New Years Resolutions!

This time last year (can't even believe it was a whole year ago!) I made some New Years Resolutions for 2013. In 2012 I made the resolution to start, and keep, a blog... and here we are two years later - where does the time go?

1) Begin Dance Classes Again

2) Take Horse-Riding Lessons

3) Learn A Language

4) Apply For International Festivals

These were the four resolutions I set for myself... did I achieve them? Well, no, not really. But let me explain...

Dance Classes and Horse-Riding fell by the wayside when Burlesque On Ice came along. But this is a good thing. Reading through why I made certain resolutions; I wanted to go back to dance classes as I love dancing and performing, and wanted to push myself once my confidence had returned, to try a new dance style I'd never tried before... I think I can allow myself to feel that Ice Skating is a new style! It was also an exercise thing - however having spent the last six months skating at least two or three times a week, I'd say I've got that part covered!

The Horse-Riding resolution was also to learn a new skill; it's something I enjoy and something I'd wanted to do for myself and not for my career. While I didn't particularly get on with Figure Skating when I first started, and it was obviously something taken up with performance in mind, it is something I have grown to love and I can see myself keeping up, for myself, for years. And I managed to go Horse-Riding once!

I am not great with languages. I know this. The problem is two-fold - sometimes I know I know the word for something, but can't remember it; sometimes I know a word in a different language but cannot for the life of me remember what it means. However I'm trying!

Looking back over this resolution from last year, it's quite funny that I've turned it upside down slightly - I wanted to focus on French with possibly a little Spanish. As it's happened I've started learning Italian and Polish! Slightly different, I'm sure you'll agree! Polish is incredibly difficult as it bears absolutely no relationship to the English language but my boyfriends family are Polish and we're hoping to go to Krakow in 2014 so it's a good one to have. And Italian as we have friends out there and want to go for a couple more visits in the coming months (any excuse for a holiday, really!) 

I'm definitely not proficient though, and this makes me a bit disappointed in myself. I need more focus and dedication, and to not let my mind wander or be so easily distracted.... ooh, shiny thing...

Finally, I made the resolution to apply to international festivals, and I did. I didn't get in, but I didn't particularly expect to; it was the applying and conquering my fear of festivals that was the big deal for me. And I guess I did that in a small way by filling in and sending off the application forms for the first time in my Burlesque career!

So.... this brings us to 2014! 

What are my New Years Resolutions for this year? Well...

1) Finish What I Start

This look back at my New Years Resolutions from last year is quite sad, and made me realise that I am actually a bit flaky regarding things for myself. So my main resolution this year is to try and see things through to the end, for myself.
In 2013 I tried, and stopped, so many things - joining a gym, writing a novel, Rosetta Stone... to name just a few. It's disappointing to myself that I never finished any of them! This year I aim to start - and finish - more new and exciting things: maybe I'll finally learn a language, or *finish that novel I've been working on*... (Family Guy quote for you there...)

2) Get Fit And Healthy

Inspired by two ladies I'm lucky enough to be friends with on Facebook - ReeRee Rockette and Exotic Luna Rosa. Last year, ReeRee made her New Years Resolution to make 2013 the year of being fit and healthy. Not loosing weight per-se, but to get stronger, eat better and exercise more. She recently posted a picture of how far she's come from this time last year, and it's truly remarkable: she looked gorgeous in both pictures but has achieved her goal of being fitter and healthier, and looks absolutely stunning for it.
Luna Rosa is a burlesque performer and fitness model, and is one of the most beautiful women I know. She has just launched her new project The Body Odyssey and is going to be running classes in Covent Garden. I would give anything to look even half as good as Luna, and she is truly inspirational as she works so hard and is so dedicated.
So, inspired by these two women, I will aim to make 2014 the year of being fit and healthy: not giving into fad diets, and not really aiming to loose weight - just becoming stronger and healthier. I have a terrible diet at the moment, and other than ice-skating I don't really exercise. I am going to change that, and (see resolution the first) hopefully see it through!

3) Drink More Water

I am a Diet Coke addict. Not going to lie. I drink it like it's... erm... water. Which I need to drink more of. So there we go.
Benefits of drinking water include weight loss (as it fills you up, contains no calories and flushes out waste products and toxins), reducing headaches (as many headaches are caused by dehydration) and giving you younger looking skin.
Since I drink so much Diet Coke, I am aiming to replace at least some of this with water... I can't cut out the sweet stuff completely!

