Southern California teenager and ballerina Bryn Watkins to star in Cinderella at Irvine Barclay Theatre
Mom Dana shares memories of raising a daughter destined to dance

15-year-old Bryn Watkins can’t quite recall the exact moment she fell in love with ballet because as long as she can remember, she’s been dancing. “I’ve always danced and I don’t know how not to dance,” she says. “I suppose that means somewhere along the way I fell in love with it but I think that’s just always been.” Indeed, ballet has been a big part of her life since she was a little three-year-old attending “mommy and me” dance classes. Today, she practices anywhere from 20 hours to 30 hours a week—all while balancing school, volunteering as the pianist for her church choir and trying to be a “normal” teenager. Bryn’s hard work has paid off; as a member of the Maple Youth Ballet, she has performed in a few productions, including the Nutcracker, Diamonds 2.5, Balanchine’s Valse Fantasie and Balanchine’s Serenade. This April, she’ll dance the lead in the classic fairytale Cinderella at the Irvine Barclay Theatre for one day on Saturday, April 3, 2010 at 1:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Bryn credits the support of her family, particularly her mom, with her success. “My mom has been integral in my development as a dancer. She always reminds me to ‘dance with joy’,” says Bryn. “When she was young, she was an avid dancer herself, and I feel privileged to continue her dream through my own endeavors.”

L.A. Kid Stuff asked Bryn’s mom Dana Watkins to share her memories and experiences fostering a love of dance and raising a little toddler into a successful ballerina. 

Here’s Bryn’s mom, in her own words:

I have a photo, taken when she was about three years old, of Bryn dressed in a little pink leotard and tutu, and holding the first nutcracker in her (currently huge) collection. Below the photo I wrote, “Bryn wants to be Clara someday.” Like many little girls, Bryn loved to dance, dress up in tutus and tiaras, and pretend to be a ballerina. However, unlike most of those little girls, Bryn’s interest in ballet never flagged or waned, and her talent was apparent early on. From the time she started real ballet classes—at age 5 or 6—she had a phenomenal teacher who is something of a legend in Orange County: Helen Clarke.

Miss Helen taught Bryn for several years (5? 6?) and Bryn continues to drop in to take an open class from her whenever she can fit it in. Bryn really caught the ballet bug under Miss Helen’s tutelage, and from then on there was no stopping her. When Bryn was 11 years old, her old studio folded, and she made the move to Ballet Pacifica. It was there that she caught the eye of David Allen, who directed the Nutcracker, and suddenly, at age 12, Bryn was living her longtime dream of dancing the role of Clara. Subsequently, Ballet Pacifica folded, and Charles Maple rescued the “orphaned” dancers and gave them a wonderful, secure new home.

Bryn has danced in productions of Coppelia, Nutcracker, and numerous other ballets, most recently appearing as the Snow Queen and Mirliton in Nutcracker. She has been named a semifinalist in the Music Center Spotlight competition for the second year in a row. She has been offered a full scholarship to Ballet West Academy, and has received scholarship offers from other institutions as well.

As for her dreams and goals: It’s simple. Bryn wants to dance. She is most alive when she is dancing. She never tires of it, she never complains about the time it takes (although she does regret that her social life is so compromised; she wears a t-shirt that says: “I can’t. I have rehearsal.”) Most of all, she is always willing to put in the work necessary to get better, to get that extra fouette or two inches of extension.

Outside of ballet, Bryn is also an accomplished pianist. She has taken piano for about 7 years, and although she doesn’t put in the practice time on the piano that she should, she’s pretty darn good. She is an honors student carrying a full load of AP and honors classes at El Modena High School, and she gets up early every morning for a 6:30 a.m. religion class. And she doesn’t get enough sleep. And of course, she dreams of the day she will get her driver’s license—although figuring out when she will have the time to go to Driver’s Ed is a conundrum. So in many respects, she is a normal teenager. It is only when she puts on her tights and toe shoes that you realize she is anything but.

