I'm excited to report that the Freeplay Dance Crew will be performing as part of Bay Area Dance Week on April 29th in Berkeley. This is our first time doing a BADW event, so we are super-psyched to be involved. Specifically, we are dancing as part of "Dance-A-Rama," an afternoon of various dance performances organized…
Category: Dancing / Music
Social Media versus Social Dancing: You Can’t Tweet a Tango
During my commute this week, I watched this thought-provoking TED talk by psychologist Sherry Turkle called "Connected, But Alone?". It's worth the few minutes of your time to view, particularly if you are as immersed in social media as I am. Sherry Turkle examines what in her view are the dangers of the online…
Avengers vs X-Men Dance Battle!
Okay, not very Easter-y, but I love love love this fan art I just discovered: "Avengers vs. X-men" by barrypresh on DeviantART. Someone please make this an animated short! Avengers might win with the power moves, but X-Men got more street cred and style.
JibJab’s “Jump and Jivin” Easter e-Card
Do you wish your traditional Easter greetings were a bit more swingin'? Well JibJab has just the e-card for you! This Easter you can lindy hop (or at least look like you can) with three other friends on a "Jump, Jive and Wail" e-card. As you can see, there is some genuine lindy and…
Colorful Tango for OK Go’s “Skyscrapers” Music Video
Music video for the song "Skyscrapers" by OK Go. Beautiful dancing, simply and elegantly directed. Credits: Director: Trish Sie Producers: Trish Sie & Paula Salhany Cinematography and editing: Paula Salhany 3D DP: Eric Kurland Dancers: Moti Buchboot & Trish Sie
Josh Klipp and the Klipptones Swings at Savanna Jazz April 7
My friend Josh Klipp is a triple threat singer / dancer / musician which kind of blows me away. (Plus he's not hideously ugly, as you can see.) Josh and his jazz band the Klipptones will be performing on Saturday April 7 at Savanna Jazz in San Francisco. I'll be there to dance and enjoy…
How To Teach Swing for People with Disabilities?
I ran across this article on the BBC website "Wheelchair user barred from dance class in Reading". Ms. Susi Rogers-Hartley, a wheelchair-bound former Royal Navy communications worker, had hoped to take a lindy hop class at the "All Jazzed Up" dance studio in Berkshire, UK. The organizers told her that they must first "consult their…
“Mr. Beebe”: Incredible Tap Performance featuring Harold Nicholas (video)
My favorite video clip that jazz historian Mark Cantor showed at the Jewish Community Center of SF last Saturday was this this outstanding performance from the movie "Carolina Blues" (1944) featuring Harold Nicholas, one half of the legendary Nicholas Brothers. According to Mark, older brother Fayard Nicholas was drafted during the war at the…
Mark Cantor’s Treasure Trove of Vintage Jazz Footage on Film
On Saturday, I had the pleasure of sitting in a packed auditorium at the Jewish Center of San Francisco to watch a lovingly curated showing of vintage clips of jazz dance on film from the 1930s to the 1950s. Called the "Giants of Jazz on Film," this is a popular series of film clip showings…
On Social Dancing and the Creeps that Spoil It for Everyone
Last night I was at a fantastic birthday party for my friend Kirk. Being a lindy hopper, of course there was going to be dancing at Kirk's celebration. It was one of the most joyous nights of dancing I've had in awhile, just cutting it up with a dozen or so people to swing-era jazz,…