START SPREADING THE NEWS......
I'm on my way!! I took off for Los Angeles on Monday October 21st, 2002 to start rehearsels at Stiletto studios. As some of you know I have been hired by Stiletto Entertainment. I will be in L.A. for 4 weeks learning the choreography for the shows I will be performing. After that they will fly me to my home port, Tampa Florida. I will be working for Holland America Cruise Lines. The name of my ship is the MS Veendam. I'll start out by cruising the carribean during the winter months with stops that include Key West Florida, George Town Grand Cayman, Montego Bay Jamaica, Cozumel Mexico, Belize City Belize. and Santo Tomas de Castilla Guatemala. Then in the Spring we set sail for Cartagena Colombia and San Blas Islands Panama. We'll cruise through the Panama Canal and then visit other exotic locations like Puntarenas Costa Rica, Santa Cruz Huatulco, Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, Loreto, and Cabo San Lucas Mexico. Then it's up the Pacific coast of the United States visiting San Diego CA and Seattle WA. From Seattle we'll set sail to Victoria and Vancouver British Columbia. Then on to Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan Alaska as well as scenic cruising through Glacier Bay National Park! I will soon post my cruise schedule on the website so that if anyone is thinking of taking their vacation perhaps you might consider a fun filled cruise on Holland America! It would be so much fun to see you guys on board ship!!! Meanwhile I will be sending pictures to my Dad who will post them on the website. Thanks again to everyone who has signed my guestbook. I love you guys. Dance4Life/Dance4Ever! -Destiny Well the 4 weeks in L.A. were long and hard. I met all my fellow cast members and we all bonded very quickly. We would rehearse 6 days a week from 4 PM to 11 PM although toward the end we would start earlier and finish later! The shows are outstanding. I was so impressed with how challenging the choreography is. Well they flew us to Tampa, FL early November 15th, but with the three hour difference it was late afternoon by the time we arrived. They put us up that night at the Tampa Hyatt. We really didn't have that much time to enjoy it however as we had to be up early the next morning to board the ship. This was the start of HELL WEEK! It is called that because the first week's schedule on board the ship is extremely grueling! We started out by going through all the orientation meetings learning about ship safety emergency procedures etc. etc. Then we were supposed to get some rest but everyone was too wired to sleep which was too bad since we started rehearsal that night for our first show UP ON THE ROOF. We rehearsed all through the night till 6:30 AM which gave us time enough for about 3 hours sleep before another morning ship meeting! We continued rehearsing as much as we could until showtime Monday night. It's one thing rehearsing in L.A. but quite another challenge putting it all together in the ship's theater working with a live band doing the tech rehearsals and getting down all those costume changes!! Well we did it! Both Monday night shows went well - a little rough around the edges but we got off to a good start. Then it was back into rehearsals for our Thursday night show, PARTY GRAS. After having performed on Monday I think we were all really up for Thursday's show. I have to admit we really rocked the house! We got a standing ovation after each show!! Also during that show we have one section with an Asian theme where we dance with a Dragon prop but the Dragon never arrived before the ship set sail. So our choreographer asked me to go out there and M.S.U. it which means (Make Sh*t Up)! So for over 2 minutes I really M.S.U'd it!! mixing dance moves with martial arts moves - It was a blast! Hopefully this next week should be less crazy as we all settle into our routine. Well as promised I have posted my cruise schedule. You can find it by hitting the DANCE button above and then COOL STUFF. So start planning your vacations! It would be so much fun to see you guys on board ship!!! Keep signing the Guestbook. I love reading what you guys write. I love you guys. Dance4Life/Dance4Ever! -Destiny"Hi Everyone!", I 'm sorry it has taken so long for this update. The pictures are finally up. I have pictures from L.A. when I was in rehearsal at Stiletto Studios., And pictures on my ship, the MS Veendam., Just hit the 'Dance' button above and then 'Cool Stuff'., I have some great shots of one of the shows I'm in., Hopefully in a future update I'll get some shots of our other big show., I have included some backstage shots as well., I hope you enjoy them., It has been so exciting to have some of you cruise with