Celtic Californian

A proud Mancunian Dancer, Choreographer, Artistic Director and Performing Arts Producer who's heart is calling to her from San Fransisco.

www.brokenrose.eu

Feel free to contact me at celticalifornianblogger@gmail.com



Sunday 30 January 2011

Offline

Hey guys,

Sorry it's been so long. I know I'd promised to be a little more regular with my blogs, but it's been a bit mental lately. I will reveal all with Manchester International Festival's press launch in March. Until then, we're back to my perspective on this weird little world we live in.

Offline. That's what Egypt is. If you've missed it, seriously start tuning into this series of events because it seems like such an other-worldly thing to our generation of internet-lovers. A few nights ago, the Egyptian government disconnected it's country from the internet in an attempt to stop the protest efforts against that very government. The New Scientist has the full story here: http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/onepercent/2011/01/egypt.html but what's making my head tick most is what it's making the rest of the world think about it. For most people, including myself, their first thought is that we couldn't live without the internet, especially since most of us now have it on our phones, but on second look, it's so much more serious than that. This is just one step towards a removal of freedom of speech. Not only are people cut off from saying things that others don't want said, but they are cut off from speaking to loved ones around the world. It's all a bit scary if you ask me...

Now, on a lighter note, I've been progressing through my fabulous This Book will change your Life. Time to update you on Benrik's advice for the last two weeks of January? I think so...

Day 17
Write an uplifting message on a bank note.
I'd never heard about writing one on a bank note before, but I friend of mine did a vlog a while ago about leaving uplifting messages on post-it notes in public places. Such a nice thing to do. Now, I'm a true believer in smiling at people - if a stranger smiles at you in the street, it always makes you smile back. So next time you see a smiley face on a bank note, you never know, it might be from me =)

Day 18
Sabotage Hollywood day.
The 18th January advises readers to tell people false endings of films in the cinema... just like said friend of mine used to tell people the false endings to books. Always the same false ending - "They all die". Tee hee!

Day 21
Today, help put an end to loud mobile phone conversations.
Last week I was advised by Benrik to put an end to loud, embarassing mobile phone conversations by recording them and publishing them on the internet, shaming those who partake in such pastimes. I have to say, I wish I'd had this idea when I was on a late train back from London a couple of months ago - A woman spent the entire journey to Manchester Piccadilly talking about how she "obviously wasn't going to sh*g him" to a friend who clearly didn't want to know. She then proceeded to bully said friend into letting her come round to her house at stupid o'clock in the morning so that she could tell her more. I wanted to gag her.

Hurrah for the new blog!

Much love.
CC.

Thursday 13 January 2011

This Blog Will Change Your Life (Santa's hiding at the bottom)

Hey guys,

It has been a little while again. I promise I will be more regular with my blogging for as long as is humanly possible with my ever-doubling workload. I'm not complaining - I can be a bit of an obsessive workaholic at times!

Anyways, I bought a new book recently (Yay, go me!) called This Book will Change your Life. It's part of the This Diary will Change your Life series, a kind of best-of, if you will. I saw one of the diaries a couple of months ago on a friend's bookshelf and I thought 'd give it a try.

For those of you who aren't familar with the series, it basically gives you something wacky to do each day, and (within reason) I'm going to attempt to do them! Obviously I'm a little behind with it being the 13th and all, so I'll just give you and idea of the things that this edition has suggested for the first fortnight of the year.

Day 1
Day 1 is a warm-up day, offering little exercises "that will only change your life a bit." For example:

Do one press up. Thanks. I feel much better now.
Jaywalk in a pedestrian zone. Man, I do that all the time!
Hold the phone up to your other ear. Try it. It's weird.

Day 6
Today, try food that scares you. What like animals? Sorry kids... no way I'm doing that!

Day 11
Day 11 asks you to insult an alien. Apparently the worst thing you can say to a Martian is "Your Mother is a Venusian Whore." Boo Ya.

I promised that santa would be hiding at the end of this blog post... well, secret santa...


Much love.

CC.

Wednesday 5 January 2011

New Year's Ideas

Happy New Year everyone! Hope you all had a good one! Starting 2011 off with some of my aims, hopes and dreams for this year. As I’ve been saying on Twitter, I’m not calling these resolutions, because then I won’t keep them!

1) Find a flat for the month of July
I’ll be chucking myself in the deep end with two festivals this year – MIF (30th June-17th July) and the 24:7 Theatre Festival (21st-30th July) both in Manchester City Centre. I ain’t commuting back to Handforth – it’s a nightmare! Anyways, it’ll give me the opportunity to grab a scrap of my independence back. You all know that I’m not a fan of living with the ‘rents and so a month immersed in the performing arts industry and away from home would be heaven. Of course I’m also thinking of the parties!

Another place lived in is another chapter in my life :)

2) Get as many Broken Rose Performances out there as possible.
Broken Rose currently have two tour dates in the diary:
14th February 2011 – dance solo at “Open Mind” event, Earth café, Manchester
28th October 2011 - performed extract of the play “Bitten” at “Open Mind”, Earth café, Manchester

I’m working on some more as I blog, and I have some ideas for larger scale events, including a dance parade. Keep your eyes peeled on the website rockstars!
www.brokenrose.eu

3) Learn to drive
I’ve been meaning to do this for a while. My mate said she did it in 3 months, knowing my hectic schedule, I should probably aim for the end of my contract at MIF – 4th Oct. I gotta be able to do it by then!

4) Attend the IETM conference in Krakow, Poland
This fabulous international performing arts conference takes place between the 6th and the 9th of October, and is perfectly placed after my contract ends. I can’t miss this one. I may even be joining my old boss there!

5) New Workout – 3 times a week
Because sitting behind a desk is no good for my ass!
Single Arm Crunches (20 each side)
Intermediate Squats (x50)
Inner thigh raises

6) Go back to ballet on Wednesdays
Self explanatory, really.

7) Try and get a book published, whether that be poetry or prose.
I’ve had many writing projects in the pipeline for a while, and I’m determined to get at least one of them out there somewhere this year. I should probably finish them then... !

8) New tattoo
Crossing my fingers for a new forearm piece by Leah Moule. The tattoo will focus around a celtic key, going back to my Irish roots. Really excited by the concept and at the prospect of getting tattooed by such a famous artist.

9) New York trip – December 2011
A crazy but cool idea me and my mate have been batting around for a while. We WILL go to New York, and we WILL do it this year! =D

10) APAP – January 2012
I know it’s jumping the gun a bit, but I need to aim for this in order to get me to California. APAP is a huge performing arts conference/performance showcase in New York. It’s the key to getting into the US industry, I’m told. So that’s two New York trips then? Phew!

Now I wanna hear yours!

Much love.
CC.