Cinderella

Maple Youth Ballet
Irvine Barclay Theatre
4242 Camps Drive, Irvine, 92612
Saturday, April 3, 2010
1:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Ages: All
Cost: $28 adults; $22 children and seniors
Website

Baby Steps to a Greener Life

Now more than ever is the call to environmentalism and conservation more crucial. From the world’s steady climate increase to the suffering Polar bear population, signs of global warming are too prevalent to ignore. Cause for even greater attention is the fact that the way we live our lives can contribute to, or help alleviate, the global warming phenomenon.

This year we hope to take real steps–even if they’re baby steps–to practice conservation, sustainability and environmentalism, and to bring our kids along during the journey. The earlier we cultivate a respect for our planet, the more routine green practices will become for our kids.

Here are some of our ideas to be more green, but don’t forget to also regularly check out the Green Living section of L.A. Kid Stuff for ongoing suggestions.

Educating Ourselves

Go Green Expo Los Angeles
Spend this weekend hearing suggestions on how to live more sustainable lives and what products are the most environmentally friendly, from baby and kid stuff to household cleaning supplies. (MORE)

Sustainable Sundays at the Natural History Museum
A monthly series at the Natural History Museum that brings together experts and the public to find green, innovative local solutions to far-reaching global problems, from climate change and water conservation to land use, preserving our environment and protecting Earth’s biodiversity. The first workshop for this year is this Sunday, Others planned include Waste Not, Want Not about recycling and World Water Day L.A. on water conservation. (MORE)

The Environmental Protection Agency Website for Kids
An excellent Global Warming primer for kids (and anyone interested in the simple lowdown on the topic, for that matter). Graphics, videos and colorful photos engage kids while educating them.

Nature.org
An excellent website that will explain, then help you calculate your and your family’s carbon output with a handy online calculator. carbon footprint calculator estimates how many tons of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases you create each year. Your average compared to someone in a developing nation will shock you.

TheGreenGuide
This site has real world tips on how to live more environmentally responsible lives, from using energy efficient light bulbs and recycling to rainwater harvesting and tips for greener travel.

Earth911.com
Want to know how and why things are recycled, from paper to plastic to electronics? This website will tell you. Get tips and how-tos on reusing everyday objects to composting in your backyard. News articles about everything on recycling. The best part of the site, a search engine that will connect you (your zip code) to the nearest location where you can recycle types of items that you specify (such as batteries, computers, glass, etc.)

Buying Local and Living with Less

Shop at Farmers Markets
Not only do Famers Markets offer locally grown produce which is good for the environment and our local farmers, but the prices on organic goods are often cheaper than what you’ll find at your local Whole Foods or specialty brick and mortar. Add to that the abundance of children’s activities at many of these Farmers markets and it’s a win-win proposition for the whole family. Check out our updated Kid Friendly Farmers Markets list HERE.

Be Green with a Green Thumb
The only thing better than buying from a local farmer is growing your own food. But in the concrete jungle that is L.A., not everyone’s dwelling is connected to a plot of dirt suitable for a garden. You can still teach your kids the importance and benefits of gardening at your local community garden. The Los Angeles Community Garden Council lists community gardens near you. Community Gardens are like public parks but are maintained by the public. For a small fee you can use a plot of land–designated for you–to grow your garden. You will tend, cultivate and harvest from your own plot. (MORE)

Kids Toy Making Workshop
What’s better than kids learning to make their own toys, teaching them creativity as well as self sufficiency. It may not make all of your family’s big retail box toy needs disappear, but an appreciation for and sense of pride in something made with their own hands may lengthen the time until your next stop at the toy store. (MORE)

Creative and Crafty Kid at Craft ‘N Sew Program
A do-it-yourselfer’s best resource is Hands on Third, where next week a six-week Craft ‘N Sew session will start for kids ages 5 and up. The session will include Puppet Making, Costume Design, Recycled Art, Decoupage, Make your own Robots, Monsters and more! (MORE)

Family Activities Fostering Love & Respect for Nature

Plant Trees Together
It’s not what you’re doing, it’s who you’re with…except sometimes it is what you’re doing, and who you’re with makes it that much better. It’s not written anywhere that volunteering as a family for activities such as community tree plantings can’t be fun as well! Next weekend join an Eagle Award prospect plant 34 trees along a business district in Long Beach. (MORE)

