Friday, May 31, 2013

EVENT | Coral TV


Last week before heading off to New York, I was also able to check out a fantastic event hosted by Coral TV at the Beer Academy in Toronto for Faze Magazine. Coral is an online community for young, urban women to get advice and be entertained by energetic personalities on YouTube. I was able to meet some awesome ladies, do some fun demos and learn a few tips as well. If you haven't heard of Coral TV yet, be sure to check it out! Here's a quick glimpse:


They recently also just partnered with Kin Community, the leading multi-channel women's network on Youtube. Congrats!

Here are some photos from the event:


Candice Hutchings, The Edgy Veg

Eva Redpath, Get Fit In The City

Lindsay Kidd (shown above) & Nataleigh Ballantyne, Pinot & Prose

Shannon Simmons, Money Awesomeness

Rose Huggett, Hairstory

Dara Frydman, DesignHer Co.

 Sara-Lynn Cauchon, The Domestic Geek
 
 Kristin Lumsden, Behind the Beauty

 Sarah Bolen, Surviving Yoga

 Casie Stewart, THIS: The Hot Internet Show

Coral TV Founder: Kit Redmond

Thanks for having me Coral! You can also find them on Twitter & Facebook. Keep an eye out for my article on Faze.ca

- Christina
Follow my adventures on Twitter: @christinaaa28
Photos by Christina Dun | Please contact for use 

CollegeFashionista Summer 2013

I've been contributing to CollegeFashionista as a Style Guru for roughly a year and a half now and I have absolutely loved every minute of it. Being able to showcase student style from my own campus while being a part of a community of fellow style gurus from all over the world has been incredible and I've made so many great friendships. This will be my second summer with CollegeFashionista and I'm super excited to be reporting this year from New York City.

Just as a nice little flashback first though, I thought I'd share some of the stylish students I was able to showcase this past semester:






I'm looking forward to finding more students to feature in the city! Here is my STYLE GURU BIO that was posted this week on CollegeFashionista to kick of the summer:

 Read it HERE.


Thanks for following!

- Christina
@christinaaa28

Avenue Q Interview with Trekkie Monster


Before heading to NYC for the summer, I had the pleasure of interviewing a puppet (any journalist's dream, I'm sure) at the Lower Ossington Theatre. I met Trekkie Monster, a character on Avenue Q for a chat about the upcoming show, what it's like working with his cast mates, and his grooming routines. Check out the interview below:



Avenue Q hits the LOT this June and Trekkie Monster is played by local actor Adam Norrad. He's also known for his roles in the LOT's productions of RENT and The Rocky Horror Show.


 About Avenue Q:

"AVENUE Q tells the story of Princeton, a bright-eyed college grad who moves to NYC with big dreams and a tiny bank account. The only apartment he can afford is way out on Avenue Q, where everyone’s looking for the same things he is: a decent job, a stable relationship, and a “purpose.” Eventually, Princeton learns to embrace the ups and downs of city life and realizes that “the real world” isn’t so bad, after all! *Not intended for children." - lowerossingtontheatre.com

Photo credit: Seanna Kennedy
Photo credit: Seanna Kennedy
Photo credit: Seanna Kennedy
For more info on the Lower Ossington Theatre and to buy tickets, visit lowerossingtontheatre.com -- You can also find them on Twitter and Facebook!


 

Great meeting you Trekkie Monster!

- Christina
Follow my adventures on Twitter: @christinaaa28

Monday, May 20, 2013

FESTIVAL | Lightning in a Bottle


Summer is all about festivals; they're fun, full of cool people and they are great ways to discover new artists you may never have found otherwise. What better way to spend a weekend outdoors with a group of friends and awesome tunes? There's Osheaga, Lollapalooza, Governor's Ball, Sasquatch...and the list goes on.

If you're in California, here's one that celebrates art, sustainability, music, performance and life itself. Lightning in a Bottle is presented by The Do LaB and takes place this year at Lake Skinner County Park (Temecula, CA) on July 11th-15th.

"Our goal with the music is to create a positive and uplifting experience, with a good balance of beautiful melodic music and good old party music. After 4 months of in depth research and a lot of listening we tried to cover as many genres as possible that we feel fit the vibe that we're trying to create with Lightning in a Bottle."- Jesse Flemming, Co-Founder/Curator, The Do LaB.

Still not sure what it is? Check out this cool video:



They also released the lineup, announcing their latest addition: electro-pop duo Purity Ring. Who are you most excited to see?


For more info, visit: http://lightninginabottle.org and find them on Facebook & Twitter!

- Christina
Follow my adventures on Twitter: @christinaaa28

Sneak Peek: Mandia Music Video Shoot


Last weekend, I got to spend the day on set of Mandia Nantsios' upcoming music video for her single "Smile." I hung out with the 16-year-old Ottawa-based singer in Toronto and did an interview as well for an online feature for Faze Magazine.

I just thought I'd share a sneak peek before the article comes out (without spilling too many spoilers!) - Here are a few pics:




Here's her music video for "One Last Time" -


Keep an eye out for the article on Faze.ca and be sure to check out www.mandianantsios.com for more music updates!

- Christina
Follow my adventures on Twitter: @christinaaa28

INTERVIEW WITH: Shaping Sound Dance Co.'s Joey Arrigo



If you love to see passion come to life on stage and a cast of incredibly talented dancers, a national tour that hit the road this weekend is the perfect show for you. Shaping Sound Dance Company is traveling across North America with a production that brings the “wow” factor. Founded by Travis Wall, Nick Lazzarini, Teddy Forance and Kyle Robinson, following their stint as a reality TV show (All The Right Moves), Shaping Sound has become something so much more. 


