Last night I had a fantastic time with 100-some other guests at Michael Ingbar's "125th Surprise Birthday Party" aboard the lightship Frying Pan off of the Hudson River. Ingbar is one of the most fascinating, eccentric and cool people that I have ever known. A die-hard lindy hop and balboa enthusiast, he runs a succesful…
General Mischief performing feats of aerial daring and yoga mastery October 14 and 17
My friend Emily, co-director of the General Mischief Dance Theater, sends out the news that her group is putting on another eclectic, fun set of dance performances this coming weekend. Their latest show "Terra Firma to the Troposphere" features new aerial pieces, a hot-off-the-mat YogiDance, and a new modern dance set to live music by…
Google Goggles on the iPhone: It’s the Future
So I just tried out the Google Goggles app on my iPhone, walking around the Gramercy Park neighborhood. It's pretty damn amazing. For those that don't know, Google Goggles enables you to take photos of objects, barcodes, and even some buildings and get information from Google about that item. The last bit seemed a bit…
Hand Dancing to Electro-swing Hit “We No Speak Americano”
This music video is sick on so many levels: Hot electro-swing hit called "We No Speak Americano" by Yolanda BCool and DCUP Ridiculous "hand dancing" by Suzanne Cleary & Peter Harding, aka "Up and Over It" Awesome production values on the video by Jonny Reed Em tells me that Suzanne Cleary and Peter Harding are…
Vote for Global Kids’ Tene Howard to win “Brooklyn Do Gooder” Award!
I'm very excited to announce that my fellow Global Kids staffer Mrs. Tene Howard is one of the nominees for the "Brooklyn Do Gooder" Award. What is the Brooklyn Do Gooder Award? The Brooklyn Do Gooder Awards "celebrate the altruism, philanthropy and commitment of five individuals who are working toward a stronger Brooklyn." Winners of…
“Dimension 11”: Creating Machinima on the Edge of Reality
I touched base with my friends Paul and Kerria about their new venture called "Dimension 11." As we previously reported, Ill Clan Studios (where I briefly worked), last month morphed into two entities: Pixel Valley Studios and Dimension 11. Here's what Kerria and Paul say about their new biz: After creating award-winning animation for film,…
“Swift Solos”: A Sweeter, Simpler Glimpse into B-boy Culture
This weekend I had the pleasure of seeing “Swift Solos” – a new dance theater show based on the life and legacy of legendary b-boy Ken Swift. I found it to be a dramatic departure from the typical b-boy and hip-hop dance theater shows that I've seen. In a nutshell, “Swift Solos” is about the…
Yehoodi, the #1 Swing Dance Website on the Net, Gets a Web 2.0 Facelift!
On January 4, 2010, Yehoodi entered a new chapter in our history with a whole new website, built from the ground up. Our goal was to make sure that our site continued to serve the lindy hop community through providing necessary news and information , helping people find dance events anywhere in the world ,…
From Kimonos to Cosplay: “Japan Fashion Now” at FIT
Yesterday I got a chance to check out the "Japanese Fashion Now" exhibit at the Fashion Institute of Technology. It's a small, but intriguing overview of some of the major influences Japan has had on the fashion world internationally. From the angular minimalism of Issey Miyake to the "rebellious conformity" of the various Japanese sub-cultures,…
Burdock root tea… or extraterrestrial brainstem?
My colleague Dominique brought in this kind of scary looking jar with a big root floating in the middle of it. Apparently he was steeping a herbal tea using a burdock root that he had just unearthed from a city park. Watching him take a big swig from it make me realize what a hardcore…