KAYA JONES: Nothing Fake about this Doll

KAYA JONES: Nothing Fake about this Doll!
By Mina Liccione

On June 26th, 2010 VIVArts, in collaboration with Dubomedy, brought former Pussycat Doll Kaya Jones to Dubai for her first Middle Eastern appearance. Kaya was tightly scheduled with a slew of press events promoting her concert though made the time to pass by the Dubai Community Theater to say hello to the hundreds of young aspiring dancers attending Sharmila Kamte’s Annual Summer Dance Camp where I was on board as one of the guest teachers. I must admit that I was expecting an over the top, full of attitude woman to walk in. I was greatly mistaken. She was very generous, honest, positive and patient with the young dancers as they shouted out their many questions and insisted that she sang something for them. At one point her Road Manager gave her the “wrap it up” gesture and she insisted that she stay an extra 10 minutes to ensure that the kids had a chance to have their questions answered. She didn’t fake her way through anything, but rather an open book refraining from magazine cover answers. She talked about the audition process, rejection, determination, the down side to fame, the importance of remaining grateful and not letting your ego take over. One young girl even said “Wow, you are so nice for a celebrity!” She wasn’t just nice, she was REAL! Kaya was humbled by the responsive energy and continued to talk about the experience for the rest of the night. Even as we laughed and chatted after her late night performance she brought up how much it meant to her to have the chance to share advice to young artists again. She was inspired to continue her work with the youth when she returned to the United States.

I have grown up with the American media glamorizing the rich and famous for their party life, plastic surgery and extravagant shopping. We live in a day and age where Paris Hilton is on more magazine covers than Obama. Lady Gaga’s outfits and Lindsey Lohan’s stint in jail gets more press than the strife in Palestine. It is refreshing to meet a celebrity who not only talks about helping but actually does so. I am honored to now call Kaya my friend and wanted to glamorize the positive side of fame as it often gets it’s thunder stolen by celebrity DUI’s, sex tapes and affairs. This interview with Kaya focuses on a much different way of celebrity life.

Mina: What advice would you give to aspiring young artists?

Kaya: Follow your dreams. Don't let anyone say you can't. It's your dream so no one is gonna see it for you, you have to make your dream come true. And remember this if nothing else, you are special. No one can do you better then you. So be yourself, don't try to be anything you’re not. You are perfect the way God made you.

Mina: As a professional artist you not only need to stay physically fit but also mentally and spiritually. Your line of business is quite stressful. What do you do to keep yourself healthy, balanced and positive?

Kaya: I pray and read the Bible. I also am very connected to my spirit which is connected to the Lord. That helps me spiritually. Mentally I love to write or paint. And physically I like to work out with my trainer or run. But swimming or Bikram yoga are my favs.

Mina: You are known to do a lot of charity work. Which causes are close to your heart and why?

Kaya: The causes close to my heart are, Teachh, which is a charity for Autism. I will be doing a performance August 12th in North Carolina for the first annual benefit. Also working and performing for the American troops. I went to Iraq and Kuwait which was an amazing experience. I will also be going to a local hospital in Denver to play cards, read and hang out with injured soldiers. I also am involved with Project Smile, it helps children born with cleft lips from all over the world get the proper medical care to make sure their surgeries are free and taken care of without any worries. I am also very avid about A21 and Not for sale. Both are causes helping to stop human trafficking. Which is harming and hurting both men, women, and children. This has got to stop.

Mina: How did you first get involved with charity work? How has this type of relief work affected you as an artist and as a person?

Kaya: I was raised in Jamaica. My mother is Jamaican and I remember going with my God mother who was adopted to the orphanage in Jamaica to help with basic needs for the children. Those children became my friends. They helped me I think more then I helped them. They gave me the awareness to know how fortunate I was and that I could do more for my community.

Mina: You’ve recently performed in the Middle East for the first time. What was your experience like? Were audiences different here?

Kaya: It was amazing! I truly had a wonderful time in the Middle East. I think that the human spirit is the same. The audiences weren't different at all. I think when we as humans can see that we all enjoy, food, love, dance, music, family, in every culture we are not all that different.

Mina: What’s next on your agenda and how can your fans best stay in the “Kaya loop”?

Kaya: I am getting ready to head to Los Angeles to film my music video with DJ Regi our song is called "Take it off". The album is #1 right now in Belgium and slowly entering the charts in Europe. I am also still performing and recording nonstop. The best way to keep up to date with me is through my Myspace, Facebook, or Twitter. I answer all emails from my fans personally. Can't wait until I am back in the Middle East performing again for you all. It was truly an honor.

www.MySpace.com/KayaJonesMusic
www.Facebook.com/KayaJones
www.Twitter.com/KayaJones

"Clowns Who Care" by Sabina Giado

"CLOWNS WHO CARE" By Sabina Giado
ILLUME Magazine
August 8, 2010


The Clowns Who Care, Mina Liccione and Ali Al Sayed, recently brought their unique brand of humor to the Special Families Support, a support group in Dubai for children with special needs and their family, and Senses, a residential care facility for children with special needs.

Italian American Mina Liccione is the director of Dubomedy Arts, a collective of performance artists based in Dubai. Her business partner in Dubomedy Arts is Ali Al Sayed, an Emirati and the chief executive officer of parent events company Viva Arts.

The two dress up as clowns Charlene Chaplin and Rusty Keaton and perform a comedy and tap dance routine to get their audience laughing and comfortable with their presence. Then comes the fun part – there is music, singing and/or dancing to get the juices flowing and keep the laughter ringing. Their act ends with a group circle where each member of the audience places themselves in the spotlight for a moment and shares something personal.

The experience proves moving for both the performers and the spectators. “We are moved to tears every time by the amount of love and appreciation the families, staff and children always have towards us,” say Liccione and Al Sayed.

Liccione, a native of Rochester in New York, comes from a professional and educational background in dance, clowning and theater arts. She came to Dubai as part of the Arts Festival during the Dubai Summer Surprises. Noticing that her Solo Comedy, Song & Tap Dance Show was not working as well as she’d hoped, she decided to rework the routine, localizing jokes, changing songs and adding more interaction. The performance hit the bulls-eye with her audience, and Liccione was now loath to leave. She decided to extend her stay and taught a series of comedy workshops for children and adults.

Liccione and her business partner Al Sayed met through a mutual friend and soon found that they shared the same passion for creating a sustainable community of performance artists in the United Arab Emirates. The two founded Dubomedy Arts on April 1, 2008.

Liccione’s parents were at first filled with trepidation at her decision to stay in the Middle East.
“My parents are a product of American media... Many of our neighbors have sons in Iraq and here I was moving to the Middle East armed with clown noses and tap shoes.”

But Liccione soon convinced her parents that being in Dubai gave her work a meaning she had not found elsewhere. “Sometimes artists need to go where the art isn’t and use their talents and passions to help build a community rather than simply taking from it".

Liccione and Al Sayed’s plans for expanding the Clowns Who Care project extend within the city and beyond. They aim to train more clowns, build a database of committed volunteers and organizations, and ultimately, become regulars at care facilities and hospitals. The benefits of regular visits will be exponential, say the pair, “Visiting once will bring joy to them but becoming a regular part of their lives will benefit them much, much more.”

Their dream of bringing their show to Palestine is about to become a reality in September with the help of on-the-ground relief organizations. “We have connected with the Ziara Group, The Palestinian Circus School, Maysoon’s Kids as well as other relief organizations to see how we could best help.” Their work in Palestine is due to include special training for teachers as well, i.e. “a specifically designed training program for teachers and educators to further develop their own skills.”