French world champion lindy hoppers Alice Mei and Thomas Blancharz are in town for some workshops as part of the Gypsy Jam Weekend coming up September 3-5. As a teaser, Alice and Thomas did a little performance at my dance Frim Fram Jam last night. Congrats to Alice and Thomas for winning the classic division…
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I’m Syndicated on RabbitsandToasters.com
The nice folks at RabbitsandToasters.com informed me that they are syndicating my site, along with several other lindy hop-related blogs. Here's what the the sponsors of the site say about it: RabbitsAndToasters.com is a website dedicated to providing an easy way to find anything swing from the blogosphere. It has been out experience that trying…
Discovery Channel Slo-mo Video of Nick & Carla’s Lindy Spin & Airstep
The Discovery Channel has a program called "Time Warp" where they analyze various human and natural phenomena by using high-speed cameras to slow down the action to catch details the human eye can't catch. This "timewarp" clip of lindy hoppers Carla Heiney and Nick Williams is a bit old, but still worth watching. I love…
Quest Crew dancing to Caravan Palace on SYTYCD!
I know, this video has been out awhile, but I've been busy DANCING. Anyway, check out my favorite hip-hop crew Quest doing their thing on "So You Think You Can Dance" last week. The song is "Suzy" by the Parisian electro-swing group Caravan Palace, who are quickly becoming one of my favorite groups. So to…
“Louis”: Silent Film with Wynton Marsalis + 10.jpgece Jazz Band in Limited Run August 25-31
I'm very excited about this new silent film called "Louis," a fictional retelling of Louis Armstrong's early years in New Orleans, that will be premiering in cities around the US August 25-31. The silent film, reminiscent of Charlie Chaplin caper flicks, will be accompanied by an all-star 10.jpgece jazz band fronted by Wyton Marsalis himself,…
Going Back to Cali: Moving back to the Bay in 2011!
So I've been alluding to some major life changes on the horizon. It's time to come clean: Sometime in early 2011 I'm moving back to the San Francisco Bay Area. It's something I have been pondering for the past year or so. Over there I've got a wonderful (an enormous) extended family that I feel…
International Lindy Hop Championships 2010: Just a Friendly Little Competition with 700+ Swing Dancers
This past weekend (August 20-22), was the International Lindy Hop Championships (ILHC), held in Washington DC. A relatively new event, only in its third year, ILHC has emerged as one of the few "must go" events in the lindy hopper's calendar. This year's ILHC continued to raise the bar for swing events with world-class competitions,…
Best and Worst Episodes of “Legion of Extraordinary Dancers” Season One
Here's my list of the ten episodes of "season one" of the Legion of Extraordinary Dancers, grouped in order from best to worst. My own criteria include how bad ass the dancing is, whether the plot distracts or adds, the cinematography, and overall coolness of the concept. YMMV. Rik's Best to Worst Episodes of Legion…
3D Interactive Mini-site about Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governors Island
Martin Leclos has created this wonderful 3d interactive mini-site focused on the Jazz Age Lawn Party thrown by Michael Arenella and friends on Governor's Island during the summer. I love seeing my friends zoom in and out, watching them dance, and hearing their voices on the site. So well done! Thanks for creating this, Martin!…
Harlem Nightlife Map from the 1930s Harlem Renaissance
New York lindy hopper Mike Thibault posted on his blog a scan of this amazing illustrated nightlife map of Harlem during the height of the Harlem Renaissance in the 1930s. So many cool details, including colloquial expressions ('what's da numbah"), mores about alcohol and drug use (marijuana cigarettes 2 for $.25), popular dances ("snakehips," lindy…