Tag / dance

Signing autographs in a different time zone each week. Waking early to make small talk on morning radio. Snarling as a dirty, corset-wearing character in front of thousands of shrieking teenagers from a sold-out stage at Madison Square Garden. Sometimes even I think it’s play. But it’s my job.

I’ve been dancing professionally for 17 years. I was stretching splits at age seven. I was tapping time steps under my seat in kindergarten. I was counting crunches in the womb (or at least that’s what mom said it felt like). And sometimes even I have to remind myself of the broken rib cartilage, torn hamstrings and transverse fasciae latae insertion tendonitis to remember that professional dance isn’t all passion and play. It’s a job. And it’s a sport.

The Journal of Sports Medicine, in 1975, ranked the demands of ballet ahead of 60 other physical activities, including football. Not only do dancers perform at expert levels of strength, coordination, flexibility and endurance in order to entertain their audiences, but they do it all while ripping open their souls and baring their most vulnerable emotions at the same time.

Try screaming at the top of your lungs while running a mile. Try sobbing while swimming your laps. Try cracking up the other players on the court for two minutes.  If any doubt was previously held about the added exertion of emotional output, it will disintegrate with your sweat and tears.  There is no question in my mind: dance is one of the most challenging sports.

And still, after 17 years in the business and my dream gigs solidly sorted on my resume, the question I get asked more than any other is, “But how do you build muscle without eating meat?”

My legs are visibly powerful and hold me in extreme positions. When injured, my body repairs damaged tissue at a rate that surprises even me. I can master any athletic movement after seeing it only twice. And if it is really true that the body replaces itself entirely every seven years, then all my squats, yoga poses, split leaps and stair climbs are performed flexing 100% plant-nourished muscle. In the past 25 years, my body would have replaced itself three times over. I’m living proof that a professional athlete’s body thrives cruelty free.

I remember arriving on tour in the rhythmic, percussive STOMP show in January 2003—Little Miss Sunshine claiming to be a raw vegan (eating only uncooked fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds). My new cast mates smiled with a knowing look in their eyes; they’d seen spouses take up girlfriends, the religious take up blackjack and the vegetarians take up fish under the perils of touring life.

Fondly, they called me ‘rabbit’ and I set out without precedence and without doubt that if there were a way to eat raw vegan on the road while performing the most physically strenuous show of my life, then I would find a way. Three years and 600 performances later, the cast mates who once called me ‘rabbit’ were now complimenting my solid figure and inexhaustible energy. This time it was I giving the silent, knowing smile…

It hasn’t always been easy being green, though. In 2007, dancing on my first rock-and-roll tour with the band Panic At The Disco, I was living the rock-and-roll fantasy: wake up, stumble off the bus, perform in a new stadium, party until the set is loaded out, jump back on the tour bus and attempt to sleep in transit to the next state’s stadium. Wake. Rinse. Repeat.

In STOMP, at least I could take a taxi ride to the nearest health-food store, or sweet talk the Hooter’s chef into creating an all-veggie salad and guacamole plate for me. Even Danville, Kentucky’s Wal-Mart (egads!) had organic produce to smuggle back to my hotel. But on a rock-and-roll tour, there are no hotel rooms. And that 2×2 icebox on the bus holds very little space for a veggie stockpile when shared with 11 other dancers. Let’s just say there have been times I’ve had to be very creative (and open-minded) about my raw vegan choices. And there have also been times when my choices have influenced entire casts, and catering and craft services. Things are really changing.

I used to think I was the only one, but the longer I am running clean, the more elite plant-based athletes I’ve befriended along the way.  There is Brendan Brazier, raw vegan Ironman triathlete; Robert Cheeke, competitive vegan bodybuilder; Koya Webb, raw vegan fitness model and personal trainer; and Tim VanOrden; raw vegan skyscraper-racing champion. We all seem to agree that it’s possible to build muscle on the vegetarian diet. Rather, we wonder how it’s possible to chow chemical isolate powders and thrive as athletes. Stress takes energy to digest in the body. It just stands to reason that foods with the easiest digestibility and highest nutrition would leave athletes the most energy to perform their sport. Put your energy to efficient use!

