Carnival Choreographers Ball

The 12 Year Anniversary

Micheal Jackson's "This Is It" Choreographer, Travis Payne, received The 2011 Carnival Lifetime Achievement Award.
 

The Anniversary Carnival show on January 26th, 2010 @ Club Avalon in Hollywood, CA was out of this world. From beginning to end, the show never missed a beat. Carey Ysais once again manifested his creative imagination on stage. Poreotics, winners from Season 5's America's Best Dance Crew, blew the crowd away with their legendary unique moves from their winning season and even added a few hidden grooves in between. Coveted choreographer, Travis Payne, received The 2011 Carnival Lifetime Achievement Award. He is best known for his invigorating work for Micheal Jackson's "This is It" tour.  MSA choreographer, Stacy Walker, created a fabulous performance to honor Travis for his years of service with a mix full of numerous hits from The King of Pop. After the performance, The Lockers (2010 Lifetime Award Recipients) and Kenny Ortega, director of "This is It" tour announced Travis to the stage. The well kept bald headed man accepted his award from Carnival creator, Carey Ysais, with honor and was truly grateful for the continuous love and support the industry issued him.  

The word for the night would be EFFORTLESS. Every single piece was just ease and flow. When you see dancers on stage and the choreography disappears, that is when you know you are in the presence of professionals. Every single piece was at that caliber. The LXD brought their Hulu.com series to the stage. The evil mastermind ticked away about his mischievous plans, while point dancers in hot pink tutu's, crumpers and numerous umbrellas surrounded him. Andre Fuentes did an amazing rendition to the classic 80's ballad "If I Ever Fall In Love" by Shai. 15 of some of the sexiest male dancers in Hollywood made the audience swoon with a brilliant performance filled with improvisation and Andre's visionary choreography. The smoothness behind these men in button collar suits was impeccable. Rhapsody created a trio of couples, where the men were the puppets. The biggest surprise of the night was that Rhapsody performed! It's been a while since we have seen her spread her talent as a dancer and she revealed a hot new short hairstyle to boot. Of course she owned the stage and killed it with her partner, Derrell Bullock. Matt Cady was a musicality genius. His cast captured every unexpected level, accent and lines that Matt had envisioned. The audience was left mesmerized and speechless. Team Roast came out and murdered a Missy Elliot mix to classic hits like "All N My Grill." J.R. Taylor pulled the audience into Alice in Wonderland with a tea party theme and explored costumes and a variety of funky styles. Galen Hooks proved less is more. She performed a duet with Damien "D-Moe" Gomez and the simplicity behind the idea of them arguing and getting dressed to go out was outstanding. The way they used their pauses was genuine, because they forced you to feel the emotion of their love story. Phlex took Nicki Minaj's "Roman's Revenge" and flaunted his incredible imagination with a science lab. The best moment was when 2 drag queens came out and "weerked" in red along with the rest of the cast.  Erica Sobol exposed her true identity once again with her work on stage to "Cosmic Love" by Florence & the Machine. This song is so powerful and Erica's breathtaking work always magnifies her song choices by ten. In Hollywood, it's hard to not loose yourself and Erica consistently remains loyal to who she is as a choreographer and a person. Her musicality and pedestrian movement is just compelling, but it's the team effort of her cast that always makes her work a success.  Dee Caspary produced 2 duets and the use of 2 black males and 2 white women was an interesting interracial contrast. So You Think You Can Dance dancers like, Channing Cooke and Brandon Bryant, were simply beautiful. I loved how the women were the strong technical dancers and the men added a manly hip hop version to the choreography. Leslie Scot came into 2011 as a risk taker. Her transitions, direction changes, use of contemporary movement and clean lines was truly impressive. You could tell that Leslie really challenged herself with this performance and she succeeded.  Robert Hoffman, the biggest joker of the industry, did his thing with his boys, Nick Wilson and Tony Bellissimo. Just when you thought you were safe from Robert's humor, he pulls his pants down at the end and shows his butt crack. (He's Crazy) But I admire his confidence to never care what other people think.  Every act was fabulous. Poppin Pete & Lady Boogaloos, Sideswipe, Gregg Russell, Free feat Ocean 11 and Kelly Peters also gave incredible performances.

