Goofing Around is My Life...

...and I wouldn't have it any other way!

Who wants to go back in time??? You know you want to! We're going allll the way back to when Joseph Moore was but a wee lad. Ever since I could remember, the family always watched Emily's ballet recitals. Her first one was when she was 3 years old. I was 5. Yes, that was a long time ago. Moving on. Going to her recitals was usually a family reunion. It was easy since both my Mom's and my Dad's parents lived in Georgia; my mother's in the very same town of Newnan, and my father's lived up in Decatur at the time. ANYWAY, we would all congregate at Whatever High School auditorium to watch Emily attempt to skip around in a little tutu. It was so precious!

Elementary school. At least two or three days a week, Mom picked up Emily and me, and we'd head to Bettina's Newnan School of Dance. While Emily learned how to plie and tendu, I learned how to divide fractions and keep Ms. Pac-Man away from those pesky ghosts. Around the age of 11, I decided I'd give this whole dance thing a try. I started out taking tap, and because "Riverdance" was huge at the time, I took Irish dance classes as well. That didn't last very long, but I fell in love with tap. I could fuh-lap and shuffle all day long, annnd I was the only boy in a room full of girls so I was a stud! I'm just kidding. My class was the Teen and Adult Beginner Class. It was myself, and eh... three ballet moms, including my own.

My only role at Bettina's would be in 1998 as a tap-dancing soldier in a production of "The Sound of Music". Emily knew that in order to improve her craft, it was time for a change. We switched from a local ballet studio to one about 40 minutes away in Fayetteville, Georgia. This move was perhaps one of the best things to happen in my adolescence. The Studio, home of Georgia Youth Ballet, would become my home for the next 7 years. I didn't start dancing there right away. I helped backstage for the 1999 production of "The Nutcracker". Standing idly by in the wings, I realized how much fun it would be to perform onstage again. That December, I started taking ballet classes. I was 13 years old. A little to old to start? Not really. There would be 5 or 6 more years for me to hone my craft before graduating high school. Did I do that? In my first role at The Studio, I portrayed Father Carrot in a Russian folk tale about a war between fruits and vegetables. You tell me.

2001 was when everything changed. Emily and I (along with many awesome young ladies) became known as the Junior Company of The Studio. We were a pretty much the coolest group EVER. You just don't even know. That year was the first of many years in which we attended SERBA, or Southeastern Regional Ballet Association. Ballet studios from around (guess where) the southeast gathered for an intense weekend of master classes from instructors of any style of dance. Being Juniors, we were the runts of the group, but we still made sure we had a great time! For instance, in our first ever SERBA class, our hip hop teacher definitely lost her top, and she was not wearing undergarments. So we knew we were in for a whole new experience. (By the way, check out that picture above. We were sooo young!)

As the years went on, we progressed more and more. (Well, I can't speak for myself, though I guess I did improve upon when I started ballet.) By 2003, we were officially part of the Senior Company of the Studio. We kicked major butt at SERBA that year with "La Deseada", a tango number choreographed for us by the amazing Mrs. Kristy Nilsson (Hey, Kristy! Oh, and Scott too!).

Let me dish a little about our summer workshops. Summer workshops were the best!!! Guest teachers (including Magda Aunon, Thom Clower, and Elie Lazan, etc...) from around the world came down for the month of June to teach ballet, jazz, African, modern, etc... to our little ballet studio. Thom even had a crunch routine set to "Enough is Enough" that I still do every now and then to this very day. (When I say every now and then, I mean extremely sporadically.) At the end of every workshop, we held a performance for our parents at Whatever High School, showcasing what we'd learned that past month. Ranging from classical (such as Le Corsaire and Swan Lake) to modern ("Youwarkee"!!!) to just downright silly (Beach Boys, Olympics, and 60s music mash-ups), each Summerfest was just as awesome as the next!

sweet 60s moves

About mid-August, "Nutcracker" season began. Auditions and cast list drama were always oh so much fun. Every evening after barre work (for those unaware, think after warming up your muscles), we would piece together and rehearse for the upcoming performances. I recall always thinking how unprepared we were to open the curtain for opening weekend. Yet, somehow, we managed to pull it off every single time. That's how awesome we were.

