Blog #3 Young Adults doing amazing things around us: Part 1

Hey Guys!! Welcome Back and thanks for reading another one of my blogs! I hope everyone is having a WONDERFUL week, mine is going pretty well I start college next week which I am very excited for! :).. Anyway!
 
Todays blog postings come in two parts, part one is about a wonderful young woman and dear friend of mine named Francesca. The second part another local named Marissa who has started a Facebook page called TAILS.. I will be talking to her later this weekend! Here is part one with Francesca!
 
 
First, may I start off just saying how great of a young women Francesca is (or as some of her close friends call her "Chet"). I had the pleasure of attending high school with her and although I was a freshman when she was a senior she taught me SO MUCH! She has the biggest heart ever, and I will never forget some of the greatest advice she gave me for my high school career, she was always willing to help and never had a unkind word to say about anyone...that takes a lot! She has been through a lot these last few years but still finds time to help with charities. Her dream is to become a school teacher.

 I was able to chat with Francesca over Facebook and she was very happy to tell me about all of her work, and when you read it I hope you are as moved as I was, she brings me to tears this girl!

"Hey! So I do a couple things...Express does a charity every Christmas...usually we just collect donations for a women's shelter and no one participates. So last year, I decided to take it over and we did a toy drive for Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. We collected all sorts of things from crayons to cameras and even a gaming chair. I told my store manager that we'd collect 100 toys, and through generous donations from employees and the community, we made it to 150 toys! They filled up a huge bin...  I plan to do the same this year.

My aunt taught me how to sew and was involved with a quilting ministry in Texas. When i started college i decided that i would make a quilt and deliver it to a random person in a nursing home every Christmas Eve. I go to the long term care ward and ask for someone who doesn't really get many visitors. I visit with the person for about a half hour to an hour and then give him or her the quilt.

(Sorry just had to chime in for a second 
guys and tell you my thoughts! This literally made me cry, I couldn't believe that she did this, God truly made her for something special, and the fact that she does it for no tangible reward like money or prizes is absolutely compelling!)

I work at Larc School in Bellmawr over the summer, which is a school for students with special needs. Every year, they have a run the bridge marathon and walk to raise funds. I've decided to train for the 10k run this year.

Another thing that you might be interested in hearing is something that happened to me at work. Long story short, I was ringing up a man i didn't know 2 years ago right before Christmas, and he bought me a $100 gift card to Express. This past Christmas, he came in the store again. I went up to him and thanked him again because I had not seen him since then, and he bought me another one. The funny thing is, it was right before Christmas both times, and his name was Nick. He was even wearing a red shirt the second time!"

I cannot even believe the things that she has accomplished and the work she is doing to make this world, and other peoples lives a better place! Especially the work with Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) who have a special place in my heart as they are who saved my life as a child! The fact that she organized a lot of this all by herself and then got people to help is so awesome to!

 I am so happy to share her with you guys, and I hope that with everyone reading this you decide to do something special for someone who is in need! I attached pictures of all the toys that were collected and the AMAZING banner Francesca made and decorated herself for her employees to see and help out with! She is truly somebody who is bringing and inspiring POSITIVITY to this whole world one step at time.

Thanks for reading, be updated again soon!

xx Love& Light
Rye My

Follow me on my Blog, YouTube, Wesbite, where you can learn more!
www.youtube.com/positivenewsmaker
www.ryangmyers.com

*If you know someone who is doing good, or is doing something fun and POSITIVE  I want to hear about it, send me a message at ThePositveNewsMaker@gmail.com* :)
 

Interview with: Roger Lee, Dancer and Business Owner.

This interview was conducted on August 25th, 2013 via Skype

 

I recently sat down with local dancer and business owner Roger Lee who was kind enough to let me interview him via Skype. He is a great guy and has such an amazing personality, and has achieved so much in his career. He owns Roger Lee Dance Company which is located at 729 S. 4^th Street Philadelphia, PA which offers classes for people of all ages. Below is our interview.

 

Rye My: For people who don’t know Roger Lee, can you tell us about you? Where were you born and raised? And how you got started dancing?