Whale Watching
The beauty and grace of creatures of the ocean can spur discussions on how they live, their habitat and the interconnection between people, animals and the earth. (MORE)

Restoration Parties at Ballona Wetlands
You don’t need a reservation to learn about birds and the importance of their natural environment at the Ballona fresh water marshes or to take an in-depth tour of the Ballona salt marshes and sand dunes. Do so on the second and fourth Sunday of each month, then understand the importance of what you and your family are doing when you help restore the sand dunes and trails at a Restoration Party. (MORE)

Behind the Scenes at Disney on Ice Worlds of Fantasy

This holiday season while many of us are at home drinking eggnog and spending time with our families, Todd Straley will be hard at work making sure his own extended work-family brings extra cheer to your holidays. In fact, this is the way he’s been spending the majority of the past 13 Christmases: on the road with various traveling ice shows. But don’t feel sorry for Todd just yet, because this Company Manager of the Disney on Ice Worlds of Fantasy show loves what he does, and admits that its perks make up for any shortcomings us grounded mortals might recognize.

Being the person in charge of a unit of 100 employees including performers, crews and concessionaires is a big responsibility, and one that has brought him around the world and to every single one of the 48 contiguous United States. In fact, it’s best to ask not where he has been, but where he hasn’t.

The Disney on Ice Worlds of Fantasy North American tour began in August and will continue until April 2010. In June 2010, Todd and the unit will bring the show on a four month journey through China, Southeast Asia and Australia. If you consider all of Todd’s travels on his own time and add his travels for work, he’s pretty much been everywhere except Russia, Africa and India. Even that may soon change as he says Disney on Ice is looking into expanding to India.

“I love meeting new people and bringing the show to different places,” says Todd. “I’ll watch the show and the audience and you see the kids light up and they just go crazy and are so happy.”

Todd’s sense of pride and love of the show is evident as he recalls memorable moments from each country. But as the Company Manager, he must also keep in mind the happiness of 100 other people in the Unit who ultimately determine the quality of each performance. That’s why during the holidays, Todd ensures that there are enough activities to make any tour member feel right at home…on the road.

“We do a Secret Santa gift exchange and we’ll have breakfast together Christmas morning, do the show and maybe have dinner together on Christmas night,” he says. His “touring family” as he refers to them, will repeat the togetherness at New Years. “We’ve become a really close knit family. That’s what happens when you are all touring together.”

No doubt good company and good management do a lot for the Unit’s morale; and when morale is good, the shows prove it. Disney on Ice Worlds of Fantasy promises just that as it pulls out all the stops. From talking, life-sized Lightning McQueen and Mater cars a soaring Tinkerbell high above the stadium to a Lion King ensemble and the Little Mermaid and her prince to a Princess pre-show with Cinderella and Tiana, this show is as good as it gets.

Judge for yourselves just how good the Disney on Ice Worlds of Fantasy show can get. It’s not too late to purchase your tickets for the Staples Center shows this Thursday – Sunday. Next week the show moves to the Honda Center in Anaheim through the 27th, to the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario through January 3rd and will conclude its Southland tour at the Long Beach Arena January 6-10.

Wherever you see the show, remember that in addition to all the talented performers on the ice and in costumes, there’s a guy behind the scenes who makes sure it all comes together. You may see him peeking from behind the curtain, and more likely than not he’ll be enjoying the cheer the performance is bringing to families like yours as much as you are enjoying the show itself.

Disney On Ice – Worlds of Fantasy

Staples Center
1111 S Figueroa St., Los Angeles, 90015
Thursday, December 17, 2009 – Sunday, December 20, 2009
Thursday: 7:30 p.m.
Friday: 11 a.m.; 7:30 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday Noon: 3:30 p.m.; 7:30 p.m.
Ages: All
Cost: $16 – $65

‘Ozo’s for the Kids!’ A Conversation with Ozomatli

Plus a chance to win four tickets to their
Family Workshop at the Grammy Museum!

