I don't know a thing about singer Katy Perry. But her recent video for her song "Thinking of You" features a number of LA-based lindy hoppers, including Minn Vo, Shesha Marvin, Nick Williams, and several others. Gotta love Katy's period costumes and the general vintage look of the video. And that's a real jazz band…
Category: Dancing / Music
Lindy hop & big band swing music on NY1!
Here's a fun story about the local big band Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks on local news station NY1. My friends Frick & Frack, Evita and Nathan are shown lindy hopping and doing balboa in the clip. Don't miss the appearance by Benny Goodman's brother Gene!
Registration for Frankie Manning 95 Festival is OPEN
I can hardly believe it, but lindy hop legend Frankie Manning will be turning 95 years old next May! I'm honored to be working with a bunch of cool folks who are organizing the Frankie Manning 95th Birthday Festival. From May 21st -May 25th, 2009 (Memorial Day Weekend) lindy hoppers, jazz musicians, tap dancers, friends…
Manu, Naomi & Ramona performing Wilson Pickett song at Swing & Soul (video)
Here's Manu Smith, Naomi Oyama, and Ramona Staffeld just KILLING a performance to Wilson Pickett's "Land of 1,000 Dances" at Swing and Soul in Atlanta this weekend. Sorry for my terrible call-and-response singing into the mic. How do you not sing along to this song?
Rob Bowman on the history of Stax Records
On the last day of the Swing and Soul weekend in Atlanta, I had the pleasure of attending a lecture by musicologist and historian Rob Bowman talking about the history of the Stax record label. Rob has basically spent a good portion of his life devoted to chronicling the story of Stax, a legendary soul…
Swing & Soul ’08 Day 2: “Tighten Up” performance (video)
Here's another fun video from Swing and Soul this weekend in Atlanta: Steven Mitchell, Peter Strom, Manu Smith and Mikey Pedroza dancing to "Tighten Up."
Popin Pete & Mama Yeye at Swing and Soul in Atlanta (video)
Here's a sweet performance by legendary popper Popin Pete last night at Swing and Soul that I'm at all weekend in Atlanta. His level of control and expressiveness is ridiculous and quite beautiful. And Pete is a living link to the origins of this unique style of dance, as a member of the Electric Boogaloos…
Swing and Soul Weekend in Atlanta
It's 4am and I'm chilling with my friends Beckto and Spuds in our hotel room after the late night dance on the first night of the Swing and Soul weekend, listening to Stevie Wonder and other soul jams. So nice. Swing and Soul is a weekend long celebration of soul music and "dancing with soul"…
PMT Breakers & me at Frim Fram last night (video)
Here's a fun video of the PMT Breakers performing at Frim Fram last night. Thanks to my crew Ian, Ron, Will, Monica, and Marie for coming out one more time. Really awesome performance and great crowd! Special thanks to Effervescent for filming this for me and Ryan Mascaro for cueing our music. Here's another version…
What I want for Christmas: The Spirit Moves dance documentary on DVD!
Judy Pritchett of Swingdanceshop.com sends out news that the classic vernacular dance documentary "The Spirit Moves" has finally been released on DVD! For lindy hoppers, "The Spirit Moves" is a treasure trove of footage of the original innovators of lindy hop, filming in the 1950s. For years, this documentary could only be viewed in select…