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Showing posts with label Michael Smith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Michael Smith. Show all posts

Saturday, January 11, 2014

The Big Wrap Up! - Week 53

Welcome Back!  Mauritania checked out the blog this week! Thank you and welcome! The blog continues to grow! It's funny how these things go.  Last week I announced that week 52 was my "official" last post of the One Big Wedo blog. I made a one year weekly commitment in January 2013 to write about all my folklorico experiences on a weekly basis.  I stuck with it and accomplished that goal.  Apparently, all you have to do to increase readership is to announce "the end" because I had people come out of the woodwork to read it this week. Better late than never I suppose!
 
 

Although I plan on continuing posting from time to time, I wanted to wrap up the "official" 52 week blog by providing my readers with the blog stats and some closing thoughts and reflections on the past year.  What a year it has been!  I thought maybe I would reach 7000 to 7500 readers by the end of the year.  I am pleased to say that as of this posting, I have had 9797 page views!  I am shocked.  I find it mind boggling at times, that people actually take the time to read these posts. Who knew a white man dancing Mexican folklorico would turn so many heads! It got people's attention! Blogger's tracking charts show a steady growing audience from the beginning to now. Thank you to everyone who has read the blog and made it a success.  You make it all worth it.
 

Several months ago, on week 27, I put out a friendly competition to all the countries around the globe and challenged them to read, read, read. The blog stirred up a frenzy and was received all around the world. So how did things end up?  Which countries read and followed the blog the most? Here is a list of the top ten countries who embraced the Wedo:

 
1.)  United States of America
2.)  Russia
3.)  Germany
4.)  France
5.)  Canada
6.)  United Kingdom
7.)  South Korea
8.)  Mexico
9.)  Poland
10.)  China


Of course there were many others who checked out the blog.  Here's a list of all the countries that read the blog.  From my calculations, there are 73 total:

Afghanistan, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Columbia, Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guam, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jersey, Kenya, Lebanon, Malta, Maldives, Mauritania, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Netherlands, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad & Tobago, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, Venezuela, Vietnam

My goodness!  I really need to brush up on my geography!  That's a lot of countries!  There's still a whole lot more out there too!  Keep sharing the blog and let's see if we can reach them all!  I believe it can and will happen!  I'm still open to a world tour!  Who wants to host the Wedo and dance group. Have boots, will travel!
 

As far a the posts themselves, Week 31's "Modern Folklorico Dancing" took the #1 spot for all time most read post.  It also generated a lot of feedback. To be honest, I was surprised that so many folks read it.  It wasn't even one of my personal favorites.  In fact, I felt that I didn't do a good job explaining myself and that I came off as somewhat contradicting. But I'm my biggest critic and people understood the message the way I intended nonetheless. Some felt it was controversial, which may have aided in its success. Overall, most agreed it provoked thought.

Now not to go all back into it, but I do want to say that on the one hand I was trying to make the point that there are many variations of the same dance in the folklorico world - some more traditional and authentic than others.  On a different note, I was trying to inspire originality in style an execution.  I made the comment that many group imitate Amalia Hernandez and Ballet Folklorico de Mexico's style, dances and choreography.  It's kind of like going and seeing a tribute band.  Yes, they sing the same songs an even copy the original band's look. However, at the end of the day, everyone still prefers the original band because they are the "real" one. I even had one of the dancers from Mexico write me a note thanking me for the post.  Anyway, lets just move on.
 

Several other post received heavy readership as well.  Here is a list of the top 21 posts:

1.)  Modern Folklorico Dancing - Week 31

2.)  A Big L.A. Af-fair! - Part 1 - Week 40

3.)  The Day of The Dead - Week 30

4.)  Heart & Sol - Week 16

5.)  A Deadly Transformation - Week 45

6.)  Latin Stage Fever - Denver Part 2 - Week 27

7.)  Richard Solorzano - Week 52

8.)  Sizzling Sinaloa - Denver Part 1 - Week 26

9.)  Chihuahua, Chiapas & Baja - Week 43

10.)  The Viva Navidad Experience - Part 1 - Week 51
 
11.)  Who Is Herencia Mexicana?  A History! - Week 42

12.)  Dancing At Disney California Adventure - Week 37

13.)  In The Beginning - Week 2

14.)  The Audition! - Week 47

15.)  L.A. County Fair Show - The Sequel - Week 41

16.)  Images Of Mexico - Week 21

17.). History In The Making - Week 4

18.)  What To Wear - Week 5

19.). Getting Started - Week 1

20.)  The Miracles Of Dancing - Week 6

21.)  39 - Say It Isn't So!  - Week 34

Now on the contrary, the all time least read post was week 32's "Why A Blog?"  How bizarre that week 31 was the top post and week 32 was the bottom.  Perhaps folks got turned off by week 31s post, who knows.  I actually wrote week 32's post due to some of the feedback I received regarding week 31's post.  Some folks after reading week 31 asked "Who is this Wedo and what gives him the right to write about folklorico?"  So I wrote a post about how the blog actually came about. I personally like week 32s blog much more than week 31s.  Go figure!  

I acknowledged that there are a plethora of highly qualified individuals out there, much more so than I, that should be blogging and writing about folklorico.  I even presented the idea of guest bloggers for my blog.  I approached several qualified folks to write a post to share on my blog.  Most agreed, but in the end, no one followed through, leaving my voice to be heard alone.  So that whole idea was a flop!  Kind of like week 32's post!  Of course now that I've mentioned it here, it will probably be in the top 10 by next week!
 

Since I'm sharing flops, the kids coloring activity didn't go well either!  Not a single soul sent the Wedo a picture.  Oh well.  Too bad, so sad.  I gave it a shot.  I had one person submit some logos for my logo contest. Thank goodness for that!  How embarrassing it would have been if no one had responded.  At one time, I presented an idea of creating a folklorico themed t-shirt line. That didn't happen either! Besides, Miicamisa Folk/Urban Wear already has a full line of fabulous folklorico themed items. I discovered them after I presented my desire to create some folklorico t-shirts of my own under the label "We do Wear!"  I may have some One Big Wedo blog t-shirts made up yet. Anyone interested out there?  Of course, with my bald head, folks may mistake me for Casper!  For other folklorico t-shirts and products, check out Miicamisa online and on Facebook.  And what's up with no movie offer, reality television show, music/dance video, interview or book deal? Hello Hollywood! I'll even settle for a 12 month Big Wedo calendar! Now that's sure to be a big seller! I'm waiting! Call me Hollywood! I guess there's still some hope in creating a stage show at least, but time will tell. I even hit Cher up on Facebook to have us perform a number at her upcoming show in Ontario in July. All I've heard back is crickets!
 

Now that I've shared the flops, how about some more positive areas of success? I received lots of encouragement and emails over the past year.  I even had a couple college dance professors from Texas share my blog with their students as recommended reading on their class syllabuses.  How cool is that!  I heard from some of the students themselves!  Hopefully they are still reading! Multicultural California, Folklorico Page and Folkloricochannel were all very supportive of the blog this past year. Thank you very, very much.  In fact, Folklorico Page recently gave me this compliment which has to be among the best I've ever received.  As part of the response to my post about "Richard Solorzano - Week 52", Folklorico Page wrote, "One Big Wedo's blog is [also] the "real deal", funny, informative and insightful." I am so going to have you write the book review if I should get a book deal! I recommend everyone to check out Folklorico Page on Facebook. I find the commentary and photos very inspiring. Keep up the great work.

With the announcement of the blog being officially complete, I received several texts, emails and messages encouraging me to keep blogging. Of course, this sparked my thinking of what I might still write about. I thought of a few things but then I couldn't remember if I've already written about the topics. So this week, I spent some time reading and reviewing my own blog and guess what, I haven't written about them. That means I have three or four potential new blog topics to post about. Plus, with 2014 just getting started, there's a whole year of potential posts just waiting to happen. Stay tuned. However, if the blog should end after that, I have to be honest in saying I won't miss all the work it takes to write these little gems. And I won't miss all the computer errors, unsaved and deleted posts, rework and the like. Nothing is more disappointing and aggravating than spending all day working on a post only to lose it.  Even so, I really appreciate Blogger and Google for the free service and for providing a place for my voice to be heard.  Your voice can be heard to, sign up and get to writing!
 