A little L.A. Kid Stuff factoid: During our BLAK (before L.A. Kid) days, this L.A. mom and her sister L.A. aunt, big fans of the group Ozomatli, were compelled during a Hollywood Bowl concert to start a conga line and pick up more than a handful of Ozo fans along the way. Ah, memories!! So, how excited we were to hear that Ozomatli, a group of former L.A. kids themselves, are bringing their brand of music, “a notorious urban-Latino-and-beyond collision of hip hop and salsa, dancehall and cumbia, samba and funk, merengue and comparsa, East LA R&B and New Orleans second line, Jamaican ragga and Indian ragas,” straight to the little ones!

Ozomatli will appear at the Grammy Museum in L.A. on Saturday, December 19 at Noon as part of the Grammy Family Musical Explorations Series. Kids will be invited on stage to learn one of their songs then the same kids will have an opportunity to perform at Ozomatli’s concert at Club Nokia. (Parents must purchase tickets to the evening concert)

L.A. Kid Stuff recently caught up with Ozomatli and found out they have some great advice for today’s L.A. kids!

L.A. Kid Stuff (LAKS): Ozomatli is intercultural and global in its reach, but also intergenerational. We see parents bringing their kids to concerts all the time, and we plan to bring our own L.A. kid as well. Do you have any plans to create music specifically for the younger set?

Ozomatli (OZO): It’s funny you ask that question because we’ve been talking recently about doing a cd specifically for kids and perhaps doing additional shows that are geared for kids. “Ozo’s for the kids!” is a common phrase that we use. Even if we don’t speak the same language, we have connected with and played music alongside children from places as far reaching as Myanmar and Madagascar. We’ve always invited kids onstage to play with us and we do workshops at schools and orphanages all over the world. You never know, we just might show up on Sesame Street or the like. And you’re right, our shows are inter-generational. We see everything from babies to senior citizens at our shows. We had a 98 year old woman tell us that she loves us and saw us on Dancing with the Stars!

LAKS: You were U.S. State Department Cultural Ambassadors on international tours in 2007. Does that label still resonate with your group today?

OZO: We are a group of kids (relatively speaking) from L.A. who love to play music, so it is still odd to be called ‘cultural ambassadors’. For Ozo, it is another avenue that lets us go to places that are off the beaten path and play our music and connect with people we would otherwise never meet. We really appreciate these opportunities. There are plans to do some trips in 2010 to China and Mongolia and we are always open to more.

LAKS: What is the purpose of your workshops at the Grammy Museum? We love how kids who attend the day show will be invited onstage at Club Nokia that evening. What will the kids do onstage that night?

OZO: The purpose of the workshops is to reach out to our younger fans and do something fun and exciting with them. The kids will get to play music, dance, have a good time, and hopefully learn something from the experience. We’ll teach them one of our new songs and have them perform it with us later that night. Sorry but I can’t divulge too much information about it here, you and you’re readers will have to come down to the Nokia!

LAKS: Any advice to kids or teens who want to get into music?

OZO: Follow your heart and Play Play Play! Know that anything you set your desire on is ABSOLUTELY possible, so follow your dreams!

LAKS: For band members who grew up in L.A., what were some of your favorite places to go as a kid?

OZO: Some of our favorite L.A. spots growing up were: (in no particular order) the train ride at Griffith Park/Travel Town, L.A. Zoo, Griffith Observatory, Placita Olvera, the Shriner’s Circus at the Shrine, MacArthur Park Peddle boats, Tommy’s, the Children’s Museum, Dodger Stadium, Elysian Park, Santa Monica Pier, La Brea Tar Pits, and Venice Beach, just to name a few. As you probably gather, we love our city!

OZOMATLI
Grammy Museum (Family Music Encounters)
800 West Olympic Boulevard, Los Angeles, 90015
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Noon (doors open at 10 a.m.)
Ages: All (Best for ages 5 and up)
Cost: $10 (includes admission to the cool new museum!)

TO ENTER the four-pack of tickets giveaway drawing to see Ozomatli at the Grammy Museum, become a member of L.A> Kid Stuff newsletter list if you aren’t already, then email us at info@lakidstuff.com Winner will be chosen Monday, December 14 and notified immediately. Good Luck!

Visually-Spectacular Animated Film
The Secret of Kells in Town for One Week!

