Check out this sweet video short about b-girl Ayumi of Japan. She holds it down both as a professional hip-hop dancer and as an elementary schoolteacher in Japan. And she's an older dancer in her 30s! She's kind of my new dance hero. Here's another dope video of her at a competition from a couple…
Category: Dancing / Music
Support the Jimmie Lunceford Transcription Project!
Yesterday evening I happily kicked in a couple hundred bucks for the crowdfunding campaign "Big Band Revival: Jimmie Lunceford Transcription." Cause what else is money for except to bring beautiful things into the world, like awesome swing music? This is the second time that Michael Gamble and his crew have rallied jazz nerds and swing dance…
The Day I Stopped Playing Piano
Today I was in the San Francisco Botanical Gardens for their wonderful "Flower Piano" festival. Pianos are placed strategically all around the beautiful gardens, and anyone can turn up and play whatever they know. I saw lots of young kids playing who reminded me of that brief time in my life when I was a pianist….
Caravan Palace and Quest Crew: Electro-swing + Street Dance
I dig this video featuring Quest Crew dancing to a live performance by electro-swing band Caravan Palace. Quest always has a great mix of styles, from b-boying to house to locking. There's even some charleston in there. Here's another older one from 2012 on SYTYCD.
Step Up 6 is Happening… in China! (cast, release date, other details)
You thought the "Step Up" dance series was over? Nope. It's back… in Chinese! I had assumed from the lackluster box office revenues and poor reviews of "Step Up: All In" (2014) that we had seen the last of the "Step Up" film series. As friends will know, I'm a long time fan of the…
Drilling My Scissor Kicks
Across the board, from rock climbing to boxing to dance, getting better at something involves some pretty universal practices: Practice a lot Focus on the edge of your ability Do an action slow, then build up speed as you get more proficient Visualize yourself doing it I'm not particularly great at practicing. But I'm trying. …
“Hamilton” is a Timely Revelation
On Wednesday, I finally got to see Hamilton the musical at the Orpheum Playhouse, with my dear friend Hanah and her sister Arielle. It's one of the most powerful theatrical experiences I've ever had in my life. Like thousands of others, I binged on the music for months prior to going to the show, to prepare…
Hanah and I Lindy Hopping in an Abandoned Train Station in Oakland
Here's a fun, impromptu dance video put together by my friend Auey, as part of a photo shoot I participated in. The locale could not be more picturesque: an old abandoned train station in West Oakland. And always have a blast dancing with my friend Hanah. More photos from this shoot coming soon! I'm so…
“All City Breakers” Mini Figures Set: A Rainbow of B-boys and B-girls!
Just in time for Pride Month, I finally got around to shooting pics of the multi-color breakers mini figures I've had for awhile. Part of the "All City Breakers" set put out by Kid Robot in 2011, they show off classic b-boy moves from back in the day. There are eight different poses in four…
Me Waacking at Cypher Sundays in Berkeley (video)
Cypher Sundays is a semi-regular gathering of urban style dancers getting together and dancing in public that takes place all around the Bay Area. They always put together a dope mix of music to inspire the dancers. And the organizers produce an awesome compilation video later. So grateful to have this in our city. Here's…