2011 Eastcoast Westcoast Rollll

2011 and still got my roll on. Westside USA this time. A quick visit to NYC and experienced the Halloween Skate in Central Park. It was coooold ! but the core of the skaters sweeped the place clean. DJ's played and we skated anyway ! Happy to meet all my NY skaters friends again. Then moved to San Diego and rolled the Westcoast California !! Yessss a skater's dream come true. So I did skate Skate World in San Diego, skated with the crews Oldschool Skaters and Skate This at Mission Bay on sunday afternoon and skated Skate Depot in Cerritos on saturday in Cerritos, LA. I'm so happy to meet so many kindred souls and understand what I'm all about, they all put the skating first, the rest is collateral ;). It is such a difference from back home...
My best and final roll is yet to come. Robin Royal is givin me a ride again 2night to visit Cerritos again. Their thursdays are epic and some of the best skaters from LA surroundings will show up. Had the best moment last thursday when Autumn, a lovely skater lady with great moves, introduced me to Kevin, one of the skaters who skates Cerritos the moment they open untill the last minute before they close. Guess what, he recognized me from youtube. SAY WHAT !!!?? Now that was awesome !
Looking forward to roll with the Westside Sk8Fam, since it will take some time before I ever visit again, but definitly want to ! All for the love of skating...

NYC 2010

Do Not think I haven't been skating over 3 years. On the contrary !!
But at some point you reach a status quo, it does evolve and contains progress but the details are small. Learning the skills is an ongoing process. Personal & spiritual growth (and I'm also referring to skating) can be felt inside and will be radiated but there is not much to write about, it is an experience.

The last 2 years Quadsk8 has been struggling with finding a venue to continue what we work so hard for. Effortless in energy by the way because I love what I do, but struggling in maintaining the skating in a country that has practically no history in social & cultural life whatsoever. Yes, we have had our heat going on in the beginning of the 80's but after .... Well in the eyes of most people it died, but not where I come from. Because I come from a world where everything is possible as long as you let your mind go free, go with the flow and just do what you do.
In 2009 I visited NYC and just now on July 7th 2010 I've returned from my second trip to Skaters Heaven ;-)
When I started skatedancing years ago I felt like coming home, and I felt it right into the core of my mind, body & soul. But going to NYC for the 2nd time and experience skaters life & dancing out there, now that is my universal home..

Their mindset just blows you away. Like looking into a mirror, recognition, and all you can think of is: "Is this for real?" Yes it is.
So many people take life for granted, do not appreciate what they have and do not realise we all live on borrowed time. Only few really DO live their live to the max, develop the best withim themselves and radiate this to the rest of the world and naturally without intention inspire others just by being who they are. Most people say they live in the moment and enjoy every single minute, but putting it into practice seems a lot harder. When you meet the real & true skaters who give the best of everthing they've got and are, then you'll know what living in the moment means. For a few hours straight the Park or the Rink is set on fire. The Arconditioning does not need electricity it can draw it's relentless energy from the skaters out there LOL.

To skate is to fly, to fly is to be free, to be free is what keeps you real and be yourself, and no-one will trade that feeling for anything else. Luckily there are more people that feel free or do not feel constrained by their jobs, responsibilities or do not get upset by their daily lives or damnation of some parts of our society and have found away of dealing with life in their own way. But since skaters know what it feels like to fly on their own strenght without any machinery but just the 8 wheels & your body they posess that extra spark that gets them going in life. Sometimes we don't know about that much about eachother; how do we make a living, what our names are or where we're from, who we're dating, how we spent the rest of our time. It is NOT important. We have one thing in common that counts; skating is our lifesaver and that makes us family & friends.

In NYC I've experienced acknowledgement in my truth. Rollerskating keeps you in good health, sane, alert & enjoy life. Because next to skating & dancing I still have time to work, spent time with friends, read, work-out & study. If your mind is telling you: you can't then don't listen, free your mind and your ass will follow.

Thanks to all skaters & dancers in Rollerjam, Crazy Legs, Central Park & Branch Brook Park for their respect. All brothers & sisters you reprezent !!

