"Bronx Rhymes" is a project to preserve and present the history of hip-hop culture from its roots in the South Bronx. It combines several forms of new media in ways that honor the culture: Bronx Rhymes uncovers the history of Hip Hop in the borough by tagging historically important locations with rhymes. These rhymes illuminate…
Category: Dancing / Music
Nexeus Fatale’s “The Apex-High” album: free, Creative Commons, house-hiphop-trance goodness!
In December, my buddy and badass DJ Nexeus Fatale released for free download his album "Apex-High," which I downloaded on Sunday. I've had it playing for the past few days during my commute to and from work, and it keeps getting better and better. Here's Nexeus's description of the album: In the beginning of my…
Learning the foundations of b-boying from Ken Swift
Tonight I took my first class with legendary b-boy from back-in-the-day Ken Swift, who has started teaching a fundamentals class at PMT Studios on Tuesday nights. In his early 40s now, Ken is still a phenomenal dancer and ambassador of the art of b-boying. Check out Ken Swift dancing as a teenager in the 80s…
“Lesson 10: How to Breakdance” tee-shirt from Threadless
My awesome roommate Swifty got me a couple of sweet tee-shirts from Threadless for Christmas: the "Easy Steps(Lesson 10: How to Breakdance)" tee-shirt pictured here, and "We Are Just Pixels After All" tee below. So rad.
Reading List: Star Trek comics, Quaker mystics, b-girls, and small town drama
I've been trying to get caught up on my reading list. Here's some of the great stuff that's on my bookshelf: The Greatest Man in Cedar Hole by Stephanie Doyon A Testament of Devotion by Thomas Kelly Star Trek New Frontier by Peter David We B*girlz by Martha Cooper and Nika Kramer More about each…
George Gee’s “Sleigh Bells Swing” at Edison Ballroom (video)
Here's a clip of lindy hoppers Maggie Moon, Jennifer Jones, Eden Atencio, Mike Jaeger, Dave Graybill and Roddy Caravella performing in the "Sleigh Bells Swing" musical revue. Choreography by Evita Arce. I had a wonderful night at "Sleigh Bells Swing" with a bunch of friends at the elegant Edison Ballroom in Times Square. The evening…
“When the Levees Broke”: the harrowing, inspiring stories of Katrina’s victims
I finally got around to seeing "When the Levees Broke" Spike Lee's epic four-hour documentary about Hurricane Katrina and the incredible stories of ordinary New Orleanians who lived through the flood. It's perhaps Lee's finest piece of work, because for most of the film he simply turns on the camera, zooms in tight, and let's…
Katy Perry video features LA lindy hoppers
I don't know a thing about singer Katy Perry. But her recent video for her song "Thinking of You" features a number of LA-based lindy hoppers, including Minn Vo, Shesha Marvin, Nick Williams, and several others. Gotta love Katy's period costumes and the general vintage look of the video. And that's a real jazz band…
Lindy hop & big band swing music on NY1!
Here's a fun story about the local big band Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks on local news station NY1. My friends Frick & Frack, Evita and Nathan are shown lindy hopping and doing balboa in the clip. Don't miss the appearance by Benny Goodman's brother Gene!
Registration for Frankie Manning 95 Festival is OPEN
I can hardly believe it, but lindy hop legend Frankie Manning will be turning 95 years old next May! I'm honored to be working with a bunch of cool folks who are organizing the Frankie Manning 95th Birthday Festival. From May 21st -May 25th, 2009 (Memorial Day Weekend) lindy hoppers, jazz musicians, tap dancers, friends…