4) Try More New Things

I'm not going to be more specific on this one, as my specific resolutions fail. But I am going to set myself the challenge to do something new or exciting at least once or twice a month. I don't think that's too big of an ask - whether this something new is simply trying a new coffee flavour at Starbucks, or walking a different way home (when it's not raining, of course: then I just want to get home as quickly as possible), or as exciting as going to an aerial class, skydiving or learning to jump on a pogo stick...

Out With The Old

Welcome to 2014!!

This is a quick round up of the last week of the last year - so lets get on with it!

I went skating, rehearsing for Burlesque On Ice, which is in about five weeks now... eek! It was difficult to practise with hundreds of children on the ice, what with it being the holidays, so after an hour or so we called it a day and went for a drink in a nearby bar!

Christmas drinkies with Kitty Devine, Chrys Columbine and Trixie Kixx!

I want these, please... They'd be impossible to walk, or skate in, but they're SO pretty!

Christmas itself was lovely, spent with family, friends and food! We drove halfway across the country and back over a couple of days, and had a wonderful, much needed break.

Winning at Christmas

 

Boxing day walk with Taz

I spent the quiet period between Christmas and New Year putting the finishing touches to my new act - 'Psyche' has been a long time in the making, and I'm excited and nervous in equal measure to be finally debuting it in less than two weeks!

Piglet also approves of the new costume

New business cards arrived as well!

Then it was all go for New Years Eve!  I had been looking forward to this show at Proud Cabaret for ages as it included some of my favourite performers and people, and saw the triumphant return to Burlesque of the gorgeous Elle Amour!

The audience was wonderful, and drunk, and everyone had such a fabulous night seeing in 2014 with champagne, glitter and dancing.

Backstage with Elle Amour!

 

Seeing in the New Year with Elle, Leah Debrincat and Adama

Lili La Scala popped in to say Happy New Year!

 

With Joe Morose and Elle ** Champagne with Jolie Papillon, being photobombed!

Glamorous ladies... and gent as Michael Standen got in on the action

Abi Collins loves 2014...

And that's that! It's now 2014... where does the time go, eh?

I'm looking forward to the coming months - I have lots of plans and ideas and I'm so excited to see what the year will bring.
xx

New Years Resolutions

Well we're now a couple of days into 2013! If you're anything like me you begin the year with the best intentions and set yourself resolutions that you'll probably give up on within a couple of weeks. The one resolution I set myself last year was to keep this blog, and it's the only time I saw a resolution through for a whole year! Proud!

I'm a smug kitten

I usually find that writing things down makes me more likely to stick to them, especially if they're written in a public place, as then you feel like you're letting people down if you fail or don't follow through with your intentions! So in the spirit of New Years Resolutions, here are mine for 2013...

1) Begin Dance Classes Again!
I trained in Musical Theatre and for three years took daily classes in Jazz and Ballet, and several classes a week in Tap, Ballroom, Pointe and Street Dance alongside various other complimentary dance styles and regular partner work classes. Outside of college I also went to various Hip Hop and Contemporary dance groups and took private Pole Dance classes for over two years!
However, due to various physiological issues (I was born with a shallow acetabulum) that caused me a lot of pain during my years of intense dancing, I was warned that if I continued dancing at the level I was at, I would probably be in a wheelchair by the time I was thirty! (I am also a complete klutz and injure myself constantly so there's still a chance this prediction may come true!) Added to the fact that I moved around several times over the following years, often in areas where there were no adult dance classes offered at a professional level, I let my dancing lapse, and while I took Ballet classes here and there, it is a source of great disappointment to myself that I no longer dance regularly.
So for 2013 I intend to join Pineapple Dance Studios in Covent Garden and re-join classes there! With the best intentions I would like to go to at least two Ballet and Jazz classes each week, and as my confidence re-grows, maybe go back to Street Dance and Tap classes and possibly even try out a new style I've never done before!

2) Take Horse-Riding Lessons

Yes, I know it's super-girly, Ballet and Ponies in one fell swoop, but one of the things I would love to do this year is take horse-riding lessons. There's a lovely stables not too far away from where I live, the prices are actually quite reasonable and they offer different levels of lessons from complete beginner to advanced and jump classes.
I have only been horse riding a handful of times in my life but it's always been something I've wanted to do better; I've been on a few guided treks through forests or countryside and there's something so wonderful about these magnificent animals.
It's also a very selfish resolution as it is something that is completely for myself; most of my resolutions have some kind of professional aspect to them and are quite career-centric, whereas horse riding lessons will be something I love that is totally removed from other aspects of my life. And it'll be good exercise and great fun to boot!

