Here I am...The One And Only Ushi from HOUSTON, TEXAS--BABY!!!! I love to travel, & I share all of my Recaps for everyone to enjoy! I am also a HUGE Les Twins Supporter (Don't know who Les Twins are? You gon' learn today...LOL!)!!!!!!!!
That’s right–it’s my BIRTHDAY!! Time to TURN UP…well…maybe after I work :p WHOOP!!
So…just how I was able to attend this event? A friend sent
me a flyer online on FB…. you know the one that looks like this (I brought this flyer home from the Event):
This was just pure luck–& there was NO WAY I was going to miss this Event in my own city. I was able to find the website and search for all the RedBull Events happening during those 3 days—all tickets were showing available at that time (early April). The tickets were FREE (YES!) and only limited to a maximum of 2 tickets for each event. I was only able to attend the Friday LT Workshop/Dance Your Way Afterparty at a venue called The Secret Group. The first Event was called:
Workshop: Dancing on the World Stage
Doors opened @4pm that afternoon. The outside looked empty, but the inside of the venue was nice… here’s a photo of the well-known RedBull Ring in the smaller room (not where the Workshop/Battles were held):
There was a waiting area where we could just chill/use the facilities/get refreshments—pretty cool. The room that the LT Workshop was held opened @ 4:45pm. There was an announcement made that LT was going to be late—but LT arrived @ 5:05pm—only 5 minutes late (they are getting better at that…LOL)! I got to hug both Larry & Lau (their scents—don’t get me started 0_0) before their Workshop began. I told Lau that he needs to come back to Houston more often Lau said “I want to come back more often, but I always have a busy schedule…” :/
LT were kind of puzzled as the number of dancers was not what was expected: they were notified that there were @ 30 dancers (Sold-Out Workshop)…but only 13-15 dancers were on the floor. There was also an argument in between the 2 regarding which way they should face to dance (YAK films wanted to get a good angle to record their footage)—a good 5 -minute French argument 0_0. I was on Lau’s side:
I was also able to get a photo of LT both teaching:
During the middle of the Workshop, LT wanted the dancers to “stop being shy” & to “loosen up”. They said that “[we] will show them more love when they put their heart into their dance”—and from that point on, all of the dancers went full-out. I was able to get a small video of Larry’s final choreo: x There are plenty of other videos out there for Lau’s choreo…. I guess because I was on Lau’s side for the whole workshop, I didn’t want to video his choreo? Je ne sais pas…. :/
After the LT Workshop, there were a Panel Discussion about the Dance Culture & the Community held in another room while some people remained in the room that the Workshop was held because the All-Styles Battle was about to begin there as well. LT went outside to get some food from the food trucks that were parked in front of the venue. I stayed in the Workshop room to just chill & wait for the:
All-Styles Battle
The All-Styles Battle was intense! LT were judges (they sat on a couch on a stage near me) along with 2 other dancers. I was a part of the circle around the RedBull Ring (we had to always be alert and clear out of the way of the dancers). The battle consisted of 2 vs 2 vs 2 vs 2…a 4-way battle…..or 2 vs 2 vs 2—a 3-way battle to condense the time for the event. The judges pointed their arms to the side of the dancers who would advance to the next round, or they would place their arms in an “X” to denote that they could not decide (these votes started right when it was just a battle of 2 vs 2). This was my first RedBull BC One experience, and all these dancers were INSANE! I had to scoot back a couple of times because I did NOT want to interfere with anyone’s round 0_0. Once the Semi-Finals Round was over, I noticed Lau was pacing back & forth on the stage (he REALLY did not know who he was voting for—and he did not want to vote an “X”). I turned around and shouted at Lau “C’est bien.” Lau stared at me for 5 seconds—the proceeded (in English) to tell me 10 reasons as to why his decision would NOT BE OK…LOLOLOLOLOLOL (he was really panicking)!!! Cracked me up! Larry was saying “just vote” …LOLOLOL! After they counted down from 5 and pointed their arms to the winning team, we finally had the last 2 surviving teams for finals. The 2 other judges on the couch came down to do some freestyles during this time. Next, the Finals went for 2 Rounds at first, but Lau said that they needed 1 more round to TRULY decide. Before that final round, LT did small Freestyles. The winner of the All-Styles Battle went to the finals in Switzerland 0_0 After that everyone celebrated with the winners with hugs and high-fives. It was then time for the:
“Dance Your Way” Afterparty
There were 2 rooms used for the Afterparty: both rooms had different vibes. Larry floated from room to room, and a lot of people kept following him…LOL. I followed him to the other room one time to see what was happening over there. As he was switching rooms to come back closer to Lau, he stuck his tongue out at me (sounds familiar?) then grabbed my right arm as he crossed into the neighboring room…Lau pretty much stayed in the same room as the Workshop/All-Styles Battle. There were times when a great song was played, and Larry ran back over to be close to his Bro & preceded to destroy the song with PLENTY of musicality. LT occasionally got upset with one of the DJ’s because he would play a song…LT would vibe with the song…ask the DJ to keep playing that song….but then DJ would change the song after 30 seconds—that got LT MAD! The DJ never allowed LT to vibe COMPLETELY with a song :/ Another DJ came on, & things got better after that 0_0.
