I regret to pass along the sad news that Mr. Terry Monaghan, longtime historian of lindy hop from the UK, has passed away. Terry was co-founder of the legendary Jiving Lindy Hoppers dance troupe in the 1980s and a long-time chronicler of the history of swing dancing. This is what I received from Elliott Donnelly…
Category: Dancing / Music
My Sis and I as Disco Robots (video)
Here's a fun little video of my sister Cori and I playing around in this Svedka Vodka photo booth thingee they set up at Club Mezzanine last Friday. You can see the original video on the Svedka site (for as long as they keep it up.) We happened to be there with our cousin Reena…
Yehoodi Video Talk Show #14: Spuds Goes to the Dogs, Bad Blues, and Worse
I have been deliquent in announcing that the Yehoodi Video Talk Show Episode #14 for June 2011 is out! This episode was taped live before an actual audience of literally five people at the world-famous 920 Special Dance in San Francisco. We talk about Spuds dancing for dogs, marvel at performance blues dancing, and fall…
The Coney Island Mermaid Parade: Swinging by the Seashore
As those of you who follow my blog know, I am a huge fan of the Coney Island Mermaid Parade. For me, it is the quintesential New York summer event, a celebration of all that is wonderful and weird about NYC. As we have for the last 12 years, my group the Brooklyn Bombshell Revue…
“Black Coffee”: Fantastic Swing Jazz / Lindy Hop Music Video
Get your Monday morning started right with "Black Coffee," a swingin music video by the Careless Lovers band, featuring lots of great dancing and fine musicianship. This video took First Place in in the Seattle Vintage Jazz Dance Swing/Jazz Dance Music Video Contest! Directed by Angela Muir and Joon Chang. Congrats to everyone involved!…
America’s Best Dance Crew Season 6 Finale: Congrats IaMmE!
Tags: America's Best Dance Crew (Season 6), MTV Shows Last night was the season finale of season six of America's Best Dance Crew, with only two crews left after nine weeks of competitions, pitting some of the best dancers in the US (and the world) against each other. As I expected, the ratio of hype…
Yehoodi Talk Show #131: Camp Jitterbug, Swingapore, Swing Comp Talk
The gang is back for another episode of the Yehoodi Talk Show, your bimonthly gab-fest on all the issues and topics relevant to the lindy hop scene, or at least the three hosts of the show. Join Spuds, Letta Mercurial and Rikomatic as we wax poetic about: Camp Jitterbug The Singapore swing scene Frankie Manning's…
Shim Shamming for Frankie Manning’s Birthday in a Singapore Mall! (video)
Here's a cute video of about 40 lindy hoppers doing the shim sham in (of course) a shopping mall in Singapore. The occasion was the 97th birthday of legendary lindy hopper Frankie Manning, who unfortunately passed away a couple of years ago. I was lucky enough to be there to participate along with visitors…
Singapore Day 3: Work, Eat, Dance, Work, Eat….
Coming into day four of my Singapore adventure. Definitely getting a feel for the place: and I have to say, it’s a really good feeling. Work has started in earnest on the project I am here to lead, a couple of virtual world education workshops for an international client. Singapore is kind of an ideal…
Singapore Day 1: Disreputable Thai food, Lindy Hop, Tap, and Second Life
Too many awesome things about Singapore to write about. And too jet-lagged to think straight anyway. But some of the best stuff: Kept doing double-takes at the astounding architecture everywhere, from ancient Buddhist temples to ultra-futuristic complexes that looked straight out of Second Life. Wandered through floors and floors of bargain computer gear at the…