On Sunday (September 11, of all days!) I had the pleasure of spending a lovely day at the 27th Annual "Gatsby Summer Afternoon" picnic sponsored by the Art Deco Society of California. The Gatsby Summer Afternoon is a lavish celebration of a bygone era, with a couple of hundred dedicated fans of the styles and…
Category: Dancing / Music
The Dancer’s Den Brings the Swing to Berkeley
Last night I had the pleasure of going to the Dancer's Den in downtown Berkeley. The Dancer's Den is a weekly lindy hop dance venue with classes and open social dancing organized by UC Berkeley alums James McBryan, Joleigh Davis, Jean Ma, and Bromley Palamountain. Held in the elegant Berkeley City Club, it's a great place…
Dancing Biotech Ad Pays Homage to “Footloose” (video)
I have no idea what this commercial from biotech firm Simple Western is all about. Something bio-techy and nerdy. But it's a really cute and exuberant and has a lot of nice references to the break out dance movie "Footloose." That movie really influenced me as a devout Christian teenager who loved to dance! …
My Favorite Performances from the 2011 International Lindy Hop Championships (video)
So this year I was unfortunately (for very good reasons), unable to attend the International Lindy Hop Championships in Washington DC a couple weeks ago. Lots of my friends were there attending and competing, so it killed me a little not going. But luckily all of the competition and performance footage is online, due…
Jabbawockeez on the Vegas Strip: Making Incredible “MUS.I.C” with their Bodies (review)
On Sunday night, I finally got to see the Jabbawockeez live dance show "MUS.I.C" in Las Vegas. My mind is still kind of blown. The Jabbawockeez are a hip-hop dance crew that has elevated to craft into something beyond the artform. Their central conceit is that they always dance wearing white masks and identical outfits. …
100 Years of London Fashion and Dance (video)
I kind of love this video "100 Years / Style East London", an ad for a new shopping center in London, that showcases fashion and dancing from the 1910s to today. Those transitions between shots, mixing up all the different outfits, was really well done! Directed by Jake Lunt with The Viral Factory. Who…
Going to see the Jabbawockeez in Vegas this Weekend! ZOMG!
I'm beyond myself excited about seeing the incredible Jabbawockeez dance crew's show in Las Vegas this weekend, courtesy of my awesome cousin Zan. They are one of my favorite hip-hop crews in the world, a group that has elevated the art in new directions and to a massive audience. And all of that while…
LXD S3Ep4 “Can’t Dance”: Elliott gets his shoes / mojo back (video)
After last week's fairly boring episode, this week's LXD episode "Can''t Dance" (series 3, episode 4) comes back with a light and entertaining romp through a tailor's workshop. It's got great energy, silliness, and joy in the dancing. I loved it. Harry Shum, Jr. is just always a pleasure to watch. Check it out here.
Yehoodi’s “Beaver Lodge” Ep 1 is online: where the lindy ladies get their say!
Last week, the lindy boys got to have their fun on the "Sausage Fest" podcast, episode one. Now its the ladies' turn with episode one of "Beaver Lodge"! This is a bawdy, probably NSFW, gabfest where the lindy ladies get to talk about whatever they want, dance related or otherwise. This show features our host…
My Quaker-inspired Solo Dance Piece “The Message” (video)
Yesterday at San Francisco Quaker Meeting, after the morning worship, I performed for the first time publicly my solo dance piece “The Message” before an audience of about 30 people. This is a personal piece that comes out of my experience at Quaker Meeting for Worship, particularly what Quakers refer to as “sharing a message”…