Cheryl Burke of Dancing with the Stars with special guest Genya Mazo perform at Mohegan Sun.
story & photos
by Alexis Ann
Cheryl Burke of Dancing With The Stars and special guest, Genya Mazo, made a trip to Mohegan Sun for a dazzling performance, signing and meeting with fans and the Resident Good News on January 28th. This upfront-and-personal interactive event hosted by the Mohegan Shops kicks off the all-new Reality Check.
“There’s no better way to start something new,” said Shirley of Massachusetts, an avid fan of Dancing With The Stars, who was at the Sun with her husband celebrating their 55th wedding anniversary. Shirley was thrilled to luck out with a first row view of two-time Dancing With The Stars champion, Cheryl Burke, and her dancing partner since childhood, Genya Mazo. Like Shirley, enthusiastic fans, young and mature, gathered to watch the dancing and the opportunity to interact with Cheryl.
“What did you eat today?” asked a member of the audience.
The 25-years young, perfect ten, Cheryl answers, “Egg whites and a salad.”
When I asked about her diet during our meet ‘n greet, she told me, “No soda. I eat healthy foods. I exercise and feel good.” When Cheryl isn’t dancing, she does Jazzercize, Brikim Yoga and runs on a treadmill.
On the other hand, her partner, Genya Mazo, dancing since the age of three, doesn’t have to watch his weight. “I eat at Taco Bell, McDonald’s and Johnny Rockets and once in a while, I have a salad.”
Cheryl added, “He’s a guy… they don’t have to watch it.”
Genya became the National Pre-teen Champion of Belarus at the age of six. Today, Genya is one of the most talented competitive dancers of his era, winning the U.S. National Championship, World Rising Star Championship and the International Latin Championship. He appeared on several Dancing With The Stars episodes and performed on three Dancing With The Stars Tours.
A woman in business, Cheryl owns three dance studios in California and her own clothing line. Her success in television and dancing offers her worldwide exposure, including talk show appearances and a role on The Disney Channel’s The Suite Life with Zack and Cody.
“I loved to dance as a little kid,” answered Cheryl, when asked about why she became a dancer. “I started competing at the age of 12.”
Cheryl first partnered with 98 Degrees singer Drew Lachey in the second season of the hit reality show and again with all-time great Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith in the third season. Not only has she seen success on tv, but she also won several championships including the 2005 Ohio Star Ball Rising Star Latin Championship, the 2005 San Francisco Open Latin Championship and the 2005 World Cup Professional Rising Star Latin Championship and several UK Championships.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) urges women to put health at the top of their 2010 to-do lists. Remember these healthy living tips:
Eat Healthier. Aim to eat a balanced diet rich in a wide variety of colorful fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lowfat dairy, and lean protein. Additionally, cut back on sodium, fats, processed sugar, and refined grains.
Get Active. Regular physical activity helps increase overall well-being while lowering the risk of diabetes, osteoporosis, some cancers, and other illnesses caused by inactivity. Aim for at least 30 minutes of exercise on most days of the week to lower the risk of chronic disease; 60 minutes on most days to maintain weight; and at least 60 to 90 minutes on most days to lose weight. A well-rounded exercise regimen should include cardiovascular, strength training, and flexibility components.
Get Some Rest. Your body repairs and regenerates tissue, builds bone and muscle, and strengthens its immunity while you sleep. Not getting enough sleep may cause short-term problems such as irritability and memory loss and long-term conditions including diabetes and heart disease. The average adult should aim to get seven to nine hours of sleep each night.
Visit Your Ob-Gyn. Women should see their doctor regularly for preventive care. Routine visits to the ob-gyn help ensure women receive age appropriate screenings, exams, and immunizations, and they allow physicians to identify and treat common problems before serious health risk develop.
With a recent grant award of $4,000 to Bethsaida, Dime Bank Foundation plans to support Katie Blair House women in 2010. The funds will be used to provide food for program residents (approximately 30 women this year).
For over 23 years, Bethsaida Community provided housing and support services to homeless women through the Katie Blair House and Flora O’Neil programs. Most of the women who enter Katie Blair House do not have jobs or any means to support themselves. An estimated 69% of the women applying to Bethsaida for housing are from Southeastern CT (28% are from other parts of CT, and 3% are from outside of CT). Before the women can find employment and stabilize their lives, Bethsaida provides food to approximately 30 women each year. Once the women find employment and are able to secure other benefits, they pay 30% of their income back to Bethsaida.
Claire Silva, Executive Director of Bethsaida states, “Food is always a high expense for us as we help about 30 women each year through the Katie Blair House program. We are grateful to the Dime Bank Foundation for this grant award and expect the funds to cut our yearly food expense in half.”
For more information about Bethsaida and to see our new Welcome Video, please visit www.BethsaidaCT.org.
Betty Davis, Serials Technician, retires from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, January 11. Betty’s retirement marks the completion of 40 years of civilian service with the Federal Government. Congrats Betty!
Gini Graham Scott’s latest book contains “…visualization techniques I’ve been using and living my life with for over twenty-five years.”
by Roger Zotti
Want It, See It, Get It” (Amacon), the newest book by Gini Graham Scott, Ph.D., often departs from the usual way most of us think. Gini believes the techniques she espouses work because they get you more in touch with your intuition, your inner voice – whatever you want to call this very powerful force within you. Unfortunately, in today’s society “This force isn’t given the attention it deserves.” Gini believes the reason is that “We emphasize solving problems and working out issues logically because of this emphasis on being rational.”
Gini doesn’t oppose rational, logical methods to handle problems, but she suggests we tap “Into our intuitive, non-rational side to gain insights and also understandings that – when combined with rational techniques or used alone – can help make even better decisions and choices. This inner sensing and intuitive part of ourselves is linked to our ability to use mental imagery or visualization [which] is something anyone can do. It’s just a question of learning the method.” After a time “You’re able to basically visualize something very clearly. It’s not only affirming and visualizing but also going through the steps to turn that visualization into reality.”
Gini wrote her book to share “The visualization techniques I’ve been using and living my life with for over twenty-five years. It seems like the time when people need this because of transformation in the economy and economic turmoil.” She revised some of her earlier works – like ‘Mind Power” and ‘The Empowered Mind: How to Harness the Creative Force within You” – and “merged and updated them” for this book.
Gini hopes readers integrate her ideas into their everyday lives to “make what they want happen and then use the principals to create their own techniques as well, so they can incorporate symbols or beliefs to work with any kind of religion [or] spiritual tradition.” Before readers tackle her book, she added, “They should know what they [want to change about] their lives, which is where this book could help. One of the techniques is to start off and ask yourself certain questions.”
In Chapter 10 she suggests creating “a mental script.” Then by “rehearsing what you want to learn in your mind….you re-enforce what you have learned through physical practice.” More, “…working with the skill you want to acquire in your mind…see yourself performing it perfectly….” Of course, it’s hard work and if you make mistakes “in your mental practice…you’ll make the same mistake in the real world” -because “the mind doesn’t distinguish between what you really do and what you do mentally.”
In sum, Gini’s latest book is practical and readable and, with easy-to-learn techniques, aims at making it possible for readers to access “and direct their intuitive power,” so that their goals are attainable. Her books – she’s written over fifty – are available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and numerous local and online bookstores. For more information about this remarkable woman, check out her website: www.ginigrahamscott.com.
