The Massive Monkees Blog
Some insight on the life of a Massive Monkee
Performing Arts Initiative
My signature freeze. The boys have a hard time doing that one.
We work on behalf of the State Department in Denmark to better the perception of Americans overseas.
Bustin' Bottles
My favorite thing about working with the coosh team is that they value our input. Creatively we have a lot to say, and when a sponsor is really interested in letting us put our stamp on it then it's a great situation. The viral videos came out good, I was really nervous when I saw a script and I had to break bottles over the Scientists heads. Some had already been used as props in some scenes, so they kept telling me you have to make sure to hit them hard enough. I wanted to make sure they broke so I hit the Scientists extra hard, and I could see that when I watched the videos. I have really sensitive ears and never wear earbud headphones; I like the big oversized ones. But the coosh I was wearing it all day and didn't have a problem at all. So I use them for training but I still have my big headphones for when I'm at the house.
tags: Massive Monkees, Ana Banana Freeze, B-Girl, coosh
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coosh Got Me Out My Day Job
Note: Anna did not attend freestyle session; she took the time to reflect on life as a mom:
I SLOWLY started dancing again a few months after my daughter was born. I was surprised at how much my body remembered the first time I danced again. I felt so relieved. Finding the time to dance was much more difficult. Practice sessions were few and far between. I would do shows every now and then, but it's not the same when you're doing the same thing over and over again. It was just okay, but it wasn't my time yet. From the beginning I spent (and continue to spend) most of my time with my daughter.
She is 2-years old now. She runs around and dances and mimics almost anything we say around her. She is SOOOO fun! She still wears me out, but does a good deal of entertaining herself nowadays. Enough so that at practice she is happy to play with toys for two or three hours in the corner while I really figure out my stuff. Or at home, I can work on some Massive Monkees business without putting her in front of the TV. Life is pretty cool. Being a mom and a b-girl is becoming more and more balanced. I am so grateful for the coosh sponsorship since it's enabled me to focus on both.
I took this summer off of work since money wasn't such a big issue. I got to hang out with Alaina (Terry, Alaina's Dad and one of Massive Monkees founding members, was on the Vans Warped Tour) and did more dancing stuff.
I plan on dancing and doing dance-related projects full-time now (aside from being a full-time mom.) I never did that, even before I got pregnant - I was always working a full-time at a job and danced around that. It's strange because since I have a child, it seems I should stick with sure things and just do the 9 to 5 (especially during this oncoming recession.) But I think right now is a great time for me to dance. There are so many opportunities and possibilities, especially with the crew. Not just making money, but creating and being part of big things.
I think now is my time.
tags: Massive Monkees, Ana Banana Freeze, B-Girl, Family, Dance
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Mom Comes First
Note: Anna did not attend freestyle session; she took the time to reflect on life as a mom:
For most of the past 3 years, I have been an inactive or at best, part-time b-girl. Not that I fell off or anything. I just had a baby. B-boys have babies all the time - and I'm sure it's life changing as well. But they usually still dance/travel, etc... If you're a b-girl though and you have a baby, it's WAAAAY different. Everything changes. At least for me it did. No more doing whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. No more dancing - I stopped a month after I found out I was pregnant. It's like having an injury but not in a bad way; you just know you have to stop for a year or maybe more. No more free time when the baby popped out. It was time to be super-responsible, work as much as I could and have everything ready. But that was all my choice. The baby became the most important part of my life, and that felt right for me.
While I was prego, I still went to jams. Not so much to practice though. It felt weird just sitting there watching everyone else dance. I didn't want to get used to that feeling. I was planning on picking up where I left off when the time came. My breaking life was on pause, not over. I was never unsure about that. Life after the baby was SOOOO hard. Alaina was not an easy baby! She was the best, but it was crazy hard for me. I went a little nuts.
tags: Massive Monkees, Ana Banana Freeze, B-Girl, Family
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tags: Massive Monkees, Ana Banana Freeze, B-Girl, Dance, State Department
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