The Power of Art

Hi and welcome back!


As you already know I love writing. Maybe you've already read my poem "Meant To Dream" which I posted in August. For me writing is like therapy. If I have a problem, if I'm sad or if something just bothers me or is stuck in my head I write about it.


A friend at work loves painting, we started talking about art. When I told her that I write she asked me if she could read some of my texts.
Yesterday we met again and she gave me her feedback on one of the poems I gave her. I won't post it here because it's written in German but I'll tell you about it later.
First she told me that at the beginning she thought it was a real story, my story. That's such a great compliment! That means that it's authentic and real even though it's fiction. That it always what I try to do, I want to create something real, something that people can relate to, something that moves them or makes them think about a certain topic. I guess I did that with this poem, she told me she had trouble not to cry. My words made someone get very emotional.


But why? What was it all about?!
The poem is called "To The End". It's a farewell letter written by a woman who says her last goodbye to her husband. She starts by telling how they met, how she fell in love with him, how blessed she was with him becoming her husband. She describes how happy he made her, how he made her feel.
Then it changes. She tells that the doctor gave her a diagnosis which threw her off track. He gave her strength and hope, he made her feels better no matter how bad it got. She talks about her pain, about how weak she got, about how her pain hurt him, too. He never left her side. She got weaker, she lost her hair, it was a very hard time but he stood by her, he was her strength. She says that she wished for a different outcome, she wanted to grow old with him, to have kids. But the end is near, she can feel it. She tells him not to be too sad about the time they never get but to be thankful for the time they had together, to think about what they gave each other instead of what they lost. She tells him that even though she'll be gone she'll always be with him in a way. He always took care of her and now it's her turn, now she'll be the angel watching over him...



I wrote that poem in summer 2013. My uncle, whom I loved with all my heart, had just died of lung cancer. I was devastated but I tried not to show it, I'm the kind of person who always keeps smiling. I wrote a few poems about/for him during that time, it was my way to get threw it, to handle all those feelings. This was the last one. I made the story up but the emotion is real. It contains the love I had and always will have for my uncle.



Just like music and dance and painting, writing is a kind of art. Often people think that art is only something beautiful to enjoy but it's much more than that. Art can bring back memories, it connencts people, it comforts, motivates and strengthens you. Art can express all those things you don't have the right words for. Art is not only for your eyes to see or for your ears to hear but especially for your heart to feel! Don't underestimate the power of art, it can overwhelm you within seconds...

What about you? Did you ever get overwhelmed by a piece of art? Or are you an artist yourself and got reactions like that? And would you like me to translate my poem into English and post it here? Let me know what you think in the comments below!

With love

Loulou

Let's talk about ..... KYLE HANAGAMI

Hey there!

I don't even know how to start! Do you know that feeling you get after watching or experiencing something so beautiful that you can't think straight, can't find the right words? That just happened to me...

I've already told you about Leroy Sanchez and about how much I love his voice. I also love James Bay, he's so amazing! So you can imagine how happy I was two years ago when I saw that Leroy did a cover of "Move Together" by James Bay.

But this time it was no ordinary video, it was a special one because he teamed up with Kyle Hanagami. That name meant nothing to me, I had never heard it before. But that was about to change!
In the background you can see people dancing. That is Kyle's creation, he's a choreographer. Of course I had no choice but to watch his videos, too. My curiosity wouldn't allow me not to do so and I'm happy about that because I wouldn't want to miss out on a talent like that!


Kyle Hanagami is a 31-year-old choreographer from California. Yes, 31, I couldn't believe it either!
He choreographed on "X Factor", "How To Rock" and for Jennifer Lopez, he worked with Lindsay Sterling, the Black Eyed Peas and more and he teaches dance. I could go on and on but I think you get an idea on how talented and successful he is. It's hard to believe that he didn't grow up dancing but started about ten years ago! It's never too late to find a new passion and to follow a dream...

Music was always a very important part of my life. I don't play any instrument and I don't dance, all I ever did was to sing in a choir at school but music has always been there for me. At first it was only music, later I was mesmerized by dance, too. It's amazing how much you can say without using a single word. You can tell a whole story by using only your body. Dance has its own language. And Kyle speaks it fluently!

Today he posted a new video on YouTube. It's a beautiful, emotional, powerful choreography to Adele's "Love In The Dark" sung by Leroy Sanchez. See for yourself:

The emotion in that song and that voice combined with the emotion in that choreography... I have to admit, it made me cry. It took them only five minutes to stir up memories and feelings that I had carefully hidden:

Love is the most important thing in our lives. To love someone as well as to be loved. To love yourself, your partner, your family, even a stranger. Love can strengthen you but it can also cause you pain or even destroy you. You can give your love but don't get it yourself. Or the other way around. You can love each other but you're oceans apart. Or you lose that someone... 

Right at the beginning I had to think about my uncle. "Take your eyes off of me so I can leave" - In January 2012 I had to leave again. Most of my family lives in Lebanon, I live in Germany. I hadn't seen them in three years and after spending three weeks with them I had to leave again. My uncle was the last one I said goodbye to before going to the airport because I knew it would be the hardest goodbye. He had lung cancer and I hoped to see him again but I had that strange feeling that this would be the last goodbye. We couldn't take our eyes off of each other which made leaving so much harder. The elevator doors closed and I burst into tears. One and a half years later he passed away. I've never got the chance to see him again... 

That one choreography, those five minutes took me back years, it took me back in time to such a painful memory which lead to the next and the next. And even though it can hurt like it just did, this is something I love so much about art. It doesn't physically touch you and yet it does so much to you! 