Let's take a moment and look at all the performances!  Here is the current list of shows I've participated in since the very beginning:

May 11, 2012:  Mariachi de Azusa 6th Annual Benefit Concert - Azusa, California (Herencia Mexicana) - Live Mariachi
May 13, 2012:  Our Lady of Assumption - Mother's Day - Carnival - Claremont, California (Herencia Mexicana)
May 18, 2012:  Plaza Mexico Performance - Lynnwood, California (Herencia Mexicana)
July 19, 2012:  Azusa Memorial Park Event - Azusa, California (Herencia Mexicana) - Live Mariachi
July 25, 2012 :  2nd Annual Viva La Vida @ Fiesta Mexicana Restaurant - Montebello, California (Images of Mexico) - Live Mariachi
July 28, 2012:  Durado Cultural Heritage Foundation Fundraiser Event - El Monte, California (Herencia Mexicana & Images of Mexico) - Live Mariachi
August 19, 2012:  Private Birthday Event - Pico Rivera, California (Herencia Mexicana)
September 14, 2012:  Plaza Mexico Performance - Lynnwood, California (Herencia Mexicana)
September 15, 2012:  Private Birthday Event - Montclair, California (Herencia Mexicana) - Live Mariachi
September 26, 2012:  Private Wedding Event - Loma Linda, California (Herencia Mexicana)
October 7, 2012:  St. Adelaide Church Carnival - Highland, California (Herencia Mexicana)
October 28, 2012:  Private Birthday Event - Azusa, California (Herencia Mexicana) - Live Mariachi
December 1, 2012:  Foster Care Event (DFCS) - Montebello, California (Herencia Mexicana)
December 9, 2012:  Riverside Festival of Lights - Riverside, California (Herencia Mexicana)
December 11, 2012:  Durado Foundation, Misa y Fiesta de Celebracion a la Virgen de Guadalupe - Riverside, California (Images of Mexico) - Live Mariachi
February 9, 2013:  Mission School Event - Redlands, California (Herencia Mexicana)
March 9, 2013:  Santa Teresita Hayden Child Care Family Festival - Duarte, California (Herencia Mexicana)
April 6, 2013:  Private Birthday Event - Ontario, California (Herencia Mexicana)
April 13, 2013:  Herencia Mexicana 2013:  El Mitote - Historic Civic Center Theatre - Corona, California (Sol de Mexico Ballet Folklorico) (Herencia Mexicana)
April 28, 2013:  City of Azusa - 2013 Cinco De Mayo Celebration, Azusa, California (Herencia Mexicana)
May 5, 2013:  Workman & Temple Family Homestead Museum, City of Industry, California.  "Romance of the Ranchos" (Herencia Mexicana)
May 12, 2013:  OLA Fiesta!  Our Lady of Assumption Parish, Claremont, California.  (Herencia Mexicana)
May 18, 2013:  Private Family Reunion Event - Arcadia Park in Arcadia, California. (Herencia Mexicana)
June 1, 2013:  Ascension Church Community Festival 2013 - Los Angeles, California. (Herencia Mexicana)
June 14, 2013:  Orgullo 2013 (Sponsored by Unidos Y Orgullo) - Potrero Night Club - Glendale, Colorado (Herencia Mexicana)
June 15, 2013:  Denver Pridefest 2013 @ Civic Center Park - Orgullo Latino Stage - Denver, Colorado (Herencia Mexicana - 2 Shows)
June 16, 2013:  Denver Pridefest 2013 @ Civic Center Park - Orgullo Latino Stage - Denver, Colorado (Herencia Mexicana - 2 Shows)
September 1, 2013:  Disney's Community Arts Showcase - Disney California Adventure - Hollywood Backlot Stage - Anaheim, California (Sol de Mexico Ballet Folklorico)
September 7, 2013:  City of Azusa Recreation Department - Azusa Senior Center Fiesta Event - Azusa, California (Herencia Mexicana)
September 8, 2013 - Plaza Mexico Colima Festival & Estrella TV - Lynnwood, California (Ballet Folklorico Mi Tierra)
September 22, 2013 - LA County Fair - Plaza De Las Americas Stage @ The Fairplex - Pomona, California (Ballet Folklorico Sol de Mexico) 
September 29, 2013 - LA County Fair - Plaza De Las Americas Stage - Pomona, California (Herencia Mexicana)
November 2, 2013 - Day of The Dead 2013 - Olvera Street Gazebo - Los Angeles, California (Herencia Mexicana)
November 2, 2013 - Dia de Los Muertos Ten Year Anniversary - Historic Downtown Riverside @ Market & Tenth - Riverside, California (Herencia Mexicana) (BF Sol de Mexico)
November 9, 2013 - Private Event - Quinceanera - Razzle Dazzle Dance Studios - Riverside, California - Live Mariachi (Herencia Mexicana) (BF Sol de Mexico)
