I'm not really the audience for this kind of modern dance in this TED Talk by choreographer Wayne McGregor. But I really enjoyed what McGregor had to say about choreography as "shared cognition" among the choreographer, the dancers, the musicians, visual artists, designers, even scientists. This is so far beyond what most people think of…
Category: Dancing / Music
Heidi and I Charlestoning at the Gatsby Summer Afternoon (pic)
Here's a fun pic from the Gatsby Summer Afternoon a couple of weekends ago in Oakland. That's my friend Heidi from NY and I in the charleston contest. Full picture here, by Marianme. Used with permission.
SwingNation #3: Lindy Hop Score Geekery, Chazz’s 80th, & Cute Kids Swinging!
We just finished episode #3 of "SwingNation", the internet's only live swing dance talk show. My co-hosts Spuds, Zuckerpunch and I had a great time putting on this episode last night. We hope our audience enjoys our banter, news, interviews and video clips that we show. In this show, we feature a conversation with…
Me Getting in the Way of a Fantastic Shot of Kevin & Jo Dancing (pic)
Here's a fun pic of me being a jerk while Jo and Kevin dance their hearts out behind me at the Gatsby Lawn Party in Oakland a couple of weekends ago. Actually I'm playing a bit part in their routine, as the lout who tries to steal Jo away. Such a cute dance! Photo…
Chinese Dragon Charleston Battle: #4wordsyouneverthoughtyoudseetogether (video)
I really don't know what to make of this. It is both really terrible and kind of awesome.
Gordon Webster: Swing Bandleader, Supreme Coffee Geek
Of all the things I expected to be doing last night, making espresso shots at 2am with one of the most popular lindy hop bandleaders in the country was not what I anticipated. Gordon Webster is a much celebrated swing bandleader based in New Jersey who travels the world sharing his unique take on swing…
The Best Seat in the House: Building a Virtual Audience for a Swing Dance Competition
A few months ago my team at Yehoodi.com began an audacious plan to broadcast live on the internet the International Lindy Hop Championships in DC, the most prestigious dance competition in the lindy hop world. This was a big first for the swing dance community. While other lindy dance contests have been live streamed before (notably…
The Lovely Decobelles Performing at Gatsby Summer Afternoon 2012 (video)
Check out this ridiculously cute video of the 18 "Decobelles" performing at a glorious Gatsby Summer Afternoon lawn party today in Oakland. Such great energy and choreography! More cool pics of the Decobelles in action here!
“SwingNation” #2 featuring Valerie Salstrom on Getting Kids into Swing (video)
Here's episode number two of the "SwingNation" live web talk show, featuring my buddies Spuds, Zuckerpunch and myself, talking about all the happenings in the world of swing. While not without its rocky patches, I think overall the show went well. The highlight for me was the chance to get to talk to Ms….
Ryan Calloway and Ann Mony’s Classic Routine at ILHC 2012 (video)
Here's one of my favorite routines from the 2012 International Lindy Hop Championships: my friends Ann Mony and Ryan Calloway doing a super fun choreographed dance in the "Classic Lindy" division. I love the tempo and mood changes and how seemingly effortlessly Ann and Ryan accent the music with their bodies. My favorite part…