me, Tom and Kevin, two Showtime Dads, came on board with their families and sailed the seas with me at New Years! , And just recently, Howie and his girls spent a week with me!, It was so exciting seeing familiar faces in the audience!!, We all had a great time!, And speaking of great times, I've got to tell you that that is what I am having., The work is hard, fun, and exciting,, and as you'll see from the pictures, there's a lot of good times!!, But with over 3 months into my contract,, I've finally reached a point where I just like kicking back in my room!, Thanks, Mom and Dad, for all the videos!, I really appreciate all the visits from my family and friends, when I come into port in Tampa on Saturdays., And a very late thank you to my cousin Lori and Donald for the Bon Voyage present!, I hope everyone had a great Holiday season., Thanks so much to Ms. Cathy and all you awesome Showtime dancers for the big 'Hello'!, Your 'Holiday Spectacular' was SPECTACULAR!, I have to tell you that being away from home for the Holidays was the toughest part of this job!, I hope that each and everyone of you is having a great New Year!, So check out the pics and I'll be talkin' to you later., Keep signing the Guestbook. I love reading what you guys write., I love you guys., Dance4Life/Dance4Ever!, -Destiny "Hi Everyone!", "I'm home!!", "I just posted pics of the other big musical number I was doing aboard the MS Veendam.", "It's called PARTY GRAS.", "Lots of Costumes! Lots of FUN!!.", "Check it out under DANCE, and then COOL STUFF - Set #6.", "I've got a lot more pics to post.", "Give me a little time and hopefully I'll have them up real soon.", "Besides more dance pics,", "I have pics of me kissing a dolphin", "and jumping out of an airplane!!!", "Yes, these past 7 months have been an increditble experience.", "I made so many wonderful friends, and I miss them already!", "If feels good to be home and yet kind of strange as well.", "I'm only here for a little while as I shall be leaving on June 4th, for North Carolina.", "I'm going to be spending the summer on the campus of Duke University,", "taking classes at the ADF, the American Dance Festival,", "an international festival and showcase of modern dance.", "I sent in an audition video while I was away,", "and they were kind enough to give me a tuition scholarship!", "I am really excited and looking forward to attending.", "So as always,", "Keep signing the Guestbook. Because you know I love reading what you guys write.", "I love you guys.", "Hi all!", "Well the new pics are up.", "Check them out by hitting the 'Family and Friends' button at the top of the page.", "And then click 'Veendam Friends'.", "Well I am starting my 3rd week of ADF (American Dance Festival)", "on the beautiful campus of Duke University in North Carolina.", "This is an International Festival and showcase of modern dance.", "I spent the first few days here taking preview classes", "trying to decide which classes I would eventually choose.", "The decision was difficult because the staff here is so incredibly talented", "that it was hard to make up my mind.", "I eventually settled on 'Contact Improv', taught by Vitali Kononov.", "In this class we learn the freedom to move about the dance floor", "and learn to improvise moves as we make and break contact with other dancers on the floor.", "It is very creative and expressive and I absolutely love it.", "It is my first class of the morning at 8:00am, and it is such a great class to wake up to.", "The other class is Modern 3, taught by Kraig Patterson, aka Bopi,", "A difficult yet fun class.", "He starts by using traditional ballet combinations in which he suddenly bends the rules", "having us proceed in ways that move away from the traditional", "and give us a feeling of breaking away and letting loose,", "allowing a new and wonderful variety of physical expression.", "I was supposed to choose a 3rd class to round out my regular class schedule", "on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays,", " but instead, I auditioned for several of the commissioned pieces", "and ended up being cast in a piece by Tatiana Baganova.", "The commissioned works will be presented to the public at the end of the festival.", "And now to add to that,", "Kraig Patterson has asked me as well to be in a piece he is choreographing for the faculty show.", "So my rehearsal schedule is taking up the time for my 3rd class", "as well as my elective classes", "that are scheduled on Wednesdays, Fridays,Saturdays, and Sundays (WFFS).", "I have managed to take a few drop in classes", "and hope to take several more throughout the course of the festival.", "This is just such an awesome experience!", "My thanks to Denise Pare for