Here's my quick recreation of a photo of legendary lindy hopper, the late Frankie Manning. Check out the original image at this link. A modest contribution to a month-long celebration of Frankie's life, sponsored by the Frankie Manning Foundation. Many more photos can be found soon by checking out the hashtag #iamfrankiemanning this month! More…
Category: Dancing / Music
Beautiful Dance Homage to House Dance Legend Marjory Smarth
Last weekend, I had the honor of performing along with 50 other amazing dancers in a tribute to house dance legend Marjory Smarth, who passed away recently. While I didn’t know Marjory directly, I have been taught by so many dancers who have been inspired and learned from her. I had a relatively small piece…
“Back in the Days”: French House Dancers Mamson, Anto and Frankwa in Slick Dance Video
The French house dance scene is unbelievably sick, which I suppose should not be a surprise since the French dominate so many other street dance styles. Gotta love the production values and fun of this dance view featuring French housies Mamson (Wanted Posse), Anto (Zamounda) and Frankwa (Serial Stepperz). Really inspiring!
Health and Dancing: Tips from 4 Dancer / Fitness Experts
For Yehoodi.com, I assembled this article on "health and lindy hop", that I think is applicable to all kinds of dancers and people. I interviewed a couple of personal trainers, a former coach, a yoga instructor and a physical therapist, all of whom have been dancing for several years. They provided some great insights into…
House Dance Session in Golden Gate Park, March 29
It was another glorious day in Golden Gate Park yesterday for a house dance practice session. Seven dancers gathered in the bandshell of the music concourse section of the park to share their love of dancing, their individual grooves, and their energy. That's Nehemiah killing it above. Here's a short video of one of his sets…
Lucifer: Amazing House Dance Crew from Japan!
I stumbled upon this dance video on reddit and can't stop watching it. This is Lucifer crew dancing at the 2013 Dance@Piece show in Japan. Don't know why they are called that, but they definitely are wicked. Some of the tightest, cleanest choreo I've ever seen from a house dance crew. Great musicality and…
Five Swing Event Organizers Talk about Creating Safer Dance Spaces
In light of the ongoing conversations in the lindy hop world on how we create safer dance spaces for all, Nicole Zuckerman, Manu Smith and I produced an online forum for events organizers on February 4, 2015. Participants included an all-star line up of prominent leaders in the swing community: Hilary Alexander, organizer of Camp Hollywood Scott…
“Know the Elements” Hoodie: The Science of Hip-hop
Check out this wicked "Know the Elements" hoodie by 5e Gallery. There could not be a more perfect hoodie for me, combining hip-hop and science nerdery. And it even fits nicely. Hip-hip Heads: Do you get all the references underneath the elements? My colleague Christine and I shot some pics of the hoodie at my museum the…
A Raw and Honest Conversation on Creating Safer Dance Spaces
Since last week, the lindy hop community has been reeling from revelations that well-known dance instructor Steven Mitchell has been sexually abusive to multiple women (including some teens) over the span of many, many years. We've been struggling to find some light in the midst of the darkness. From that context, a bunch of us…
“Shake It Off” Shim Sham (video)
I find it difficult to not like Taylor Swift when she sings earworms like "Shake It Off" and enjoys making a fool of herself in her own music video. Apparently I'm not alone. Here's a bunch of swing dancers at Lindy in the Park in San Francisco doing a modified Shim Sham to "Shake It Off."…