Update start 2007

New year, new experiences, new website, new venue, new parties, new people, youtube exposure, hyves exposure (a dutch online community), newspaper exposure, lots of media interest, same ol' skates that fit me so perfectly well and which I'll never trade for any other 'till the day I die...and by then go on anyway.. ;-)
Popularity grows but that's not the most important thing. The reason why interests me more and that sometimes takes some time to find out. Choose by heart must be the best reason there is.

Be back with stories from the vault of rollerskating in the new era.

Summer No: 3

Been some time since my last story. But it doesn't mean I skate less. Quite the opposite, sometimes less in actual hours but so much more intense with a definite zeal. My creative energy is not so much in writing now. Very difficult to explain, very easy to feel. Enhancing skills follow the same steps as described earlier, it's going through the different experiences now that make the light sparkle. Have to catch those opportunities.

There has been a huge party and I attended to give a performance with one of the dude-skaters. I was just very happy to have been given the opportunity to skate in a different place, with a different crowd in a different atmosphere. To perform 15 minutes straight is a heck of a job! in total 4 times, 1 every hour. People were great and so was the party. Presentation on stage (long time ago since I did dance performances) is a different way of doing, but with the same enthusiasm. The videocams and photographers are something I've got to get used to I guess :-S

Skate bite: My colleague told me he saw a picture of me with my skates on in a magazine and that the story was about skateparties. He did not read it very attentively, only paid some attention to my picture, but he would bring the article to show me. Turned out to be a small advertisement for a small club and I happened to be in the picture. NO skates in the picture whatsoever and not a word about skateparties...
Sure it's his interpretation of what he (thought he) saw, but I like to think of it as proof for the existence of an almost obligatory human-skates mutualistic symbiosis; My skates & me

Keeping the groove on !

New year, fresh, exciting.
I'm keeping the groove on!!

Bored ? I don't think so. This calendar is gonna get jammed this summer.

C Y'all

Soulbrother

Another experience I'll never forget. Had the opportunity to meet Tyrone Dixon. His documentary "8 wheels and some soul brotha music" was shown at the filmfestival "Africa in the picture". It has extraordinairy footage of rollerrrinks in the USA and a lot of comments of some real dedicated people who's lives are filled with exposing the Rollerjammin'as it should be. As an active sport which includes the fun, dancing, music AND a way of life. Also they explained a lot about the history and the cultural, social benefits of this kind of community for the Afro American culture and what it means to the them and why it is so important it sticks. It differs from the way things are in Europe but the way of thinking is important for all kinds of people and it's knowledge everybody should be aware of.

Anyway, I was introduced to him thanks to Quadsk8. Because the organisation of the festival contacted Quadsk8 in order to bring them together and to see if they can connect. He visited the weekly Classic Calypso Rollerdisco on the 8th and he brought his skates. He is such a cool dude with a great personality and has the same joy and feeling about the whole rollerjammin' thang. Although he was never a die-hard skater before filming his documentary, he did skate as a youngster. When he visited the rollerrinks a few years ago and saw what was going on and how people were one with the vibe of this energetic togetherness in skating, he got so exited and traveled for a long time, visiting rollerrinks all over the States, talking to people who know everything about what is to know about rollerskating. Interviewing the dancemasters of the disco era, rollerink-owners, fanatic quadskaters, people from 10 to 80 years old that'll do about anything to keep the jammin'alive and he put in all on tape. When I see these people talking I do not only hear what they say, I feel it too.

They represent.

Sunday the 11th was the screening of the documentary in the theatre and I saw the evidence that ever since the late 80's rollerskating has gone underground again, it has never died, ever. It's a life with a different attitude from another angle.

In the gym you see everybody sweating, sighing, working hard but nobody looks really happy. In a rollerrink you just feel the vibe of the music, this gigantic flow of energy throbbing and all you see are happy faces and smiling people getting their groove on. No matter if their good at it or terribly bad, it's the fun everybody is having that makes it an experience that can get anybody hooked for life. (It's less fun to get the training done because you have to have stamina and be willing to do the hard work, but it's for a good cause; lots of more fun!! But even the hard work makes you smile.) It's always great to meet someone who understands exactly why I spend so much of my time on skating and dancin'.

But you have to try for yourself, put on some skates and let the music move you.
Some people think rollerskating is for kids...in case you haven't noticed yet; there's a little kid inside everybody.

