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Let it be known—I’m not a dancer.  At least not a professional one.  But I never let that stop me from dancing around Los Angeles!  So when this year’s Star Wars Day approached, I knew I had to take another shot at dancing in honor of The Wars.  I danced in Union Station for last year’s Star Wars Day and it was a little crazy but a lot of fun.  A couple months ago, I came across an amazing remix of John Williams’ “Binary Sunset” by a group called Coyote Kisses.  Their “Binary Suns” is an incredible song and after listening to it nonstop, I knew that this was the track I had to dance to.

For this year’s Star Wars Day dance video, I danced to the entire song backwards.  Then in the editing process I reversed the footage to give it a more stylized (and kinda creepy) effect.  The challenge was trying to choreograph an entire routine backwards to a backward version of the song.  It was practically impossible to hear the beat!  (Not to mention, I can barely choreograph a routine forward!)  Ideally I wanted my dancing to be rhythmically in sync when the music played forward in the final version.  I spent 5 hours trying to put together some sort of routine but…Laurieann Gibson I am not.

On May 2^nd, my cameraman BF and I headed to Venice Beach around 5pm to start filming.  Despite all my planning, I ended up forgetting most of my dance routine and just went with how the music made me feel.  I figured that what I lacked in skill, I’d make up for it with heart!  Because that’s all this video is about—my passion for Star Wars.  It’s strange but there’s something cathartic about going to a public place and unabashedly showing who you are and what you’re passionate about.  And it’s always especially interesting to see how passersby will react to my spastic dancing.  Venice Beach is known for it’s wacky crowd so my dancing seemed to fit right in!

Now I gotta be honest.  These Star Wars dance experiments both thrill and scare me.  Sure, it’s cathartic while I’m dancing but I’m often terrified before I start.  Truth be told, I’m somewhat of a shy person.  For many of my Padawan years, I used my shyness as a way to be invisible so I wouldn’t get picked on or bullied.  I was a scrawny Mexican-American kid who liked Star Wars, Carol Burnett, and Frank Sinatra.  You can imagine how popular I was.  But as I grew older, I learned to embrace my weird ticks and quirks because they’re here to stay and quite frankly, I like them.  In the words of Sammy Davis Jr., “I Gotta Be Me“.

So why do I dance for Star Wars?  I dance for the girl who dreamed of living in a galaxy far, far away because the underdogs always won.  I dance for the girl who has found her tribe with countless other fans who understand and share her passion.  I dance because I love Star Wars.

[Check out the finished video by clicking on the photo above!]

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It was a Saturday night and the JapanLA store on Melrose was packed with people.  The DJ was mixing beats, the grilled cheese truck was serving cheesy goodness, and I was wearing my Black Milk Stormtrooper dress just for the occassion.  ;)  The event was the Geeky Glamorous Art Show, a celebration of geek girls through art & fashion.  Mandie Bettencourt organized the event and is also the creator of the Geeky Glamorous brand.  Mandie is super sweet, has incredible style, and is a strong supporter of her fellow artists/crafters.  So when she asked if I wanted to participate in the show, I was honored and so excited!

When I walked into the gallery on opening night, I instantly fell in love with every piece of art I saw.  If only I could collect them all!

Geeky Pamyu Pamyu by Chingyi Liu

KaMeow by Locketship

Wonder Woman by Hanie Mohd 

 

Nostalgia by Lazarus

The frame was decorated with action figures & toys!

In addition to the paintings/prints/sketches, there were also wearable pieces on display as well!

Geeky Glamorous Controller Necklaces

Pinup Peach BitRom necklaces by Okeegu

There she is!  Miss Millennium Falcon.  I decided to display the skirt (which I made for last year’s SDCC) and create a few new accessories for the show.  I wanted her to look as geeky and glamorous as possible!

I revamped the X-Wing hair clip and attached it to a sparkly headband I made.

I also created a glitter resin Millennium Falcon necklace and matching bracelet.  These two pieces are part of my Glitter Galaxy Collection, which I’ll be selling in my Etsy shop soon!

It was neat to see how many people came out to support geek girls, Mandie, and all the artists!

Stephanie aka @zilla308 (and her uh-mazing hair) cast a spell on this muggle!

The ever stylish Chrissa Villanueva modeling Lazy Oaf‘s Batman dress

Super Kawaii!

Me with Mandie, the hostess of the evening

Cassie & Keith (who decorated his tie with glow in the dark stickers!)

Angie as Link (The Legend of Zelda)

The lovely Set to Stunning team, Victoria Schmidt & Lindz

Ashphord Jacoway & my favorite YouTuber Andre Meadows!

Thank you Mandie for all of your hard work and for organizing such a special event!!  (And be sure to check out LA Weekly’s awesome article about the show!)  The exhibit runs though the month of February, so if you’re in the LA area, stop by JapanLA to check it out!  And if you’re a fan of Hello Kitty, you might just leave with a few trinkets as well.  ;)

Geekette out! *

*Who says Ryan Seacrest can be the only one with a signature goodbye?!  I want one too.  Let me know what you think of this one or if you have any suggestions!  :)

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I wanted to create jewelry that was playful, whimsical, and fun to wear.  I thought the name Rockets and Rainbows was the perfect representation for what my collection is all about!  Here’s my sis modeling my Darth Vader black onyx necklace.

And here’s my Micro Machines Millennium Falcon ring!

In addition to Star Wars jewelry, I also have some My Little Pony pieces.  I’m a big fan of MLP—-from the original 80’s cartoon to the new Friendship Is Magic series—so I created some Kawaii-inspired pony necklaces and bracelets.

This is my first foray into the Etsy world so I’m still learning all the ins and outs.  I’ve got so many ideas that I’m excited to see how my collection grows!  In the meantime…Rockets and Rainbows is officially open for business!  Happy shopping!

❤ Jeni

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