Headed out from the Afterparty @ 1:45am and went to go eat because I was STARVING! RedBull throws a great event!
I’m going to miss those 2 goofballs…but I will see them again…soon… ;)
I’m back! Please excuse my tardiness of this Recap as I am currently displaced in Philadelphia due to Hurricane/Tropical Storm Harvey. Gonna try to do this quick Recap of the LT Workshop in Camden, New Jersey….
My trip began with Hurricane Harvey approaching my city–Houston. I was able to catch a flight out early Friday morning. As my plane departed, I was able to actually view the storm heading towards us before the place circled around to head North 0_0
As my plane landed in Philadelphia, there was a Philadelphia local news crew trying to interview passengers who were originally from Houston. They came right next to me, but I quickly moved clear out of the way— I don’t like to be recorded on video cameras. I was able to catch a quick Hotel Airport Shuttle ride to the host hotel: The Doubletree Hotel Philadelphia Airport:
I was able to check into my room early, and I went out to peruse Downtown Philly. A small collage of my outing:
From the top left corner going clockwise:
1.) The DoubleTree Hotel Philadelphia Airport
2.) Citizens Bank Park–home of the Philidelphia Phillies Baseball Team
3.) A view of Downtown Philly
& 4.) I was able to try a cannoli again from Cafe Crema—SO GOOD!!!
I headed back to my hotel room to rest up for the next day for the:
LT Camden, NJ Workshop
Had my tickets ready:
Here’s a pic of the drive into New Jersey:
It only took about 10-12 minutes to drive from the hotel to the High School–all of the traffic was on the other side….hehehehehe
Once my friend & I arrived to the High School (we arrived @ 2pm….doors for ViP opened @ 4pm), we just hung out until it was time to go inside. There was a candy station table that was awesome! Here’s a few pics of the VIP area before LT made their appearance (they were still doing an interview with StopDropDance):
LT came into the VIP Meet & Greet Area @ 4:35pm & were met with a warm welcome from the crowd. They went straight for the candy station…LOL! There was a huge bowl of Extra Large Gum Balls that both Larry & Lau went to first–Lau placed 3 in his mouth, & Larry tried to speak to everyone while trying to chew one gum ball–but someone told him to spit it out. So….he did….& placed the piece of gum on the table they were sitting at…LOL! They talked about events that are happening today–and that they were sorry that they did not get a chance to talk about recent events more (their busy schedules sort of left them “blind” to some issues that’s happening right now). They explained that they want to do more for their fans–more than just dancing. They have ideas that they want to put into action in the near future. I think I remember typing about something like this in a Recap from a while ago….no? Here’s a pic of LT while they were speaking:
I was able to get a quick pic with 2 VERY nice guys–John (IG: @john_stayfly66):
& another pic with Rod (IG: @rod_evant_nyc):
The host committee handed out goodie bags with t-shirts & waters to everyone in the VIP group–a very nice touch. After the Meet & Greet everyone got in line to get photos with LT. We were then told to head over to the gym (about a 3 minute hike) for the Workshop (I opted to skip the photo line to find a good spot in the gym). Everyone who was not VIP were already inside of the gym. I found a nice spot on the riser at the bottom–no need to go up all of those steps…lol. I was then asked to grab some more waters for a few people in the gym–but I had to go all of the way back to the VIP Meet & Greet area to find those waters. When I made it to the VIP area, LT were almost finished with the photo line….so I decided to get my pic with them at the last second. Lau & his crazy self wanted to dance with me…so…I did. I then shifted gears because I knew that so many people were waiting for them to start the Workshop…I told Lau, “Hurry up! You need to be dancing in the gym–not over here! LOL!” Larry started to dance with us, too….but then Lau told me that he “didn’t want to dance with me no more"….silly Lau. Blah. We took our picture & they wrapped up the VIP Meet & Greet…not sure if the pics StopDropDance took are out yet…..?
