9/11

Firstly, apologies to all of you, my lovely readers! I haven’t forgotten about you! The last three weeks have just been so crazy in the best possible way and I promise I will give a proper update on all of those adventures soon!

Today though, I wanted to write about the events of September 11. As I sit here in Bryant Park writing this post I can’t even begin to imagine what people must have been going through at this very moment 16 years ago. It is hard to find the right words or emotions to truly describe it. I remember waking up to the news on the T.V and even then at the age of 10 having the ability to realize that the world would never be the same again. However, as I look around this park and observe all the different walks of like represented here today, I feel a sense of comfort. Comfort in the fact that in the face of devastation and destruction of the worst kind, we come out fighting and that in the end good ALWAYS prevails.

It also makes me proud to be part of the entertainment industry. After the events of 9/11 Broadway rallied like never before to provide a source of light and love as people came to term with what had just happened. As a performer that is what I live for, being able to transport the audience to another place and time. To provide a sense of hope and to remind people that it’s important to dream and to live every day to the fullest because you truly don’t know when it will be your last, as we are so starkly reminded on a day like today.

Even 16 years later you can feel the heart beat of New York in a very real and deep way. It once again leaves me feeling humbled and privileged to have the opportunity to be here in this incredible city, learning from everything it has to offer.

With all the craziness that is going on right now with so many places being affected by these hurricanes I just wanted to send some love and prayers to all those who are currently in the middle of it and if you’re in New York, Broadway Dance Center where I’m doing my course at are putting on specific classes where all the money from each class is being donated to the relief funds so before sure to check out their website and come learn and dance for a cause.

Short and sweet one today but I just felt that today needed to be recognized, especially being here in the city. Once again I’ll be back soon to update you all on how my course is going and also finally post this video I’ve been slowly putting together. Sending love to you all!

Until next time,

Jared xx

Reality Check

Today I had a very serious and honest reality check with myself. I had my first proper dance class in a long time and my body is a lot more out of shape than I thought it was and this is a very difficult thing to admit to oneself. However, at the end of the day, I am the only one who can take responsibility for this.

When working away on contracts it’s very easy to lose certain technique and strength you once had because you are continually doing the same show and therefore only using those same groups of muscles. Though I can confidently say I always gave my all during shows, the same can not be said for maintaining my strength, flexibility and technique outside of work. Why am I posting this so publicly? Because I am now making myself accountable to all of you! Throw me a bunch of choreography in pretty much any style and I’ve got it. Throw me a ballet class and right now I want to run and hide.

Today in one of our orientation seminars our course directors said a phrase that I am holding on to so strong right now, and that is to walk through life with an “Attitude of Gratitude”. So right now I am grateful that I am here studying in this course and that after these classes today I know exactly what it is that I need to work on to get my ass back into shape, cause lord knows there is work to be done.

And to those of my friends out there currently on contract. Keep a check on your core strength and technique, give yourself exercise to do every day because trust me you will thank yourself later.

So there’s my reality check for the year! With tomorrow being my one month anniversary here in New York City it’s definitely been the wake-up call that I needed. So if your reading this please send any positive energy my way and also I challenge you to walk through life with an Attitude of Gratitude it honestly makes all the difference. Just waking up in the morning and saying three things you’re grateful for will get your day off to the best start! Once again thank you all for your love and support and for reading! Tomorrow I’ll be posting again with a little collection of memories from my first month here in NYC.

Jared xx

Cats the Musical and my Obsession

Today a huge dream came true. I saw Cats on Broadway!!!!! Now I know there a lot of you Cats haters out there, however, bear with me as I give you a little insight as to why this Musical will always hold a special place in my heart.

It all started back in the year 2000, I was 9 years old and I had started dancing for the first time. I was about six months into my first year of classes and I was LOVING it (it didn’t start out that way, though that’s a story for another time) I come home from school and started to get ready for class when mum comes into my room and tells me I’m not going to dance class today and when I ask why she says she can’t tell me it’s a surprise. Well, that wasn’t good enough for me, I was so angry, nothing was good enough for me to miss class! So she dresses me and me, my mum and dad all get in the car all the while with constant protesting from me. As we’re driving along I continue to pester my parents asking what surprise is so important that I had to miss a dance class. Finally mum says we’re going on a river cruise!!! Well, I lost it, I’m sure you can imagine the tantrum I threw, missing dance class for a river cruise! Well little did I know what was to come. Finally, we stop and we are nowhere near a river, however, I look over and there is the big top set up for Cats the Musical. I have never been so excited in my entire life, needless to say, I proceeded to hug my parents over and over and say this is SO worth missing dance class. I get my program and we take our seats and I don’t think you’d ever seen a kid more excited for something in his entire life. The show begins and I was mesmerized from start to finish, with a special highlight being when Victoria the white cat came out and sat on my lap, I didn’t stop talking about it the whole way home. I was in love. This was the first musical I had ever seen and I was in love. I sang the songs constantly and we found a VHS of the original west end cast that I watched every single day, no word of a lie, as you can see I was obsessed.