Roger Lee: I was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA and started dancing when I was 12 years old. It all started in 2001 when my mother saw an advertisement for Fox 29 dance team so she took me down to audition. I was so nervous and didn’t think I would make it. I saw all these people go ahead of me and I was amazed at how great they were I didn’t think I could compare to them. But somehow I had it inside of me, and before I knew it I was in the top 12 beating nearly 300 people out of the spot. I danced with the Fox 29 dance team for 2 seasons and had such a blast doing it. By the 2^nd season of the dance team I was co-captain and teaching the team dances and helping people catch up, it was SOOO much fun. We performed at all sorts of events that the city had including places like the old Veterans Stadium, the Spectrum and in the 6abc’sThanksgiving Day Parade. That was such a surreal experience because I use to perform with my high school The Philadelphia School for the Creative and Performing Arts each year in the parade I chance to perform alongside American Idol winner Ruben Studdard, and Grammy-nominated gospel artist Vickie Winans, it was a lot of fun and an experience I will cherish forever!

Rye My: Last year in 2012 you started your own dance classes out of The Performance Arts Center for Kids studios (PACK ) in Philadelphia. What is so unique about your classes? What can someone expect when coming in for a session? And who are the lessons catered towards?

Roger Lee: I assist direct at the Performance Arts Center for Kids (PACK) during the day were we offer classes like musical theatre and stuff, and it’s a lot of fun. The kids are great and I love teaching them new things, and they have a blast doing it! But at nigh at PACK and on weekends we have adult classes, and those are my favorite! I offer private lessons and they are just real fun and relaxed it’s all about the spirit of dance. You can wear whatever you feel comfortable in. I offer classes for people who want to learn dance professionally or people who just want to have fun. I’ve taught classes for weddings and people in the party who have wanted to learn some quick moves, or even people who wanted to learn some new moves for the clubs and dance floor. I make it as fun as possible, it’s very social and I make you come out of your shell!  

 

Rye My: I have read a lot about you, and it seems like your goal is to inspire people to look at dancing in a different way. What is your mission that you hope to relay to others through dance?

Roger Lee: My mission is to teach people who think they never would be able to dance be able to! Anybody can learn to dance no matter who you are, it just takes the right attitude, and dedication to make it happen. It’s not easy, but if you’re down for the experience and can get through the pain and sometimes the hurt to your body, you can achieve anything. It’s not easy but I always say “If I can learn it anyone can”.

Rye My: I am a HUGE theater person I sing, act, and love the arts! I have always loved it! What advice do you have for aspiring artists who are trying to make a name for them like you have, especially dancers.

RL: Wow! You ask a lot of great questions! Definitely stay open to the process, in this field there is going to be A LOT of NO’S but don’t let that discourage you. You can’t let it, otherwise you will never succeed. I faced a lot of NO’s, some yes’s but a lot of NO’S, but I never stopped believing and now I am where I am now, if I quit I had I  don’t know what I would have done. Never give up!

RM: As a child what was the best advice you were given that you feel made you so successful today?

RL: Put yourself out there and know how to market yourself. That’s what a lot of the teachers in my high school taught me. Every time we had an event or we were performing somewhere my teachers would always call the media so we could get exposure. That helped me with my studio, EXTREME exposure. One of the best times of exposure was when I was featured on an episode of FYI PHILLY with 6 ABC’s weathergirl Melissa Magee. She was a great student and I even found out that she had a background in dance as well. It was such a fun experience and she liked it to, she has some amazing moves! It was featured on the show and I felt like that was great because everyone was seeing what I was about.

RM: Your new dance company that you just started has a new show coming up in the first week of September called “The Fall”. Can you tell us about it, and what we can expect? Where we can buy tickets, and the address? I plan on attending I am very excited to see this!