The night was truly inspirational. Normally The Industry Voice would issue a Carnival Top 5, but every once in a while it's impossible to just list 5, so this month we have a Top 10. The Industry Voice is a platform "Where Every Artist Can Be Heard." My team and I strive to return to basics and remind everyone to love dance for what it is, ART. It's not about who is in it or who created it. It's the pieces that touched us as viewers and stays in our minds and hearts. That is what inspired The Industry Voice Carnival Top list.   

All Photgraphs were shot by Brian Thompson. 

#10. Dee Caspary

#9. Rhapsody James    

#8. The LXD  

#7. Team Roast  

#6.  Galen Hooks  

#5. Travis Payne Tribute

#4. Poreotics  

#3. Andre Fuentes   

#2. Erica Sobol - BREATHTAKING! 

#1. Matt Cady   

Matt Cady, best known for his choreography from the popular ABDC crew, Fanny Pak, is a genius. Since Season 2 of ABDC, not only does Matt and his crew keep Fanny Pak strong, but he continues to step out and spread his individual voice. This performance left everyone in aww. I literally saw numerous people around me drop their mouths after this piece ended. The life, the lines, the transitions, the musicality, the cast, the movement and just the pure love of dance exploded on the stage. It might have been Matt's best work yet.  

The CliffsNotes of Dancers' Alliance

Does this tale sound familiar? It should, because 90% of dancers aren't educated on how important Dancers' Alliance is to our industry. I know I wasn't. Knowledge is power and it's time to become enlightened. I decided to take advantage of my network contacts and I got a hold of Co - Chair/ LXD member, Galen Hooks and board member, Dana Wilson. They graciously broke everything down with an interview and The Industry Voice is here to supply the "CLIFFSNOTES" version of Dancers' Alliance (DA). It's time to break it down, where anyone can understand and gain power over their competitors.  

Google.com defines the word Union as "an organization of employees formed to bargain with the employer." Now read that definition again. Go ahead. 
 

Let's face it. Most of us are naive and we don't know we have rights. Especially all you dancers who are booking music videos from LA Casting with a top recording artist and were paid only $50 for 8 -10 hours. Do you realize that is less then minimum wage? But we suck it up, because J.Lo or Jay-Z would look great on our resume. No! No! No! We have to value our self worth. They want us for a reason. So they need to pay us for our services. This is where Dancers' Alliance comes in. Their mission is to educate dancers on their rights and inform us when laws and regulations have been passed or improved. Since the union can't fight for us, they will.
 

4.  How do readers sign up as a member?

Levi Walker

LA's Most Versatile Photographer

Featured Dancers from left to right: Kherington Payne and Lindsay Richardson.

Levi Walker. Agencies love him. Casting directors' respect him and dancers/choreographers are dying to shoot with him. Levi is one of the most coveted photographers in the dance & entertainment industry and has taken Hollywood by storm.

His clients include: Teresa Espinosa, Tabitha & Napoleon, Marty Kudelka, Dave Scott, Kevin Stea, Chonique Sneed, Lissette Bustamente, Rhapsody James, Gilbert Saldivar, Matt Cady, Dana Wilson, Kherington Payne, Nick Wilson, and so many more.

Levi has a keen eye to capture the perfect headshot for casting directors searching online for the best candidates. It's his laid back personality that make artists feel comfortable in front of the lens. It's his one on one service from beginning to end. It's his trademark white background that cancels all distractions and truly features the client. Colors pop and eyes shine in every photo. Levi has discovered a system where dancers consistently book. Period.

Levi understands and knows first hand what makes gatekeepers open the door of opportunity.  His 25 years of experience as a trained singer/actor in the musical theater circuit, gives him an advantage over his competitors. Before making the move to LA in 2000, he spread his voice in the Big Apple and 12 other countries around the world. He was even one of the producers for the Off-Broadway production of,  "Groovaloo", starring The Groovaloos, at the Union Square Theater in NYC. "Take equal parts 'Fame' and 'A Chorus Line'. Add Hip Hop and mix well." -New York Post. The show was a smash hit, received rave reviews and even achieved an encore with a 36 city National Tour in 2010.This is why his credibility is well deserved and why he is Hollywood's most versatile photographer.

Before leaving for the Holidays, on November 24^th, 2010, I received a special treat and shot with Levi for my 2011 headshots. I arrived early to watch him in action with fellow dancer, Lindsay Richardson. The afternoon started with Christmas music playing in the background and then Levi decided to switch it up. He gave Lindsay the luxury to plug in her own IPOD. She ended up shooting her session to hot songs, like Drake's upcoming single "I Get Paper." It blew my mind. It was crazy how laid back and chill the atmosphere was for such a prominent photographer. I don't know about you, but I still have insecurities in front of the camera.