After all, protein doesn’t build muscle; only exercise builds muscle. Why do we allow marketing to interfere with our families’ health education? I see well-meaning folk spooning tuna in between meals, scooping whey into their smoothies and basketing any junk-food bar with a ‘low carb’ label. Never mind that most consumers don’t know what the word carb is short for or what its function is in the body. Instead, they obsess about protein, hoping they will build bigger, better, slimmer bodies, when doing pushups at the office, stretching before bed and turning off that television five nights a week is the path to their healthiest bodies ever. And it’s free of charge.

Maybe it’s the mental myths that have athletes hesitating on that final commitment to making the meat-free switch. To dispel some of those myths, I offered one detailed month of my raw vegan diet to nutritional-science enthusiast, Joanna Steven, just so I could really answer that innocent question, “Where do you get your protein?”  Boy, did I feel exposed writing down and offering up every ounce of kombucha I drank and every gram of spirulina I added in a fortnight.

In the published results of that study, the Raw Nutritional Analysis eBook finds that I, Tonya Kay, get an average of 104% of my Recommended Daily Allowance of protein from kale, avocados, coconuts, seaweeds and the occasional handful of sprouted seeds and nut butters. In fact, my nutritional profile far exceeds suggested government standards on all accounts. And I eat all day long. And my body is lean. And my heart is strong. I am a real-life, raw-vegan, professional athlete.

But honestly, I don’t eat vegetarian/vegan/raw vegan because it makes me a better athlete. I eat this way because I don’t have to wear deodorant anymore, plain and simple. There’s nothing like one’s dance pants wet with peach scent after a three-hour rehearsal in late August. These simple, clean joys are the private experiences that make life delicious.

I sweat cherry juice.

I’m excited about the fire whip, the grinder girl, the precision bullwhip cracking, the balloon swallow, the stilt stunts, the knife throwing, tap dance and flag dance, too.  But you know what excites me most about this video?  I’ve been learning Final Cut Pro X and this is the first project I edited in it!

What a seriously cool gig dancing HiHat’s choreography on The Voice truly was! It was a 7 day rehearsal/performance process spread out over 10 days time and although being up in stilts for long hours can definitely be inflammatory on the body, the process itself couldn’t have been more professional or more fun. HiHat has a sweet, but business-like manner and our rehearsals were all so efficient. Sometimes you feel like you are waiting around and waiting around on set – not under HiHat’s direction! I was used when I was called and that felt so respectful and straight pro. I really appreciate when others demand I be at the top of my game in order to work with them on theirs.

Because The Voice is a competition show, I couldn’t talk about the details of our performance AT ALL before the airing, which means I couldn’t tell friends which numbers I was in or how I looked. I’m so proud of my mom and dad actually recognizing me in my incognito brown wig dancing with Cheesa. You’ll see that I actually got more camera time in Cheesa’s number than in my stilt girl with Jamar number, but no one knew I was me! Haha. Here’s a clip of the incognito brown wig disco number:

Disco dancing to Cheesa’s “Don’t Leave Me This Way” on NBC’s The Voice in my brown wig disguise:

The “sexy stilt girls with guitars” got more press than some of the contestants on the show that nite! All that inflammation was worth it (haha) because the final of our stilt number really POPPED in an unforgettable way. And I love rock and roll, so pretending to be a bad ass bass player really made me feel cool.

Sexy stilt girls with guitars to Jamar’s “Are You Gonna Go My Way” on NBC’s The Voice:

Now you’ve seen me perform with this exact same crew of girls before.  It seems that even in Los Angeles, the largest film/tv industry in the world, performers like us girls are still EXTREMELY RARE.  After all, we are female, trained pro dancers, in all the performers’ unions AND do some crazy specialties!  The last time we were together as a group was spinning fire on Glee’s Super Bowl episode, “The Sylvester Shuffle”.  I love these women.  We have a lot in common.  And we kick ASS.  If you want a radical specialty, you know where to find us.