Now fast forward to 2007 I’ve just turned 16 and Harvest Rain Theatre Company in Brisbane is doing a production of Cats. Well, I knew I had to go and audition. I’ve never had so much fun in an audition. You couldn’t wipe the smile off my face, the audition dance was done to a part of the Jellicle ball and I was beside myself just to have the opportunity to dance to that music. However to my joy I got a call back which I once again had a blast doing and then at the end of the audition they asked me how I would feel about being considered for Mungojerrie and that they would like to hear me sing his part of the duet and then the next day I got a call saying congratulations we would like you to play the part of Mungojerrie. It was like all my dreams had come true, I will never forget what that moment felt like. The whole experience from rehearsals to the run of the show is a time in my life that I will forever cherish. I made many new friends and a lot of them are still some of my closest friends to this day! It was during that show that I knew with all my heart that performing was all I want to do for the rest of my life.

So it’s quite fitting that 10 years later here I am sat in the Neil Simon Theatre watching Cats on Broadway. As soon as the overture started I flashed back to opening night 10 years ago, I was the happiest boy in the whole world that night. I’ll never forget my mum gave me this gold chain necklace that was a gift from her mum who had passed away when I was two years old and she had said to my mum to give this to me on a special occasion. I remember getting to the theatre that day and showing all my cast mates and telling them the story and the love and support I received was overwhelming.

To me, good theatre is when it makes you feel something. It doesn’t matter what it is that they made you feel, it could have been joy, sadness, anger but as long as they made you feel something, in my opinion, that means a show is successful. I watched 26 people dancing as cats on stage tonight and I cried like a baby because this show means something to me and because the music is so emotive and I walked away so freaking happy. Was the show flawless, no BUT Skimbleshanks, Grizabella and Old Deuteronomy took out the best in the show for me!

So there you have it, ladies and gentlemen. That is a little insight into why Cats is my most favourite musical and why it is so very near and dear to my heart. I hope you got a little joy reading about this and a giggle because I certainly have had an amazing night and one I’m sure I won’t forget anytime soon.

Jared xx

Selfie with the stage in the background!

Dreams…​

One of my favourite TV shows is Smash and for good reason. Now yes the second season wasn’t the greatest however Smash will forever be the show I watch when I’m needing a boost of inspiration to keep striving for my dreams. I loved how they presented the struggle of the auditioning artist in New York trying to land that one role that is going to change their lives forever. Now I bring this TV show up because one day I was with some friends watching Season 2 Episode 12, yes we’re getting specific here. In this episode Ivy is finally getting her Broadway opening night as Marilyn Monroe and there’s a scene where Ivy’s about to walk on stage and she’s talking to her mum about how she’s nervous she’s not going to be enough and you can hear the overture for the show playing in the background (I’ve got goose bumps just typing about this) but her mum talks about how everyone dreams of the role that will change their lives forever and this is it for her! She walks out on to the stage, the overture finishes, she takes a breath and the curtain opens. I can picture this scene so clearly and I remember saying out loud, “I can’t wait to experience that moment one day, the thrill of your first Broadway opening night”.

Now what happened next wasn’t the greatest, a friend of mine said, “don’t you think you should have slightly more realistic dreams” a few of my other friends came to my defence straight away saying that dreams are important, they’re what inspire you etc. Now I don’t think this person intended malice and I get it, Broadway is a big dream but not an unattainable one. This is where in life sometimes you have to watch what energy you choose to surround yourself with. You want to be surrounded by people who are going to build you up, not bring you down, who are going to speak positive words over your life and most of all who believe in you. Now I believe it is still important to be challenged and to have people in your life, true friends who will ask you the tough questions and keep you accountable because it’s great to have dreams but what are you doing about them?

A good friend of mine in Japan, Miss Lauren Kay has just started a great podcast called Green Room Talks (yes you should go follow her) where she along with special guests talk about all things related to the Entertainment Industry from auditions to keeping yourself motivated as a performer and in this week’s podcast Lauren gave an amazing Zig Ziegler quote that hit home so hard for me!

“People often say that motivation doesn’t last; well neither does bathing that’s why we recommend it daily”

I was sat on the subway listening to this and I’m pretty sure I said YES out loud when I heard this because it is so true! There is something that you can be doing every single day that will help push you closer to your dreams! Now I’m not perfect by any means, I curse the day I discovered Netflix and Hulu because I am ALL for a good day of binge watching but everything in moderation.

