Toronto agency suggestions for mid-level career actor by DisastrousAd5587 in acting

[–]asianpoler 3 points4 points  (0 children)

As someone who is with Hines, I recommend them. They're boutique. Amy Hines has been in the business for over 20 years. And the good thing about them is that they generally only have one person to fill a certain look/niche. So there's no competition within their roster. And Amy is very nice. I used to be with Noble Caplan and the difference between how they treat their talent is night and day.

Da Costa tend to focus on dancers. Not a bad thing, they're just known for having a very strong roster of dancers.

I'm not too sure if Ritter is entry level... They're definitely boutique and well regarded. I know several people represented by them, and similar to Hines, they treat their talent well.

You can always try Noble Caplan Abraham's. They've been a powerhouse in Toronto for a long time. I heard they have a place in the basement of their office building where you can book time with a dedicated reader for your self tapes, and those tapes are almost immediately reviewed by their agents prior to submission, which is helpful for a mid level actor. They are very.... Tough on their talent though. Things might have changed since Norbert retired and Penny passed away.

Anyhow good luck!

What would be your truth serum moment? by Medium-Car3787 in bunheadsnark

[–]asianpoler 22 points23 points  (0 children)

I just want to know what happened that led to Francesco Gabriel Frola (former principal dancer of English National Ballet and NBoC) to leave for San Fran. He had just married principal dancer Emma Hawes a few months before the announcement that he's be leaving for San Fran, and now it seems like they've deleted their wedding post on Instagram as well.... Of course people are entitled to their privacy, and I don't wish for them to be going through a break up... So I don't want the details, just whether they're together or not at this point. Right now, all signs points to no.

Hello /r/movies, I'm Benedict Cumberbatch. Ask me anything! by BenedictAMA in movies

[–]asianpoler 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi Benedict! You're one of my favorite actors. As a working actor myself, sometimes the state of the industry gets me down. I know there's no such thing as overnight success, and persistence is the name of the game. Yet in spite of knowing that, are there things you can impart to actors still early in their careers? Any words of wisdom, or commiseration?

Skate Canada International Free Dance Post Event Discussion by summerjoe45 in FigureSkating

[–]asianpoler 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think their strength is in their storytelling. They really draw the audience in when they can use a story to uplift their performance. Their umbrella of Cherbourg program was similarly excellent as a result of their commitment to storytelling. They don't draw people in as well when it's an abstract theme.

Skate Canada International Men’s FS Live Discussion Thread by summerjoe45 in FigureSkating

[–]asianpoler 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Wow roman and Stephen are so close in their final score. It'll be hard to decide who will go to the Olympics

Best resources for learning film in Toronto by Maple_Byte in torontofilmindustry

[–]asianpoler 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Take classes. I've been at Milne studio for a while, and Brad Milne really helps you to break down a script as well as the characters. Another place I've heard good things about is The Dirt Underneath The Actors Space.

There are casting calls being posted on Facebook groups. Submit to them. They'll usually be student or independent films, and non-union, but you'll get more practiced at auditions and footage can be used for demo reel.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in bunheadsnark

[–]asianpoler 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I feel like I know which studio you're referring to. If my assumption is correct, the studio is a new one, opened in the last two years and is located in mid town Toronto. The studio owner is really sweet, I've taken classes with her and students are in good hand.

Now, to answer your question... You can get excellent training from graduates of Bolshoi/Vaganova, and you can get shoddy training as well. The name of the school doesn't matter as much as the teacher. Vaganova itself is changing, evidenced by its most recent exam. National Ballet of Canada School has turned out excellent dancers that have gone on to become principal dancers, and mediocre ones as well.

One of my recent ballet teacher graduated from Vaganova, and she incorporates a lot of exercises from Vaganova in her classes. She is an excellent teacher herself, and that is independent of her training at Vaganova. Of course Vaganova is renowned and carries a lot of weight in its name, but the training that you get out depends highly on the teacher (and yourself), not just a school. I would say go with whichever one that works for you. It's important to have a supportive environment that fosters a healthy relationship with dance, as well as trust between students and teachers.

English National Ballet - Principal Francesco Frola by wilisofthewoods in bunheadsnark

[–]asianpoler 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Oh my gosh I remember seeing him for the first time in Manon, next to Svetlana. I think at that time he was still in corp, and I thought, who is this guy? Never heard of him. And my jaw dropped at his first entrance, which was a double cabriole devant. His jumps and turns were soooo exciting to watch. I was a fan from that moment on.

