Tag Archives: hobby

Piano: Hobby or Career? How to Tell

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Learning piano for either hobby or career is not the issue. Passion is all that matters!

Learning piano for either hobby or career is not the issue. Passion is all that matters!

Playing piano could be either for hobby or for making some means of livelihood. Whatever might be the purpose, one has to be clear in explaining the role of piano in his or her life. While in the field of playing music, it is quiet natural to switch over from hobby to career or vice versa. Whatever the case may be, it is sheer enthusiasm that makes one to get involved into music. Piano is no exemption from this, but here, if hobby is converted into a monetizing aspect, the classes would be more passionate and interesting.

Of course, it does not mean that if any one takes up piano teaching as profession, it has to be hectic. But when it is learnt as a hobby, more of interest and enthuse would be poured to widen the knowledge horizons. So turning the same into profession would be much fascinating. In other words, while hobby is taken as a matter of interest, career is sometimes chosen under compulsion. In general, this is the point that makes the difference between a hobby and career. Is it not? Not necessary that every art you learn has to be monetized. Hobby is something related with mind and satiation of heart and so, if you are interested, you could channelize your talents via some weekend classes or webinars so that it would be refreshing for you too.

To sum it up, learning piano for either hobby or for the sake of career, it is up to the choice of the individual, but whatever might be the reason behind it, the learning process should be done whole-heartedly. If you’d like to get more into piano, we can help!

If you’re in the New York City area, check out the piano classes and instructors on HeyKiki and find the perfect piano training for you. If you’re looking for someone in the NYC area to train with, we have piano buddies on HeyKiki just waiting to connect with you! If you’d like to learn another sport or activity other than piano, we have other instructors and classes in your area on HeyKiki too!

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How Formal Dance Can Get You Into College

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Dance is an interesting activity as well as hobby.  Some people dance in an informal way just for the sake of fun while some others pursue it as a career and get trained formally. Formal training is quite beneficial for any dancer. It helps dancers to progress further in their career.

If you have formal dance training at middle or high school, then you can get admission easily into a dance college. It is because most of the colleges prefer to take students who have a certification in dance from some recognized institute.

Apart from academic performance, extracurricular skills of a student are also considered during the college admissions process. Formal dance is one activity which is quite impressive.

Sometimes winning a dance competition also paves the way for admission into college. Therefore, formal dance training helps a lot.

Multi-beneficial activity!

Multi-beneficial activity!

Apart from these benefits, formal dance training is also beneficial for the physical as well as mental well-being of a person,  because almost all the body parts are involved in various dance movements. As a result, all the body parts are exercised which is advantageous for physical fitness. Formal dance is also a great way to socialize.

If you’re in the New York City area, check out the dance classes and tutors on HeyKiki.  We can assist in finding the perfect choreography tutoring for you.

If you’d like to learn another sport or activity other than dance, we have other instructors and classes in your area on HeyKiki too.

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Dance Class: Benefits for Actors

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Though acting and dancing are all together very different fields, they are very closely linked in many ways and each could be a real help while the other is pursued.
Dance classes are not only for dancers or hobbyists. They can be very helpful for those who want make a successful career in acting.

So if you are really interested in acting you should also take some dance classes that will further help you to improve.

Actors dancing!

Actors dancing!

Here are several benefits of dance classes for actors:

Improve expressions: Acting is all about expression and presenting yourself in a very different way from what you actually are. Dance is also all about expression, along with movement. Taking a dance class would provide you a competitive edge and help you to improve your expressions.

Improve Stamina: Acting can have long practice sessions, so if you are pursuing a dance class it will definitely improve your stamina, allowing you to practice your scripts without feeling so tired.

Provide Flexibility: Dancing provides flexibility to the body, which is also very useful while acting, as one has to play different characters with different specifications.

Provide Relaxation: Dance classes can also be a relaxation exercise after rigorous acting schedules. This will help you to recover from all the tensions and shed all your tiredness.

If you’re in the New York City area, check out the dance classes and tutors on HeyKiki.  We can assist in finding the perfect choreography tutoring for you.

If you’d like to learn another sport or activity other than dance, we have other instructors and classes in your area on HeyKiki too.

Great Music to Practice Your Dancing With, For Any Occasion

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Talking Heads - perfect for when you wanna get all New Wave-y, and great to dance to as well.

Talking Heads – perfect for when you wanna get all New Wave-y, and great to dance to as well.