November 16, 2013 - 50th Wedding Anniversary Private Event with Mariachi Los Camperos - The Ritz Gardens - Whittier, California - Live Mariachi (Dancers from Various Groups)
December 7, 2013 - D.C.F.S. Holiday Event at Montebello Senior Center - Montebello, California (Herencia Mexicana)
December 14, 2013 - Riverside Festival of Lights sponsored by The Mission Inn - Main Stage at University & Main - Riverside, California (Herencia Mexicana)
December 21, 2013 - Disney Viva Navidad Guest Performances - Disney California Adventure Park - Anaheim, California - Paradise Gardens Stage - 4 Shows (Herencia Mexicana)
December 22, 2013 - Disney Viva Navidad Guest Performances - Disney California Adventure Park - Anaheim, California - Paradise Gardens Stage - 2 Shows (Herencia Mexicana)
March 29, 2014 - Priscilla's Quinceanera - City Of Industry Expo Center - Industry, California (Herencia Mexicana)
April 8, 2014 - Veracruz Photo Shoot - Los Angeles, California (BF Mi Tierra)
April 27, 2014 - Azusa Cinco de Mayo Celebration - Azusa City Hall - Azusa, California (Herencia Mexicana)
May 1, 2014 - Destination Downtown Riverside Fashion Show - Riverside California (Herencia Mexicana)
May 1, 2014 - Riverside Cinco de Mayo Celebration at I.E. Art walk - Riverside, California (Herencia Mexicana)
May 6, 2014 - First Steps Independent Living Cinco de Mayo Event - San Bernardino, California (Herencia Mexicana)
May 11, 2014 - OLA Fiests Mother's Day Performance - Our Lady of Assumption Church & School - Claremont, California (Herencia Mexicana)
June 20, 2014 - Unidos Y Orgullo's 2014 Pride Event at Club El Potrero - Glendale, Colorado (Herencia Mexicana)
June 21, 2014 - Denver Pridefest 2014 at Civic Center Park - Latin Stage - Denver, Colorado (Herencia Mexicana - 3 shows)
June 22, 2014 - Denver Pridefest 2014 at Civic Center Park - Latin Stage - Denver, Colorado (Herencia Mexicana - 2 shows)
KGNU Radio Interview.
July 26, 2014 - 15th Wedding Anniversary Celebration - Mentone Moose Lodge - Mentone, California (Herencia Mexicana)
August 2, 2014 - Fabiola's Birthday Party - Escobedo's Residence - Covina, California (Herencia Mexicana)
August 23, 2014 - Disney Community Arts Showcase - Disney California Adventure - Hollywood Backlot Stage - Anaheim, California (Herencia Mexicana)
September 6, 2014 - City of Azusa "Fiesta" - Azusa Senior Center - Azusa, California (Herencia Mexicana)
September 27, 2014 - St. Bernardine's Multicultural Festival - San Bernardino, California (Herencia Mexicana)
September 28, 2014 - Los Angeles County Fair - Plaza de Las Americas, Pomona, California (Herencia Mexicana)
October 5, 2014 - Unity Fellowship of Christ Church Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration - Riverside, California (Herencia Mexicana)
October 12, 2014 - Private Wedding Reception Performance - Mentone Moose Lodge, Mentone Beach, California (Herencia Mexicana)
October 18, 2014 - Herencia Mexicana's 2014 Annual Fundraiser Event - The Ranch - Riverside, California - 2 Performances (Herencia Mexicana)
November 2, 2014 - Placita Olvera - Olvera Street Dia de Los Muertos (Day of The Dead) Festival - Los Angeles, California (Herencia Mexicana) 
November 2, 2014 - Riverside Dia de Los Muertos Featival - Downtown Riverside, California (Herencia Mexicana)
November 22, 2014 - Disney Viva Navidad! - Disney California Adventure Park - Paradise Pier/Goofy's Sky School - Anaheim, California - 2 Shows (Herencia Mexicana)
November 23, 2014 - Disney Viva Navidad! - Disney California Adventure - Paradise Pier/Goofy's Sky School - Anaheim, California - 2 Shows (Herencia Mexicana)
December 6, 2014 - Knott's Merry Farm - Knott's Berry Farm - Calico Stage - Buena Park, California (Herencia Mexicana)
December 13, 2014 - Winter Wonderland - The Roosevelt Bowl @ Perris Hill Park - San Bernardino, California (Herencia Mexicana)
December 13, 2014 - Riverside Mission Inn Festival of Lights - Riverside, California (Herencia Mexicana)
December 21, 2014 - KCAA Radio Event @ The Carousel Mall - Performance & Radio Interview - San Bernardino, California (Herencia Mexicana)