As much stress and craziness as "The Nut" usually entailed, nothing really beat springtime. On top of school and all of THAT nonsense, the Senior Company (and Junior Company) had two things to worry about: SERBA pieces and our spring recital. Every year we had a handful of pieces choreographed for an adjudicator to watch and decide which piece, if any, were to be performed at SERBA that year. Rehearsals were always scheduled for weeknights, Saturdays, AND Sunday afternoons. Basically every single day except for Friday. Not a lot of sleepytime, folks. We also had to prepare for our spring recital. We usually performed that, eh... a week or two after SERBA exhaustion. Spring was always extremely hectic, but I have fond memories, and I wouldn't trade all of that chaos for anything.

The one thing I will always remember quite fondly about my time at The Studio is the lifelong friendships I made.

just a few GYB "Homedawgs"

These young ladies were part of the reason I enjoyed spending the majority of my adolescence at The Studio. Chowing down during post-performance meals (usually held at either Chick-Fil-A or Steak'n'Shake) and watching slash quoting countless movies (The Emperor's New Groove, Moulin Rouge!, and Donnie Darko, to name a few) were just a handful of the good times we shared outside the realm of ingrown and/or bruised toenails. There are far too many girls to name so in fear of an oversight, I just want to thank you ALL for the memories. You know who you are!

I would be ashamed if I failed to give a shout-out to our amazing Artistic Director. Ladies and gentlemen, let's give a great round of applause to the one and only... Magdalena Maury! Without her incredible experience, talent, and guidance, I have a feeling that none of the vast number of students who EVER took from her would be where they are today. Not only was Male (pronounced how it looks) a great mentor, she was a great friend. She also had a very abstract sense of humor, which is absolutely necessary when dealing with as many young dancers as she did. For instance, for the wolves number in our performance of "Beauty and the Beast", Maggie decided it would be humorous for a bunch of white dancers with a ballet background to break out into Michael Jackson's "Thriller." Good times, folks. So thank you, Malangagunga! We love you!

As much as I enjoyed dancing, I never really took it seriously. Do I regret that? Yes and no. There are times when I think that I should have focused more about bettering myself as a performer. I'm not saying I didn't try. I did try. I just never felt that I was going to make a career out of dance so why bother with all the stretching and spotting and whatnot if I wasn't going to do anything with it later in life? Ballet was just a hobby. It was a great hobby! It was where all my friends were! But again, it was just a hobby.

Little did I know, I would end up using my experience at The Studio shortly after graduating high school. For the past 4 1/2 years, I have been having a ball performing here at Walt Disney World. If there's one thing I know I can do well, it's acting like a total ham onstage. Anyone who knows me at all knows that I am extremely shy and introverted. However if you toss me in front of a group of people, whether it be on a stage or in a theme park, I shed that layer to become a completely different person. I think that's the one thing I've always enjoyed about performing. It's pretending to be someone you're not, and for that brief moment, it doesn't matter what other people think about you. Not that it does matter what people think about you. I just have low self-confidence. It's something I'll always fight with. At least I feel secure enough to throw on furry sweatpants and some sunglasses so I can tap around as one of the "Three Blind Mice."

What was my point again? I don't know. What I'm trying to say is, I had an absolute blast during what is supposed to be the worst years of your life. Countless hours learning from excellent instructors, performing onstage in front of hundreds of people, and goofing around (see what I did there?) with the best friends a guy could ask for has followed me into my adult years, and I wouldn't have it any other way. So a big thank you goes out to my GYB Homedawgs, the Studio wouldn't have been the same without you; Malani (yet another nickname for Maggie), I wouldn't be where I am today without your help; my mother, whose constant love, support, and lots of stops at the gas station led to some of the happiest times of my life; and last but not least to my younger sister, Emily. There really aren't words to express my gratitude. If it wasn't for you and your love for dance, my life would be completely different. So thank you, Sistah Gurl, for making my life so fulfilling. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to wake up in about 5 hours. Gotta go make some magic by signing autographs and dancing around a giant fake tree. I love my life.

