Tuesday, December 20, 2016

♥ an Interview with Artistic Director of the Nutcracker, Jose Mateo.


a few weeks ago, henry, nick and i had the joyous opportunity to see Jose Mateo's 
Nutrcracker for the second year in a row at the Cutler Majestic Theater! 
equally as riveting, compelling, beautifully choreographed, well-designed 
and downright entertaining, this season's Nutcracker did not disappoint! 

as i watched the dancers onstage and engaged with the audience that evening,
i was reminded of the importance and significance of having a diverse cast, something which
directly correlates with the colorful community that came to enjoy that night's performance. 
as a mom, it means so much for me to put Henry in situations where he can celebrate people's
differences, and to appreciate how magical it can be when people from all different walks of life
come together to make something beautiful, and what better way to do so than an evening at the theater?

i recently had the chance to interview the artistic director and creative genius behind
the nutcracker, jose mateo, and wanted to share his amazing responses with you-
may you enjoy reading his insights into dance and life as much i did! 

Photo credit: Gary Sloan




A Glimpse of Glamour: The Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre, "believes that ballet should be accessible and enjoyed by people of all racial, cultural, socio-economic backgrounds." How does it feel to stand behind such strong and inclusive values and to offer opportunity at a time in the world where not everyone is being celebrated for their diversity? What role does dance play in breaking down those barriers?

Jose Mateo: Dance is the most suitable medium for breaking down barriers and creating new bonds among people of different cultures and
 traditions. In all its form, dance is an inherently honest expression of a person's truest self. It is an innately and universally understood
language that can be more effective than verbal communication in creating a sense of optimism about the social connections we share
and the promise of the strong communities we envision for the future. Inclusion is simply a respectful practice of the acknowledging
the obvious truth that we are all part of a greater collective expression as a species and that, as diverse as we are, we share the same need 
for a sense of belonging within the greater community.


A Glimpse of Glamour: You just finished up your November 25- December 4th run at the Cutler Majestic Theatre and will now move on 
to the newly renovated Strand Theatre in Dorchester from December 9-18. How would you say that these two venues influence the performance
of The Nutcracker?

Jose Mateo: The two venues are similar in many ways but are clearly in two very different parts of town. We are always looking to serve the
broadest audiences possible and hope that audiences that normally attend events in the theatre district will venture out to Dorchester and
vice versa. We also want the public to understand that the high quality productions that are expected of the theatre district can be found in
Dorchester. The hope is reflected in the production itself and is of course an intrinsic part of the organizational mission.


A Glimpse of Glamour:  Your Nutcracker is the only professional production in the area to open auditions outside of your school- for
upwards of 200 roles, including mice, partygoers, cherubs and angels. What work goes into preparing children- some with no experience
at all- for the stage?

Jose Mateo: This may be the most challenging part of getting the production ready; working with children who come with different experiences
of training (if any) and expecting from them a higher standard and level of achievement than they may be used to. Preparation involves ten or
so weekends of intensive rehearsals where we try to instill in the children a stoic work ethic that allows them to prepare their roles for public 
showing. They learn quickly that the job they've agreed to take on requires hard work and that it is the hard work and pride in their achievement
that will account for their fun they invariably end up having. This is a lesson that will often carry them far in whatever endeavors
they choose to undertake later. Watching the children develop in very positive ways is one of the principle joys of my job.


A Glimpse of Glamour: I noticed many familiar faces on stage from this year to last, but most were playing new roles. How does the
audition process work within the company?

Jose Mateo: The professional company dancers will often stay five or ten years or longer and so there is generally very little turnover.
This year we had only two dancers who were new to the production and several who were new to certain roles. Continual casting is another
way to keep the production fresh.


A Glimpse of Glamour: The role of Clara is played by five local girls this year- Amy Chan (15) from Cambridge, Olivia Hynes (15) from
Saugus, Samin Charepoo (16) from Quincy, Cecilia Zevallos (16) from Somerville and Ashley Waters (16) from Wellesley. Tell me about
the audition process for Clara and how she is chosen!

Jose Mateo: The Clara role usually foes to girls whom we have had the opportunity to watch over a long period and who have demonstrated
not only a high level of technical skill, but also an alert awareness of space and of other people around them. These contribute immensely to
the engaging presence you look for in a dancer in a featured role.


A Glimpse of Glamour: The costumes and set design definitely add flair and nuance to a beautiful story, set to beautiful music, danced by talented
dancers- tell me a bit about how Laura McPherson's designs have added to this newly minted production of The Nutcracker. Do you have a favorite
costume in particular? And a favorite backdrop?

Jose Mateo: Laura and I began working together only a year before we featured the new backdrops. The challenge was to give the production
a new look and support the story and choreographic development that we wanted to retain. Continuity of painterly style, color and creative
imagery were among the many subjects in score of telephone calls, emails and text messages that were often accompanied by countless sample
sketches and photographs. Laura and I developed a close relationship during the project. I think she did a very fine job and believe she's equally
proud of the results.

