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Dance Influence Music Swag Throwback Thursday Video

THROWBACK THURSDAY: Stay

I never was the smoothest kid growing up in high school and transitioning into college; I didn’t hit my growth spurt until I was 17, transforming almost overnight from a short and plump sophomore to a lanky and awkward junior. And even then, I wasn’t comfortable being so tall.

Come to think of it, I just wasn’t that comfortable being me.

I had always wanted to dance in high school, but the mere mention of guys dancing in my high school was grounds for harsh and relentless ridicule. To add on to that, I had no swag. Let’s face it, whether I do now is also debatable. Regardless, the combination of gangly height, two left feet, and lack of opportunity meant that I didn’t dance at all in high school. I most definitely didn’t spend every morning trying to dance in my bathroom mirror – who does that?

Whether or not dancing occured every morning at the Li household, there was always one song that stuck with me – Neyo’s “Stay”. It came out in the fall of my junior year, and it was my jam. I didn’t know why; maybe it was the carefree vibe of the song that contrasted so starkly with the multitudinous pressures of being a first-born Asian son (SAT prep being one of them), or perhaps it was the fact that he was singing about girls, and I knew there wasn’t a chance in hell that any of the cute girls I put on a pedestal in high-school would ever consider me.

I think I loved that song because it just made me want to dance.

Like, dance-in-front-of-people-not-my-mirror dance. The kind of dancing, exposure, and freedom that I had been missing out on all through my adolescent life. It wasn’t until college came around that I found Kamikazi (Kazi love!) and began dancing publicly. Gaining confidence over time, I realized that dancing made me happy like few other things did. Sorry Taco Bell. I effing LOVED performing! To go from being so inconspicuous all my life to someone who entertained others just by my very movements was…exhilarating. Soon enough, I wanted to try my own hand at choreography, and naturally “Stay” was my first choice. But I try as I did, I just couldn’t put a piece together that I felt did justice to what the song meant to me. Even now, years removed from when I started dancing, I don’t feel like I can satisfactorily match moves to that piece of music. It’s funny, because “Stay” wasn’t Neyo’s best song or his most popular, by far. “Stay” was merely the first song off his album, the first R&B song I ever listened to, and the first song that made me want to dance.

I don’t think I’ll ever choreograph to it. 🙂

Ne-Yo – Stay

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Marketing Update

Our 2011 New Year’s Resolutions

This past year saw the start of Fresh From Birth. It began with the search of a name…no, an identity. Our momentum carried us through to the emergence of our logo, buttons, stickers, business cards, an inaugural first line of clothing, a website, social media pages, and a blog. Serving as our caffeine and motivation, our dreams, family, and friends continue to remind us of what we’ve began and what we want to accomplish. Those motivating factors push us to improve as a brand and as individuals. New Year’s always gives you the chance to reflect on the past, and refocus on the future. Below, we’ve compiled our 2011 NYR list and hope that we can cross them each off as the year progresses.

1. To have at least 11 people “Like” this post on Facebook 😀

2. Finish the website.

3. Make our first online sale.

4. Over 100 followers on twitter.

5. Over 300 likes on Facebook.

6. Release our second line – Summer/Spring Line

7. Organize our first professional photoshoot & release our first Lookbook.

8. Shoot our first video promoting the Fresh From Birth brand or specific release.

9. Run our first contest / giveaway to give out free swag.

10. Bring Movement Lifestyle to UNC.

11. Get featured in an online or print publication.

12. Win the Carolina Challenge.

13. Take part in a collaboration with another clothing label, a dance team, band/rapper/music artist, or a graphic artist.

14. Plan and execute our first FFB Release Party.

15. Get a photo of someone rocking FFB on at least 25 different college campuses