Musings on Dance, Food, Geek Stuff
I had a wonderful day yesterday celebrating my birthday with friends in Prospect Park for a “Mad Hatter” picnic party. A dozen or so of some of my favorite people gathered for some relaxing, noshing, games, kite-flying, and frisbee tossing as the afternoon turned into the evening. I can’t think of anything else I’d rather…
DON'T POSTPONE JOY. Seen at Luna Park in Coney Island.
Here's a creative and fun music video by Philly-based hip-hop artist Legrand that is exemplary for a number of reasons. First off, fun song! Secondly, created as a collaboration between Legrand and a group of 20 students at the Tokyo campus of Temple University, it's an interesting example of what can be accomplished using fairly…
HHTF Humanities Series: Ken Swift (Pt 1) from Clyde Valentin on Vimeo. The nice folks at the Hip-hop Theater Festival have released online a video of the really interesting conversation between b-boy pioneer Ken Swift and hip-hop historian Joe Schloss that took place a few months ago at NYU. I learned a lot from attending…
So I got to see the two first episodes of the Legion of Extraordinary Dancers today on Hulu. Announced in December of last year, the "LXD" has been billed by director John Chu as the world's "first online dance adventure." Finally today we got to see what the heck Chu has been talking about, and…
Apparently I've been sleeping on the job, because I didn't notice that Episode 1 and 2 of the Legion of Extraordinary Dancers web-series is now out. I'm at work now, so can't really enjoy it till later. But watch it yourself if you so inclined: Episode 1: The Tale of Trevor Drift Episode 2: Antigravity…
Tonight the incredible Moonshiners of New Orleans tore it up for an appreciative, if sweaty, crowd of dancers at Midsummer Nights Swing at Lincoln Center. Such an amazing band! And their first time playing outside of New Orleans! Other Moonshiners videos: a slower, latin-inflected number Moonshiners with vocalist singing French song Lindy hoppers on Damrosch…
Here's a ridiculously cool video of world-renowned lindy hop team the "Ninjammers" performing before a crowd of 50,000 people at the Festival de Jazz de Montreal. I love how they integrate the lindy hop movement into the funky, electro-swing sound of the group Caravan Palace. Not an easy feat! Featured dancers: Max Pitruzzelli, Annie Trudeau,…
I love being a 1stFan of the Brooklyn Museum. It's always interesting getting a personal, curated view of what's happening at one of my favorite cultural institutions in the city. And at $25 a year, it's a steal! On Saturday, 1stFans got a very special treat: an ice cream social on the roof of the…
The festivities continued on my actual birthday, Saturday, July 3. It began with an incredible lunch at the Mile End Delicatessan in Boerum Hil, Brooklyn. I've been wanting to go to this place since it opened a few months ago. Passing it by on my way home from Quaker Meeting, there were always long lines…