Happy Weekend and Happy Mother’s Day, dear readers. I love this kooky mother daughter photo of Shirley MacLaine and her daughter, Sachi Parker circa 1959. It’s my first official Mother’s Day and my own momma is here to celebrate. We had a great run in the rain today- the bebes’ first experience with a full on downpour. We were attempting a walk and a trip to the park when the rain intervened. It ended up being so much fun- running and pushing their stroller at top speed in the rain. They loved it and so did we. We ran for blocks absolutely drenched and laughing all the way. The sun promptly appeared after the rain decided it was done and that heavenly after rain smell filled the air. I just read that it has a name, that heavenly smell- it’s called Petrichor. I wish you could bottle it, but then again- no. It’s kind of nice having to wait for it and that wonderful moment when it reveals itself. What a fun and beautiful evening, thanks mom.

I’m off to St. Louis today join my hubby for the premiere of his new ballet at St. Louis Ballet, Volatizing the Esters. Yes- he named his ballet the name of this very blog. What can I say, it’s a good title. It’s a contemporary ballet and he experimented by using a few different props, one of which is a giant carpet that the dancers dance on and with, throughout the piece. I’ve just seen little bits and pieces via video so I’m really looking forward to it. Here’s a few sneak preview videos of C working with the dancers. I’m so proud of him- merde, honey.

What are you all up to this weekend? We’re going to journey up to Bryan Voltaggio’s Volt on Sunday afternoon to celebrate the day of the Moms and otherwise lay low.

A little link love:

Foolproof dinner recipes including a Jean-Georges Vongerichten molten chocolate cake to make your momma for Sunday, courtesy of Mark Bittman.

Have you discovered Gizoogle yet? My brother Ben sent me the link a few days ago and it is worth blowing a few minutes of your day to Gizoogle one of your favorite sites. Here’s what happened when I gizoogled my blog.

The James Beard 2013 Award Winners. I have GOT to get to Little Serow here in DC, now it’s really going to be impossible.

This iconic graffiti mecca in Long Island City will be demolished to make way for more boring and insanely expensive condos. How sad. So long 5Pointz.

I am digging these silver t-straps. Just bought myself a pair- $49, I mean come on.

A last minute Mother’s Day gift that will make you both feel good. #honoryourmom

This apartment is pretty wowzers.

How to make a smokin’ cocktail- quite literally- with real smoke.

David Sedaris spends his spare time picking up trash on the side of the road. Get into his fantastic head here.

NYC’s top 20 most anticipated restaurant openings.

Mario Batali’s Crab Salad with Mint Oil recipe- this looks delicious!

Have a beautiful weekend and Happy Mother’s Day!

Cin Cin!

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Meet Lora Anderson, Volatizing’s own Mind & Body Babe. A pal back from my dancing days in LA, Lora and I have always remained good friends. We went to her amazing Sayulita wedding two years ago, truly one of the most beautiful and fun weddings I have ever had the pleasure of attending. There was so much fun going on at that party it was ridiculous. She’s got a lot going on- she just had her baby girl, Lola Jolie, this past year, moved in to a mid-century home in LA’s Studio City (pretty much my dream home!) and runs a thriving Pilates business. Lora is a girl who lives life to the fullest, doesn’t miss a beat and manages to stay centered amidst all the fun she’s kicking up.

A Radio City Rockette for years, she has since opened a little pilates empire with her biz partner, Nichole Martinez-Barreto. They have two studios in LA and a newly opened studio in Austin. These girls kick butt. I look to Lora for tips on how to stay in shape and mostly how to feel good post dance career. She is the queen of living what she loves and is a constant inspiration to me. She surfs (like a fiend!), she spends quality time outdoors, she teaches, she’s a great mom and wife, and she stops to smell the roses and watch the sunsets. She’s pretty much a badass.

Her first easy exercise is a simple stretch to start your day. A great chest opener to help you feel open and ready for your week, it’s also really relaxing, a little like meditation via stretch- I dig it. This is great for moms that are breast feeding, toting around tots, or for anyone who sits at a desk all day long. All you need is a theraband. We dancing folk have drawers full of these things, they are a helpful tool to stretch out those neglected muscles. Pick one up for $10 here and check out a few other theraband stretches here.

Lora’s easy chest opener, of course it helps if you have a backdrop like this (she was vacationing in Hawaii) but your living room floor will do just fine.

Voilà and thanks Lora. If you live in LA or Austin, check out her amazing studios, Pilates Studio City and Pilates South Austin here.

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This looks like a jump from Panorama, a Martha Graham piece I danced in, in college. Seriously. That jump plagued me. Are these Japanese kids really inspired by Anime or is Martha Graham their secret? This new jump craze spreading their nation is called HADOKEN-ing. Not sure the name will catch on here but don’t be surprised if you see people spontaneously busting out into this jump in your hometown sometime soon. The Japanese kids have a real way with trends. Read the full story here.

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Last up in my weeklong mini course in movie musical love, The Frug.

