Shanghai Blog Three

Hi everyone,

It’s been a busy week so far but I am still going!!
These past few days have been so busy yet so busy. I had the opportunity to perform at four different cities outside of Shanghai! The picture as follows is in Guangzhou where there is a bridge and a beautiful lake.

I have been so blessed to have made more friends and connections with so many other people.
It is so nice to be busy and I am so grateful! There are so many more things coming up and I am very excited to say that Fashion week is coming up in Shanghai and I will be participating in a couple fashion shows here for ELLE magazine; featuring china fashion as well as Vera Wang!

Although being so busy is a great factor, it does come with stress. I have been in meetings that have left me frustrated and indifferent but has helped me to learn more about not only myself, but many different kinds of situations. I can vouch to say that I am very well with talking business with others when it comes to my concerns and needs, but being my age, some don’t take me seriously. BUT trust me, by the end of the meeting, they know I am not kidding around. haha. A lot of times we need to fight and be confident in what we believe in and how much as dancers we are worth. Sometimes you will need to say no and correct the problem yourself. But all in all don’t ever give up, it’s a learning process and I am still in the process and coming along quite well! #dontdoubtyourself

love and light!

Jonny xx

Shanghai Blog Two

Big City, Big Dreams

Hello everyone,

Just chiming in on my experiences here in Shanghai again! :)
This experience all in all is amazing. I have got to see so many sites such as the THIRD tallest building in the world, and one of the biggest malls and areas as well! I had the opportunity to see the Jingan Temple in the day and at night. They are totally different looking at them during both times of day and I am so happy to have gotten the chance to experience it.

Although being a tourist is amazing and overwhelming, dance and teaching here is amazing. Just performing for an audience of people who can’t even speak english and that can appreciate the art is amazing. The other day I performed with a couple of dancers from China for a press conference at a hotel. This gig was about how they were proposing a new area for building newer and higher end apartments called RuiHong. The whole concept was to show how amazing this place would be and how business people can live and be happy and busy. Obviously we needed to look like business people :D . But this was a great experience and it was a more contemporary feel and I enjoyed it. Photos are definitely to come!

Here right now in Shanghai, it is the holidays. They celebrate what is called the “Mooncake Festival” which I actually have to look more into. BUT, I did receive a green tea moon cake that was amazing. haha. It is amazing for me to watch and actually live in a place with different holidays and different ways to celebrate them. Can’t wait what the next few months have in store for me!!! I will definitely keep you updated! :) Thank you for taking the time to read!

Shanghai Blog One

Hi everyone!

Finally, I have time to blog about my experience so far here in Shanghai. First of all, I am so happy and grateful to be here! No words can express how thankful I am to do what I love doing and to travel the world.

My experience so far has been great! I have been settling in and adjusting quite well to the timezone but I still miss my Hawaii time. haha. I have taught quite a bit of workshops and different studios to get my name out here in China and it all went so great and I can say that the future is looking very bright! For right now, I teach a total of six classes a week most of them happen on the weekends!

The level of dance and energy here is awesome. I am so happy to bring not only dancing and different styles here but as well the heart and passion for it. And that I did. I had lunch with a new buddy of mine, also a dancer, and he shared the typical life of a dancer and choreographer in China. Because of limited resources per the government, access to YouTube, Facebook, and all other american social media networking are blocked and a lot of aspiring dancers do not get to see much that goes on in the dance industry in either LA or New York. For example: if a new style came out and is very popular in LA, they won’t see or know about it till maybe it’s uploaded to Youku (an asia-like YouTube) which a lot of times doesn’t happen.

At this lunch I learned that it is very hard for people of China to get visas or passports to travel to america. It is a DREAM for some to reach LA or NewYork or even the states for that matter. The government holds standards upright to their laws. A lot of Chinese people abused the rights to travel to america and never came back to their homeland-which made it impossible to find each and every one of them, so it is now limited and the person must have a written invitation from the states to get them a golden ticket to america.  This to me made me sad and ALSO made me appreciate life and the opportunity to travel freely.

I have been so fascinated in my short time that I have been here so far and to do what I love…..priceless. I encourage you all to keep reaching for your dreams, and after some of them come true, don’t stop. There is so much more in life to accomplish! :)