LT came into the gym about 5 minutes later & were greeted with a dance group that did a small routine right away. LT quickly got their individual groups started with after they warmed up. I was on Larry’s side, so I got to learn his entire routine–just as a spectator, of course (I noticed Larry messed up a few times…LOL!). Here are a few pics of Larry & Lau teaching their groups (notice anyone else in these photos??):
During this time, I was receiving notifications on my cell phone left & right about tornado sightings & flood warnings in Houston…my mind was so not into the LT Workshop (I also got a notification that my flight back to Houston was cancelled). My parents decided to stay in Houston–and that was where my mind & heart were at–not Philadelphia :( After I was able to get in contact with my parents (they were OK), I started to enjoy the Workshop a little more. After LT completed their routines, they did a small cypher at the end (no video….sorry…my phone had to stay alive so I could contact my parents). They then invited everyone who had After Party Tickets back to the area we had the VIP Meet & Greet. There was food set up for us to munch on…and of course the candy station :D At this time, I had 2 weird things happen to me at different times while I was eating: I had 2 ladies come up to me separately to ask if LT was still at the school…..I told them yes–they were still here–they were just letting us eat for a bit while they change/etc. I guess they thought that LT was supposed to make an appearance while we were eating…?
About 15 minutes later, the host committee led us through a shortcut back to the gym for the remainder of the After Party. Larry came in right behind us…looking for a speaker to plug his cell/iPad into for music. He found a chair to sit in, but it was not near the outlet that the speaker was plugged into (it had a very short cord). I called Larry over to the side where the speaker was plugged in, he started the music, & began a small cypher round him. Lau came in @ 5 minutes later–but he had his own small cypher around him. Lau eventually came over to Larry’s cypher & they began to dance with each other. There are small video clips of them dancing on IG/etc…I didn’t get to record any of it. They danced for an additional 30 minutes….& then it was time for everyone to go (per an announcement from Security). My friend & I ended up in an area where we got to see LT one last time & gave them hugs (they were en route to Italy)….then it was time to get back to our hotels.
Definitely not one of the best Workshops I attended due to the circumstances, but I will give another LT Workshop a chance…perhaps…Atlanta?
P.S. : Due to the Houston Airports still being reported as closed, I will be flying back to Houston on 9/2/17…..from Boston! Going to stay with family there until things get a little bit better in Houston. Yay!
Time for #tbt…here’s a video of LT when they were at Planet Funk in July of 2014. During the freestyles/cyphers, the breaker kept tripping & would stop the music while everyone was dancing–made EVERYONE upset…lol. As you can see, no music does NOT mean no dancing (I know there’s a lot of negatives in this sentence, but meh). SN: Notice when Lau saw that the power came back on for the laptop, he called it “etricity”…close enough, Lau….close enough…
Anonymous asked:
When Lau kissed me on the cheek, it was quick..but he did it in such a way that my head had to move/tilt because he applied pressure with the kiss 0_0
Repost from @sandycitydance using @RepostRegramApp - This Sunday April 3. Los Angeles. @officiallestwins #workshop @drdancestudio 6pm -10pm get tickets now at #lestwinsla.eventbrite.com
Have lots of fun!!!
Anonymous asked:
ushi-la-la answered:
Sorry, anon…I tried to use my cell phone app called SoundHound to figure this out…but no such luck :(
Well… there you go, anon! Thanks, @starkboo for your help! I’m sure you made this anon’s day! The song used in the Camden Workshop is called “ICU” (Intensive Care) by Aleise. :)
Oh, was their dancing as intense as it was back in 2012?
