I am so excited to share the news that my friends and colleagues at Global Kids, Inc in New York City are the recipients of the $200,000 Chase Community Giving Award for their work with at-risk teenagers. As someone who has worked there for three years, I can speak to the life-changing work that Global…
Category: New York
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…
Improv Everywhere Glees Up a Geek-meet : Gotta Share! (video)
I'm a huge fan of Improv Everywhere and I work in social media, so when the two meet up, it's like rainbows and nutella. Here's what happens when those merry pranksters invade the GEL social media conference in NYC. Gotta share! More on the Improv Everywhere site.
Last Day to Support Global Kids in Chase Community Challenge: Please Vote Now!
Just a reminder that TODAY is the last day of the Chase Community Giving Competition. My former employers and friends at Global Kids are in the running to win possibly up to $500,000 to support their amazing work helping at-risk teens become global leaders. Please take a second to vote for them at http://vote.globalkids.org and then share your…
Support Global Kids in Chase Community Competition Today!
My friend and former co-worker Amira at Global Kids sends out news of an opportunity to support Global Kids with just the click of a mouse. I hope you will consider helping out. Global Kids is an innovative youth development nonprofit that helps thousands of at-risk young people every year to learn leadership skills,…
Rik and Nina: Poster Children of Midsummer Night Swing 2011
I'm happy to share the news that the lovely and talented dancer Nina Galicheva and I are gracing the front of the promotional posters for the 2011 season of Midsummer Night Swing at Lincoln Center. The photo is from when Nina and I competed in last year's "Ambassador's Prize" dance contest at Lincoln Center. As…
NY Post on Bone Flexin, Hip-hop and Lindy Hop Dance (video)
Interesting, if convoluted, video story from the New York Post about a "bone flexing" battle in New York. The reporter connects this newest street / vernacular dance form with older hip-hop styles like breaking and tutting, and even with lindy hop. I know it's an old story from 2009, but I liked the connections…
2011 Midsummer Night Swing Announced: Swing, Electro-swing, Soul, Salsa … and Me!
I'm honored and delighted to see my friend Nina Galicheva and me on the banner of the 2011 Midsummer Night Swing website! That's a great shot of Nina and I competing in last year's MSNS dance contest, which was a lot of fun. I'm also in the promo video right at the end dipping the…
Subterranean: Quaker Meeting as a Subway Train
I realized reading through the #QuakerBuses tweets that I had long ago likened Quaker Meeting for Worship (aka "church") to being on the subway. This is a poem I wrote in 1997 called "Subterranean." subterranean I take the subway to churchSharing this unguarded early Sunday spaceWith others seeking their own destinationsTheir own agendas Who can…
Rik’s NYC Bucket List : Amateur Night, Elegant Swing, and Lots of Pork
So my last two weeks in New York were spent fulfilling several "Bucket List" items that are my favorite things to do in the city. Here's a quick rundown of what I did. Probably the only true "Bucket List" item — something that I've never done that I've always wanted to do — was to…