Last night we celebrated the 79th birthday of my friend Ms. Dawn Hampton. For most of Dawn’s life, she has been a musician and a singer, playing saxophone and singing with the Hampton family band, and later the Hampton Sisters. But I’ve known Dawn primarily as a lindy hop dancer. She’s a regular at our…
Category: Dancing / Music
Viral campaign launches Ambassador of Lindy Hop to #7 on Amazon
I am so proud of our swing dance community right now I could burst. What began as a random suggestion by my friend Shorty Dave — “Hey wouldn’t it be great if all the lindy hoppers in America bought Frankie’s book on the same day?” — blossomed into an international campaign that shot Frankie Manning: Ambassador…
Loose Marbles – Nawlins hot jazzy goodness
I had the pleasure of catching this group of New Orleans-based ragamuffins called "Loose Marbles" playing for dancers last night in Manhattan. They make such a joyous, hot jazzy noise, led by Meschiya Lake on vocals. Meschiya eschews the mic and just belted all night into the crowded room. The percussion section looks like…
Today’s the day! Buy Ambassador of Lindy Hop today from Amazon!
Today thousands of Friends of Frankie Manning are rushing to Amazon.com to purchase his new autobiography entitled Frankie Manning: Ambassador of Lindy Hop. Today is Frankie Manning’s 93rd birthday, believe it or not. To celebrate, we are asking folks everywhere to go to Amazon.com and purchase his book. We believe we can make The Ambassador…
Buy Frankie’s book this Saturday — get free music, club admissions, classes!
I’ve been helping coordinate a national campaign to get people to buy this amazing autobiography of a pioneering swing dancer entitled Frankie Manning: Ambassador of Lindy Hop on May 26 from Amazon.com. Saturday May 26 is Frankie Manning’s 93rd birthday, believe it or not. To celebrate, we are asking FoF (Friends of Frankie) everywhere to…
Dance circles and letting myself shine
I got a small revelation at Quaker meeting this morning, thinking about the Dance Parade yesterday. I was replaying in my mind the spontaneous dance circles that formed all over Washington Square Park as more and more dancers and spectators started pouring into the square after the end of the parade. Walking around the park…
I’m in the New York Times, sorta
The New York Times has a nice write-up of the Dance Parade that I participated in yesterday. I even get a brief mention. Not by name, but I was definitely the "zoot-suited lindy hopper" being talked about: Some spectators were even moved to join in. Stephen Murray, 47, a financial adviser, came with his wife,…
Dance Parade was fun!
Just got home after a crazy fun time at the first annual Dance Parade in New York. Lots of really amazing and strange folks dancing up a storm. Our group of swing dancers numbered around 20, following Mr. Swank’s beautiful PT Cruiser, which was pumping out swingin’ jazz for the dancers. The lovely and talented…
Interview w Cynthia Millman, co-author of Ambassador of Lindy Hop
KattenPejst from Sweden did a cool interview with my friend Cynthia Millman, co-author of the amazing autobiography Frankie Manning: Ambassador of Lindy Hop. You can find it on KattenPejst’s cool blog "Swing, Jazz and Blues." The autobiography is now available on Amazon and other bookstores soon. Clearly a labor of love, Cynthia has devoted more…
Nice promo video for Dance Parade this saturday
Here’s a fun promotional video for the Dance Parade this Saturday, May 19, in New York. There’s like .5 seconds of swing in there even. LOL. Hip-hop dancers get all the love.