I leave you with one final image...


...and some sage advice: "If you hold a duck over your head while on the treadmill, it would be good." I still have no idea what that means. Gooood night, everybody!

Welcome Back to My Blog

Well hello! It certainly has been a while. I blame the lack of internet for my absence. Living next to the clubhouse has allowed me many opportunities to use the interwebz. I guess mostly I just haven't had anything worth updating. Then again, I am a writer, and writers are supposed to be able to make the most mundane of stories somewhat entertaining. So I promise to do my best. Life these past five months has pretty much been the same old, same old. If you are confused as to what my "same old, same old" happens to be, please feel free to peruse my previous entry "My So-Called Life," as I do not wish to sound repetitive.

I've been spending a lot of time in my new apartment. Well, I guess by now Andie and I have lived here for five months.

the not-so-new apartment

For the first few months, I mostly watched movies and played card games while listening to music. Sound fun? Just wait. It gets better. To make life slightly more exciting, Andie and I finally hooked up a couple of game systems, the Nintendo Wii and... wait for it... the SNES!!! For those of you too young to know that anagram, it stands for Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It's pretty much the best thing ever. I never owned an SNES as a child. The oldest system I had (and still have) is the Nintendo 64. Speaking of which, I would love to get that here in Florida (Kthnx, Ann!). I've definitely made up for lost time with the SNES though. Whether I've been saving Princess Toadstool in "Super Mario Bros. 1, 2, and 3," losing subscriptions in "Paperboy 2," or helping a couple of chimps rescue their ape friend in "Donkey Kong 2: Diddy Kong's Quest," I have been having a blast!

the game I refuse to play

It's also fun to watch Andie play while I veg out on the sofa. She has this game called "ActRasier." It's a mixture between "The Sims" and old school arcade games. You're playing as some angel, and you have to build six different communities. That's the "Sims" part of the game. At the beginning and end of each level, the game turns into arcade mode, and you have to fight the forces of darkness who are preventing life in these towns. It's very entertaining to watch Andie fight the evil bosses. (All about that Gryffindor, maaan. I'm a Hufflepuff.) When she's fed up she asks if I want to play, to which I quickly respond, "NO!"

Don't worry. I haven't wasted my life away gaming. I've actually read a few books since my last post. No, I haven't read The Simarillion yet (I'll ship that back sometime, Michal :)). I read The Catcher in the Rye for the first time ever. I know. How did I make it through adolescence without reading that one? There's actually a few classics I have never read, and most of them are collecting dust on the bookshelf right next to me so maybe (just maybe) I'll scratch a few classics off my yet-to-read list. Anyway, I enjoyed Rye very much. I identified with Holden Caulfield somewhat. We're both different from everybody else, and we both have some desire to protect that certain childhood innocence. Fun read!

My second read was The Boy Detective Fails by Joe Meno. It follows the life of a... guess what... former boy detective who has one unsolved case: why his sister killed herself. It may sound morbid, but the tale is actually quite whimsical. The entire time I was reading it I kept thinking to myself, "This would be a great Wes Anderson flick!" Are you listening, Hollywood? Get to it!

Because I enjoyed Meno's style of writing, I bought another one of his novels, Hairstyles of the Damned. This particular story is a tad more realistic, and it reminded me here and there about how crappy adolescence can be. Needless to say, I have yet to finish it, but I plan to one of these days! Instead, I decided to peruse Tina Fey's autobiography Bossypants. It's absolutely fantastic! I cannot stress enough how wonderful and utterly hilarious this book is. Tina Fey, you are quite simply the most awesome person ever. Thank you for sharing your witty, if somewhat exaggerated, account on your life with the rest of the world. It was very much appreciated by this guy (points to Linus the chihuahua).

So yeah, that's the books I've read. I know that's only three books, which may not seem like a lot, but honestly, it's more than I've read the past couple of years so I'm slowly but surely getting back into reading. Yay progess!

I've also ventured to the movie theater a couple of times (what? never!). Out of all the superhero movies coming out this year, I have only watched...

oops, wrong one...
...Thor!