Vision boards are an awesome way of providing yourself with some daily motivation and they are so powerful. My mum is the perfect example of this. A few years ago she started one and just recently when I was at home I was helping her move house and she was packing up her room and she brought out her board to show me and she had ticked off everything on her vision board!!!!!! Never underestimate the power of putting something out to the universe and speaking it into existence. Make sure with your vision board it’s in a spot in your room where you’ll have to look at it every day that way your dreams and goals are the first thing you see when you wake up and the last thing you see before you go to bed. Journaling is another great way to cleanse and focus the mind at the start or end of a day. When you put pen to paper especially with goals and aspirations it helps provide that daily focus point.

So there’s my little ditty on dreams, which kind of turned into the importance of setting goals, but basically, they are so important!! Never stop dreaming! There is so much opportunity in this great big beautiful world of ours, so what are you waiting for, go out and grab it!!!

Until next time,

Jared xx

One Week in New York City​

Today I celebrate one week living in New York City and what a week it has been! Obviously, I’m not going to give you all a play by play of what I’ve been up to but here are some highlights.

I had my first picnic in Central Park on Friday and it was just beautiful. Gazing out upon beautiful green parklands with trees full of leaves and a buzz with wildlife to then look up and see this concrete jungle continuing from where the trees stop, it is quite the contrast. I honestly feel as if Central Park acts as the lungs of NYC cause without this break of nature I think it would be easy to go crazy constantly being surrounded by concrete. We were also paid a visit by an adorable and very inquisitive squirrel. My obsession with squirrels has provided great entertainment for my friends who have lived here in NYC. I know being from Australia none of us are strangers to adorable wildlife but these squirrels are on a whole other level of adorable!!!!

Then my friend Michelle who I worked in Japan with took me to The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) and we enjoyed a glass of Rosé on the terrace overlooking Central Park and the Manhattan skyline. It was another breathtaking moment and I once again found myself having to pinch myself to believe that this was all real and actually happening!!! The Met is huge and I can definitely see myself spending many days exploring the number of exhibitions they have on.

I won my first ticket lottery and so my first show since arriving was Groundhog Day and it did not disappoint!! Special shout out to the ensemble!!!! They seriously carried the show in my opinion. Their energy never died and I don’t know how many quick changes they would have had to do!!!!! It was such a cleverly designed production and I thoroughly enjoyed it! There are currently over 26 shows I want to try and see so after Groundhog Day that makes it 25 hahaha.

To celebrate my 1st week in New York I took a trip into the city and went to the top of the Rockefeller Centre (or as they say, “Top of the Rock”) this was a good little suggestion from a friend of mine who lives in the city. Most people go up the Empire State Building so the lines are crazy and there are people everywhere! Therefore most people forget about the Rockefeller Centre so it’s much quieter AND you get to actually see the Empire State Building. The view was honestly overwhelming, in the best possible way. One of the photos I took up there is the header for this post! It was another humbling experience as you look out upon this vast concrete jungle and think about all the people working their butts off to make it in this big crazy city. I’m just once again so grateful to be here, to be experiencing this incredible ride and to have you all following along with me!

It’s crazy to think I’ve only been here a week because honestly, I feel like I’ve been here forever. I have fallen into step with the way of life here so easily and comfortably, which makes me so confident in the fact that this is exactly where I am supposed to be right now. However another big part of that I think is due to how many amazing people I already have here in the city. So to my friends here in NYC thank you for making me feel at home and for being there for me and for putting up with my terrible sense of direction and the fact that I’m stopping every two seconds to take a photo! I love you all so much and am so grateful for your love and support!

So here’s to the many weeks to come and more blog posts, I am so happy to have this platform and appreciate all the love I have received already. So keep following, keep commenting and keep liking because I see and appreciate it ALL.

Jared xx

 

The first 48 hours…

So before I get to talking about what I’ve been up to since I arrived I wanted to share something that I typed on my laptop as I was on the plane coming here:

“I’m currently cruising at 36, 000ft and I guess it’s the middle of night as we just crossed the International Date Line and my mind is buzzing with pretty much every emotion under the sun. This is actually happening. I’m actually moving to New York City! It’s so easy in the first few days of a new adventure to let the more negative thoughts come to the forefront of your mind and I’m no exception to this right now. This is probably the most terrified I’ve been since I decided to make this move. Right now all I can think about is what if this doesn’t work. It’s hard not to with so much of my future riding on the next 5 – 6 months. However instead of letting these moments of negativity bring me down I’m learning to recognize this fear and then taking it and channeling it into the positive and I’m already finding a renewed strength and energy that’s driving me forward like never before! At the end of the day I am so blessed to be able to even attempt a move like this!!! While I was planning this move so many things came together so quickly, for example my accommodation basically fell into my lap AND within my budget, which is often one of the most difficult parts of moving to New York. These are the things I am focusing on right now. All the signs that are saying this is exactly where I am supposed to be right now and that thought is exactly what keeps pushing me towards my goal of making New York my permanent home (well for at least a couple of years, don’t worry mum I will come home….one day).” 

