A Leap of Faith….

Hi Everyone,

Happy 2011 and so sorry for the lapse in my blog!!

It’s been a crazy 3 months but I’m happy to say we completed the filming of 2 new workout DVDs! For me this past holiday season was a maze of pre-production details, concept and choreography development, non-stop rehearsing either alone or with cast day and night, and then finally filming in LA. It made sense to me to do two very different projects in order to make this trip worthwhile and be able to share what I am feeling in fitness right now. We are now in post-production which includes box design, editing, marketing plans and hope to have these released by the end of March or early April. One of the projects is a follow-up to Reach (ballet-based fitness infused workout) but quite different. The other is a cardio/dance workout that I’m hoping will appeal to a wide range of home exercisers. The music in both is fantastic. I will share more details as I get closer to the finish line.

Our “shoot” trip to LA was a highly charged event shared with a few special people (Danielle, Stacy and Vicki) who were with me through the journey of the last months. We were surprised to find out the neighborhood of our shoot was well known for a different kind of filming. That explained the interesting looks we got from a few curious people. We had many laughs, especially after the fact, reliving the tense moments of mental/physical overload, tripping over equipment during filming, missed cues, forgotten moves, sequence problems, music madness, wardrobe malfunctions…possible food poisoning. Believe me the stress in a 12hr shoot day, which included filming the two workouts, multiple takes, and a photo shoot for cover/box leads to potential for many problems. That mental toughness I talked about in my last entry was definitely put to the test. At times I failed miserably, but I have learned the value of quick recovery and moving on. I know my faults all too well and with every new pursuit I discover more new “issues” to work on.

All in all I am happy I took this leap after a 5-year hiatus from production. At that time I thought those might be my last. One of the reasons is that when I commit to big projects it tends to literally consume me. I wasn’t sure I still had the stamina, the memory, or the patience to take it on, especially while still teaching daily classes. The intense focus nearly pushes me to the edge because I know what my vision is. Completing that vision up to my highest standards is the hard part. As instructors we all know that feeling of “nailing it” where all your moves, your cues, the music, the energy, the class response all clicks. It is hard to recreate that when you only see cameras, the production crew, and people sitting, watching, texting in front of you (cast is behind me so I can’t see them to use their energy!) Every time I do this I realize how much I need my class!! I need to see your faces, hear your voice, see your struggles and see your joy when you “get it” or “feel it”. Teaching live is the ultimate in feedback, good or bad…. but we need it to do our best.

Here are a few behind the scene photos of our adventure. To D, S and V…I am so sorry for every ugly moment of frustration. I hope there weren’t too many. You are gold to me!!

Big, Big Thanks to Stockyard Films/Mike Leber and crew, David Heisler Photography, Ronni Winston Makeup/Hair, Brandon Neff Set Design, AFAA studio and Yes! Music for the inspiration!! You were all amazing to work with!

~ Kari