At the end of June, I had the good fortune to be sent on a work trip to the great city of New Orleans, one of my favorite places in the world. After finishing a work conference, I spent a couple more days relaxing in this iconic American city. It has been at least a…
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Why I Can’t Dance for You
At a conference after party, folks are getting frisky as Eminem comes on. A dance circle coalesces. Reps from other companies are jumping in and being silly. They cry “Oh!” and “Hey!” as the official videographer captures footage. My co-worker turns to me and says “You should go in. This is your moment.” I look…
Two-year Skate-A-Versary!
It’s exactly two years since I started quad skating! It’s been an incredible journey so far, and it feels like I’ve barely scratched the surface of what is possible with skating. I’m so grateful for everything that skating has brought to my life — friendships, community, and so many beautiful moments.
ILHC 2022: Creating Dance Spaces that Center the Black Experience
Lots of folks have already shared what their experience was like at ILHC 2022. But I haven’t heard much talk about why this event was a game-changer: it centered the Black roots of lindy hop. After two decades of dancing lindy hop, the 2022 International Lindy Hop Championships was the first major lindy hop event…
KQED Arts Feature Video on Lindy Hop!
I’m incredibly excited to share with you this wonderful video produced by KQED Arts on lindy hop and its African American cultural roots, featuring Columbus-based dancers Tyedric Hill and Shannon Varner. Plus a bunch of other dancers you will probably recognize! Special thanks to Tena Morales and the rest of the International Lindy Hop Championships…
Back in NYC – Skating, Noshing, Swinging and More!
On Tuesday I got back from one of the best trips to New York City ever. There’s a lot to recap, so here we go: Skating All Over NYC I was honestly most looking forward to finally getting to skate in NYC. Twenty years ago, I visited often the skate circle in Central Park and…
What the In-person ILHC 2022 Was Like
Last Friday, Manu and I walked into an elegant, empty ballroom in Times Square, NYC. “You know where we are, right?” Manu asks me. “The Edison Ballroom?” I reply. “Naw, dude. This is the Supper Club.” I stop in my tracks as it hits me where I’m standing. We’re in the $%^&ing Supper Club! For…
Golden Gate Xpress on the Local SF Skate Scene
I was delighted to see this fun article about the San Francisco skate scene, featuring quotes from David Miles, Lainie Monsef, Daniel Albert and myself. Thanks, Maximo Vazquez for shining a light on what makes our local scene so dope! Let’s roll!
My Hobbies Plotted against Depth of Relationships and Time Pursued
Rollerskating is an outlier, since I just started. But I feel like the depth of connections I’ve made in a short amount of time is pretty remarkable.
It’s Okay to Be Mediocre
On the way to work the phrase “embrace mediocrity” would not leave my brain. I sometimes get stuck wishing that I was better at <insert hobby or pursuit> and thinking I would enjoy it more if I could just do it with more expertise. Which is dumb and self-defeating thinking.