If you have not seen Fosse’s Frug, please treat yourself to this viewing. From Sweet Charity, this is true mastery at work- such a gem of a piece. If you love fashion and/or film, you will love this. Inspired by Fellini, you can clearly see the Italian auteur’s influence at hand. This is 60s mod fabulousness meets Fellini’s freaks. L.O.V.E.

Ok, so to roundup my top 5 (or 6) favorite movie musical numbers of all time, we have:

“There’s Gotta Be Something Better Than This”- Sweet Charity
“Cool”- West Side Story
The Barn Dance- Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
The Studio Scene- Swing Time
The Gotta Dance Dream Sequence- Singin’ in the Rain
“The Rich Man’s Frug”- Sweet Charity

Your turn. Please share your favorite movie musical moments. I would LOVE to hear them. I hope you enjoyed movie musical week- thank you for playing!

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Gene or Fred? Gene or Fred? It’s really the most ridiculous question, almost as ridiculous as Beatles or Stones? BOTH is the correct answer. How can you have one without the other? You can’t, so today I had to pick 2 favorite numbers. I tried really hard to stick to 5 but I just can’t choose between Gene and Fred, so I’m not going to.

There are so many ridiculously mind blowing numbers that these two created, choreographed and perfected on film that it’s tough narrowing it down. I could go with Fred’s and Gene’s iconic numbers, “Puttin’ On The Ritz” and “Singin’ in the Rain” which are perfect and swoon-worthy but I love their female counterparts too much, so I’m going with these two:

First up, this little diddy from Swing Time. This number needs no introduction, Fred and Ginger are the epitome of effortless perfection- love the ending!

And next, the dream dance montage from Singin’ in the Rain with the incomparable Cyd Charisse- only my most favorite female dancer of all time. This sequence is wacky and random at times but I just love it, I could watch it over and over. Unlike all of the other numbers I chose, this one does not forward the plot of its story in the slightest as it is literally just a dream dance thrown in for theatricality and spectacle. Because of this, it doesn’t really qualify as a great number but it’s just so great that I can’t help myself. I couldn’t find the whole thing from start to finish, so here is a clip:

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I have always loved the Barn Dance number from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers but I admit, I especially love it now because my father-in-law is one of those brothers. That’s him above,  Jacques d’Amboise, flashing his 20-year-old toothy grin.

This number, choreographed by Michael Kidd, is again great storytelling through dance. Sounds simple but it’s hard to do well and really hard to do legendarily well. This is one of those legendarily well instances.

Here they are in all their glory- bless their beautiful hides.

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Ok, next up- “Cool” from West Side Story. I pretty much love everything that Jerome Robbins does in this show and in the movie, but this number in particular is just masterful. I had two numbers on my Must Perform list- “Cell Block Tango” from Chicago and “Cool”. I was lucky enough to do “Cell Block” on Broadway and my one regret in my career is that I never did West Side. C’est la vie, I live it vicariously through this scene.

The way that Robbins tells story and expresses emotion through dance is unmatched by any other choreographer in the history of modern choreography, or so says me anyway.

Just watch these guys and gals simmer and come to a boil. They spend most of the number bubbling and trying to keep their lids on, and finally explode before coming back down to a slow simmer, still boiling inside. Such amazing tension is created through the movement, his steps in this number are like an onomatopoeia- they look like the characters feel.

It’s a great acting piece and those that worked with Robbins always said he much preferred actors to dancers and was notoriously nicer to them. In “Cool”, the dancers have to be equally good actors which is tough because you really have to be a badass balls to the wall dancer to pull off these steps.

I just love how they put their guts into this. “Cool” is full on guts for glory emotion meets inspired choreography. The camera angles and the long dolly shot as they run forward is of course iconic as well. I just love everything about it. Masterful indeed.

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My own little mini course in movie musical love. Inspired by my friend Terra who recently asked her fellow dancer friends what number or musical moment inspired them to become dancers, I thought I might roundup my top 5 moments in movie musical history. It was so hard, there are so many great, life-changing numbers- yes, I am a bit of a musical geek- and so many just wacky and hilarious ones that I love too, but I managed to muster up my top 5- I’ll post one a day throughout the week.

First off, Shirley MacLaine, Chita Rivera and Paula Kelly in the dynamic fireworks of a number, “There’s Got to Be Something Better Than This” from Sweet Charity. Talk about girl power. This number is such a wonderful combination of vulnerability, desperation, fearlessness and force. If you didn’t root for these women before this number, you do now.

If you haven’t seen Sweet Charity, do yourself a favor and sit yourself down for a viewing. A little dated sure, but this is one of Bob Fosse’s early film choreography gigs and it’s chock full of fantastically stylized numbers. Anyone with a creative soul would be inspired by his work in this movie. Gwen Verdon- Fosse’s muse, wife and the original Charity on Broadway- was passed over for the more Hollywood friendly MacLaine, which must have been tough to swallow as Verdon is an iconic trailblazer, but she was on set to coach MacLaine through the numbers. Not to take anything away from MacLaine, she is absolutely wonderful in the role.

