My friend and sister in comedy Marina Franklin loves house music! I mean, she LOVES it. If there is a house music party in NYC, she is there! For the past few years I have been telling Marina I was going to go dancing with her, but I always fake out. Now that I am doing my 30 Days of Dance, it would not be complete without me dancing with Marina!
Yep! It's Day 11 of my 30 days of dancing...and this is starting to be lots of fun. It's also a challenge because I am so tired....but no matter what, I make sure I dance for at leats 45 minutes straight! Tonight I went to the Bigger and Better Thangs (BBT) party at Club Remix in NYC. It is a party for Full-Figured women and the men that love and support them. Basically it's a place where plus size women can go and let it all hang out...without dealing with the bullshit at other clubs that cater to skinny chicks!
I know most of you are like WTF? What is a BIG GIRL party....well, although I have mixed feelings about them, I must say I had a ball at the BBT party! It's hosted by my good friend MIKE (who is laying his head on my chest in the pic above) and is one of the best parties in town. Lots and lots and LOTS of guys (black, white, asian) who love plus size women....and this is the place to go for that!!!
Tonite was amazing! Me, Tia, Lanisha, Alicia, Kendra and Edwinna went to the FREEDOM PARTY's annual tribute to Michael Jackson.
They play Michael Jackson and related music ALL NITE LONG!
It was so much fun! DJ Herbert Holler is the best! He even play the demo version of P.Y.T before Quincy Jones came on board and produced it. It was FIYAH!
When we arrived at 11pm when the doors opened, the line was already wrapped around the corner!
We danced for hours! I am having so much fun with my friends! WATCH THE VIDEO of me and TIA having fun after the party!
It's day 9 of my "30 Days of Dance" and I am tired as hell! I have been dancing everyday for 9 days straight! What in the world made me come up with this idea.
Lanisha and I had so much fun last week, that we decided to take Lauren's class again that the Mark Morris Dance Center in Brooklyn!
The class was jam packed! Lauren is so popular....they need to give her a BIGGER ROOM!
After class, Lauren showed me a few more moves!!!! I was so tired I could hardly keep up, but she altered the difficulty for me a bit. But believe me, during the real class, Lauren works you out like crazy!!! It's such a great class!
Tonight I had a ball dancing at the Belmont Lounge with Kayla and Tia! Every Sunday is Reggae night, and it gets packed so we went early. It's also free for women before Midnight...and you know Iooooooove to get in FREE!
Lots and Lots of cute jamaican boys were there, but what I love most is that the BELMONT LOUNGE is such a mixed crowd! The dj is great!!!!
It's Day 4 of my "30 Days of Dance" and I spent the evening at The Marriot Marquis in Times Square celebrating the the grand finale of Full Figured Fashion Week. Much love to Igigi for providing such a fabulous dress for me to wear!
The event was produced by the fabulous Gwen Devoe and featured some of the hottest plus size designers in the world!
I was so excited that I danced during the show as the model walked the catwalk, and I also dance d a bit during the after party! Although I did not do a full 45 minutes of dance, I did shake my booty and had a great time!
I went to the show with my great friend, Designer Yaovi Marius Ahiale and the fab diva actress Kit Williams!
The show was amazing and I was so proud to be a part of this event! They even gave me a special thanks in the program....I was too excited!
It's Day 3 of my "30 Days of Dance" and I decided to venture into the west village to dance the night away at The Freedom Party! All I can saw is WOW!!! This is the hottest party in NYC for sure! (WATCH VIDEO BELOW)
Every Friday night at Le Poisson Rouge Dj Herbert Holler, DJ Cosi and DJ Marc Smooth throw an amazing party where every body dances!!! I felt so FREE !!!! It was great to be at a party where people just enjoyed themselves and let the music move them!
I went to the party with my lil sis Kayla, and my partner in crime, comedian Yamanieka Saunders! We danced 3 hours straight!!! The party was packed...and we SHUT IT DOWN! We were the last 3 people to leave!!! (security actually kicked us out!)
We met a bunch of cool people. There was some really cute guy named "Carmello" and we took a bunch of pics with him for no reason. 2 cool ass drunk girls took pics with us too! We had a ball!!! Next week is the Michael Jackson Tribute! It's going to be so live...so get there early!
