I just got home from a long weekend at the Camp Hollywood lindy hop camp in Los Angeles. To be perfectly honest, I have not been a fan of Camp Hollywood. In the past, I found the vibe superficial, clique-ish, and borderline sexist. I felt isolated and inadequate as a dancer at the event. I remember…
Category: Travel
My 2017 ILHC: Dance Amazingness, Bay Area Love, Honoring our History
Photo Credit : Maren Marien Henes Finally home after a fantastic trip to DC for the 10th annual International Lindy Hop Championships. I've been coming to ILHC for many, many years, and it never gets old for me. ILHC brings together lots of things I cherish — being around some of the most talented dancers…
Running, Dancing and Eating my Way Up a Mountain (Twice)
I run, dance, and eat healthy for a lot of reasons. One of the most important is that all those activities help me feel strong and capable. I have a good understanding of what my body can do, what my strengths and limitations are. I have pushed my body to be as close to its peak potential…
African Penguins, Elephants and Termites, Oh My!
Going on an African safari is something that has long been on my bucket list. Finally getting to South Africa to see animals in their native habitat was beyond amazing! Here's some of the highlights. Penguins We saw African penguins on the beach! (In case you didn’t know, African penguins are a thing.) Just a…
The Sad Reality of “Premium” Airport Lounges
As part of the benefits of a fancy new credit card I got recently, I now have access to hundreds of lounges at airports throughout the world. When I got my airport lounge access card in the mail, I thought to myself, "now I've arrived!" I've been flying for most of my life, always the…
South Africa in Black and White
I knew a little about South African politics and Apartheid before coming there. But being there in person brought home the brutality of Apartheid and the continuing challenges South Africans face as a multi-racial society. Historic Sites On our second day in Johannesburg, we visited the Apartheid Museum. The museum presents in rich and compelling detail…
Mopane Worms and Lamb Brains: South African Foodie Adventures
I had few expectations about food when I was planning my trip to South Africa. I knew a little about South African cuisine, from having visited a couple of restaurants in the East Coast. But otherwise, I was pretty open. To start with, there is no one South African cuisine. It’s too diverse of a country,…
Pantsula, Gumboot, and Mozambican Swing: Dope Dancing in Cape Town!
My main inspiration for coming to South Africa at this time of year was a dance camp going on in Cape Town called Mother City Hop. Last summer, I met a Swedish woman in Herrang who kvelled about what a great event Mother City Hop was. So I did some research into it and it seemed…
Intro to My Adventures in South Africa
I’m just back from Africa, a bit browner, a bit fatter, and excited to share about all I experienced. There’s so much to write about my two week trip to South Africa, it’s hard to know where to start. So instead of trying to write a huge magnum opus that few people would be interested…
Mother City Hop Was Awesome!
I'm way behind on my blogging because we've been so busy having fun in Cape Town! But just a quick shout to the Mother City Hop organizers for putting on a fantastic dance event. It was everything I hoped for and more — fun dance parties, awesome tours of the city, incredible dance workshops, and…