Step away from Natalie Portman, man. Haven't you seen Black Swan?! She's cray cray! Thor is surprisngly a lot of fun, and I was shocked to discover Shakespearean actor Kenneth Branagh is the director. Good job, sir!
Next up is Bridesmaids, which is just as funny as EVERYBODY said it was supposed to be. It's the perfect vehicle for Kristen Wiig's incredibly awkward humor. Maybe that's why I enjoyed it so much. I myself am extremely awkward.
Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris is a sublime return to form for the director. It reminded me of The Purple Rose of Cairo. Instead of Mia Farrow longing to live in the fantasy of the silver screen, Owen Wilson longs for the Golden Age of Paris in the 1920s. The message at the end is absolutely superb. Great film!
Last but not least, Super 8. Ahh, what to say about Super 8 that hasn't already been said... It's a blatant love letter to Spielberg's films of the 70s and 80s (i.e. E.T. and The Goonies), with a mash-up of The Monster Squad and Cloverfield thrown in just for fun. It was mucho appreciated by this film buff who sometimes longs to be a part of a not too distant past.

I think that pretty much brings everybody up to date with my latest and greatest. I told you it's not a lot, but hey, that seems to be my life! Hopefully, my next entry is not five months from now, which would be in... December. Eek! Until next time, please entertain yourself here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sP4NMoJcFd4

Remember, you can't hug every cat!

Best. Weekend. Ever.

This is basically going to be the best weekend ever. Would you like to know why? I am in my hometown of Newnan, Georgia! I get to hang out with my awesome family, including my uncle AND both sets of grandparents, not to mention whoever else decides to pop up along the course of the next three days. Usually when I visit, it is either someone's birthday or anniversary, or I have a doctor's appointment. That is not the case with this visit. Though I will be fairly busy, this weekend I just get to enjoy the company of so many people who I haven't seen in quite a while.

My family has been kind enough to make sure the weekend is as busy as possible. For instance, I have been here since 2pm. I have already met with Granddaddy and Nonny, my dad's parents, who live over in Smyrna, Georgia. We got to visit for a while, but not toooo long because the Moore children had to head back to Newnan, pick up a friend, and meet with the young adults (and when I say young adults, I mean ADULTS, not teenagers or what-have-you) of our church congregation here in town. A fun evening was had by all. We ate pizza, brownies, and chocolate cake all while The Princess Bride played in the background. Once the movie was over, we decided to pull out the Wii and hit up some "Mario Party 8" and "Mario Kart Wii." All this while reminiscing about movies, music, and TV shows from our childhood, i.e. Willow, Ace of Base, "Daria," the Lord of the Rings trilogy, etc... On a side note, our friend Michal, Ann and I spent at least 15 minutes chatting up the Lord of the Rings, and I borrowed Michal's version of The Simarillion, which, for those of you who do not know, is essentially the prequel to The Hobbit or the aforementioned trilogy. Basically, we are the coolest young adults. Ever.

These next few days are sure to be very busy as well. Tomorrow, we have church in the morning and the evening, and in between that, we are attending Emily's college roommate's (Ruth) senior recital at Agnes Scott over in Decatur. I must say I'm not terribly excited about this, but it has been a while since I have seen Ruth, so as long as she, Emily, and I have some time to chat I suppose I am okay with tagging along. I'm sure after church services tomorrow night, our family will eat supper and watch a movie just like we used to do every Sunday night so that downtime will be much appreciated after being out allll day.

So far the only plans we have on Monday is dinner with my mom's parents, Miss Momma and Mr. Diddy. We will be partaking of the wonderful Sprayberry's barbecue, home of the yummiest stew ever created. Oh, and Emily mentioned something about heart-shaped quesadillas for lunch. Apparently, Emily is on this huge nutrition kick, and she's trying to get the entire family on this kick with her, and she has decided in order to do that, she will cook all of our meals. Oookay. Heart-shaped quesadillas. Sounds yummy!