From one of my favorite musicals comes a line in the song that describes how I feel about dancing burlesque with the Lalas “Nice work if you can get it”.  Yes, we burlesque dancers work hard to give you the most polished, most engaging, most entertaining, most memorable show ever.  But when work is as fun as the rehearsal you see below, you know you’re doing something right.  Camille saving her energy before she DESTROYS it on stage that night, SaraAnne always a bright, fun ray of sunshine, me teaching Erika how to use a lighter and you can actually see our choreographer and company director, Erin Lamont, smoothly navigating between fun and work with her dancers.  Erin Lamont is the heart of the Lalas and why we are such a wildly fun and wildly successful burlesque company.  These women are my family.  I love the Lalas.  Nice work if you can get it:

I joke, “the only wet t-shirt contest I’m sure to win” – my own burlesque act.  Here is a teaser video I edited together of my Wet T-Shirt Burlesque at Hollywood’s Bardot with The Lalas Burlesque.

This articles asks, “Do you need technique to be a burlesque dancer?”  In my opinion, no.  Burlesque is defined by the reveal, not the method of reveal.  The reveal be performed any number of ways;  with or without dance technique, with our without garment removal, (or in my case) with or without lighting fire to an intimate set of costume accessories.  HOWEVER (in my opinion as well) any act in any artistic medium’s value and impact can only skyrocket when expressed through a technically proficient and professionally experienced conduit.  I owe everything I am: elegant, effortless, competent and capable, to my lifetime of continued dance training.  Bring that to burlesque.

http://themostdangerouswomaninhollywood.com http://thelalas.com

graphic design by Stephen Newell

I can honestly say Marino De Silva is as sexy in real life as his guitar playing.  Guitar god, Marino De Silva’s “Possessed” music video stars ME as the leading lady burlesque dancer and features vocals by Benny Mardones.  What a rock and roll day we had on set shooting this – champagne, music and burlesque – nice work if you can get it.  I hope to see more of this musician at his family’s Vampire Lounge in Beverly Hills and on film coming up, too.  It’s time to get “possessed by a demon, baby”.  Be sure to watch through to the end to see a most beautiful shape we found ourselves in:

I got to do sketch comedy with Neil Patrick Harris on the 38th People’s Choice Awards last week!  What greasy gravy gig it was, too.  First of all, I direct booked it because the amazing Erin Lamont was hired as choreographer.  For those of you who follow my performance career, you know Erin is also the company director of The Lalas Burlesque, a company I burlyQ and MC with regularly (come see our next show).  So Erin, is like ‘why cast models without dance training when I could cast my own gorgeous, talented AND funny company members?’.  A performer’s dream come true:  direct booking.

I’ve been training with Second City for a while now and really have come to admire good improvisation skills separate from good comedy skills.  So working with Neil Patrick Harris, who has BOTH skill sets was inspiring.  He was down to earth, kind, had lots of ideas he wanted to implement right as we went live and had big hugs for his fellow performers after our skit was done.  I live on good hugs.

Feed me.

Since cutting my dread locks recently, no one has actually styled my hair.  So I was entertained and delighted by James’ showgirl bouffant as my first styling since soft hair!  And those gorgeous beaded costumes (Marsha let us keep the shoes!).

Isn’t the Universe just cosmic?  The day before I am on set for the People’s Choice Awards, I write this piece about Natural and Cruelty-Free Cosmetics on Set and how no health-conscious vegan actor should worry about asking their stylist what is in their cosmetics because:

The more professional make up/hair artists are generally genuinely grateful to do what they do for a living and have enthusiasm to continue learning about the next newest product, cruelty-free alternative or natural option.  You can really tell the difference in artistry through their open mindedness to their own craft.  It’s like offering a sculptor a brand new clay – a true artist will want to work with it and see what they can do.  The jaded artist will say, “I can’t possibly use that clay,” before they even try it and never grow as an artist again.

And low and behold, when I offered Polly my foundation and make up brushes, she was super enthusiastic, saying I have great brushes and she even loved my raw, organic foundation so much she took photos with her iPhone of the packaging to remember the brand.  She made me look and feel stunning.

We rehearsed and performed in the state-of-the-art Nokia Theatre.  I grew up doing theatre and after 5 cumulative years of touring different stages and stadiums, I have a deep love for the space of a beautiful theatre. Nokia is a performer’s dream come true.

