if they have been in school all day. Although you need to strengthen all of them to become a stronger dancer, I would start with your diaphragm muscles if it becomes too overwhelming.

Why pick this muscle as a starting point?

Training the diaphragm strengthens the muscle but it also creates a calming effect. Judi Bar, in an NPR article, says, “Our breaths will either wake us up or energize us. It will relax us, or it will just balance us.” Have you heard your teacher say or yell in class to your class, BREATHE! If you are not breathing while you’re dancing, you probably have a weak core. Do not leave all of the work to your neck and chest muscles. Using your diaphragm correctly will make you a powerful dancer.

Do you do one or some of the following?:

__injure easily

__suck in your belly

__dance small

__grind your teeth at night

__hold or delay going to the bathroom

__tense shoulders and neck

__clench your jaw

__misalignment of the joints

If the answer is yes for any of these, you might need to start making some time to strengthen your core. This does not apply just for dancing but for life. Everyone needs a strong core but to achieve this, you should tackle it one at a time.

Breathe!

Every time you suck in your belly, you create tense muscles which reduce your breathing capacity. The reason this happens is due to the fact that you are not giving your organs enough space. DANCERS – do you know what other problems it creates?

• It reduces or minimizes your flexibility from your hip connectors. Maybe you CAN lift that leg a bit higher but to do so, you need to inhale some oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide.
• Since you are sucking in your belly, you will automatically lift your chest. This creates a shift in your center from the abdomen area to your upper torso. This could be the culprit of your unstable balances and turns.

In my ballet and jazz classes when we get into pirouettes, I take some time to explain that I want them to inhale (through the nose) on the preparation and to exhale (through the nose, if you can) on the turn. It takes some practice but once you get it, you can start seeing a difference. Why? When you force yourself to exhale on the turn you engage or start making use of your deep stabilizers. Deep stabilizers, as the name implies, stabilizes your spine which gives more security on the turns.

Have you ever wondered why you’re tightening those abs and sucking in your belly? Sucking in your belly will tilt your pelvis and take you out of your neutral spine posture.

Many people tighten and suck in the belly for aesthetic purposes, others say the instructors tell them too. If you are on the aesthetic bandwagon, let me tell you that if you learn to breathe correctly, strengthening your core will flatten your belly a bit more as a consequence. The other people that state that the instructors tell you to do that, understand that the teacher might not be explaining correctly. I am not saying that she/he doesn’t know what they’re saying but maybe that they’re not discussing it with the correct words.

Why do I say this?

If you are using your core, the abs feel like they’re engaged and lengthened. It is almost the same feeling you get when you suck in your belly. There is a lengthening going on but maybe not the right type.

Youtube has a great 3D image video of the diaphragm and how it functions. Link is above.

How do I engage my core correctly?

There are plenty of exercises in the internet about how to strengthen your core so I will not go into details. Please avoid anything that mentions a lot of crunches. Though the burning sensation of crunches may feel good, it really isn’t doing much for your core muscles. It is warming you up though! You need exercises that will lengthen your muscle and then contract it. It is MUCH more effective to strengthen muscles by lengthening and contracting, not constant contracting (aka – crunches).

Start doing what you love – dancing! Experiment with different types of movement. Get out of your comfort zone. Train your body to lengthen the movements in off center or counter balanced moves and then return your body to center. Doing this will build your muscles and increase/improve your range of motion. While you are playing around with different movements, go ahead and find the limits of your range of motion. Let the elasticity of your muscles bring you back to center. While we are at it, dance bigger! I asked earlier if you dance with small movements. If your answer was yes, then you might have a weak core. There is a correlation between your core and how big or small you dance. The smaller you dance, the smaller your base of support in your body is and because it’s smaller, your body starts compensating in attempts to stabilizing you. Hence you’re prone to getting injured. Hence you stay in your comfort zone dancing small. Hence it’s a vicious toxic cycle.

Learn how to breathe without using your shoulders. Take deep breaths while laying down in different positions. Here is a video of some breathing exercises.

Focus on your body, which leads me to the last section.

What else should you focus on besides everything?  :)

You should practice on your mental/emotional state. Concentration is a key component to your core. Hand by hand with concentration, should be, practicing to be calm. A calm and collected person will be more focused and aware of their body. By becoming aware of your body, your movements can be made consciously and you’ll probably be able to feel and locate the muscles you are needing for the movement. You will learn more about your center just by concentrating.

FOCUS!

– The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

This week has been difficult to process with all the changes the new administration has been implementing. With change means new beginnings and for the people who wanted a blast to the past of greatness, I think they are in for a ride. For the record, I am not accepting that the past was great for everyone. My opinion of the the period of greatness can be told by George Orwell who said it best in Animal Farm: “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”

The words “alternative facts” have been circling my head over and over. Let’s be real! Who cares how big the inauguration crowd was?! Donald J. Trump is our president whether he had a large or small crowd. Does it matter how low his approval ratings are at the moment? No. He is still our president and commander in chief. He  could  have had small crowds due to rain, due to his voters having to work, the excuses can be infinite but at the end of the day it doesn’t matter. President Trump is here to stay… unless he really screws up and gets impeached.

