Here's my list of the ten episodes of "season one" of the Legion of Extraordinary Dancers, grouped in order from best to worst. My own criteria include how bad ass the dancing is, whether the plot distracts or adds, the cinematography, and overall coolness of the concept. YMMV. Rik's Best to Worst Episodes of Legion…
Category: Dancing / Music
3D Interactive Mini-site about Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governors Island
Martin Leclos has created this wonderful 3d interactive mini-site focused on the Jazz Age Lawn Party thrown by Michael Arenella and friends on Governor's Island during the summer. I love seeing my friends zoom in and out, watching them dance, and hearing their voices on the site. So well done! Thanks for creating this, Martin!…
Harlem Nightlife Map from the 1930s Harlem Renaissance
New York lindy hopper Mike Thibault posted on his blog a scan of this amazing illustrated nightlife map of Harlem during the height of the Harlem Renaissance in the 1930s. So many cool details, including colloquial expressions ('what's da numbah"), mores about alcohol and drug use (marijuana cigarettes 2 for $.25), popular dances ("snakehips," lindy…
Music Video “I Wish” by Matt Palmer features PMT Dancers
I enjoyed this music video "I Wish" by R&B artist Matt Palmer. It features several dancers I know from PMT Dance Studios: Pavan Thimmaiah (choreographer), Matt Lopez, Alan Watson, and Antonio Boss. Great dancing and cool choreo that nicely accentuates the music and the emotion. The song is pretty damn catchy, and Matt Palmer has…
“Step Up 3D”: Silly Plot, Amazing Hip-hop Dance on the Big Screen
A couple friends and I just saw "Step Up 3D," the latest installment of the successful hip-hop dance movie series. Directed by John Chu, the film bears absolutely no relationship to "Step Up" (2007), which I somewhat begrudgingly enjoyed. Knowing that this was going to be a cheesy plot that was largely an excuse for…
Yehoodi Video Talk Show #612: Ninjammers, Hot Shots, Bad Mullet Dancing and More!
Yes, it's another episode in the somewhat erratically released Yehoodi Video Talk Show, starring yours truly and my buddy Spuds. For those that don't know, Spuds and I do a regular audio podcast talking about what's happening in the world of lindy hop / swing dancing. And every few months or so, we get together…
Dining and Dancing in Nawlins
This past week, I got to spend a couple of days in the city of New Orleans for a teacher training I was conducting, which presented an opportunity to see some friends and enjoy this wonderful place. I have been feeling guilty that I haven't been back to New Orleans since Katrina struck in 2005. …
Badass Video Monday: “Eye of the Tiger” Performed on iPads by B-boys
This music video by alternative artist Scott Harris has everything I love: an homage to cheesy 80s music, all the music was produced on virtual instruments on the iPad, and it's performed by two fresh b-boys. I don't know about you, but this gets me hyped on a Monday morning. The two b-boys are Kid…
My somewhat random pics from Herrang and Stockholm, Sweden
I wasn't a huge shutterbug during my travels in Herrang and Stockholm, Sweden this time around. There were lots and lots of other folks with high-end cameras running around the entire time. But I had my trusty iPhone on me, so did take a few fun pics. Can't wait to see more of the amazing…
Thoughts on Being Judged as a Dancer
As I wrote about yesterday, I competed in the "strictly lindy" division at the Jazz Jam competition in Stockholm, Sweden. It was my first Strictly so I found it both somewhat stressful and very educational. How strictly contests work is that you enter with a dance partner of your choice, but you have to dance…