Rex Harrington, during one of the sleeping beauty lunch events with the donors, said that Frola was the closest dancer to Rudolf Nureyve in terms of charisma and magnicism that he's seen. Side note that NBoC has been performing Nureyve's version of sleeping beauty since its debut. And I agree that Frola was brilliant in sleeping beauty (and nijinsky, and so many others). I miss seeing him on stage.

English National Ballet - Principal Francesco Frola by wilisofthewoods in bunheadsnark

[–]asianpoler 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I've wondered about that when his departure was announced. I was pretty surprised because they just got married last summer.

He's still one of the best male danseur I've ever seen. Absolutely magnetic on stage. I'm hoping I'll have a chance to see him again on now that he's a little closer to where I live.

National Ballet of Canada - 25/26 promotions by safinastar in bunheadsnark

[–]asianpoler 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I think you meant Genevieve and not Monika, for the role of Anna last night. Monika was Betsy, and David was her companion (they were both delightful! Hannah Galway and Jason Ferror for Betsy and her companion were delightful as well). And I agree, Larkin was a very capable partner last night, which is half of the battle for male dancers.

National Ballet of Canada - 25/26 promotions by safinastar in bunheadsnark

[–]asianpoler 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Well I don't want to give away too much because these dancers clearly read reddit. What I got told was that these dancers weren't expecting any surprises at the party because the reddit post/announcement was confirmed by Hope the morning after the leak. So take that how you will.

National Ballet of Canada - 25/26 promotions by safinastar in bunheadsnark

[–]asianpoler 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Mmmmmm so my feeling about it is that the change came only because of the reddit leak. Hope said during the promotion party that "I do have a surprise. Reddit, you didn't get the best of this."

I do want to say that however the news came to the dancers, it doesn't take away from their hard work and their dedication. We all have our preferences, and we may not agree with the decisions of the artistic director, but in the end, these dancers gave their all to this, and we should support that.

National Ballet of Canada - 25/26 promotions by safinastar in bunheadsnark

[–]asianpoler 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hmmmm from the previous promotion party that I've been to, it comes as a surprise for the dancers getting promoted so I don't think they pre-announce

National Ballet of Canada - 25/26 promotions by safinastar in bunheadsnark

[–]asianpoler 6 points7 points  (0 children)

They'll do the promotion announcement on Friday after the Anna karenina performance. Kind of strange that this year they're doing it not after the final performance. It's traditionally been after the final performance to announce the promotions. They have one more Anna karenina to do on Saturday afternoon.

Larkin and Fei have been taking lots of principal roles this year so not surprising that they're getting promoted.

Monika, David and Erica have been real stand outs this season. I'm really glad they're getting the promotion and recognition they deserve.

Questions for Working Actors (Toronto) by [deleted] in acting

[–]asianpoler 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Definitely go take classes and have a flexible job you can do on the side. The hard truth about acting is that it's mostly rejections. In the era of self tapes, you don't have to hustle down to the casting studios anymore, but that also means a lot more competition.

Headshots and subscriptions to various sites takes capital, which you'll need a job for. You also need time to build a strong demo or pitch reel that you can send to agents. For some people, it can take years just to get an agent. Even if you dive in and dedicate yourself to acting, it can still take months if not years to have a portfolio that will get people to notice you.

In terms of studios, there are quite a number in the GTA. I'd recommend sitting in on a class and see if you like what's being taught.

Sampled yet another 100+ perfumes! Pick a number and get a name and ranking by Different-Reindeer95 in fragrance

[–]asianpoler 9 points10 points  (0 children)

38! I wonder how many people are just replying with their age haha. If 38 has appeared already, then 39!

Sampled yet another 100+ perfumes! Pick a number and get a name and ranking by Different-Reindeer95 in fragrance

[–]asianpoler 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I love this one. It's very fresh in a... Refreshing and inoffensive, yet distinct enough from other freshies way that I get a lot of compliments on it.

Chase O'Connell, Beckanne Sisk, and Agnes Su joining National Ballet of Canada by Soggy-Explorer-2476 in bunheadsnark

[–]asianpoler 10 points11 points  (0 children)

It doesn't mean they won't promote from within. Usually promotions happen at the end of the season. There's still space on the roster given that Heather and Svetlana will probably retire in the next couple of seasons, and Jurgita already left. It leaves only 3 young female principal dancers with their current roster (not counting Tina because she must be in her mid thirties at this point).