Sweet Charity is an adaptation of Fellini’s, Nights of Cabiria (if you haven’t seen this one, run to your Netflix login page asap- talk about genius, here Fellini’s wife and muse, Giulietta Masina plays the Charity role, Cabiria) and you can really begin to see Fellini’s influence on Fosse as a choreographer and storyteller. All That Jazz is also an adaptation of 8 1/2. The Italian auteur’s influence continues through Fosse’s life’s work as we see him masterfully bring the ensemble players into the foreground the way Fellini did.

Ok enough already, just watch it. You won’t so much see Fellini’s influence in this particular number, but I’ll post another favorite later in the week from Charity, where it is unmistakeable. This one is just pure joy. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

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Just try not to smile while watching Rita Hayworth. If there is one thing about this Hollywood starlet (and there are many) it’s that she is absolutely infectious. While she wasn’t the most polished of the movie musical dancing stars, she was one of the most fun to watch. She just has a blast (or at least looks like it) when she moves. She knows how to work it- using a subtle wink, a swish of her hair, and a flip of her dress for full effect. This is not a learned skill- you cannot teach this, you’ve either got it or you don’t- and it’s why she was a star.

This video mash up below kicks off my weeklong tribute to dance in movie musicals. I have often thought I was born in the wrong era. If I had my druthers, I would have been a child of MGM’s Golden Age of Movie Musicals dancing alongside the likes of Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse. I would have been so thrilled to be the 3rd girl from the left in the Singin’ in the Rain dream sequence or any of that era’s musicals for that matter, they are so magical. I’ll be picking my 5 favorite dance numbers from Hollywood movies next week- stay tuned.

Meanwhile, here she is in all her redheaded glory in a movie musical mash up to the Bee Gees’ Stayin’ Alive.  I’m kind of a purist when it comes to these things and like to see numbers as they were intended to be seen, but this one is just pure fun and brings Miss Hayworth’s awesome toe tapping to our attention. Not just a pretty face, Rita Hayworth’s got the three C’s: Charm, Chops and Charisma. Enjoy and Cin Cin!

{Image: Rita on the Rooftop}

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My mind is a bit of a jumble today as I scrambled to make my 8am train from NY back to DC. Made it. Did get on the wrong train, but it’s all good- headed to the same place. Whew. This is what 9 month old twins do to a 37 year old brain and I even had the night off.

A few random thoughts for the day:

1. Tick Tock, Ya Don’t Stop

You gotta love NYC Cabbies. I left my friend’s West Village abode at 7:43, hailed a taxi and was inside Penn Station at 7:49. Yes. In DC, the cabbies operate on an entirely different clock. You actually have to ask them to make it snappy. NYC cabbies- for all their faults- know what time it is.

2. Motown Mary

While zipping through Penn Station trying to grab a last minute latte and NY bagel, I spotted my pal Ariana Debose all dressed up as a young Mary Wilson, smiling down at me. Well, lookie-loo I thought, there she is, Little Miss Broadway. At 22, she’s on her 2nd Broadway show with a giant poster splattered all over NYC to boot. Hooray and go girl. More from Miss Ari later this month as she gives us a sneak peak into her Motown world working with legend Berry Gordy and costume fittings with Project Runway favorite and Motown designer, Emilio Sosa.

4. The Crib Dibbler

Need I say more? We gave this to my friend Katy last night at her baby shower as a gag gift. She stared at it for about 2 seconds before saying (1/2 laughing 1/2 horrified), “Is this for real?” Pretty funny. There’s a whole slew of prank boxed gifts here. I love a good prank.

5. “Hey, Twitter Twat-WTF!”

Lastly, let’s talk about House of Cards.

I’m probably the last person on the planet that’s watching this series to STILL be watching. I couldn’t subscribe to the binge viewing that is sweeping the nation. Not because I don’t want to, but because I’m literally too tired to. My twin-induced octogenarian sleep habits prohibit me from staying lucid past 9:30. Sad, right? Well, what can I say- the bebes are still not sleeping all the way through the night. Well, one of them is, but alas… In any case, I am on the early bird special so after I get the bebes to bed, I’m good for an episode of Jeopardy and 1 episode of House of Cards. I know, so dorky right!

I have to say, I am really digging it. It took me a few episodes in to really get hooked. I didn’t really know who I was rooting for as the characters all seemed really cold and unlikeable but the onion has started to peel its layers and I am Team Claire all the way. Robin Wright’s portrayal is nuanced, calculated and vulnerable all at once. I’m kind of in love with her. The best lines of the series though have to be the words that come out of Janine Skorsky’s mouth. My favorite line of the series to date “Hey, Twitter Twat- WTF!” Now, that’s good writing.

Any random thoughts flooding your brain today? Do tell…

{Images: wired.com, stuartwilde.com}

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