Dumpster trash? Reborn treasure!

One of the best dumpster dives I ever had was when I still lived on Status Island, NY (a.k.a. Staten Island)…yes, y’all, I called the oft-forgot borough home for three years! And what a sweet home it was… top floor a an old grain warehouse, at least 3500 sq feet of space… and my bedroom, which doubled as my rehearsal space was complete with ballet bars and a wall of mirrors! Strictly for rehearsals, ahem, of course! Oh shiot! Me and my creative partner, Alane, dubbed the place Chateau Monroe. (more…)

New York City is pretty amazing in a lot of ways, but a stand-out for me, is the TRASH. Uh-huh, that’s right. Any given sidewalk can be a treasure trove of all kinds of things- furniture, art, lighting…if you can think of it, it’s probably been found on a sidewalk here. (Now don’t go there… you dirty boys and girls!) It makes sense too, b/c the sidewalk is where our trash collection happens.  But it’s also just easy for most folks who are getting rid of unwanted items to put them out on the sidewalk. Once you’ve struggled down five flights of stairs with a dresser on your back, you’re pretty much done with the thing at that point. And that’s when someone else’s backache becomes my sidewalk salvation, y’all!  And trust that I’m not alone in this revelry. Discovering some completely unexpected find is not only exciting, but outright joyful for a lot of people like me.

Teaching Brandon how to get his groove back!

(more…)