Picture from Washington Top Stories

Alternative facts was the answer Kellyanne Conway gave the media of why the White House lied about the crowd size. Yes, I am saying the White House lied. There are photographs to prove this as well as estimates from the metro use. Mrs.Conway stated they did not lie, those were alternative facts. Alternative facts… Why is this upsetting? A children’s book written by Laura Numeroff can answer this. “If you give a mouse a cookie… He’ll want a glass of milk. When you give him the milk, he’ll ask for a straw.” This ‘white’ lie will have a snowball effect. The White House administration will escalate their small lie and later on get away with a ‘black’ lie. We can not ignore this.

“Ignoring isn’t the same as ignorance, you have to work at it.” -Margaret Atwood – The Handmaid’s Tale

Alternative facts is clearly referenced in ‘1984’, a dystopian novel by George Orwell. Ever since it was mentioned, the book has had sky rocketing sales. The exact phrase from the novel that shines in this moment is, “The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.” This is not the first time we hear the Trump campaign/administration use authoritarian phrases. Reince Priebus, White House Chief of Staff, used a Mussolini reference, saying he would utilize his personal connections with the speaker and others, to make the trains run on time.

“People generally see what they look for, and hear what they listen for.”  – To Kill A Mockingbird

Alternative facts will shape our country more than ever now. As a country, we will be manipulated  to think and feel a certain way. We are being gas-lighted. If you are not sure what that means, you can follow this helpful link that describes the signs you should be noticing. There are several articles from respectable sources that can describe how it is a psychological manipulation that gradually makes the victim not trust their own beliefs. On Tuesday of this week, Trump’s administration ordered media blackouts for the Environmental Protection Agency. Why?! What is there to hide? Do you really want your government hiding this information? Currently 5 agencies are in blackout mode. If they have media blackouts, the White House can have unified messages. The information will be sorted out and given, if it satisfies their criteria. Do you think they will give us information that could be detrimental to them? We should be expecting some level of factual distortion or alternative facts.

“He would be only too happy to let you make your decisions for yourselves. But sometimes you might make the wrong decisions, comrades, and then where should we be?” – Animal Farm

Briefly many people were laughing at the comment of alternative facts and using it in their social media hash tags. I get it. I laughed perturbed of what this woman was uttering. Laughing can be used as a coping mechanism and many of us use it to normalize a situation. When it comes to these alternative facts, why do we want to standardize this? Will we shift into gallows humor as a sign of hope or rebellion?

The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience. – To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

We need to make our voices heard. Comments have circulated to keep quiet. He can implement martial law. No. I will not stay quiet and neither should you. We, as a country, elected these representatives. They have temporary power to make changes. Temporary. We elected them and we can UNelect them out of office. We, the people of the United States, can insure domestic tranquility. Speak out! Be active. Engage in what clearly will affect you or affect others.

“Don’t let the bastards grind you down.” – The Handmaid’s Tale

Many of us do not know how to get involved. There is a great CNN article in reference to this. You do not need to do all of the things they mention, though I would highly recommend: 1. voting                     2. attending town hall meetings   3. knowing your representatives   4. Contacting your representatives and making them listen.   5. Donating to organizations you believe in.

“The thing is – fear can’t hurt you any more than a dream.”                        William Golding – Lord of the Flies

As for myself, I will be involved in many topics that speak to me in one way or the other. The National Endowment for the Arts, environmental issues, women’s rights issues, LGBTQ’s rights, etc. Demand answers to your questions but keep them to yes or no answers. It is harder for them to deviate the answers if they can only answer with one word. Keep your representatives in check. Do not normalize alternative facts. Alternative facts are lies. Demand the truth even if it’s ugly. “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32

“Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.”
– Aldous Huxley

“The truth is rarely pure and never simple.”                                             Oscar Wilde – The Importance of Being Earnest

No pictures of me rehearsing. Maybe that’s a good thing!  :)

If you want to see a video of the performance look at this link. It’s the Saturday performance, which I barely do anything in that show, due to an injury.

In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.

-Martin Luther King Jr.

These words run true, especially now after the political shift of the country and the populist beliefs than are flowing through.

Basic concepts that help the student comprehend and grow.  :)

My sweet husband decided to help us out dancing when we were in need of boys! Grad Ball was a success and the audience loved him.

We found out that he can dance and act. All of our students LOVED hanging out with Fernando.

My aunt was loving the idea of seeing me do jewelry so she asked me one day if I could do something along her tastes.  It took me a while to make since I’ve been dancing a lot but it is finally done!

She absolutely went wild and fell in love. Phew! I was kind of scared she might not like the colors…

I made this as a gift for my Ballet teacher. After so many years I was leaving Puerto Rico to go start my life in Atlanta.

My husband was amazing as he always is and drew the dancer. It fit perfectly and I still see her from time to time wear it.  :)