Deep and Riki’s Skate Showcase!

So last Sunday was the semi-annual Skate Showcase at the Golden Gate Park Skating Place, my second home for the past two years. This is a celebration of the SF skate community and a chance for folks to show off their skate dancing skills in a friendly and chill environment.

Last year you will recall I led the “Skate Sham” along with a bunch of lindy hopping skaters and friends, which was a huge success. This year, I wanted to do something a bit more connected to my own journey as a skater these past two years. I wanted to show off my jam skating.

Fortunately, I have an awesome friend that I’ve been sharing this experience with, my buddy Deep. I asked him if we wanted to put together a routine that presented what we do together. That is, to show that skating for us is about trying out new moves, pushing each other’s practice, supporting each other, and celebrating our successes together.

So Deep and I chose three songs that we both liked, came up with some basic ideas for what we wanted to do, and workshopped it a few times together. It was honestly one of the easiest and most fun pieces I’ve ever put together.

So here it is, Deep and my skate showcase piece:

I’m so pleased with how this turned out. Deep and I got to do the moves that we wanted to show off, it looked great, and the crowd reaction was incredible. It’s a good thing when you have a hard time hearing the music because folks are cheering so loud!

Thanks, Kenny Hoff, for shooting such incredible footage of everyone!

I was also invited to participate in several other pieces during the Skate Showcase, which I think is a good sign for how connected I am to this community.

What an incredible day!