January 18, 2015 - Disney Community Arts Showcase - Hollywood Backlot Stage - Disney California Adventure - Anaheim, California (Herencia Mexicana)

I count 40+ shows!  Not too shabby. That's a lot of foot tapping going on! Almost averages out to one performance for every year old I am! One Big Wedo thanks all the dancers, dance groups, directors, teachers, photographers, videographers, Wikipedia, various reference resources, You Tube, Facebook and the like, who all contributed to the success of the blog. There's a saying that goes something like "It takes a village to raise a child." I guess it could be said "It takes a village to help a wedo dance and blog folklorico!" I especially want to thank God, Richard and my parents. Even during the tough times!

 
 
If you check out my profile on Google+ and Gmail, you can view tons of photos I've posted in the blog.  There are also a few photos that Google selected to enhance!  They are referred to as "Google+ Auto Awesome Photos"! Check them out sometime.

In other news, just as the blog ended, Herencia started up practices for the 2014 season. Everyone came back a little bit sluggish from the holidays. We are all a bit weighted down, if you get my drift. Now I didn't eat tamales, but I had my share of tortillas and chocolate. Now comes time to "feel the burn" and lose those extra pounds before our first show of the new year. Speaking of weight, check out this photo of me I found from a couple years ago. I was a much bigger boy! Folklorico makes you skinny!
 

Hey, here's a completely random piece of information for you.  I must be having one of my ADD moments.  After our fair performance last year, we received some feedback about our costumes. Although everyone liked our costumes, it was brought to our attention that the women's bloomers didn't match. So guess what, now they do. Richard designed a Herencia bloomer that all the women have wear, so everyone is uniform now. And I thought I suffered from OCD. Yes folks, even the underwear have to match!  

In closing, I want to share something I learned in college. Many of you have read and know that I studied Bible and Theology. I recall one class where the professor shared how there will be a day when all the nations of the world stand before God and present their contributions to life and society to God.  We discussed various aspects of life in which nations and people contribute too.  I remember thinking that one of the great contributions of Mexico is folklorico. I often think about how I am not only dancing before men, but also before God. Folklorico dancing reflects God and His creativity through man. That's my opinion anyways. What a beautiful thing.