When I came off the road from touring with STOMP, I had a young-life-professional-crisis.  When you’ve lived your dream gig so young, what else is there to dream about?  I spent a lot of time soul searching and traveling the world to discover that to me, having worked my dream gig already, what was most important in my future career was that I have fun, create art that means something to me and work with people I enjoy being around.  Fun, meaning and friendship – those are my current career goals.  So performing with SaraAnne Fahey, one of the most lovely human beings this world has to offer, on the People’s Choice Awards was really just my cherry on top.

Check out the video of our comedy sketch with Neil Patrick Harris on the 38th Annual People’s Choice Awards here:

I was asked recently if I’m concerned about the cosmetics and hair products used on set as a professional actress/model/dancer whom also happens to be a health advocate, vegan and environmentalist.  My answer is simply:  of course!  I spend a lot of time and energy researching the highest quality natural and cruelty-free  products in my personal life, so you know that sort of care oozes out into my professional life, too.

In case you don’t know, when a performer gets hired, their job is to know their material and have their personal shit together so they can deliver AND be a pleasure to work with (that’s how I see it, at least).  We arrive on set and are whisked off to the Make Up, Hair and Wardrobe departments so those artists can do their magic, too.  The first important thing for a concerned performer to remember is that the make up, hair and wardrobe crew are, like you, hired because they are good at their jobs.  They have their reasons for using the products and fabrics they use and you should remember that they deserve the utmost respect at all times.

That being said, you, as the performer, deserve the same respect and it is absolutely okay to ask what is in the products that will be placed against your skin or in your hair.  It is your body after all – you are not a dress up doll or a talking head robot, but a real human being who has to live with your skin and hair and ethical choices after this gig is wrapped.  It’s absolutely okay to ask questions.  Esspecially when it comes from that place of mutual respect for the others’ professionalism in the craft.

If you are a series regular or film lead, you are going to be on set a longer period of time and have the opportunity to get to know your Make Up/Hair/Wardrobe departments personally.  In my experience, when you all know each other, everyone takes your concerns into consideration.  Most higher budget make up artists will have OODLES of products to choose from, so look through!  Mineral make ups are surely a part of their kit at this point and maybe some other surprising stuff.  If it’s a lower budget production, then bring your own kit.  In either case, they are cool people who want you to feel happy, healthy and beautiful on camera – that’s what they do!  So treat people with respect, respect yourself, get to know each other and be patient and flexible.  I’m personally always impressed.

(Except for that one time with the high budget fashion modeling gig where the make up artist seemed like too many photographers had insulted her work during her long career and she was stuck in her ways, refused to use any brushes I brought and threw a snobby fit.  That’s not normal, performers.  She had a horrible attitude.  The more professional make up/hair artists are generally genuinely grateful to do what they do for a living and have enthusiasm to continue learning about the next newest product, cruelty-free alternative or natural option.  You can really tell the difference in artistry through their open mindedness to their own craft.  It’s like offering a sculptor a brand new clay – a true artist will want to work with it and see what they can do.  The jaded artist will say, “I can’t possibly use that clay,” before they even try it and never grow as an artist again.  I feel sorry for bad attitudes – fortunately, it’s not common.)

Unfortunately, when you are a day player or shooting shorter duration gigs, you don’t have the chance to get to know your Make Up/Hair departments and I suggest a fine combination of two things: again, brining your own kit and also a healthy amount of flexibility.  Sometimes, you might bring your own foundation and hair gel and make up remover, but socially, for what ever reason, you had to use products you know had formaldehyde (like mascara) in them.  Try to remain a pleasure to work with (that’s your job) by remembering that your body is so healthy that it will detox 2 days of exposure to this chemical amazingly quickly.  Also remember that consciousness-wise, sometimes just having the conversation and speaking the words does important work and might inspire new perspectives after your work there is done.  Keep your attitude high.  I know it can be trying to care, but it really is worth it and people respect you for it.

Respect yourself.  I say ‘know what is essential’ and bring it with you.  For me, the brush cleaners that make up artists use makes my eyes instantly blood shot and watery.  No one wants me to look like I have hay fever on camera!  So I bring a very nice, clean set of my own, cruelty-free brushes.

