I have no idea who this Daddy Yankee person is. But I’m all in for everything else about this video: Miss Jackson + New York City + funky fashion + lots of POC dancers. Let’s go! And gotta love her first TV performance of this single on the “Tonight Show” with Jimmy Fallon. That urban…
Category: Music
Memories of the Neoswing Era
Hanging with swing friends back in the day. The “Khakis Swing” Gap Ad is twenty years old. Woah. I’ve been reminiscing about what it was like to dance in the midst of the “neo-swing” era. I started lindy hopping around 1997 in New York City. I remember taking my first class with my friend Denise…
The Day I Stopped Playing Piano
Today I was in the San Francisco Botanical Gardens for their wonderful "Flower Piano" festival. Pianos are placed strategically all around the beautiful gardens, and anyone can turn up and play whatever they know. I saw lots of young kids playing who reminded me of that brief time in my life when I was a pianist….
My 2016 in Pictures
It's been a strange year for a lot of people including myself, with a lot of drama and ups and downs. That said, I have a lot to be thankful for in 2016. Here's a pictorial recap of some of my favorite moments in the year. Dancing Dancing was a huge part of 2016, which…
Daft Science: Amazing Mashup of Beastie Boys and Daft Punk
I'm digging on Daft Science, this perfectly produced, free mashup album of Beastie Boys and Daft Punk classics. I'm gonna have this on repeat all week. Produced by Coins. <a href="http://coinsmakeyoudance.bandcamp.com/album/daft-science" data-mce-href="http://coinsmakeyoudance.bandcamp.com/album/daft-science">Daft Science by Coins</a>
RIP Sharon Jones: My Inspiration and Friend
The great soul singer Miss Sharon Jones passed away yesterday, after a long, brutal and unflinchingly public fight with cancer. I’m just crushed by the news, at the tail end of a big bummer of a year. But I’m also inspired. Who I am as a dancer — and a person — was significantly shaped by…
Effusion Choir Sings “What Goes Around Comes Around” (J.Timberlake)
While in Montreal last weekend for ASTC 2015, I was pleased to encounter this McGill University based choral group "Effusion" on the first day. They performed for the opening plenary of the conference, which you can see here. But I preferred this choral take on "What Goes Around Comes Around" by Justin Timberlake. Check it…
Postmodern Jukebox and Bringing Jazz to the Masses
Last night I had the pleasure of catching the musical group Postmodern Jukebox at the Regency in San Francisco. I honestly did not know what to expect. I maybe caught a video or two produced by Postmodern Jukebox, but I put them in the same box as novelty, tongue-in-cheek remakes of modern songs in a…
Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings: Tell Those Wolves to “Retreat”
This is Sharon Jones' warning to anyone who would stand in her way: "Retreat." What a fantastic music video for my favorite soul artist (and dance partner.) Reminds me of an aphorism I heard: "Be the kind of person that when you wake up the devil says, 'Oh shit, he's up.'" BTW Sharon Jones…
SF Taiko at the Japantown Cherry Blossom Festival, Upcoming Shows
Check out my friend Christine and SF Taiko Dojo killing it at the Sakura Matsuri / Cherry Blossom festival in Japantown in San Francisco yesterday. She is performing with the SF Taiko Rising Stars, their young drummers group. I love taiko drumming, and love that I have friends that do it. Video cannot capture…