Kyle Hanagami just proved that he truly is one of the best choreographers the dance industry has to offer!

Check out his pages, watch his videos and be prepared to fall in love with the world of dance!

Homepage:   http://www.kylehanagami.com/

YouTube:   KYLE HANAGAMI

Facebook:   Kyle Hanagami

Twitter:   @KyleHanagami

Instagram:   @kylehanagami

With love...

Loulou

Hablas Español?

Hola!!!

Today it's all about Spanish. Next year I'll start studying to become a teacher. Well, actually I wanna be a journalist. I decided to study languages, English and Spanish, and after that journalism. But I thought if I already study these languages I can do it with the option to become a teacher. It's more to learn but there's nothing wrong with having a Plan B, right?!

I've always loved languages. My mother tongue is German. I grew up with Arabic music and though I didn't understand a word I loved singing along as a kid. One of my best friends back then was from Colombia. He used to sing the Spanish version of Ricky Martin's "Maria" over and over again and I knew someday I would learn to speak Spanish.
At school I learned English (11 years), Spanish (2 years) and French (7 years)...



Now I have almost a year to prepare for university and to get the certificates I need. I'm okay with English but I have to refresh and improve my Spanish. And I'm pretty excited about it!
Next year I want to go on a language trip to Spain for about a month. But until then I want to learn at home so today I went to the library. There are so many books just to learn one language! It was hard to decide which ones to take but I'm sure I'll be back soon to get more...



What about you? What's been your favorite subject at school? How many languages do you speak?


Lots of love

Loulou

Elevated Tour 2017

Hello again!

Finally I get to tell you about the concert! Wow, it's already been two weeks but it feels like it was yesterday. However... It was one of the best concerts I've visited so far. But let me start at the beginning:

From my town to Hamburg it's about 100km. I drove a little longer than an hour listening to his songs on Spotify, singing along. I'm always excited when I'm about to go to a concert, there is nothing better than a perfect night with good music and happy people, but this time I was even more excited...




I got the full experience, I didn't only have a ticket for the show but I also got a VIP package. That included the EP, a meet&greet, attending the soundcheck performance and more. We, me and five other girls who had that VIP package, were supposed to be there at 6pm but then we had to wait outside for almost half an hour. I didn't mind waiting, I liked the cold fresh air and I was about to have a great evening so everything was alright.
When we finally entered the room Leroy and his band were already busy doing the soundcheck. He welcomed us, asked how we were doing, he even took song requests. I asked for "Fell Off The Moon" which I love so much but sadly he didn't remember it...

Then it was time for a photo session. Before we took the photos he gave me a big hug, he was very warmhearted and kind. It wasn't like a man doing his job, it was like meeting friends. He's very down to earth and that really is an asset! He also seemed truly happy about the gifts he got. He was in no rush, took photos with everyone, made some small talk, gave lots of autographs. 

Either he is a great actor, too, or he simply is a grateful and humble man who knows that an artist can only survive this business with the support of his fans. I'm sure it's the latter! 😉


Afterwards we waited a little for the official concert to start. His support act was the German artist Eli and he is incredible! But I won't say too much now, he will get his own post later...

Leroy came on stage and he owned it! He created such a great atmosphere, it felt like a private party with friends. I've been to some concerts before and mostly people are pushing and you start to be annoyed and you can't really enjoy the show 100%. That problem didn't exist here. A girl behind me pushed me a few times by accident but she always apologized, I joked about karma getting back at her and we laughed. I've never met her before and I still don't know who she is but that evening we were all friends treating each other with respect. It was beautiful!

Being an artist is not only about talent, at least that's what I think. What I really love and admire is to see the passion, the love and dedication. And I saw all of that! Leroy has a great presence on stage, he's incredibly talented, very passionate, he's charming and funny - everybody enjoyed it.
The cover of "Despacito" he did with Madilyn Bailey is close to 3.5 Million hits, it's very popular and it just makes you feel good so he had to play it. He wanted the audience to sing along. We failed. Completely. There was one pretty loud "DES-PA-CITO" and then it was only the band playing their music. And Leroy laughing.
Note to self: Get your Spanish vocabulary down next time!
He played his own songs, some covers and he even played a brandnew original song called "Stay For A While" and I'm completely in love with that song, the sound is amazing and the lyrics are so beautiful! Can't wait for it to be available!





Leroy always took some time to talk to the audience. He asked questions, he told us about his EP, about his songs and the messages they're supposed to spread. He connected with the audience. I love that in an artist, too. It makes it more personal and even more memorable. And once again it showed how down to earth he still is. He becomes more famous by the day but it doesn't seem to affect him, he's still that guy from the Basque country of Spain whose heart beats for music.

But it wasn't only Leroy who rocked the stage. It's only his face and only his name on the posters but his band (Corey Rupp, Joel Manduke, Kazumi Shimokawa) did such a great job. There wasn't one but four stars on stage!







Music business is pretty tough, it's not all fame and money and glamour. It's a long way with obstacles and challenges. So if you really like an artist, please support him/her by buying his/her music. This is not only about Leroy but about artists in general. It's not that expensive but it's a great deal of support for the artist. And if you like the music then it's worth the investment, right?!

"ELEVATED" is Leroy Sanchez' very first EP and it's out now! It makes you dance and dream and reminisce, it lifts you up and it empowers and motivates you. It's great! Go and get it. You can go to leroysanchez.com now and get your own copy. Enjoy it and tell me what you think about it!


Lots of love

Loulou