guiding me to it.", "So as always,", "Keep signing the Guestbook. Because you know I love reading what you guys write.", "I love you guys.", "Dance4Life/Dance4Ever!", "-Destiny" "All right, my ADF pictures are now up!", "Hit the 'Family and Friends' button above and then click ADF Friends.", "The final weeks of ADF were hectic getting ready for the ICCP show.", "That's the International Choreographers Commissioning Program.", "I thought the three pieces presented to the public were excellent.", "The piece I was in was called, 'Lazy Susan', ", "choreographed by Tatiana Baganova from Russia,", "a gifted choreographer that I feel honored to have worked with.", "I had a wonderful time working with some very wonderful and talented people!", "And a warm and special 'Thank-you' to my teachers Vitali and Bopi,", "for expanding my knowledge and love of dance!", "When I came home, I was bitten by the auditioning bug.", "I checked some audition notices in the Big Apple and decided this had to be my next big step.", "I know that living in NYC and attending auditions on a regular basis is on my to do list,", "so I figured I would get a taste of the Apple by spending a week there", "and give these big city auditions a shot.", "Wow! That was an awesome learning experience!", "One of the shows I auditioned for was 'Pulse Nation'", "which held 3 separate auditions for Ballet, Tap, and Jazz.", "I decided to give all three a go and actually made it through the entire Jazz section!", "Not bad for my first New York audition.", "They start rehearsals sometime in August, so lets see if they give me a call.", "I also auditioned for Momix and although I got cut in the end, I felt really good about how I did.", "While I was there I also took some excellent classes at Steps on Broadway,", "and Broadway Dance Center.", "The rest of the time I spent exploring that incredible city.", "Check out the pics by hitting the 'Dance' button and then 'Cool Stuff' and then 'New York Trip'", "I can't believe what a small world it is as I ran into other dancers I knew!", "Hi Julia and John and Tara and Bopi. It was great running into you!!!", "So I am home now and will keep you posted as to what happens next.", "In the meantime,", "Keep signing the Guestbook. Because you know I love reading what you guys write.", "I love you guys.", "Dance4Life/Dance4Ever!", "-Destiny" "Hi everyone, I know it has been awhile since my last update.", "After spending an incredible 6 weeks at ADF,", "I came back to Orlando and started looking for work.", "I was waiting to hear from Stiletto Entertainment", "as I told them I was interested in getting back on the high seas.", "I was starting to miss the fun and excitement that working in a cruise ship production provides.", "And let's not forget the steady work!", "Well, Stephanie Hegstenberg, the casting manager at Stiletto,", "and one of the sweetest and most encouraging people I've had the pleasure to know,", "said she would contact me as soon as she found out whether the present cast members", "were going to renew their contracts or not. That would be in about 30 days.", "So while I waited, I took my New York City trip,", "did a bit of substitute teaching at Showtime Dance Studio,", "and taught a hip-hop class at Central Florida Ballet.", "And of course I continued training with local dance classes.", "Well, one of those classes is taught by Pam Bolling of Harddrive Productions,", "whose production company had been hired by F-JAM Productions", "who oversee the shows performed on Celebrity Cruise Lines.", "Well the next thing I know, I am being offered another cruise ship gig.", "See how one thing leads to another!", "I didn't accept the offer straight away as I felt I should call Stiletto", "and make them aware of the offer. As a dancer you hate stepping on anybody's toes!", "Well Stephanie gave me her blessings!", "And so I was off to four weeks of rehearsal for my new gig.", "Last time it was off to L.A. This time I didn't have to travel further than my own back yard.", "I am staying with my fellow cast mates at a hotel near Universal Studios.", "We have been rehearsing long and hard 6 days a week.", "The shows are really coming together well.", "Once again I have the pleasure of working with a really talented group of people.", "I've posted my first set of pictures which you can find", "by hitting the 'Dance' button at the top, then 'Cool Stuff', then 'Celebrity Pics'.", "Let me know what you think.", "Keep signing the Guestbook. Because you know I love reading what you guys write.", "I love you guys.", "Dance4Life/Dance4Ever!", "-Destiny" "Wow, does time move fast when you're having fun!", "My entire 6 month contract with Celebrity Cruise Lines has come and gone since my last