Who doesn’t love dance lessons? They’re a great way of improving your skills for a social activity that also can be considered exercise, is totally enjoyable, and even has romantic implications. But the one thing they don’t teach you is what some good music would be to dance to in the first place. Thankfully, that’s where we can help. Here’s a few of our recommendations for songs you can dance to in your free time, for any circumstance, and no matter what dance lessons you’re even taking.

Girl from the North Country – Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash

If this song doesn’t make you feel all warm and gooey and fuzzy inside, then you might not have a soul. At the very least you should probably put two fingers on your wrist and attempt to feel for a pulse to see if, you know, you’re still breathing. Plus you can dance to it!

Blue Orchid – The White Stripes

The White Stripes always get the job done, and this fast-paced little tune will keep the energy high no matter the occasion.

This Must Be the Place (Naïve Melody) – Talking Heads

Go old school! This song might make you feel like a background player in the original Wall Street, but no matter. Besides, this could be a pretty fantastic showcase for any 80s moves you’ve been working on.

Blood – The Middle East

This is the perfect song for you and (to borrow a parlance generally reserved for painfully awkward middle school dances) that special somebody. Seriously, this song is absolutely wonderful.

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The Nicest Places for Outdoor Yoga in NYC

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Carl Schurz Park is a beautiful spot to practice some yoga in the sun.

Carl Schurz Park is a beautiful spot to practice some yoga in the sun.

Labor Day has passed and the summer is practically over, but that doesn’t mean it’s not still beautiful out. And more importantly, you can take that beauty to your advantage, while putting your yoga lessons in NYC to good use too, by doing some yoga in one of the many gorgeous outdoor locations around the study conducive to such a thing. So as we get this first gust of lovely fall weather, gain a new appreciation for your yoga lessons in NYC, and consider doing some outdoor yoga around the city in one of these lovely locations.

Bryant Park

Central Park

Prospect Park

Carl Schurz Park

Hudson River Park

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The Real Namaste Behind Your Yoga Lessons

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Namaste - it's more than just a cool way to say "Hey!"

Namaste – it’s more than just a cool way to say “Hey!”

Namaste – you’ve heard it before, in your yoga lessons in NYC, from your friends who do yoga, or even just getting ready for some lessons of your own. But though you can tell it’s a greeting accompanied by a bow, what exactly is Namaste aside from a simple greeting of wellness?

In many ways, Namaste is and isn’t more than a mere gesture of well wishing. It’s function is, like all cultural signifiers of acceptance, to indicate a degree of unity and self-identification. However, there’s meant to be a personal connection tied to Namaste that you might not otherwise get with a simple hello. Even the name spells this out: “nama” = bow, “as” = I, “te” = you. Or, that is to say, Namaste really means “I bow to you,” meaning you’re already granting the recipient a level of trust and empathy less common with a more traditional greeting.

That doesn’t mean you have to start greeting everyone with a Namaste, and taking your yoga lessons in NYC everywhere with you in more aggressive ways, but think about that meaning during your next yoga class. As you bow to their instructor, they do so for you, and that exchange shouldn’t be that easily brushed aside.

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Dance Lessons in NYC: In Appreciation of Black Swan

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Now this is one crazy movie.

Now this is one crazy movie.

Darren Aronofsky may not be the first name that comes to mind when thinking of dance lessons in NYC, but make no mistake, he’s a brilliant filmmaker all the same, and he made a movie that weirdly encapsulates the allure and luster of a New York based dance saga. And he did it while also throwing in crazy special effects and ideas and scenes and moments that would not be out of place in a schlock-riddled 80s B-movie. While also making it thoughtful and brilliant. In short, the man is a genius, and Black Swan is a work of subsequent genius.

Much has been made of Natalie Portman’s Oscar-winning turn as Nina Sayers, but everyone else in the cast holds their own next to Portman’s raw and achingly realized performance. Winona Ryder puts in strong work as the spurred former ingénue, Mila Kunis is immensely effective as the new girl on the rise, and Barbara Hershey absolutely kills it as Nina’s mom – a former dancer whose emotional abuse and withholding nature would be repulsive… if we could ever determine the extent to which it really exists.

Yet it’s Aronofsky’s show through and through. His formalism is at its fullest, and as the material skirts closer to the edge of camp, he reigns it in as appropriate, while still retaining a dark sense of levity appropriate for the increasingly unhinged proceedings. So check out Black Swan, or do so again if you’ve seen it already, because that’s certainly one crazy way to keep your focus on your dance lessons in NYC. (Provided of course you don’t grow wings.)