Not sure, @snazzyskeletor…..I wasn’t in Camden, New Jersey ;)
I had a great time on this trip…although I was very tired (will explain more later on)… here’s a collage of pics from my first day in the Philly-area:
Starting at the top-left & going clockwise:
1.) My very nice hotel room (no free upgrades this time…boooooooooo)
2.) An outside-shot of my hotel in Langhorne, PA (only 15 minutes from the workshop that evening)
& 3.) The white door that lead to the:
I AM Phresh LT Workshop
*Finding this studio was really confusing. There were two addresses listed online (we figured-out the correct address), Google Maps took us to the wrong destination, & finding that white door was driving us CRAZY! Thank goodness someone finally answered when I called the studio; otherwise, we would have been driving around in circles looking for that place! 0_0 There was a flag with the name of the studio on it, but there was no signage anywhere 0_0
*After we entered the studio, the dancers wore pink arm bands & were allowed to go inside the dance area. Spectators wore white arm bands and were only allowed to wait in the Lobby (people in the Lobby were getting anxious because the dancers started a Freestyle Session). After about 45 minutes, we were allowed entry into the dance area, but we all had to stand behind a line of tape that marked the area for us spectators. Note: there were no chairs, so we had to stand for the entire Workshop; however, if you were sitting on the ground, you couldn’t really see any of the Workshop. Very interesting. My friends & I walked to where the DJ was playing music–the speakers were extra loud (LT love it when the music is super loud).
*Lau arrived first & started Warm-Ups. Larry arrived @ 10 minutes later. Both of them greeted Smart Mark at the front of the dance studio. Here’s a collage of Lau speaking to the dancers right after he arrived to the studio:
*LT started choreo (I was closest to Lau’s side). Lau got really sweaty because he was going full-out at times. Larry kept zipping-up the back of his pants…LOL! Here’s a collage of pics during Lau’s choreo:
*When it was time for final choreo, Larry went first…then Lau (definitely a permanent pattern that I’ve realized). After final choreo, they sang one of their new songs (Lau didn’t want certain new songs to play because “they were not finished”) & danced to them as well.
*A Freestyle Circle was formed, but….I was so tired. I found a large speaker to sit on to give my feet a rest. Lau then came over & danced next to me with his sweaty & silly self…click HERE to view the video below to see how tired I was–& I even waved away Lau to get him to “shoo”…messed up my hair & stuff–LOL!
*At the end of the Workshop, they got everyone to form two lines to take pictures w/ LT. I exited out of the dance-area & actually stood in a doorway that was seen as a “one-way exit” & thanked everyone for coming to the Workshop after they had gotten their pictures taken. After all pictures were done (& I had found a VERY comfortable chair to sit down on), Larry came through the “exit doorway”–but he lifted my chin with his right index finger & asked me “Are you OK?”…he could tell that I was very tired. I told him that I was fine (just extra tired). About 15 minutes later, Smart Mark & his staff started to shout that it was time to go. We all headed back to our hotel to rest-up for the next day to go to:
Central Philly
*@ 10am Saturday morning, my friend & I decided to venture into Central Philly. We parked our car close to Geno’s Steaks to explore the area. Here’s a collage of my findings…starting clockwise from the top-left corner:
1.) A view of Central Philly
2.) Geno’s Steaks–when I did research on where to find the best Philly Cheese steak, this was the top answer!
3.) A cannoli in a dark-chocolate shell from Café Crema—so yummy!
4.) St. Paul Parish–a very beautiful Catholic Church
5.) We strolled through the South 9th Street Italian Market–so many smells, sights, & people (VERY busy Saturday morning)
6.) My very first Philly Cheese steak–EVER–came from Geno’s Steaks–DELICIOUS!!
*Decided to stop at a nearby gas station because I was thirsty..& yes…I bought one -_- LOLOLOLOLOL!!!
*By the time my friend & I made it back to our car, we noticed that the line for Geno’s had wrapped around the front of their building O_O It was then time to go back to the hotel, get refreshed, & head towards:
Dance Craze
*Getting to Dance Craze was a good hour & 20 minute drive from our hotel. We parked in the venue’s garage: Here’s a pic of the venue, Zoellner Arts Center:
*There was a pretty nice-sized crowd already seated as the show had begun (we were about 10 minutes late). Different schools/groups performed on stage–they were all great with lots of energy! Half-way during the show, they found @ 6 kids from the crowd and had a dance contest. As 1-by-1 were eliminated based on the cheers of the crowd, the winner ended up being a little girl–she was AWESOME!