Since my eyes are so sensitive, I actually find it essential to request using my own mascara, eyeliner and unless it’s mineral make up, my own shadow.  There are a few brands of make up I can not have anywhere near my skin, for some reason and one is Mac and the other is Smash Box.  I don’t know what they both use in their cream eye shadows, but it’s like hot asphalt fumes to my eyes and sensitive membranes.  Mac is no good for any bit of my skin, actually.  Instant break outs means low-quality chemical-based ingredients.  I know Mac is supposed to be good, but my skin and eyes can’t be fooled with marketing.

I used to start the conversation with “I’m really sensitive (or I’m “allergic”).  Can we use some of my products?”  And again, no one wants your eyes all red and skin all blotchy, so that goes over well.  But the catch is, you MUST have excellent alternatives.  I have a high quality make up kit with more stuff than I ever personally use.  I want my make up artist to feel inspired to see new products and have great stuff to choose from, so I bring options.

Now that I’ve worked with many make up/hair artists multiple times, am doing longer duration gigs and am well-known as the healthy, raw chick on set, I don’t really lie and say “allergic”, I just respectfully say, “I like to use cruelty-free, organic products and yes, I am very sensitive, would you consider using my brushes and some essentials from my kit?”  People are cool!  And there’s always some meaningful conversation that goes down when I’m in the chair.  I really appreciate people sharing that space with me.

Like I said, I bring my personal essentials: brushes, eye liners, mascaras and black shadow.  Next tier is 100% silica high definition powder, vegan lip-glosses and quickly becoming vital is this new brand of organic, raw vegan food-based foundation – it’s like wearing high-quality moisturizer more than a cosmetic.

I use macadamia nut oil to remove my eye liner, gentle oils to ease away my foundation, a clay-based exfoliant twice/week, rose water spritz after a bath to tighten things and pomegranate/rose-hip oil for moisturizer.  I cut my dreadlocks so recently, I don’t really know what products I would need or can support in terms of hair.  I’m still learning about shampoo and stuff myself here.

And finally, I’ve known of several actors whom won’t wear fur or leather as part of their costumes.  Fortunatley, there are great looking replacements for those things.  Eating is usually a case-by-case situation, but I’ve felt super supported by the craft service and catering departments and have learned that if you are to be a long duration regular hire on set, the earlier you can let people know you are a raw vegan, the easier it is for them to help you out.  If you are a short duration hire, then bring your positive attitude and your alternatives.

Remember that nothing is worth being a jerk about – that’s not part of anybody’s job description, so no matter who you are on set, if you are being a jerk, I think you’re doing a bad job.  The more you respect others’ ways of living, the more respect for your lifestyle is reciprocated.

Check out some related links:

Cosmetic Safety Database

Live Studio Audience

True Hollywood Make Up: How To Moisten Mineral Foundation

Most Dangerous Woman In Hollywood Wears Cruelty-Free Cosmetics

RMS Beauty (organic, raw make up)

Alima Pure Cosmetics (clean, loose mineral make ups)

Aveda (killer company on all levels – right down to the packaging)

Rawnessa (really raw skin care out of Los Angeles)

You gotta be the Academy Awards or The Muppets to shut down Hollywood Blvd three nights in a row.  Well, we were The Muppets and this Muppet stuff is serious business!  The 80 dancers were asked to not film or snap photos on set – the magic of muppeteering must remain magical.  In fact, we were asked to not even have our cell phones out on set texting – nothing – because it’s too difficult to tell if we are taking photos or not and better to be safe than sorry.  This Muppet stuff is serious business!  Of course the crowds of fans along our filming barricade didn’t get the memo.  I was secretly delighted to find this high-quality consumer fan-video posted online of our grand finale filming process.  You can see me on screen bottom left with a full head of blond dread locks and a blond “furry” bell sleeved coat to match.  Now you’ll know where to find me in the film, too.  As always, The Muppets are smart and socially poignant enough for adults and fun and cuddly enough for children.  Who here is not a child when they see the Muppets anyway?  It’s time to get things started:

Read how filming with the Muppets is a full-circle artistic event in my life.