So there’s a little insight to the late night red wine fueled thoughts of Jared at 36,000ft in the air. Now fast forward to present day…

So for starters I must look like a crazy person to people and I can’t feel my cheeks because I literally haven’t stopped smiling since I got here. New York is already everything I wanted it to be and more and I haven’t even gotten to the good parts!!!!! I am LOVING my apartment and my new housemates; they have been so welcoming and have made me feel right at home. The area around my apartment is GORGEOUS and I had so much fun exploring it today (partly because I walked four blocks past the train station and had to walk back to it, but hey getting lost is how you discover a new city). I’ve already gotten to see two beautiful friends, Brett who surprised me at the airport, which was the best way to start this whole adventure off! Seriously, seeing a smiling familiar face at the end of a 20-hour journey is so comforting and I am so grateful!! Followed by dinner with Kim whom I studied full time dance with back in 2010!!!

I quite proudly tackled the subway today and managed to go in the right direction every time, which is an achievement for me! I just have to say thank the lord for google maps and I am extremely grateful to be living in a day and age of technology! One thing that stands out to me already about this city is how strongly people here march to the beat of their own drum. I am such a people watcher so I often sit and quietly observe people (okay that sounds really creepy when I type it out like that, I promise its in a non creepy way hahaha) anyways, as I was sat on the train I was observing the people around me and one girl stood out to me. She was listening to music and whatever it was she was IN to it! Her eyes were closed and she was slowly moving her head in time to the beat of whatever song she was listening to and I loved it! I loved how much she was enjoying her music and you could tell she was in her own zone and totally okay with it. Tomorrow we’re having a little Universal Studios Japan reunion as there are quite a few of us living in the city at the moment and I am soooooo excited to see so many familiar faces!!

So there’s the update for now! I have to say how much I have appreciated the outpouring of love and support from all my amazing friends and family from all over the world! Each of your messages and comments have given me so much strength and it feels amazing to be on a journey with so many people supporting and cheering you on so thank you to each and everyone of you from the bottom of my heart!

Until the next installment,

Jared xx

Ps. check out my Instagram which is jaredmifsud for some photos from my exploration and I’m also posting to my Instagram story daily!

And so the adventure begins…

Hello world, it’s me! (Said in the voice of Karen Walker in the body of Titus Burgess)

Yes that’s right, I Jared Mifsud, am taking a step into the world of blogging and with quite exciting reasons for doing so. If the name of this blog hasn’t already given it away, I will be moving to New York City this Sunday the 23rd of July!!! This is an exciting albeit terrifying step and so I thought it would be worth documenting the coming weeks and months.

I so often hear people say, “oh my gosh you have the best job/life ever!!” Now yes I agree, I do have the best job ever and I am so blessed to do what I love; however it isn’t always easy. As performers there are many sacrifices we have to make to pursue this career, the biggest being having to leave our family and friends to pursue work overseas. Yes there is work in Australia however there is not enough to make it a fulltime job, which I can proudly say for the last 6 years I have only worked as a performer. I have had to work my butt off to get to where I am today and this next adventure will be no exception.

Over the next four months I will be completing a Professional Semester at Broadway Dance Centre (for my American readers yes, we in Australia spell it with an “re”) with the end goal of applying for the O1 working visa so that I can live and work in New York City and achieve my lifelong dream of performing on Broadway. So I thought it was the perfect time to document the ups AND the downs of the coming months. I want to use this platform to show a more vulnerable side of myself and to be honest with you, my readers and talk about some of the challenges and struggles that we face as performers nearly every day.

I also want to hear from you guys! What are some of your favourite things to do in New York?? Comment below and I’ll go check them out! I also can’t wait to write about all the shows I’m going to be seeing as well as different aspects of the course I’m doing and sometimes just the day to day adventures of an Aussie trying to navigate the hustle and bustle that is NYC. I’ll also do some V-logging while I’m here just to keep things interesting so when that happens I’ll still post here but include a link to the video and I promise to not make them to long!

There’s a lot riding on the next six months for me and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t terrified but I am also so ready. For those of you who know me well, you know that this is something that I have talked about doing for a long time and the time is so right for me to take this next step in my career and I am excited to have you all along for the ride with me! Make sure you subscribe to my blog, that way you’ll get an email when I make a new post and also feel free to follow my Instagram jaredmifsud as I’ll also be posting regular pictures and video updates there 🙂 So here’s to the next six months and to all the crazy adventures and stories to come!

Jared xx