3) Learn A Language

Okay, not exactly a unique resolution, but sue me, they're mine! I can speak a little French and Spanish, and one or two words of Italian but I would love 2013 to be the year I become 'proficient' as opposed to just 'basic' as I'm hoping to travel abroad more this year and don't want to be a typical 'Brit Abroad'!

I love the French language; it's romantic and flowing and beautiful. I also adore Spanish for the same reason, and Italian is so musical and passionate.

It's probably not realistic to expect to learn three languages so I'll probably focus on French as it's the language I currently know more of anyway (so it's a bit of a cheat I suppose!) so it'll be easier to become more fluent, which will hopefully give me the confidence to also look at Italian and Spanish too!

4) Apply for International Festivals
I'm a little bit scared of competitions and things like that, for a couple of reasons; for a start, Burlesque styles are so unique to each performer that I don't really see how they can be judged and compared as one being 'better' than another. Also, I'm scared that I'll be shit and make a tit of myself on an international stage, which petrifies me!
However, New Years Resolutions are all about achieving things and conquering fears, so in the spirit of this I have decided that this is the year I apply for a couple of international competitions and festivals. I probably won't even get accepted, but even just applying will mean I have conquered a fear in a little way!

And there we go - they are the goals I have set for myself in 2013. There are many, many more things I would like to achieve and so many experiences I want to have, but many of them are not really within my control. My New Years Resolutions are achievable targets that are in my sphere of influence and things that I can work on myself.

What New Years Resolutions have you set for yourself? What did you set yourself last year, and did you achieve them/maintain them for the whole year?
Comment or Tweet Me @MiaMerode

Looking Back and Looking Forward

Where does the time go? This year has flown by so fast, I can't believe we're in 2013! It's been a year of spectacular highs and crushing lows, with so many ups, downs and changes that my head is still reeling from it all!

I have been fortunate enough to spend so much time during the year with so many wonderful people - gorgeous friends and supportive family, and meeting new friends too.

Looking back over 2012:

January

First picture on this blog!

February

 

Snowed in at the theatre ** With Joe Black and Vendetta Vain!

 

First show at Proud Cabaret ** Burlesque Show on Tour

March

First Burlesque Night Out!

Burlesque Show on Tour!

April

 

Filming Coronation Street ** Going Blonde

May

Beautiful Theatres

Newborn Kittens!

 

Favourite Photoshoot ** Voltini Wedding

June

My Birthday!!

July

My first festival - Nova

Second Festival - Milton Keynes

August

Burlesque Show on tour to Jersey

 

Edinburgh Fringe Festival ** Filming for The Old Vic Theatre

September

Moving to London!!

October

 

Loads of shows and loads of coffee!

Filming Cabariot

November

 

Halloween Shows ** Photoshoot for the book 'Behind Burlesque'

A visit from the Grandparents

I became a Godmother!

December

Attending a film premier! ** Filming 'Burlesque 3D'

 

Learning Fire ** 'Vintage Life' feature

Christmas!

It truly has been a year of great adventures!

NEW YEAR 2013:

So what will 2013 bring? In January last year I made this blog my New Years Resolution and it's probably the only time I've actually carried a resolution through the whole year, so I'm very proud of myself! 

In 2013 I have a list as long as my arm of things I would like to achieve, professionally and personally. There are so many fabulous shows in the UK and abroad I would love to be part of and I am going to apply for international festivals this year too! 

I would like to write more - the articles (rants) and interviews I've done as part of this blog over the year have been well received and I enjoyed writing them so I would like to do more for a wider audience, whether on-line or in magazines. 

I want to do more singing and acting and would like to get an agent again (my acting agency broke up several years ago) for film and theatre work.

2013 is also the year of new skills! I began learning fire performance in December and I am going to practise and practise! I am going to go back to dance classes - ballet and jazz, and maybe even challenge myself to try a new dance style too! And I'm also looking into taking horse-riding lessons - it's something I love that can be completely separate to everything else in my life as it's not performance or work related and can be totally for myself.

So, raise that glass of champagne, toast friends and loved ones: it's a new year and a new start - anything bad from last year can be forgotten and left behind, and we can face the year ahead with our heads held high and hopeful!

xx