The Freedom Party NYC is New York City's longest running weekly Friday night dance party. Recently the winner of Papermag's highly coveted award for "Best Party of 2010 (Peoples Choice)," and runner up in URB Magazine's "Best Party of 2010" (nationwide), Freedom was created in 2002 by Herbert Holler, DJ Cosi and Marc Smooth. Their mission was to bring music back to the forefront of nightlife, and to provide a weekly home for people from all walks of life to dance and be free, regardless of who you know, what you wear or how much money you make. Playing an incredibly tight of mix of danceable hits from the 60s through today, including hip-hop, R&B, rock, reggae, soul,New Wave, house music, salsa, merengue, electro, Afrobeat and more, the Freedom Party NYC continues to fill its dance floor each week with people from all over the globe.
Ladies: free before midnight, $10 after
Men: $10 before 2:00am, $15 after
CAAL members receive reduced $10 admission all night; All students receive $5 admission with valid Student ID. Discount taken at the door.
ZUMBA! ZUMBA! ZUMBA!!! The world has been going crazy for Zumba and now I know why!
For the 2nd day of my "30 Days of Dance", I decided to go to the Mark Morris Dance Center in Brooklyn to take a Zumba Class.
My friend Lanisha went with me, and seeing that we are both sista's who know how to "work it", we just knew that Zumba would be a piece of cake! WRONG!!!!
This dance class was amazing....it was fun....and it is a WORKOUT!!!
I loved the instructor Lauren Rosenstein because not only was she a fantastic dancer, she looked like she was having fun.....and encouraged everyone, no matter what their skill level, to dance and enjoy themselves! And if anyone still thinks that white girls can't dance, then you are not ready for Ms. Rosenstein....she has moves that put me to shame!!!! As a plus size woman, attempting to go to a dance class, especially one at a professional dance company can be overwhelming. I am so happy that Lauren made me and all of the women feel like superstars!
After a night of dancing with sexy gay strippers the day before at SPLASH, I was so tired. I am surprised that I even made it through the Zumba class....but I did and I am proud!
Zumba is every Tuesday and Thursday from 7pm-8pm for $15 per class.
ZUMBA® is a dance-based fitness class using international music and steps – Salsa, Cumbia, Merengue, Swing, Tango, Samba, Reggaeton (Latin/Funk), and more. Nonstop energetic routines feature intervals with fast and slow rhythms in addition to resistance training. No partner or previous dance experience required. Recommended attire includes comfortable workout clothes and sneakers with non-marking soles. Two Open Level classes are offered on a drop-in basis.
Lauren Rosenstein
Lauren Rosenstein is originally from Monroe, NY and began dancing at age 3. She studied ballet, tap and jazz at Mayra Kennett Dance Centre. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a dual-major in Dance and Communication Arts. In 2008, she became a certified Zumba Instructor, Pilates Instructor and Personal Trainer. In January 2010, she went to Uganda to study traditional dance and to teach at local orphanages and private dance schools. Lauren is currently working on her Master's Degree in Dance Education K-12 at New York University. She loves to dance and have fun, especially in the Zumba Party!
The MARK MORRIS DANCE GROUP was formed in 1980 and gave its first concert that year in New York City. In September of 2001, the Mark Morris Dance Center opened in Brooklyn, NY, to provide a home for the company, rehearsal space for the dance community, outreach programs for local children, and a school offering dance classes to students of all ages.
I had a ball! I danced my ass off....literally! This was the most amazing night!
It started off with a fabulous private dinner at SPICE MARKET , hosted by my wonderful friend and chef Marja Vongerichten, wife of three-star Michelin chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten (who owns Spice Market). I wish I would have taken pictures of the food. Marja treated me like a Queen...and I can not wait for her TV show Kimchi Chronicles, a new, 13-episode series on PBS to air! She is a rockstar and I feel honored that she and Nathan would invite me out to dinner to begin my "30 Days of Dance" celebration!
DJ MK is the resident DJ for Ocean @ Splash and she is so talented! MK really knows how to play music that makes you DANCE!!!! By far, she is one of the baddest DJ's in the country! I danced for 2 hours straight and I feel good!!!!
Much love to Nathan, Marja, DJ MK, DJ Bobby Duron, Jabbar and all of my buddies that made my opening night of dance a big "Splash"! Especially the STRIPPERS!
