On October 22nd, 2005, Cal State Fullerton's PASA held their 14th annual Friendship Games, where colleges from all over California, as well as UNLV and Arizona State, came together for some fun and games, food, and friendly competition; and of course, the very first performance of the year for Team Millennia and TM Juniors. Being a brand new freshie on TM myself, the process of preparing for Friendship Games was a new, tiring, sometimes painful, but unforgettable experience.
Practice for Friendship Games began back during TM dance camp up in Lake Arrowhead, where we listened to the music for our set for the first time and learned the girl's and boy's pieces (who knew Jed could be so sassy?). Since that weekend, TM has practiced weekly on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, and TM Juniors have practiced Tuesdays and Saturdays to get ready; and of course, there have been many post-practice trips to Molcasalsa. On October 16th we had our very first TM boot camp, which included six hours of dancing, sweating, and push-ups. Following boot camp was "hell week." I think we all spent more time at the studio than anywhere else that week.
Probably the most special part of preparing for Friendship Games had to be the night before when we all car-pooled to Cal State Fullerton to practice staging, and met at "Under The Bridge," where it all began. It was great to see where Team Millennia was born, to see where all the alumni and the returners had danced, and to know the history of the family that we are now a part of.
-Prelude Recap
-Friendship Games First Team Performance
-Mavyn Ent. Update
OTHER ARTICLES
-Dance-a-thon
-Through the eyes of
a spectator
-Life as a TM Dancer
- Mavyn/TM Social
-Upcoming
Performances
Countless hours of preparation went into this competition, not only from the members of Team Millennia, TM Jr's and Mavyn and all the competing teams. Even more time and planning went into this event for Mr. Danny Batimana, Emily Celis, Tony Calub, Michelle Maramba, John Abas and Jed Florano. Without their incredible dedication and long hours of work put into running the show, as well as the teams, Prelude 2 would not have happened. So a big thank you lots of love goes out to each and every one of them, because without them, none of this would have been possible.
So now on to the event. As November 13th drew nearer, each team had their version of "Hell Week" and practiced long hours, into the early morning to be ready. To promote the show, a group of 8 TMr's went out to visit local teams such as CADC, Groove 57, and MCIA, to tell the dancers about the show and invite them to attend. After a few more late night practices, November 13th was here.
Team Millennia, Mavyn, and TM Jr's all arrived bright and early at the Citrus College Performing Arts Center to set up the areas for the dancers. Throughout the day it was their job to greet the performers as their arrived, show them to their dressing areas, give them their cases of water and their specially decorated boxes, and make sure they were taken care of. As time for the show drew nearer, people began to line up, looking forward to the great night of entertainment ahead. Unfortunately for some, the show had been sold out for nearly a week, forcing some people to search frantically for tickets others were willing to part with. Of course this just shows that demand for tickets was high, increasing the anticipation for the show to start. Those who were selling the thunder sticks were out in the lines and in the audience before the show, working it and showing their selling skills.
Before we all knew it, the show was starting. Prelude 2 had amazing performances from Channel Islands (last year's victors) , Undeclared, Carson StreetDance, Valencia High School all-male team, and flipSIDE in the Future Division. The Modern Division consisted of the crowd pleasing performances from PAC Modern, 220, FORMality, Sickstep, and the defending champions, Common Ground. And of course there were extraordinary performances from all the exhibition teams, including Miguel Zarate's Filthy Gorgeous, Breed, Unity LA, Urban FX, and Trinite's own Team Millennia, TM Jr's, and Mavyn Entertainment Co.'s debut performance.
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The audience at Prelude 2 was one of the best I have ever seen, and their energy was definitely felt up on the stage by all the dancers. In the end, the judges chose FORMality and flipSIDE from San Diego as the winners of the competition. Way to represent San Diego guys! Congratulations to all the boys from FORMality and flipSIDE, and to all those who competed and performed. Prelude 2 was definitely an amazing way to kick off the competition season of 2005-2006. Thank you to all who attended, supported, performed, and worked Prelude 2. Can't wait to see you all again at Prelude 3, which guarantees to be even bigger and better. Until next year!
Click here to view more photos of Trinite from Prelude 2
MAYVN ENTERTAINMENT UPDATE Kellie Anne
Partying and Performing in October
It was a fun-filled month for MAVYN. Along with grueling rehearsals, OCTOBER had performance after performance with a little bit of partying and socializing. It started with a performance on October 1st at USC for Barrio Fiesta. The USC Troy Philippines featured different artists and performers for this event in celebration of Filipino-American History Month. There were Mavynites walking around promoting our NEW sponsor APB (American PIG Brand, don't forget to check it out!). And we were given shirts and hats from APB's newest line of clothing, Record Playaz. After the performance and more promotion of APB, the Mavynites headed back to the studio for their very first social with the new TEAM MILLENNIA of 2005-2006. The night was all about fun and games between the MAVYNITES and TM. The fun began with the infamous ice breaker that introduces MAVYN to TM and TM to MAVYN. Minute after minute they talked and they listened and talked and listened. The room filled up with smiling faces and laughter.¬Ý One game was played with groups mixed with members from TM and MAVYN. ¬ÝThe groups were given a word (LOVE) and told to come up with as many songs that use the word, and a performance to go along with it. Group after group, the night was performance after performance. FUN TIMES with the TMers and Mavynites!
