Why I Dance

I have tried my entire life to explain to my friends, my family and mostly, to non-dancers, why it is that dance is so important to me and why dance matters.

This is a great start to understanding a dancer, and how we all were born to dance... Some of us are just fortunate enough to recognize it very early on.

Watch and share! 

Social Media Craze

In 2006, I embarked on a journey. What was this thing called Facebook, which was all the rage? I really couldn't care less about Myspace - as I'm not a musician or DJ - but all my university and travel friends seemed to be on this Facebook...


So I created an account. 

And here I was, in what would become the trend-setting social media platform, just dog-paddling along. It was nice; I could find friends, make new ones, keep in touch and share photos.

When I was out of work in 2010, a friend of mine from Swing Dynamite told me; Twitter's where it's at... If you want work, you have to network, get a twitter account!


So I joined the Twitterverse. 


I was chatting with some other communication professionals such as myself, and they admitted to me: "We do not read our Twitter feeds... can you imagine how much time we'd waste?" And I wondered, "Where do we draw the line of necessity to have an online presence for personal and professional reasons, and when does it become madness?"


Thus, the saga continues.

At the cross between Twitter and Facebook, I took a left and stayed with LinkedIn. Then I ventured to Stumbleupon and wasted many an evening gazing at beautiful landscapes and reading many quotes that I would not have the genius to have written. Somehow, I must have been dazed and ended up with a Youtube account and weekly digests - like a tattoo you get when you're hungover. I carried on.

I've had this particular blog for a while, before which I had a FB blog. I was told it was probably good to have a writing sample somewhere... Quick, Blogger, it's a must-see destination!

I started promoting my photography freelance services and needed a website... so I heard about this new cool place to be: Tumblr. Lately, I've been catching up and updating it, but I just can't seem to stay on top of my blogs... If you're a follower, you may have noticed this fact.


Speaking of promoting my photography... I had an exhibit in January for which I created a FB page. Now, I have the tedious task of maintaining it AND of creating one in my name as "photographer". Say what?


Naturally, when everyone started protesting Facebook and inviting me to Google+, I said, "WAIT A MINUTE!". I'm sure it's wonderful; who doesn't love Google products? But do I really need two of the same TYPE of social network? I mean, how many places can you REALLY be at once? That's what Social Media is... if it stands for your online presence, then you need to maintain it and how many of these can you expect to commit to?

Then, well... Wow. I fell in love and threw my principles out the window. Online boards are just my imagination translated into cyberspace. So I "requested" a Pinterest account (read: please, won't you let me be part of the cool kids?). I'm still having this affair, but I have decided that I must also do the responsible thing, and contribute to my community... And so I have a Yelp account now as well, which like anything worth doing, takes time to build.

This leads me here; updating my blog about a month and a half since my last post. I feel like an underachiever... probably because I'm spreading myself like the last of the peanut butter. These icons are like stamps on a passport that just keep on giving. It seems rather inevitable, especially for a communications professional like me.

I guess the lesson is: know the platforms, decide what you want out of them and use them in the fashion & at the frequency that works for you... and stick to fewer and do them well!

Can change for a dollar really change the world?

This is a beautiful short. 

I have been reading a lot in the news, on blogs and through social media lately, about changing the world, about changing one's thoughts and perspectives, about being kinder and more at peace from within. For those of us who don't quite get the ripple effect idea yet, this can certainly help the message get across.

Although I am not a fan of panhandling, I do find it sad that some people have to resort to it to survive, or in this case, to help their fellow human kind. This is a good example of how far a small gesture can go. 

If we thought a little less about ourselves and did one nice thing day... it may just change the world.

Be grateful. Do something kind today. 

Ottawa Fashion Week 2012

Wow... so many things happen so quickly! Where to begin?


By some stroke of luck, I got accreditation for Ottawa Fashion Week 2012.

Stella & dot, (c) Mercedes Déziel-Hupé, 2012

That said, I do intend on filling you in on my latest photo adventures and I will surely blog about my experience flying solo at OFW 2012!


In a week, I'll have pics! For now, here's a nice line-up of Stella & dot's show, from this season's runway show.

Ballet in the Streets: In the News!

Ballet in the Streets (c) Mercedes Déziel-Hupé

It's been an adventure and I have been so very fortunate so far. My show - Ballet in the Streets - has been up for a little more than two weeks with Avant-Garde Bar & Gallery and will come down on January 31st. The reception has been really positive and I'm happy that my images have been intriguing and pleasing many different people. I hope to continue producing great photographs and to continue to improve. In the mean time, it feels so good to get recognition for hard work and a good cause... passion for dance, and arts, here is Ottawa! 


Here are a few of the great little features this show has received thus far. Thank you to all who've featured Ballet in the Streets. Thank you also to Ottawa Xpress for the calendar mention and blurb and thank you to Rogers Daytime for welcoming me on your January 12, 2012 show, to talk about the Opening and the Ballet in the Streets project.


Ruby, TFO
Ottawa Citizen, Social Section
Apt613
Ottawa Studio Works
2HPhotography



If you haven't seen the show up, I encourage you to do so and to stay tuned to its next venue... but you can start by viewing it online.


Gallery 1
Gallery 2
Gallery 3