Then Tuesday... I return to Orlando sometime Tuesday afternoon. I'm sure that morning will basically be spent packing, driving to the airport, and saying our good-byes. How sad :(

So, yeah! A busy itinerary for the weekend, but you know what, I'm okay with that! At first I wasn't so excited because, let's face it, I'm a lazy slob who would much rather sit around on the computer all day than go out and actually do something with my life, but that's the one thing about myself that I am determined to change this year. So I welcome the next few days with open arms and am looking forward to the great times ahead.

Before I go though, Emily has agreed to assist me in modifying my blog soooo hopefully there will be some time in the next couple of days when Emily and I sit down and spruce up the site. Then it will look 10 times as awesome as it already does! Be on the lookout! Good night!

My So-Called Life

Hello! Wow, it's been a while. I don't really have anything new or interesting to say. This past month has been crazy, and this month isn't proving to be any easier, but hopefully by March things will finally calm down. Here's what I've been up to lately.

Toward the end of January, I was in rehearsals for Magic Kingdom's Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It Street Party. Rehearsals were fun, but it would have been sooo much better if my body hadn't decided to get sick in the middle of it all. When I wasn't suffering at work, I was at home eating soup, taking Dayquil, lying in bed, and watching lots and lots of "Daria," which by the way, is one of the best TV shows EVER. End of story.

Speaking of home, I have officially moved. After the week of illness and rehearsals, the next few days were spent packing and moving into my new apartment. The moving didn't take more than 2 or 3 days, and all of my stuff is all moved in and organized. There are some boxes here and there in the living/dining room, but that's about it. I'm gonna miss the house I lived the past year, but this new place is so spacious! It's terrific. I'll post some pics when I think about it.

I've also been on the hunt for a more steady 2nd job. Universal has been great, but it's proved to be unreliable. I also need moolah... lots of moolah, actually. So I've been out looking for a job, and when I get low in my gas tank, I stay in and apply online wherever I can think of. That's actually how I've spent my day: applying for jobs online. Writing this post is just a break in between applications. I'm sure I'll be back to it in a few minutes.

Otherwise, I'm sitting here listening to music. Thanks to my roomie, I have a newfound adoration of two bands, Belle & Sebastian and Christabel and the Jons. The former is an awesome alternative band. I love "To Be Myself Completely." Perfection. Christabel and the Jons is more of a Folk/Swing type of band. Generally, I'm not a huge country fan, but I'll accept folk/bluegrass. And, NO, folk music is NOT the same as country music! They remind me a lot of Zooey Deschanel's group, She & Him, only with more of a twang, and no offense to Zooey (who is great), but lead singer of Christabel and the Jons has a better voice. I've also met her. They were playing in the area last month, and she's really cool!

I'm also freaking out about finances, but hey, that's life. I know it may seem like I don't have a lot on my plate, but you just don't even know. Now, it's time to get off this thing. I was gonna get some exercise, but a storm seems to be rapidly invading the surrounding area. I guess I'll just watch some "Daria" and get back to these applications...

Cease and Desist All Complacency

Whoa. It's my first post of 2011! I was just sitting here thinking... around this time, four years ago, I started my life at Disney. Where am I today? Still in the exact same place doing pretty much the exact same thing. Kinda sad. Don't get me wrong. I still looove the job, I looove the people, and sometimes the guests aren't too bad either. I just never would've thought when I started my College Program four years ago that I would still be here to this very day. Makes ya think... what if I'd done things differently? I try not to dwell on it. I agree with most of my life decisions thus far. But, ya know, what if? What if I hadn't come down here on my program at all? Would I have finished school? One of the reasons I moved down here was because I realized school just wasn't for me at the time. Nah, I would've at least worked my program here. I simply cannot imagine what 2007 would've been like without Disney in my life. 2008 is where it all changes.

You see, after my program ended that January, I went back home because I was gonna go back and finish school. What did I accomplish that spring? My most successful endeavor was a lil bit of choreography I put together for The Studio, my former ballet studio. If that makes it sound like it was MY ballet studio, well, that's because IT WAS! Mwah ha ha! Naw, but I did choreograph a piece, and it was selected to be performed at the Southeastern Regional Ballet Association (SERBA) that year. Good times! Other than that, I spent spring of 2008 either sitting around watching movies or vacationing with the family. After 2 or 3 Disney vacations, I decided yet again to ditch school and move back down to Orlando. I did in June of 2008, and I've been living down here ever since.

