~The last blog from Hoopdance Evolution DVD production... a glimpse behind the scene to the reality of what it is like to make a HoopGirl instructional DVD... enjoy!
Ah, the glamour of hoop dvd production! Another day awakening at 5 am to prep eggs for the crew... sore throat and coughing lots of the night left me without my voice to start the day. I felt overworked and tired but happy my shoulder was feeling better. Not quite what I envisioned, but this is real life! Luckily my sinuses held it together and I still felt energetic. You just have the play the deck of cards your dealt sometimes. So I pumped myself full of Emergen-C, multivitamins, my green drink, cooked breakfast for the gang and started out 10 hour shoot day with a positive attitude. Kramer was cranky since he had been up till 1:30am proofing footage. I tried to lighten up the vibe with some soft jazz playing in the background. Annie had a mini meltdown which passed with some good hugs. Chika just kept smiling. Amazing. I think she really is an angel sent to bring calmness and joy to us all...
A lot of rooftop footage today and a LOT of retakes, again and again and again. I am sitting here on my couch after peeling off nude fishnets which have left little dents in my skin and my hair is matted from the 5 wigs I wore today. My left ankle is swollen from a ridiculous number of pivots on my foot. Really, the amount of physicality invested in what will be one 30 second performance segment is unreal - at least double in minutes for what will be seconds actually used. This is because lots of stuff happens while shooting footage... the camera goes out of focus, we drop a hoop, we fall off time, our spacing is off, one of us is making a weird facial expression, being tired, it starts raining, the sun goes behind the clouds, a car speeds through the shot, etc, etc, etc. What an elaborate production! People watching my last DVD never imagined that I did things like fall of cliffs, drop my hoop, trip into the waves, etc., but all of these exciting things happen during the recordings and are edited out. I'll have to see about making a blooper reel for this one to keep it real...
I had my cranky moments. But after a while my voice came back which was sweet. Jasmine's mother henning kept us constantly on track -- costume wise, makeup wise, energetically and emotionally. She provided the steady 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 that guided our dance. I don't know what we would have done without her loving support!
Annie really sunk her anchor deep, given the how shakey she was at the start of the day. Every time I looked over at her I was struck how genuine and radiant she was on camera. A perfect perky smile and playful dancing. She was a fountain of choreography ideas! We had practiced for a few days beforehand together in the studio, but on the spot she and I often created brand new formations and choreography between takes. She has a spectacular imagination now that she has performed for so many years.
I feel so honored that such radiant beings, Annie, Chika and Rich, have chosen to join me in this project and so glad. I love that the Hoopdance Evolution DVDs showcase the other dancers more than my last one -- really making them the center of attention with close ups which show off their amazing abilities. Both Annie and Chika are both so amazingly beautiful and shining! And I also love that we feature so much bonus footage of Rich... finally, a guy highlighted on a HoopGirl DVD! Love it! Guy hoopers rock. I am blessed. They all keep me humble and open minded but at the same time require that I step into a leadership role which is healthy for me.
At times I felt insecure.. given all that was going on with me physically. I realized that I have an attachment to being "perfect" in my representation -- and that it is time to let that one go and just embrace my humanity. I reminded myself that all is well and that my job was simply to amplify beauty. I asked all the insecure thoughts to leave so more shiney ones could take their place. I trust the process and I know all will emerge in a beautiful way! As Annie said, "we are all our worst critic". I recognize that is an area that is inviting growth within me -- developing unconditional self-love and acceptance.
Of course the day was amazing overall... gorgeous costumes, sumptuous moves, sweeping cityscapes, lots of laughs and great play time. We were quite a bunch, jetting around in our van, wigs, makeup and costume pieces flying here and there, staking out shoot locations to make sure we wouldn't be shut down, prancing down the street in our costumes and feeling quite sassy. I am so grateful for the adventure of it all!
So I'm starved. I've gotta feed myself, put the piles of clothes and wigs that were hauled up to my hallway in some semblance of order and organize tomorrow's wardrobe. The last day!!! I can't wait for the weekend and the opportunity to rest and relax. What a sweet treat that will be! A sauna and massage will be amazing!!
By the way, I got an email back from Jenn Anderson in answer to my email asking several select people for suggestions for the Level 2 DVD. She suggested Hoopdance Evolution... I love it! I think we will go for it!
xo
Christabel