So to wrap this all up, I sum up the whole blog like this:

Guero, whetto, wettoh, huero, weddo, weddoh, whedo, wedoh, huerro, Guerro, guedo, wetto, huedo, wero, guelo, wello, wheddoh, wedian and FOLKLORICO!  But no matter how you prefer to spell it, I'm still the One Big Wedo!
 

That's pretty much it! So what does next week bring, if anything? Check back and see! I already have folks trying to persuade me in going on some new adventures so I can write about them! Until then, this Wedo needs a moment to catch his breath! Wedo out!

Contact Information for "The Big Wedo":

Google E-mail: onebigwedo@gmail.com
Facebook: One Big Wedo (Guero)
Twitter: Michael Smith @onebigwedo
Blogger: www.onebigwedo.blogspot.com

Contact Information for Ballet Folklorico de Herencia Mexicana:

Richard Solorzano, Director: (909) 201-1957
Facebook: Herencia Mexicana
E-Mail: Bf_herencia_mexicana@yahoo.com
 

Note: Looking for your own adventure or journey? Herencia is a great place to find one!  Folklorico lessons and performances are both available. Herencia Mexicana performs for private & public events of all kinds. Book your event today! Herencia Mexicana welcomes new students. No previous folklorico or dance experience required.  All are welcome.




 
 

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Who Am I? A Personal Introduction - Week 8


Welcome Venezuela!  Thanks for reading!  Here it is week 8 already!  Two months down!  Time flies when you're having fun!  It was brought to my attention that I never formally/personally introduced myself to my readers.  That's about to change!  Here's everything you may, or may not, have ever wanted to know about the "big wedo."  Welcome to Wedo Smith 101.

I was born August 15, 1974 in Lakeview, Michigan.  My parents, Leslie & Rosemary Smith, named me Michael Dale Smith.  I am the youngest of five children, the baby of the family, and the self acclaimed favorite.  I have two sisters and two brothers.  The middle brother passed at birth.  All of my siblings are married with children.  My father held many positions in his lifetime including:  Nuclear Engineer, Post Master, Pastor and Book Keeper.  My mother stayed home to raise the children and take care of the home.  They are retired now and enjoy their time between their residences in Michigan and Florida.  They are snow birds.  They are the proud grandparents of eight grandchildren and four great grandchildren. 

During my childhood, we lived in the parsonage on the Church camping grounds.  Read more on that in week six's blog post, "The Miracles of Dancing."  In the third grade, we moved from Six Lakes, Michigan to Clarksville, Michigan.  I went to Clarksville Elementary through Sixth grade.  Then it was off to Lakewood Junior High for Seventh and Eighth grades.  I finished up at Lakewood High School and graduated in 1992 at the age of 17.  After High School I went of to study Vocal Performance at Wheaton College & Conservatory of Music in Wheaton, Illinois.  I left Wheaton in 1994 to pursue life's adventures and briefly took classes at Mount Hope Bible Training Institute and Grand Rapids Community College.  In June of 1995, I moved to California where I have been living ever since.  In the January 2010 I enrolled into classes at the Rock Bible College and graduated in 2011.  In the fall of 2012, I enrolled into ISOM (International School Of Ministry) and will be graduating in Spring 2013.

As far as employment is concerned, I had my first jobs in the Sixth grade.  I would stay after school and help the janitor with assorted duties, such as emptying trash cans, for $1.00 a day!  That only lasted for a couple weeks before I was offered a paper route in Clarksville, Michigan delivering The Grand Rapids Press newspaper.  I delivered those newspapers until I graduated high school.  I received the honor of being the paper carrier of the week!  They printed a short article about me with one of the ugliest photos I've ever taken.  In addition to the paper route, I mowed lawns.  When I was old enough to get my worker's permit, I started working at McDonald's.  I worked for five different McDonald's Restaurant locations, off and on, over a five year period. 