The month ended with two very important performances. One performance was for the Latino Youth Conference at the Anaheim Convention Center. There were 1200 kids eating lunch as MAVYN was on stage dancing, and the music skipped. Despite the crowd not knowing what to expect and the music skipping, Mavyn had a great performance. It was fun and exciting to perform for these kids. Afterward, we went around passing out flyers promoting PRELUDE 2.
The last performance of the month was our DEBUT in San Diego at the House of Blues. The performance was a Choreographer's Showcase presented and produced by Toe Knee Nguyen of Urban FX. It was our first performance in front of our peers, including Funkanometry LA, Funkanometry SF, the newly introduced Funkanometry SD, Urban FX, Culture Shock San Diego, Filthy Gorgeous and plenty more friends. We were nervous and excited. Also, among friends were recruiters for dancers and our very own sponsor APB. After our performance, the MAVYNITES partied among friends and family.
Performance, party, performance and party were not the only things on the agenda for MAVYN. The rehearsals were grueling and long. But most importantly we have been rehearsing for two big shows coming up in NOVEMBER. We’Äôve got PRELUDE 2 and our benefit performance for BRAVO. These are two totally different sets and our heads are full of choreography. You need salsa, we got it’Ķyou want swing, we got it’Ķyou want go-go's, we got 'em’Ķyou need african, we've got it’Ķand hip hop? Believe me, we definitely got that!
Watch out DECEMBER, MAVYN is ready for the world!!!!!
Click Here to check out Mavyn's new sponsor - APB-American Brand Pig
And then the day we had been practicing for had arrived; Friendship Games was here. All of us arrived at the studio bright and early to do our hair, make-up, make sure our clothes matched (besides JC ;oD), and do a runthrough of our sets with members of Trinite Inc. as our audience. Then, after re-doing our hair and make-up that we had sweat off during the run-through, and taking pictures of our big happy family, we all piled into our cars and made our way over to Friendship Games. It wasn't long before we were all standing on the side of the stage, preparing to go on. We all danced and sang to the music that was playing, jumped around in front of the camera crew from USC, or just tried to calm our nerves. Finally, it was time. TM Juniors were announced, took their places on the stage, and worked it while Team Millennia ran under the yellow tape and up to the stage to cheer on their family members. ¬ÝTM Juniors rocked it and looked amazing! Right after, it was time for Team Millennia to take the stage, and after a lot of facials, synchronization, and flying hair, our very first performance as a team was done! We had a tough crowd to perform in front of, and I think TM Juniors and Team Millennia pulled it off.
Friendship Games was an incredible experience, especially for those of us new to the TM family. It has been great working up to this, dancing until 1 a.m. with each other, and growing closer as one big family. Great job everyone; this was our first step into what is going to be an awesome year.
Click here to view more photos from Friendship Games 2005
News from TM Juniors Mizuki Tadokoro
The TM Juniors' first major performance of the year is complete! Opening Prelude 2 at Citrus College, the Juniors could feel the immense energy in the theatre and¬Ýused it throughout their entire set to perform to their fullest. Their show demonstrated a collection of choreography from the likes of TM Juniors leadership, Mavyn, and more. Cheering on from the wings, Jeff Viray, Alexis Avila, and Mizuki Tadokoro, the TM Juniors' Artistic Director and Captains, respectively, said they were very proud of their team and couldn't wait to get them back on the dance floor ready to train for their next performance. The Juniors held on strong throughout the entire day, arriving at 9:30 am, and put on a stellar show. After their much deserved break, their rehearsals will start up again, preparing them for their next performance at West Covina High School in the winter.
Also the Juniors have been busy celebrating Thanksgiving and taking their pictures for the website. The Juniors families all congregated at Alexis Avila's house on November 18th for a huge holiday dinner full of love, laughter, and karaoke! There was no hesitation in bringing out the Magic Mic which was in constant rotation through all the talented young hands of singers and dancers in the house. Special guest performances by the host, Alexis, and the TM Director, Danny Batimana, brought roars of cheers and laughter. Members from TM and Mavyn also showed to have fun with their "families" and indulge on home cooked food. The day after the party was the TM Juniors' two-day photo shoot! Tony Calub, Emily Celis, Danny Batimana, Michelle Maramba, and Droo Mascarinas were stationed at the studio all day while TM Juniors were getting ready for their half hour long sessions. The pictures are currently being examined and edited before their final release onto the website. Tony’Äôs work is always very professional and well done and the TM Juniors can't wait to see how they turned out.
This band of kids and teens has been incredibly busy and after their well-deserved break, are more than ready to kick it back up into high gear for the last month of 2005. They would like to thank everyone who has been supportive of them and continues to support them through their training process.