Here's another "what if." What if I hadn't moved back down here? The plan was to continue my studies at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). I had already toured the area (LOOOVE Savannah), booked a room, and was trying to figure out how on earth to pay for the next 3-4 years of my life when I came to the decision that it just wasn't worth it. There was no way I could afford school, and I actually missed Disney too much, so what did I do? I did what I always do. I took the easy way out. And look where it's gotten me. Again, I'm not saying I regret my decision. What else was I supposed to do? What I regret is how long I've been so complacent going through the motions for the past... 2 1/2 years (It'll be 3 in June) of my life. That's what I plan to change in 2011.

I won't go into detail because that another blog entirely. Here's a list of things I plan to do this year:
1) Go to church. I have become so used to NOT going over the past few years that come Sunday morning, I just sleep in. This is NOT okay. I gotta stop making stupid excuses, wake myself up, and GO! Services start at 10. That isn't early. At all!
2) Go back to school. Even if it's a class a semester at a local community college, at least it would be something. I have to finish college at some point in my life. I turn 25 this year. I still have at least 3 years of college left. Mom was right. Young Ann and I WILL graduate college around the same time. Especially at this rate. (For those of you who do not know, Young Ann is almost 9 years younger than I am. If we graduate college at the same time, it would be epic but mostly pathetic.)
3) Be more active. Disney has once again decided that instead of giving me a full-time job, something I've been trying to get for 3 years now, they would rather say that I am "over-utilized." Guess what happens to "over-utilized" cast members. They become "capped." Capped is this nasty, evil limbo given to only the best part-time and seasonal cast members, and they are only allowed to work up to 24.9 hours a week. 24.9. How am I supposed to live off that? I mean, I do have my seasonal job at Universal, and I am trying to get yet another job, but still, this is simply and utterly ridiculous, and it's one of the reasons I'm debating how long I want to waste my life working at Disney. Seriously, that is how angry this whole "capped" thing makes me. Moving on...
... Oh, wait, be more active. Since I do have so much time for myself, I need to find some way to stay in shape. Perhaps I'll join a gym. I've always enjoyed taking aerobics classes. It's a fun way to work up a sweat and build stamina. I used to have grrrreat stamina back in middle school through 10th grade. Since 11th grade... not so much.
4) Get back into dance. This does tie-in to the whole "be more active" thing. One thing I want to do at some point in my whole Disney career is get into Staging with Entertainment. It's been a few years since I've even taken any form of dance, yet alone a simple ballet class. Part of me feels like I've lost the touch I used to have. In order to get into Staging one day, I feel I need juuuust a littttttle more experience. I mean, why on earth would Staging hire me over 7-ish years of dance, one (pretty awesome) 5-minute bit of choreography, and these past 4 years at Disney? Hey, maybe they will. Who knows?

So yeah, those are the main issues I want to deal with in 2011. First off though, I get to move. Yep, this whole month I've been saving whatever money I possibly could (grrr, Disney, grrrrrrr) in order to afford to move back in with one of my bestest friends I have here in Orlando. Sir Linus the chihua. Oh, and maybe Andie too. The search has been kinda stressful, but we have finally found a place! Yay! (Mom, I'll message you on Facebook with more info.) We'll be moving in at the end of the month.

Oh! And I do get to learn a new role here on property. Starting next Wednesday, I get to Move It, Shake It, and Celebrate It at Magic Kingdom with a silly ol' friend, Papa Bear! At first, I was not excited because, to be honest, I really don't like working at MK. (What? I don't. Sue me.) Overall, though, I'm excited to learn something different. Yay, variety! Now, if only Casting will train me in more over at Studios (grr, Disney, grrrrrrr).

Alright, I believe that is more than enough for now. I've been meaning to update this thing for a while now. Hopefully I'll remember to add another post before this month is over. Until then, tell momma I said "How y'all deeerin'," and every state north of Florida, try not to freeze, mmm'kay?