While at Wheaton, I worked in their Alumni call center requesting financial contributions for campus projects from alumni and friends of the college.  One summer break, I performed janitorial tasks for the Clarksville Post Office including painting the interior of the building and waxing the floors.  After Wheaton, I worked for Chuck E. Cheese's and a Christian bookstore/Hallmark before moving to Detroit, Michigan.  In Detroit, I worked for a chocolate company both in retail and production of chocolate products (call me Willy Wonka), The Fisher Theater on their ushering staff and as an assistant manager at Little Caesar's Pizza. 

Then in 1995 I moved to California.  My first job in California was working for Castle Park Amusement Park in Riverside, California.  I continued interviewing and testing for jobs and I landed a position at Smith & Noble catalog window treatments company located in Corona, California where I worked in the call center answering phones, as a filing clerk and in their swatch sample department.  While there I started a business with a friend in Beanie Babies and teddy bears.  We opened a store in Rancho Cucamonga called BearsBears & Collectibles.  I left Smith & Noble in 1998 to pursue a career with Toyota Motor Sales USA working in their North American Parts Center warehouse, where I have been employed ever since.  I will be celebrating 15 years of service there in September.

BearBears & Collectibles closed in 2000.  But I enjoyed having my own business in addition to my everyday job.  Guess that makes me an entrepreneur.  In the early 2000's, I started a mobile DJ Company called All Star DJ's.  That lasted a while until I got the urge to open another store.  In 2005, I opened What A Deal gift and home decor specialty shop in Rancho Cucamonga.  What A Deal moved to Upland, California in 2008 and lasted there until 2010.  When the economy crashed, so did our clientele and the business closed.  Thank goodness I've had a stable job all along!  I would like to have another business again sometime in the future. 

Sounds busy, but as I have said before I like variety and trying new things.  On a more personal note, I enjoy music of all kinds and theater.  I played the french horn in high school and was in the concert band, marching band and jazz band.  I was drum major for one year.  I also enjoyed singing and was in the concert choir, men's chorus, show choir, barbershop quartet, musical theater and children's theater.  In college, I sang in the concert choir and opera workshop.  I also took piano lessons both as a child and in college, but I am not a pianist!  I received several metals and awards for music.  Even a few scholarships.

Some of my other interests include travelling, shopping, church, and movies.  I use to enjoy collecting antiques and things, but had to stop because I was becoming a hoarder!  I enjoy theater and have had the privilege of seeing several stage productions and Cirque du Soliel shows.  I also enjoy concerts and have seen Beyonce, Natalie Cole, Janet Jackson, Elton John, Prince, Cher, Madonna and many others.  I like adventure and enjoy activities like zip lining, roller coasters and parasailing.  Gosh, sounds like I am writing a dating profile!

Anyway, enough about me already!  Let's wrap this up for this week by talking about the dancing!  The dancing is a nice addition to my list of life experiences, which there are many!  You've gotten a small sampling here.  It's amazing to me how many experiences a person can have in their lifetime.  I may not be the best dancer, but I'm getting better everyday.  I hope that this dance experience is not just another fleeting hobby.  I take it seriously.  I'm catching on to folklorico dancing, however, other styles of dancing like Cumbia and Salsa make me feel all uncoordinated and white, which I am so that's alright!  I get so twisted around.  There you have it Wedo Smith 101!  I'm a real winner!  Hope you enjoyed it and that you got a snap shot of who I am.  Until next Sunday.......wedo out!    

Contact Information for "The Big Wedo":

Google E-mail: onebigwedo@gmail.com
Facebook: One Big Wedo (Guero)
Twitter: Michael Smith @onebigwedo
Blogger: www.onebigwedo.blogspot.com

Contact Information for Ballet Folklorico de Herencia Mexicana:

Richard Solorzano, Director: (909) 201-1957
Facebook: Herencia Mexicana
E-Mail: Bf_herencia_mexicana@yahoo.com

Note: Looking for your own adventure or journey? Herencia is a great place to find one!  Folklorico lessons and performances are both available. Herencia Mexicana performs for private & public events of all kinds. Book your event today! Herencia Mexicana welcomes new students. No previous folklorico or dance experience required.  All are welcome.