Thxs Tyrone for this unexpected-but-so-very-welcome-wonderful weekend! You ARE a Soul Brotha.

Everybody Dance!!

Still in awe ´bout yesterday evening. Must be one of the most memorable evenings I ever had. Filled with anticipation for the concert of Chic in Paradiso I spend my afternoon with some skatefriends, Chic on cd, skates and handing out some flyers for our Sk8 Rollerjamparty this coming Friday. Most of them would be present that evening too.
Got at the Paradiso on time to get me the best spot in da house. Near the stage that is so I could have full view of the whole show but a bit on the side so I would have enough room around me for my dancing. This time without the skates, but hey who cares, one of the best bands ever performing live. As long as I can remember I´ve danced to their music like I wrote in my very first post of this Groove Rider´s blog. From the moment the first beat sounded I immediately flipped into a funky-trip-mode that was not to be stopped until way after the end of the concert. To tell you the truth it went from a trip to pure ecstasy. Since I don´t do drugs or alcohol this was a natural high caused by some crazed funky music that made me dance like there was no tomorrow.

A tribute to Luther Vandross ... it was awesome how the whole crowd became absolutely silent to pay respect to this master of lovesongs. 'At last I am free' was dedicated to him last night...guess we all walked down memorylane that moment.

At about ¾ of the the concert Nile Rodgers himself pointed out at the side where I was standing and I heard him say: “There’s this girl over there with the white hat, and she’s dancing like crazy, why don’t you come over here on stage girl.” I really don´t remember the exact words that were said because I was totally airborne by then ´cause he was talking to me... In some sort of a haze I walked to the stage, someone lifted me to get up on the stage and then Nile reached out his hand to pull me the last bit.

He asked my name and wondered where the heck I came from. All I could utter was some stupid answer like: “Uhm..I´m just very Dutch.....” I had to giggle to myself because I could not comprehend what was happening to me. Did not have much time to think about it, because apparently I was supposed to let a filled Paradiso show my stuff. The music set in and I was completely and immediately back into the groove I was in before, while dancing off-stage.

After my ´two minutes´ of fame Nile told me to hang out with them on stage and I did not have to be in the spotlight if I didn´t want to anymore. I thankfully accepted and stepped back, but stayed the remainder of the show on stage behind the big sound system groovin´and funkin´my pants out. All of them kept on smiling at me throughout the show givin´ me thumbs up and sometimes I heard: `Look at her she just doesn’t stop, she keeps on going.` Oh Yes did I !!!! I danced with them and they danced with me, was really excited when Cherie Mitchel on synth looked behind her sometimes where I was standing and just joined in into the same moves I was doing. The last song they played was ´Good Times` which of course includes the rollerskates!!! There was a fine piece of writing on Chic and their Good Times on the Quadsk8 blog about the musical and producing abilities for the last decades done by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards. And now a year later I was dancing on stage with this Master of Music. I´m very happy to have shared this evening with my skate buddies because I´ve danced for them too, we share the same musical preferences, we dig the same groove and the same move on rollerskates and on shoes. Was invited backstage and suddenly I realised they chose this live performance to document on DVD....bizarre.

While dancing I heard the crowd cheering, but me myself was absorbed by some other kind of feeling which, for me, is even more thrilling than a crowd of thousands of people. On stage I was not alone, had some souls around me from people, from the past and the present, I hold dear, because they taught me to enjoy live to the fullest, waking up every single morning and be thankful for yet a new day to come, bad or good. And that the best things in life are free whether it’s receiving or giving, bringing out the best in others and yourself. While dancing I felt this passion for life itself thrusting throughout my veins as ever when I’m dancing or hear the music that goes with it. But this particular experience was definitely a mind, body and soul fusion.

Thxs Nile and all others for giving me this precious gift because you see;

Music never lets me down
Puts a smile on your face
Any time, any place
Dancin' helps relieve the pain
Soothes your mind
Makes you happy again
Listen to those dancin' feet
Close your eyes and let go
But it don't mean a thing
If it ain't got that swing

Everybody Dance,
Clap your hands, clap your hands.

Peace out you all!

Courtesy of Chic org for the pix