Dance Moms

Have you ever watched something that made you feel kind of uncomfortable and left you in total shock. The kind of thing that you definitely don’t need to watch to gain knowledge of any kind, but the kind of thing you can’t stop watching because the crazyness is addicting? And no, I’m not talking about Honey Boo Boo, but I could, because the show that I stumbled apon this week is called Dance Moms.

I’m pretty sure I’m the last person to find this show, because the internet tells me that there are already 3 seasons. Three whole seasons about a group of little girls that dance for days on end, their crazy moms and the I-don’t-even-know-what-to-say-about-her dance teacher Abby Lee.

I don’t want this blogpost to be a rant about how absurd this show is, however that’s not an easy task. I’ve only watched the first season and it feels like the moms are sending their kids to this Dance Company with a 16000 dollar check because ‘that’s what they wanted when they were young’. Some moms even admit that they were dancers when they were little, but that they quit dancing and now regret their desicion.

To me it’s both incredibly sad and also amazing to watch these kids perform. I don’t believe in sending your kids to dance class every day of the week, I don’t believe in extremely long hours and choosing dance over school a social life and more. I guess I just don’t need to be perfect and I defenitely don’t need to be famous. I do however have respect for all their talent, their drive and motivation and the skills they learn whilst dancing.

Source: http://images.tvrage.com/shows/29/28444.jpg

With that said, I have to admit that I don’t even know what is more crazy, the kids schedule and the way their dance teacher ‘barks’ orders at them or the ‘dance moms’ as they call themselves. The moms are supposed to watch the girls practice, they’re watching them from a viewing room above the studio. And that’s were all the drama happens. I’ve seen parents get escorted off the property by the police for theatening, screaming and more. I’ve seen the moms get in fights with each other about costums, how unfair it is when one girl gets a solo and the other doesn’t and how there is always a favourite in Abby Lee’s class. And ofcourse when one mom doesn’t cooperate as the other moms expect she will hear about it; because they’re a team!

I don’t want to end this post on a negative note, so I will be ending with the fact that this show has given me at least 10 hours of entertainment so far. I love watching the girls dance and I love how involved the moms are.

So guys, what do you think about dance moms?

Dave McGraw & Mandy Fer

Hello there lovely people! Yes, I am still alive, but I've been ill for the past two weeks.. However I went to see Dave McGraw and Mandy Fer, an American couple, perform at theatre 'de Wegwijzer' near Middelburg in 'Nieuw- en Sint Joosland', two weeks ago.

Theatre 'de Wegwijzer' is located near the edge of the village and it sits in the shadow of a real Dutch windmill. To get to the theatre, we had to walk over a little path that took us through vegetable gardens and a meadow, which obviously made the whole experience even more fun!

Inside 'de Wegwijzer' the atmoshpere was great and welcoming. An estimate of 80 gathered around in the lobby before the concert started. I've been to the theatre once before, but nonetheless I was impressed by the ceiling inside the intimate and relatively small room.



Dave McGraw and Mandy Fer are a young couple performing folk music together. They've made indvidual music before they worked together and performed both their own songs as well as songs they've made together. Throughout the concert I realised that the way they work together is very balanced and well. Neither of them took a more prominent stand in their performence, they alternated between taking the lead.



Between the songs they each told stories about America, traveling, working together and the jobs they've had. Mandy Fer explained to the audience that their drummer (who wasn't with them during this performance) made a guitar especially for Mandy. This, female proof, guitar has a smaller neck (for smaller hands), a bigger bottom and a smaller upper body.



Both Mandy and Dave played different instruments; Mandy played acoustic and electric guitar and Dave played guitar and a djembe. Not only their instruments were diverse, but their whole performance was lively, diverse and interesting. There were moments when both of them closed their eyes, singing form their heart, yet at other moments they were standing, facing each other and putting all their energy into playing their instruments. The performance was kept your attention from beginning to end.

During the break I took the chance to talk to them (I needed some time to convince myself that I was actually going to talk to two amazing musicians, but l'm glad I did) and I told them how I enjoyed listening to their album at home and how I loved their performance. We ended up having a little conversation about their music, the Netherlands and the USA.

Two of my most favourite songs are Serotiny..

.. and Cat Creek.

If you'd like to read more about Dave & Mandy or find out if they're performing close to yoy; check out their website daveandmandymusic.

That's all for tonight! Let me know what you think about Dave McGraw and Mandy Fer!

March 2013 Favourites

March has come to an end so it's time for my March 2013 favourites! I'm very excited to share these items with you guys and I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions about them! I've created my top five for this month! Let's get started!

HEMA soft eyeliner
I've finally jumped on the eyeliner wagon! It seems like every normal girl is able to create a beautiful (winged) stripe. I've tried eyeliners in the past before, but the results were horrible to say the least. This month however, I decided to give it another go and I bought this marker-like soft eyeliner at a Dutch store called HEMA. I love this! The eyeliner is easy to use (when you get the hang of it), it's a dark black color and it stays on for a good 8 hours! I would defenitely recommend this!

COPIC markers
As a design student I often have to sketch or draw ideas onto paper. I've gone through my fair share of markers, pens and pencils in my three years of college so I decided to bite the bullet and spend a little bit more money on some amazing markers that I've been eyeing for a while now. These Copic markers are about five euros each, but they're totally worth it. The markers have two sides with varying 'ends'. One creates a normal line and the other a thicker, more square line. Another great feature of these markers is the fact that when you fill in something with these you won't see stripes, because the markers will make it opake. 

Sleeveless blouse
Sadly, today has been the first 'kind of warm' day of spring. However, I've already bought some summer clothes and one of the trends I'm seeing are the sleeveless blouses. I absolutely love this trend. The blouses come in all kinds of different colors, prints and some are even high-low (low back, shorter front). They're elegant and very comfortable! 

Reese's Peanutbutter cups
I know, I know, all you Americans out there are probably thinking; 'what's so special about Reese's?' Well, let me tell you. When I walked into the store the other day I found a section with American food! I literally jumped with joy, because I've always wanted to try American food. So I did. And the Reese's Peanutbutter cups were uh-mah-zing! I loved the rich taste, the smell of peanutbutter and chocolate!

Blog Young House Love
And finally, I've trown in a blog that I'm loving at the moment. It's called 'Young House Love' and it's written by a young couple with a lovely little doughter. They've renovated and decorated they're second home and the blog is filled with fun, creative and awesome ideas and inspiration! Their personal blog is also a must-read! 

That's it for today! Let me know what kind of American food I should try out next and I'll see you next week!