Psst! Word on the street is that there’s a cool new animated film that is a likely Oscar contender and you have a chance to win four tickets to see it this Saturday, December 5 at 2 p.m.!

The Secret of Kells draws its story from the ancient The Book of Kells and offers fantasy, a magical adventure and visually-spectacular style inspired by Celtic Art and illuminated medieval manuscripts.

The Book of Kells is a beautiful manuscript and Ireland’s most precious medieval artifact. Journey with protagonist 12-year-old Brendan as he fights Vikings and a serpent god to find a crystal that will magically complete this magnificent book. The adventure will take Brendan outside of the abbey where he lives into an enchanted forest where a white faerie wolf/girl will befriend him and help him on his quest. In the process Brendan’s own extraordinary talents will be awakened and his courage fortified.

Extensive research into Irish fairy tales, legends and historic Irish locales and monuments went into developing the lavishly-detailed and colorful look of the film. And in a time when digital animation is becoming more and more standard, The Secret of Kells relies mostly on classic hand-drawn animation inspired by medieval art.

“Many of the most influential animation artists still insist that there are stories that are best told with traditional animation,” says Director Tomm Moore. “With our influences and subject matter concerning some of the greatest craftsmen and artists who ever lived we felt strongly that this film is one of those stories.” (Click HERE to see a film clip and the TRAILER)

Be one of the first to see The Secret of Kells at its one-week only Oscar-qualifying run at the AMC Burbank Town Center 8 Theatres starting this Friday. It won’t be back in theatres again until its general release in March 2010!

The Secret of Kells

AMC Burbank Town Center 8
201 E. Magnolia Blvd. #345, Burbank, 91501
Friday, December 4 – Thursday, December 10, 2009
Friday, Monday-Thursday: 7 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday: 2 p.m.
Ages: All
Cost: Kids $9; Adults $10-$12

If you pre-purchase your tickets ONLINE, you will have an opportunity direct $4 of each ticket you purchase to L.A. Kid Stuff’s favorite charity St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Just click HERE and look for the green drop down menu at the top of the page and choose St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, then purchase your tickets! You can also purchase tickets at the Box Office in Burbank, but the charity component applies only to online pre-purchased tickets ONLINE

TO ENTER the four-pack of tickets giveaway drawing, become an L.A. Kid Stuff member by signing up for the weekly newsletter then email us at info @ lakidstuff.com  Winner will be chosen Thursday, December 3rd and notified immediately. Good Luck!

For Canadian filmmaker and artist Stacey Chomiak, her animated short film Tah-Dah is a perfect marriage of nature and nurture. Her love of art and natural artistic abilities began as soon as she could hold a pencil, but it wasn’t until four years ago that she decided to go back to school to Sheridan Institure in Ontario for its prestigious animation degree. The result speaks for itself, as Stacey’s first film and thesis project (she graduated just this past spring) is Tah-Dah, critically acclaimed and accepted and screened at an impressive 21 film fests throughout the US and Canada. L.A. Kid Stuff caught up with Stacey.

SEE TAH-DAH at the Los Angelese Children’s International Film Festival Today, October 17, 2009 at Los Angeles County Museum of Art!

LAKS:  What is Tah-Dah about?
Stacey: Tah-Dah is about a farmer [I named him Farmer Henry] who has a passion for playing his cello up in his barn loft. But he isn’t so skilled at it. He plays and plays, but the notes just keep falling flat – literally. Then one day a bug that resides in his loft [I called him Bentley Bug] decides that he must do something about this awful music because it is starting to get in the way of his living situation! So together the farmer and the bug are able to make beautiful music together, and there you have: tah-dah!

LAKS:  Your characters are so distinct in the film, which came first, the story or the art?
Stacey: The story came before my characters, for sure. I always try to think of the story and then design the colours, characters, layouts, etc from that. Sometimes I make up characters and then a story begins to spill from them, but in this case, my story was first. It took me quite a few passes on my characters to get them to look exactly how I had envisioned them in my head. I also wanted a flatter, graphic-y, textured style, but one that could still be fully animated. That was tougher than I thought when trying to build solid designs.

