So this year I was unfortunately (for very good reasons), unable to attend the International Lindy Hop Championships in Washington DC a couple weeks ago. Lots of my friends were there attending and competing, so it killed me a little not going. But luckily all of the competition and performance footage is online, due to the magic of YouTube and super cool folks like Patrick and Natasha.
There are a ton of wonderful performances that stood out for me. In general the quality of the dancing was impressive, and great energy from the crowd there. The solo charleston finals above are a great example of how bad ass the comps were. Big ups to my friend Ann Mony for kicking butt out the gate!
After the jump are some of my favorite moments from ILHC 2011 for your viewing pleasure, in no particular order. Enjoy!…
Peter Strom and Naomi Uyama are always a joy to watch. They make it look so effortless and graceful. Here they are in the "Classic Lindy" division.
Jamin Jackson is a relative newcomer to the national lindy scene. I got to meet him in Herrang and loved his positive energy and joy in his dancing. Here he is in the "pro-am" division with champion Annie Trudeau.
Ann Mony and Ryan Calloway are SF locals bringing their fun and joyous energy to their Showcase Lindy performance.
High on the bad ass rankings is Michael Darigol and Brittany Johnson dancing to the very fast "Jumpin at the Woodside." I love the build up from the relaxed start that just ramps up more and more until they just do swingout after swingout. Not beautiful but hilarious and an athletic achievement. I was dying just watching this routine.
I love the Teams Division. It is hard to pick a favorite, but the Fly Rights always do such great choregraphy, precise dancing, and great tricks.
I love how musical and happy this Classic Lindy routine is from Korean dancers Soo Chan Lee & Hyun Jung Choi.
I was also charmed by Nicolas Deniau & Mikaela Hellsten's Classic routine.
I of course could not fail to mention the next generation of amazing dancers in the "Juniors" division. Several people told me that this was their favorite part of ILHC this year. Looking at the performances, I can see why. Here's the first place winners Kevin Tucker and Hannah Abel.
These are just good starters to whet your appetite. Much more on Patrick and Natasha's YouTube Channel.
And for all the winners, you can see the results soon on ILHC.com.