update.", "I really meant to update sooner but the fact is a lost camera was partly to blame.", "Now I know the importance of backing up your data as soon as possible.", "The loss of that camera was just part of the emotional roller coaster I have been on.", "First of all Cast members came and went as Chris left due to an injury.", "and Mel (my video game buddy;-} and friend, left for personal reasons.", "Of course they were replaced by two really great people, Marissa and Doug.", "Sailing out of Ft. Lauderdale as opposed to Tampa has been a real adjustment.", "Being that much further from home meant a lot fewer visits from family and friends.", "But I guess you could say it made it that much sweeter when they did come to visit - ", "My Mom and Dad, My Grandmother and Grandfather, My Uncle Irving,", "and my buds Kevin and Glenn.", "And the icing on the cake was last month when the Ostrom's and the McDonough's,", "two wonderful families I knew from Showtime Dance Studios,", "took the Western Caribbean cruise aboard The Century and spent the whole week with me!!", "They took me on some excursions with them and we had a blast!", "I was fortunate enough to have transferred those pics before the camera went bye bye!", "Thanks Howard, Kevin and Debbie, Shelby, Macy, Amy, and Megan for such a great time!", "And that same week Jenn, one of our dancers had her family sail with us as well", "and they brought along a family friend from Brazil, named Tuani.", "Well let's just say that she and I got along very well. (Hi Tuani!)", "And let me give a big thanks to those of you who have stayed in touch with me", "via cell phones and e-mail.", "And you e-mail people, please forgive me for not writing back like I should.", "But despite the bouts of home sickness, I have had a great time on The Century.", "So good infact that I have signed on for another 6 month contract.", "And so has my roommate, Marco, as well as Amber, Gary, Jackie, Kyle, and Denise.", "The new cast members are now on board,", "and so it is time to say goodbye to people I can easily call", "my friends!", "I wish Erin and Jennifer and Nicole and Marissa, and Doug, and Jeremy the best of everything.", "You guys are so very very talented which is why", "our shows on The Century have been rated #1 out of the entire Celebrity Fleet!,", "Props to all of us!", "I will miss you all. Let's stay in touch.", "So check out the pics I've posted", "by hitting the 'Dance' button at the top, then 'Cool Stuff', then 'Celebrity Pics' Set 2.", "And don't forget to mouse over the pictures with the moving gold arrows!", "To all my ADF friends, I'll be thinking of you this summer!", "And if anyone needs any ideas on how to spend your summer vacation, ", "may I suggest a beautiful Caribbean cruise on the Celebrity Century!!!", "Keep signing the Guestbook. Because you know I love reading what you guys write.", "I love you guys.", "Dance4Life/Dance4Ever!", "-Destiny" "Hi Everyone!", "It's hard to believe, but I am back home again...and just in time for the holidays!", "First off I want to say that I had an incredible year on the Celebrity Century.", "I was so fortunate to work with such a talented cast of singers and dancers!", "Some of you, I know I will see around town in dance classes.", "And the rest of you, perhaps we will meet in another gig.", "I miss you guys already, so let's stay in touch.", "But hey, hey, hey, it's good to be home!", "My buds Kevin and Glenn surprised me by coming down from Talahassee.", "Thanks for making it such a great homecoming!", "I've already started taking dance classes at School of the Performing Arts", "And Central Florida Ballet. Infact I've signed up to do The Nutcracker with CFB!", "I've already been to a Disney Audition and it went really well.", "I plan to really enjoy my vacation time through the holidays.", "To see some old friends, like the gang at Showtime!", "So check out my latest pics.", "I finally put up the pics from 'Las Vegas, Then and Now'.", "Hit the 'DANCE' button and then 'COOL STUFF'", "They're under 'CELEBRITY CRUISE PICS' 'SET #3'", "Also check out the link there for 'THE MIME SERIES'", "It was a wonderful opportunity I had to act in some short films.", "I had a blast making them with the lovely and talented director, Katie Damien.", "She has some stills up at the website and the videos are soon to follow.", "I'll keep you posted.", "Keep signing the Guestbook. Because you know I love reading what you guys write.", "I love you guys.", "Dance4Life/Dance4Ever!", "-Destiny" "Hi All!", "I'm in Los Angeles now.", "Once again I'm working for Stiletto Entertainment.", "It feels really good to be back.", "Dancing for Holland America was my first big job.", "We are in rehearsal for the shows we are going to be performing on ship.", "This time around I will be cruising on the MS Ryndam.", "For the first part of the contract my home port will be San Diego.", "We will be doing 10 day cruises to the Pacific coast of Mexico.", "Then in May we will head North to Vancouver.", "That will become our new home port for our cruises into Alaska.", "I am really looking forward to that!", "When I worked the Veendam, my contract ended just as we got to Vancouver", "So I never got to see Alaska. From what I hear, it's awesome!", "My castmates are great. 