part 2: the 24/7 (3/5 of the series)

Here comes the third part of the series, or the second part of the interview.

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PART 2: THE 24/7

Okay! Now that the hard part is out of the way, it’s time to do something fun! Tell me, where was the first FCBD studio?

Ah! The first studio was in Noe Valley Ministry, that’s a Presbyterian Church in the Noe Valley Neighborhood of San Francisco. There was a gym on the upper floor that got converted into a dance studio

I also rented Mahea Uchiyama’s studio in Berkeley once a week for several years. We also rented the Mahea’s studio to shoot Tribal Basics volume 1.

Tribal Basics volumes 5 and 6 were shot in two places, actually: at World Gym in the Potrero Hill Neighborhood, and Mahea’s Studio for the performance.

And then, we finally moved here to South Van Ness.

You’ve been in the business since 1987, that makes it more than twenty years.

24 years.

Right, sorry. My math is awful. So what keeps you relentless and perseverant? What keeps motivating you in doing ATS?

I feel like I was given this dance (by the Goddess Quan-Yin) and that it’s my job to move it forward. I just wake up every day and feel that there’s always something else to do. So there’s really no need for motivation.

However, every now and then, there is this debilitating feeling of not wanting to go, but it’s more because of what people say.

Fifteen years ago, when Fusion was the thing and everyone was learning fusion with different styles of Tribal, I was like, “What are they doing?” And people were nasty to each other and it wasn’t fun or conducive for the dance. So, I felt deflated because of that and I just thought of quitting.

When we moved to the studio, as much as I loved finally being in the studio, we had been part of the underground movement and then we became above ground and our clientele changed. So the switch was just strange.

Then I realized I had to start traveling because that way the inspiration comes. I just couldn’t stay in San Francisco and watch the haywire. And then you know how it’s hard to find a home for The Devotion show and you lose money over it because there’s just no way that the ticket sales can make up the cost of the production. (During the February 2011 General Skills Training, Carolena told us that they were still looking for a place for the June 2011 Devotion Show – they’ve found a place for this year’s show, though. It’s the Julia Morgan Theatre in Berkeley, CA)

Things like that can be a drag. And usually stuff like that is the result of people’s attitude.

But I guess what motivates me is the idea of happiness that ATS brings. It has brought so much joy to the lives of so many people. I feel the need to share the dance. The dance itself is fabulous. But as soon as people start to open their mouths…

Right. I completely agree. Now, I guess you’ve never been tempted to leave ATS to pursue other dance forms or add a dance form to your repertoire?

Well, I’ve learned Kathak, Bharatanatyam and Flamenco, and I feel that I have to give up ATS altogether to pursue these dances and I won’t do that. These dances are there to always inspire me and inspire ATS moves. I enjoyed learning them, but I’m sticking to ATS.

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To be continued on April 21, 2011 with "The Intimate Details", where Ms. Nericcio talks about Buddhism, veganism, the Goddess Quan-Yin, and her mother.