Friday, November 25, 2016

♥ shoes: pleasure and pain at the peabody essex museum.

last week, lei ann and i bared the elements, driving over an hour and a half in the wind
and whipping rain, to attend the opening preview of the peabody essex museum's latest exhibition
shoes: pleasure and pain, which opened to the public november 19-march 12, 2017.


although it was sort of a pain to run in heels over cobblestone puddles in the chilly dark to get
to the museum, it was an absolute pleasure to be taken on tour of eight rooms and over 300 pairs
of shoes (70% of which are women's) that span from ancient egyptians to modern day louboutins.


deputy director and self-proclaimed shoe lover, linda rosco hartigan, guided a merry group through
each unique room, offering historical tidbits and highlighting a favorite shoe with a colorful
anecdote. i actually banged my head off the window trying to get a closer look to the chinese
foot binding shoes- which was both embarrassing and hilarious!


some of my favorites were new york-based artist sebastian errazuriz's twelve shoes for twelve lovers,
3D-printed thermoplastic polymer heels with cheeky names like "the gold digger," "cry baby,"
"ice queen" and "heartbreaker."


some of the sebastian's shoes were actually produced in collaboration with melissa.
you can buy them here!



i also loved to see the personal effects of local fashion icons, marilyn riseman, and iris apfel,
whose clothing and personal style transcends age and balks trends in everything- including footwear.


lei ann and i were tickled pink to discover that we had somehow managed to pull off coordinating
blush & black outfits without ever discussing what we were going to wear! the mirrors around
the exhibition allowed for taking simultaneous pictures of the display shoes as well as
 our own feet, and one of the rooms was in the same tone of pink as well! love!



if you have a passion for shoes, and an interest in the history behind and the future ahead of
one of the most coveted fashion staples in a woman's closet, then i suggest you don't walk
but-run (in heels!) to the peabody essex museum for this fabulous exhibit!



Saturday, November 5, 2016

♥ 24k magic in the air.



happy weekend, lovelies!

it has been a glorious autumn in new england, so i thought i'd share some pictures
from a few weeks ago when i met up with my friend, lei ann, to check out a local event
featuring beautiful pendants from lola company. (see the one lei ann bought!)

since it was such a nice day, we took a stroll around the walter baker chocolate 
factory neighborhood, and did a bit of leaf peeping! i wore a skirt that i snagged from
the boston fashion week style swap and topped it off with my signature cat eye glasses,
lipstick and a matching beanie  :)

don't forget to fall back on sunday! 




Monday, October 24, 2016

♥ OMG: LBD by SJP.

shoe-designer and fragrance-maven, SJP, just dropped the bomb that she will now expand
her line to a collection of little black dresses, the first of which will be available exclusively
at bloomingdale's!


 the above "title"dress  will have your carrie-bradshaw-loving 
heart swooning for the tulle twirling days of sex and the city.
i can't wait to see the rest of the collection!

Saturday, October 22, 2016

♥ black cat.

photo by lei ann!


with halloween only a week or so away, i thought i would share
one of my favorite everyday looks (haaaa), that would also be purrrfectly suited 
for a low key halloween costume!  i recently attended an influencer event at
cambridgeside galleria, and to add a festive flair to an all-black ensemble,
i added this veiled cat headband from H&M.

here are some other spooky headbands to get your halloween off to a festive start:
((click each picture for the link!))









Sunday, October 16, 2016

♥ 99.9% happy.


ever since i bought this patch-covered sunset + spring faux leather jacket
i've been on the lookout for a backdrop worthy of it. when i scouted out artist, curtis kulig's
 99.9% happy wall at the street chestnut hill, i knew that i could look no further!


wearing: 
shirt: target
skirt: tobi
boots: guess
bandana: michael's for $1!
sunnies: quay australia

photos by: lei ann

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

♥ art meets fashion at liquid art house.



last weekend, i stepped out of suburban life and into the city, where it seems, all of boston's 
most fashionable people were gathering at the liquid art house to preview the 
"work in progress" of many talented designers and artists.


i was really excited to meet graciela rivas, a local designer that i had the opportunity to interview
a few months ago, but hadn't met in person! she was fabulous- and her next collection is full of
dresses that are perfect in color and design for the upcoming a/w 2016 season.

the lighting was a little tough in the space, so my pictures came out a bit blurry,
 but definitely check out her new collection on ninteenth amendmentwhere everything 
is now available!


another person i was excited to meet was artist, ian lantz, who hails from los angeles, 
but has since moved to the southside of chicago, where he is revitalizing the city
 with his community-building, wildly-colorful murals. i was so inspired!


 for the evening, i wore a great slip dress that i snagged at the boston fashion week style swap!
layered with a william rast for target bomber jacket. my necklace and veiled beanie are
 betsey johnson and my booties are ralph lauren. 
pictures of me by: lei ann 



Monday, October 10, 2016

♥ JUMP FROM PAPER!


if you think these cartoon-eqsue handbags look too good to be true,
you will be pleasantly surprised to know that they are real! and can be yours for
an amazingly low price! i am OBSESSED and need ALL OF THEM in my closet!!!!
find more on jump from paper.