Levi and his team: make you feel 100% stress free. From the moment you schedule an appointment, the Walker Photography team doesn't miss a beat: hair, make-up, wardrobe, directions and encouragement. They remove the pressure from you to make every last decision. Levi and his team truly care about what is best for the client.

In 2010, Levi became the artistic director behind the brand new NOHO Pac in North Hollywood, CA. It is an amazing facility full of art, photography and creativity.  If you live in the LA area make sure to check it out. http://www.nohopac.com/

 On January 25^th, 2010 Levi Walker was kind enough to answer a few interview questions

1. What inspired you to jump from a professional singer in musical theater to a career in photography?

"I started doing headshots, because I needed a business I could do for myself and I knew that I could do it.  I love helping people with their careers, I always have.  It became a craft I knew I could learn how to do. I took it from a different angle than most. I looked at it as a business, as opposed to an art. How do we market young people or anybody to casting director and producers. The photo is the first glimpse into who the person is. If you are misrepresented, then you miss your own introduction and you can lose a job."

2.What is your thought process behind shooting your unique headshots?

"Headshots aren't brain surgery." People focus so much on headshots being super creative and the bottom line is, it's a marketing tool. That's it. Marketing is repetitive and very plain. My favorite example is Desperate Housewives. Their wardrobe is always the same. Colorful, clean and non-distracting. That is why I shoot a lot of headshots on a white background, because the only color popping off the page is that specific color in an outfit. I change it up a lot with background colors, but White is my favorite."

3. What is the best advice you can give artists about booking with their headshots?

"Casting is partially about a memory game.  I know whenever I've been a part of a casting decision; we talk about the talent as "the girl in the yellow pants", or "the guy with the Mohawk".  Wearing clothes that you wear in your headshots to your auditions helps them remember you!  Wear something that stands out in the crowd-something loud! There are too many people to remember - HELP them remember you. One client forgot his shoe. So we had him wear one red and green shoe. He followed my method and kept this as his trademark for auditions. 3 weeks later he booked a job, b/c casting came out and searched for the guys with 2 different shoes on."

4. When dancers hesitate to shoot with high profile photographers, like yourself, because they feel it's to expensive, what are your thoughts?

"People are always surprised when they find out how inexpensive my headshots are compared to the quality of images they receive.  Dancers are usually hesitant to come to a professional headshot photographer and spend a few hundred dollars, but the bottom line is what is the value of you getting a national tour with someone like Lady Gaga. Just ask Montana Efaw who shot with me and then booked Gaga shortly after. How badly do you want the job? It shows how much you value what you do. When you shoot with someone who is focused on you and your career and has the knowledge of what casting agents and directors are looking for. I don't know necessarily think that my headshots are the best. I think they are professional and a good caliber and represent the talent well. Artists spend a lot of money to get headshots and you don't know if they will work or be good. That can rely on a billion things. You. A bad hair day. The photographer. Sunlight. Rain. Anything. The reason why shooting with me is different is, because we focus on taking all that uneasiness and the questions out of process and no matter what - you'll get a great shot."

5. How do you create such a laid back atmosphere and still produce professional headshots?

"We focus on the customer service side of things, because people are always so nervous about the whole situation of getting headshots. We focus on making them feel comfortable, answering all their questions and walking them step by step through the entire process.  Most photographers' say: " Ok. Want to book? Great. See you next Tuesday @ 9am and give me your money." Rather spending time talking with the client about their careers, where they have been, what they want to accomplish and how they want to get there. I have online system that takes care of all my clients. The second you book with me you immediately receive a thank you and directions. Then they also receive an email with the itinerary, policies/ procedures and educate the performer all before they walk in the door. By the time they shoot, they are so relaxed and they feel like they really know me. They feel comfortable. They get to know Levi as a person. They know we have their back. They don't walk in the door having a billion questions, because most have already been answered. And take care of them all the way up until they actually get their prints."

Want to book a shoot with Levi Walker in 2011? Check out the following contact information:

www.leviwalker.com

bookings@leviwalker.com

310-591-5595

www.facebook.com/levus111

www.twitter.com/@headshotsbylevi