RL: Yeah! So “The Fall” runs from September 6^th through the 8^th at the Performance Garage in Philly. It’s located on 1515 Brandywine St Philadelphia, PA. Tickets are $18 online and $20 at the door. I would definitely purchase them online, but whatever people can do! It’s a very family friendly show, which is rare for today, so kids, parents, and grandparents can all come out and see this, which I think is so important. The show has 4 dances to it, and 2 acts . The first dance  is called “Diary of a Dance Company” and this act I feel is so touching. It’s a piece that shows what goes on inside a dance company and how the magic is made. Its show the friendships that are formed, the family that we become, and the bonds that we make for a lifetime. It has a little bit of everything in it solo numbers, duets, trios, and partners dance. It’s a very jazzy number. The whole show it itself is very contemporary.  

The second dance is the most creative, and that’s called “The Fall” and for this number I want audience members to interpret this in their own way because I feel that this is what the number is about. I don’t want to put a label on it and say “this is what the number conveys” I want you guys to decide for yourselves. I think that is miraculous, you don’t often see that today in performances. Its starts with the women first and the music they dance to is original music from Danny Norwitz who I went to school with. Then the guys perform, and then we hit intermission. You will be able to buy snacks and apparel. The third dance is a very spiritual and moving dance called The Trinity it has 3 parts to it: praise, faith, and prayer, this number is really going to WOW you! The fourth dance and final dance is just a fun upbeat number were we will be jamming hardcore to Justin Timberlake  that’s going to be soooo much fun! And then afterwards there is going to be a talk back and Q&A with the cast. You can ask them whatever you want! Oh Boy! HAHA! Not many people have this after a show so I am happy to be doing this! I hope a lot of people will come see this; I don’t want anyone to miss it!

RM: I saw that you are coming out with an e-book called “Overcoming Dance Fear”. Can you tell me a little more about the book and the concept of it?

RL: Yes, you can preorder the book now and it will be available on amazon in October, I can’t wait! (www.rogerleedance.com to preorder now). The purpose of this book is for people to come out of their shells when thinking about dance and to look at it differently. There are too many people afraid to dance and that bothers me, you’d be surprised how many people don’t go out because they are afraid of dancing and having a good time. It should be a fun and joyful thing that’s good for you, not something people are afraid of. The book also goes into stories about success and failure that my students have faced which are really interesting to read, especially the people who have become successful and are doing great things! I am so excited for you all to read, I hope everyone enjoys it and will have a new look at dancing.

 

It was such an honor and privilege to talk with you Roger; I wish you nothing but bountiful and tremendous success in life! I will definitely be checking in again soon!

*To find out more information about Roger Lee and to register for classes visit www.rogerleedance.com you can also preorder his e-book and buy tickets on the site as well!*

Keep reading and following because I will be covering some of the dress rehearsals and sitting down with some of the cast members of "The Fall on my YouTube Channel!

 

xx

Rye My

 

More interviews to come shortly! Keep reading and following!

www.YouTube.com/positivenewsmaker

www.ryangmyers.com

www.thepositivenewsmaker.blogspot.com

for questions, comments, or to have me interview someone or cover an event, email me at: thepositivenewsmaker@gmail.com

First Blog..Introduction

Hey Guys!!

 Welcome!! And THANK YOU for checking out my first blog! Let me take a minute to explain what
all this is about and what my goal is! I am currently enrolled in college with an intended major in Broadcast Journalism. My dream is to be an on-air entertainment news anchor for a show like Good Morning America, or TODAY, with the hopes of one day having my own talk show! However, I chose to be different then most people. I want to bring a new side of the news to people, a positive refreshing loo, so I decided to do so. I have created this BLOG, and a YouTube Channel, in which I will be interviewing different people from all walks of life and maybe even some famous ones to. My goal is to highlight what they are doing to make a difference in this world, and how we can help in joining them. Basically just a fun time! I am a one man show, so please understand I just have a camera and tripod (I'm not on an Oprah status yet...HOPEFULLY SOON!). I think this is unique because you will get a raw view of the interview with minor editing. I will post the videos on here, and also do some interviews as well on here to! Thank you soooooo much for reading and stay tuned for my first VLOG from the POSITIVITY PROECT "the new face of news making".

xx

Rye My!

Email: thepositivenewsmaker@gmail.com

and visit www.ryangmyers.com for more info, and to keep
 up to date on my theater stuff!!