7 of the 10 of us are veterans.", "Rehearsals are going along very smoothly.", "So far we've learned the 'Bumper' and one of the main shows.", "We are half way through the second show, and then it will be on to the third and final.", "I am so excited about the work we are doing here.", "Stiletto is an amazing production company and knows how to produce great shows!", "I'll keep you posted as things progress.", "I had such a fantastic time being home after a year at sea.", "sleeping in my own bed in my own room was heaven.", "I loved being able to take dance classes again!", "Harddrive, School of Performing Arts, Central Florida Ballet,", "and Hip-Hop with my man Georgio!", "I also stayed busy doing an industrial....", "a fashion show at the Wyndham Resort (thanks to Amanda & her Mom and Dad!)", "And The Nutcracker at the Orlando Convention Center Auditorium", "with the talented folks at Central Florida Ballet.", "I also got to visit my old 'stomping' grounds at Showtime Dance Studios.", "Thanks Cathy and everyone for all your love and support.", "Some of you may know that it is a desire of mine to do a contract", "with Cirque Du Soleil one day so I would like to thank Ryan", "for working with me on my acro while I was home.", "It was great to end my time at home with a road trip up to Talahassee", "to see all my fine friends attending Florida State. You guys ROCK!", "I think it took my Mom and Dad awhile to adjust to my being back", "after being gone so long (especially my Dad!)", "But I could tell they were going to miss me when I took off again!", "I hope all is going well for each and every one of you.", "Keep signing the Guestbook. Because you know I love reading what you guys write.", "I love you guys.", "Dance4Life/Dance4Ever!", "-Destiny" "Well the MS Ryndam has set sail with me on it!", "I just finished my second Mexican Riviera cruise.", "I've posted pics from our rehearsals in Los Angeles.", "Just hit the 'DANCE' button at the top of the page and then 'COOL STUFF'", "Along with the rehearsal pics I have included a rehearsal video!", "This is my first attempt at posting video.", "It's a two megabyte file so I can only recommend it to Broadband users:-{", "The video will give you an idea as to how much fun these shows are!!", "The first show we performed on the ship was 'Ultimate Broadway' and it was awesome!!", "These Mexican Riviera cruises are 10 day cruises so that gave us", "3 nights off from doing a show, but that didn't stop us from doing", "at least 10 hours of rehearsal a day including tech and costume run throughs!", "But it paid off as our next show, 'On Track' received a standing ovation.", "Infact the next week all 3 shows got standing ovations!", "The second week we also performed our bumper, 'Magic' for the first time", "The bumper is a small production number that the cast performs at the opening welcome", "Where the cruise director tells everyone about all the fun that's instore.", "This week I also signed up as a volunteer for the spa.", "I got a facial and a hot stone massage! Volunteer work can be so much fun!!", "Well I'll keep you posted as things progress. Next month its off to Alaska!", "I hope all is going well for each and every one of you.", "By the way, props to my cousin Danielle who competed recently in a dance school competition", "I've posted some pics from the event under 'Family and Friends'..", "Keep signing the Guestbook. Because you know I love reading what you guys write.", "I love you guys.", "Dance4Life/Dance4Ever!", "-Destiny" "Well I am in Alaska!", "It is really beautiful.", "I hope to be taking some excursions soon.", "I'll post my pics just as soon as I get them together.", "We are busy learning and rehearsing a new bumper.", "It's going to be a lot of fun.", "I've also posted an updated link to the Kaci Music Video, 'Tu Amor'", "You can download it right to your harddrive.", "It's a big file so again, I can only recommend it to Broadband users:-{", "You can find it under 'DANCE' and then 'COOL STUFF'", "I hope you are all having a warm and wonderful summer.", "Keep signing the Guestbook. Because you know I love reading what you guys write.", |
Destiny's Journal |