*LT performed at the end of the show, & we didn’t know whether to sit or stand during the performance (we ended up sitting down so that everyone behind us could see). I was able to video the whole performance (please excuse my voice): Click HERE to view. At the end of the show, they announced that there was an After Party to be held at a casino’s night club that was nearby (only ages 21 or up could attend), so we decided to stay in the general area. Around 10pm, we headed towards the:
Dance Craze After Party
*This was located at the Vision Club–inside of the Sands Casino in Bethlehem, PA.:
*We spent our time in the VIP area on the 2nd level–because….why not? :D
*There was a dance contest for $500 @ 12:30am. We watched the whole contest from the 2nd level. I’m not sure who won–couldn’t understand what the man on the mic was shouting… ????? O_O
*LT arrived @ 1am, & they came straight up to our VIP area & danced throughout the night–with us & with each other. Larry gave each of us hugs, & he once again asked if I was OK. I was feeling better, so he was happy. I told Larry that they had JUST missed the Dance Contest for $500, & he said “Awww, man”. Lau had twisted his necklace & was working on getting it untangled. He quickly gave me a “peace” sign…because he knew he had been super silly with me the evening before. Another lady who was in the VIP area asked Lau about his hair. Lau said that “he bought this hair…for now” & that “he wanted it long”….Sorry, y’all–no pictures/videos were allowed in the VIP area ;)
*When the DJ played Fetty Wap’s song “My Way”, LT belted out the part where Fetty Wap’s voice changes as loudly as they could–like on “my way-y-y-y-y”…they were so SILLY…LOL!!! O_O They ordered fruity drinks–no alcohol–but somebody spilled Lau’s drink on the ground :( But that was OK–he just drank Larry’s Shirley Temple Drink..Lol.
*I saw Lau playfully-push Larry over a couch…just SILLINESS O_O
*Right before the club closed, Lau et Larry decided to go downstairs to dance with the crowd. The crowd formed a circle, & LT danced for about 10 minutes. There was an announcement made @ 2:30am that it was time for the Club to close….Boooooooo! This is the 2nd time that I’ve seen something like this happen (started to turn-up…but sorry! Time to go! Grrrrrrr….)–not fair! We all said our goodbyes, and made the long journey back to our hotel.
*I slept for @ 1 hour, then had to rush to the airport to catch my flight. I ended up missing my flight, but I eventually made it back to Houston later on that Sunday–tired & exhausted.
Please excuse my lateness of this Recap. I have been battling insomnia thanks to #teamnosleep (hanging out with LT = automatic #teamnosleep), & also I have a cold thanks to the change of temperature from Philly –>Houston. I think my meds are making me better now, & this tomato soup I am about to heat up is calling my name…
Now THIS is how I prefer to type my Recaps…better, no? ;)
I am still taking a hiatus from travelling to LT Events…gotta work & take care of things at home. I also don’t want to feel as tired as I do right now & how I was throughout this trip–because others can feel/sense that from me–& one has to have A LOT of energy for these events O_O. This is where I challenge others to pick-up where I am leaving off–because I cannot be everywhere with these 2 dorky guys. To all of those who are travelling to LT Events coming up (LA, Atlanta, NY, etc.), please travel safely & share Recaps for everyone to read!
I will be back later on this year…maybe during the Summertime ;)
Now excuse me while I….
–Ushi
Anonymous asked:
Sorry, Anon–I am sick with a cold. I can barely breathe out of my nose, & this wonderful drug that I’m on makes me feel very loopy :( I will try to get my Recap posted on Friday…
Sorry y’all…I am catching up on sleep (#teamnosleep took over this past weekend…I have only had 6 hours of sleep…since Friday 0_0)…I will have my Philly Recap posted Thursday Evening ;)
iamthatspecialgirl
Via @le_katinkat Part 1- A very special moment at the end of Criminalz Week. The boys showed us the new choreography.
