I'm loving this solo jazz choreo by Angelique Larque, performed at Savoy Cup 2016 recently in Montpellier, France. Angelique's musicality, variety of movement, tonal changes, body control, and character are outstanding. And she perfectly embodies the song with her dance. I'm curious to know her dance background now!
Category: Dancing / Music
Andy Warhol’s “Dance Diagram [3] [‘The Lindy Tuck-In Turn-Man’]” (1962)
Here’s a weird piece of art that I didn’t expect to encounter this weekend. I was visiting the new “Broad” contemporary art museum in Los Angeles when I came across this Andy Warhol piece on the third floor. Entitled Dance Diagram [3] [‘The Lindy Tuck-In Turn-Man’] (1962) this was part of a series of paintings Andy Warhol…
Daniil Nikulin does next level solo jazz at Jazz Roots 2016
I have no idea who Daniil Nikulin is, but I’m already a huge fan. In this video Daniil performs some ridiculously creative, eccentric and breathtaking solo jazz at the Jazz Roots festival in Paris last weekend. Apparently he’s a dancer living in Moscow. I can’t even wrap my brain around all the different kinds of…
Jazz Splits Practice
I'm starting to feel stronger doing the jazz splits, a foundational move both for vernacular jazz / tap and street dance. I've been able to do the drop part for awhile. But getting the mechanics of pulling myself up after the drop has bedeviled me until fairly recently. Here's a recent video of me practicing…
Keeping the Channel Open
I've been thinking hard for the past month or so about this quote from the dance legend Martha Graham about staying true to your own personal voice in whatever you create. Blogger James Clear recounts a story about Agnes De Mille, another dance legend in her own right in the 1940s, who was confused and troubled…
Preparing for Spontaneity: Thoughts on Performing at Diggs Deeper
About a six months ago, I went to a street dance performance and thought to myself, “I should do this.” It was called “Diggs Deeper,” a unique dance performance series that is now in several cities around the country. Six months later, I did it. Here’s how I got there. Diggs Deeper is a non-profit whose…
Awesome Jam to Bootleggers All-Stars (video)
I love this video of a dance jam breaking out at the Bootlegger's Ball this Saturday that I participated in. The band is the "Bootlegger's All-stars" — a mash-up of some of our favorite swing musicians in San Francisco. They are tearing up the song "I've Found a New Baby" and us dancers are going…
Where to Find Free-to-Use Lindy Hop Photographs (Public Domain, Creative Commons)
In the lindy hop world, there are lots and lots of people creating flyers, websites, Facebook pages and other media using photographs of dancers. Unfortunately, the internet has made it a lot easier for folks to just straight up steal someone else's photo and put it on their website or flyer. It's super not cool…
Epic Photo Shoot with Jess Keener in Chloe Hong Suit!
As you know, a few weeks ago, I received in the mail the amazing Chloe Hong suit that I ordered back in August. It’s the most expensive piece of clothing that I’ve ever purchased — and well worth every penny. I wanted to commemorate the occasion with a photo shoot done by a professional. Last week,…
Five things I learned giving out free coffee at a lindy hop event
Late last night, I returned from my second epic dance adventure at Lindy Focus in Asheville, North Carolina. There’s lots I can say about the event, but in this post I wanted to share what I learned by setting up a free coffee stand at this swing jazz / lindy hop event. By…