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Movies to Check Out While Prepping for Yoga Lessons

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<em>The Last Boy Scout</em> is so crazy you'll need to be doing <strong>something</strong> while you watch it.

The Last Boy Scout is so crazy you’ll need to be doing something while you watch it.

If you’re looking to spice up any practice time you have between yoga lessons in NYC, you could also use that time to muti-task and throw on some movies that you feel like checking out in the background. But not all movies are fit for this type of viewing (in fact, most probably aren’t), so here’s a few of our recommendations for movies to throw on while you’re getting ready for your yoga lessons in NYC.

Enter the Void

This movie is completely insane. It’s definitely not for everyone (actually, it’s probably not even for most people), but if you can get past Gasper Noe’s lack of boundaries or regard for narrative convention, the trippy imagery and lulling atmosphere of this movie will suck you in.

The Last Boy Scout

In honor of the great Tony Scott’s recent passing, you owe it to yourself to watch his mercilessly underrated 1991 buddy action comedy, The Last Boy Scout. Shane Black (writer of Lethal Weapon, writer/director of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and the upcoming Iron Man 3) turns in a consistently delightful script here, with dialogue so arch, meta, clever, and well-considered that you don’t even need to watch the screen to have a blast. (Though it certainly helps if you do, considering what a great job this movie does of exhibiting Scott’s classic-90s hard-boiled style.)

Haywire

Now here’s a movie with stunts so impressive they’ve make you really excited about getting limber with some yoga. Steven Soderbergh’s star vehicle for MMA fighter Gina Carano is one stylish time at the movies that’s light on plot, heavy on action, and brought together by a fantastic David Holmes score that feels like the lost accompaniment to a 60s Bond picture. You just can’t go wrong there.

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On Recovering Properly After Yoga Lessons

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Chocolate milk and yoga - the best combination since chocolate and milk.

Chocolate milk and yoga – the best combination since chocolate and milk.

If you’re looking to make the most out of your yoga lessons in NYC, it’s important to recover after finishing your actual yoga, so as to sustain and maintain any desired muscle growth or even newfound flexibility.

Now granted, there’s a number of ways you can go about this – some people swear by ice baths to help keep their body together after a particularly strenuous round of yoga lessons in NYC. Others, drink chocolate milk afterwards if muscle growth is what they’re looking for. (Yup – chocolate milk has been shown in some cases to be the best thing you can drink after a work out if you’re looking to expedite muscle growth naturally.)

All the same though, it’s massively important to hydrate and stay hydrated after yoga lessons in NYC, so even if you’re not hitting the chocolate milk, replenish your fluids and drink a lot of water for sure. Eating might be an important next step (particularly considering you’re not supposed to eat within the hours leading up to yoga lessons in NYC), or maybe you want to take a nap, stretch, cool down with some lighter exercises, or even just relax as a reward for your time on the mat. But all the same, always remember to carefully consider what you’re doing after your yoga lessons in NYC, and how those activities can make the most out of that yoga!

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Catch Up on TV While Fine Tuning Your Yoga

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Breaking bad; doing yoga well.

Breaking bad; doing yoga well.

Yoga lessons in NYC may be great, but if you’re practicing that yoga on your own, sometimes you need a little background entertainment to keep you going through the occasional position that just seems impossible. And thankfully, that’s what the TV is there for. It’s a great time to be watching TV too, with a lot of good stuff currently on the air; if you’re interested in catching up while getting ready for your yoga lessons in NYC, here’s some stuff to check out.

NTSF: SD: SUV::

Paul Scheer’s hilarious CSI/NCIS parody is a perfect Thursday night pairing with Children’s Hospital, an Adult Swim mainstay that thoroughly eviscerates the medical soap opera. But if you’ve ever watched a Jerry Bruckheimer movie or gotten into a procedural on TV, you’ll happily recognize the clichés taken to their gleefully insane conclusions on display.

Louie

Louis C.K. is just the man, and if you haven’t yet caught up on his unique, borderline revolutionary anti-sitcom, you’re missing out. Besides, the show’s jazzy, amiable, Woody-Allen-in-the-70s-esque rhythms might just even be a natural fit for yoga. (Well, maybe not, but still.)

Breaking Bad

To put it bluntly: Breaking Bad is probably the best show on television right now. The writing is enthralling and nuanced, the acting is universally phenomenal, and the direction renders every week into a completely cinematic 60-minute neo-western. This stuff is more addictive than meth itself. Or, you know, yoga.

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