Musings on Dance, Food, Geek Stuff
I just finished reading Jookin’ : The Rise of Social Dance Formations in African American Culture by Katrina Hazzard-Gordon. It describes in compelling detail on the ways that African slaves and African Americans found to create their own social spaces in a society that actively prohibited their association. The focus of Jookin’ is on social dance…
Here’s a short choreo piece I created to the wonderful song “Puttin on the Ritz” by Fred Astaire. So much fun to do!
“When the band would see real fine dancers, the musicians would try to become a part of what they were doing. Really, the dancers inspired the musicians and vice versa. If the musicians did something exceptional, it inspired the dancers to do something exceptional, and then the dancers would inspire the musicians to do even…
I’m so delighted to have had the opportunity to interview Shanghai-based jazz singer Jasmine Chen for “SwingNation” the other day. An innovative musician who fuses traditional Chinese folk traditions with jazz inflections, Jasmine rose to international attention recently when her music was featured on the “Crazy Rich Asians” soundtrack and she appeared in two scenes…
I have no idea who this Daddy Yankee person is. But I’m all in for everything else about this video: Miss Jackson + New York City + funky fashion + lots of POC dancers. Let’s go! And gotta love her first TV performance of this single on the “Tonight Show” with Jimmy Fallon. That urban…
When strangers ask me about learning lindy hop, they often say that it must be hard to “throw my partner around” or “dance so fast.” I think the popular impression of lindy hop is that it’s full of crazy airsteps and really fast dancing. The classic clips that we often send around of Whitey’s Lindy…
I had the opportunity to help teach swing dancing to a small group of teens the other day. It’s always great seeing younger people learn about this dance, particularly youth of color. That said, it’s a good reminder about how challenging partner dancing is for many people, particularly teens. To successfully execute a swing dancing…
The Switch Workshop I took at the end of July has got me thinking more deeply about what switching brings to lindy hop. I realize now that lead/ follow switching adds a whole new level of possibilities for musicality, collaboration, and instant communication. As an example, check out this instance of switching that Irina Amzashvili and Matt Richey shared…
I haven’t done too many paid gigs in my dancing career. It just hasn’t been something that I’ve been interested in doing. Performing, working on routines, marketing myself, have the right “look”, finding a partner, and hustling for gigs just sounds like a drag. This weekend my friend Shannon convinced me to partner with her…