The theatre show kicked off in LA on May 18th and already I’ve come across tons of great reviews online.  I’m hoping I’ll get a chance to see them live when they hit NYC. Here are the rest of the tour dates:


Amongst the cast members, there is even a bit of Canadian pride. 21-year-old Joey Arrigo found his way from Toronto to Los Angeles and I got to chat with him about his experience in the cast, what it’s like living in LA and what he’s most looking forward to. (You may recognize him from So You Think You Can Dance Canada.)


Christina Dun: How are rehearsals going?

Joey Arrigo: Rehearsals are absolutely amazing. This is my first project working with this company and from the work that I’ve done before, it differs so much because working with these guys is such an experience. Working with such talented artists fuels you every day. Everyday is a good experience and I’m always happy to be in the room. So rehearsals have been going amazing.


CD: How did you get involved with the company?

JA: I met all four boys working on conventions and going to conventions. I assisted for JUMP Convention, where Teddy and Nick are teachers and just from assisting their classes and working with them a lot, they asked me from there if I was interested in being part of the company.

CD: What are you most excited for?

JA: First off, I’ve never been on a full tour of the United States before, even working with conventions I go to these cities to work the conventions but I don’t leave the hotel for the entire weekend so it’s like I haven’t even been to the city. So it’s nice that I‘m going to get to go on a tour of the United States and see all these cities and be able to actually see parts of the city and perform in them and get to experience them. And also, since these four guys have such a high-profile name in the country and are confident, it’s going to be great to share the stage with them and I’m really excited to have my name associated with the company.

CD: What’s it like working with everyone?

JA: The group dynamic is absolutely amazing. I feel that everywhere I’ve worked, there’s always been somebody I butt heads with and I feel that there’s always somebody I have to really work through to get along in the process of creation in the show or whatever. But here, I just feel like everybody’s here for the same reason and I feel like everybody’s here because they want to dance. They want to do dance and it means something to them. And they want to create a good show so everybody’s on the same page and there’s nobody I feel is holding back or anything like that. I feel like we’re a good group and we’re working well together, so I’m really excited about that.


CD: How would you describe the show? What makes it unique?

JA: It’s very story-driven. We all play characters in the show and it’s cool to experience that side of a show when you can really explore the movement and improve yourself as a dancer while trying to play a character. So I think that really sets apart the show from other dance shows; it’s more than just dance, it’s a full production. So I’m really excited about that.

CD: What character do you play?

JA: The character the boys have given me is that they’ve titled me “The Antagonist.” So that’s someone who is the troublemaker in the show, the one who causes problems. So I like that, just to add some shading to the show.

CD: What’s the biggest challenge you’ve come across so far?

JA: I guess the biggest challenge is that all the dancers in the show are actually based here in LA, and I am not. I’ve lived in Toronto my whole life and I went on a world tour with a company previous to this, so I didn’t have an address and I was living out of a suitcase. And once again, right now I’m just staying with one of the other company members, in their apartment. So basically, I feel like I’m not at home, not at my home base working at this. Also being in LA, I don’t have a car and it’s hard to access things. But I mean, I’m saying that’s the hardest thing, and it’s not even that hard because I’m here and I’m doing what I love. I’m here because this job is fulfilling and I wouldn’t say there’s anything hard about this because I’m enjoying it so much.

CD: How does the Toronto dance scene compare to the LA dance scene?

JA: I would kind of say that it doesn’t. The Toronto dance scene is, well I mean, I grew up there and I absolutely love Toronto, it’s such a great city. I love the people there and everything and every time I go home I miss them so much and I just miss the energy of Canadians. But the dance industry there, there’s just not as much work there for a dancer. So everybody who is really serious about making a dance career that have come from Toronto does whatever they can to get their work visa to move to Los Angeles so they can have a successful career.

CD: What pushes you to continue dancing?

JA: Definitely I would say the aspect of getting better as a dancer and improving as a dancer and not being the same dancer you were the day before. I know a lot of dancers that get comfortable and then they realize they don’t like dancing anymore because it gets boring to them and it becomes all the same. I feel like the dancers who really try to push themselves really look at themselves and try to be better than they were the day before, those are the dancers who stay motivated and keep striving for passion.

CD: What advice do you have for other aspiring dancers?

JA: There’s really two things that fuel me as I was growing up, even now as a professional and someone who keeps working in the dance industry. Definitely number one is training and class and technique and knowing about your body and knowing what your body can and can’t do. And trying to figure out ways to improve and strengthen and make your body stronger so that you can dance the way that you want to. So I would say training is number one. Number two is just remembering why you love dance because the dance industry all over the world, small and big, is full of so many things that can twist your brain and make you question. It is an artsy industry so there are lots of things that twist your brain. I would say that the number one thing is remembering why you love dance and remembering that dancing is for you and not for anybody else. Keeping your sanity is definitely important.

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Be sure to stay updated with Shaping Sound on Facebook & Twitter. You can buy tickets to the show at: http://www.shapingsoundco.com

- Christina
Follow my adventures on Twitter: @christinaaa28

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Style Tips From Faze Magazine's Prom Photo Shoot


In the latest issue of Faze Magazine, there is a "Prom Personalities" spread that I got to help out with, which highlights some fabulous outfits and awesome photography by Richard Sibbald. But while assisting on set, I was also taking notes for an online article based on those looks to come up with some style tips for this year's prom go-ers. The article just went up last week so I thought I'd share!

Take a look:
Read the full article here:

Here some additional behind-the-scenes photos from the shoot:







Photos taken by Christina Dun

Hope you all have a fun prom!

- Christina
Follow my adventures on Twitter: @christinaaa28