LAKS: Where did you get your inspiration for this film?
Stacey:My inspiration sort of came about when I least expected it – which is usually how it happens! I was trying to think of ideas for a short film, something that I could tie in with being inspirational and musical – two of my favs in terms of film.  I was visiting my grandparents at the lake one weekend, and a friend of theirs was over and he was talking about an old friend of his who used to live on a farm in a small town in Manitoba, and who became an amazing cellist at Juillard. I immediately had this image of a farmer playing a cello in a loft, and so it began.

LAKS: Tell us about the style of animation in Tah-Dah.
Stacey: For this film, which I knew would be totally just me, I decided to gravitate towards the more textured, old-fashioned cartoons that were done by UPA, and the 50’s Disney style. Those were my biggest inspiration and I just wanted to make a fun ol’ cartoon, and in this digital age of clean Flash animation, you don’t see much of that anymore!

LAKS:  Congratulations on the success of this film. Twenty-one film festivals – very impressive!
Stacey: That makes me very excited indeed! I never imagined anything like that when I was working my butt off at school this past year. I even got to visit a couple film fests in Hollywood; one of them screened at the Egyptian and that was a huge honor.

LAKS:  What is the future of Tah-Dah?
Stacey: The future of my film….good question! Who knows. I am open to anything. Maybe more film fests….perhaps it will make it onto a DVD compilation…maybe it will be an influence for another short, who knows. This whole creative business is unpredictable, but I am just enjoying doing what I love, and seeing where that will take me.

LAKS:  What can we expect in the future from Stacey Chomiak?
Stacey: The future for me is also unknown, but I am okay with that! Right now I have a couple character design contracts on freelance that are keeping me busy. I have a lot of ideas for shorts floating around in my head, I’d love to illustrate kids books, and I am looking for a full-time position at a studio right now. As long as my future has me creating and sharing, that’s all I ask for.

After ten summers attending Circus Camp in her native Peru, Indiana—the winter home for Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Circus before it moved operations to Florida—Tina Miser’s dream was to run away with the Circus. But her practical parents wouldn’t allow it, so they made her a deal: go to college, and if you still want to join the circus, go right ahead. Four years and one college degree later, Tina got her wish and more. She met and fell in love with her husband Brian, then a working circus trapeze artist, and they’ve been living happily under the big top ever since.

In 1997, Brian created his own patented “cannon” and since 2002 they’ve been performing a human cannonball act for Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Circus that catapults Tina and another performer 90 feet across the length of the Circus tent, 35 ft. high at a speed of 0-60 mph in 2 seconds flat. But don’t let the two seconds fool you, there’s a lot of training and preparation that goes into each performance for this acrobat who sometimes will do up to 13 shows a week. “You have to be strong, because you need to make sure your body is tight enough to tolerate the force of the cannon,” she says. “You have to do warm ups and get your body prepped.” Then of course there’s the minor issue of making sure to hit the target air bags that are a mere 15’ x 28’, something for which she puts all her trust in Brian, the trigger man.

“It’s definitely always a rush,” Tina says about her day job. “I never go to work yawning!” This sustained enthusiasm says a lot for someone who travels with the circus 50 weeks out of the year. But in addition to her love for the circus, Tina admits one of the best benefits is spending time with her and Brian’s 5-year old daughter, Skyler. A circus baby, if you will, Skyler is currently homeschooled and loves to be with her parents and her extended circus family. Part of her education is learning about all the different cities she travels to, and Tina and Brian make time to educate her about all the different locations. For Tina, it’s a blessing in disguise. “It can be challenging at times of course,” Tina admits, “But the best part is that I get to spend a lot of time with Skyler everyday, except for the three hours that the show is going on.” During those three hours while her parents are performing, Skylar hangs out with 15 other children of circus performers at the Circus day care.

Asked how long she plans to keep her family in the Circus, Tina has no plans on leaving what she adamantly says “is truly the best show on earth.” And as for how to handle little Skyler’s possible desire to follow in mom and dad’s footsteps? “Anything she wants to do, we will support,” Tina says convincingly. Well if it’s true that kids only want what they can’t get, maybe Skyler will want an average career when she grows up.  Nah, we’re not betting on it.

SEE Tina fly through the Circus at the Staples Center in Downtown, Los Angeles this week!