I haven’t done too many paid gigs in my dancing career. It just hasn’t been something that I’ve been interested in doing. Performing, working on routines, marketing myself, have the right “look”, finding a partner, and hustling for gigs just sounds like a drag. This weekend my friend Shannon convinced me to partner with her…
Rock Climbing as Everyone Versus the Wall
As a newbie climber, I can fall into the trap of continually comparing myself to other, more experienced climbers. From this perspective, other climbers are the competition, and their successes make me look like a worse climber in comparison. I’d see someone scend a hard route and think, “I will never be that good.” Not…
Bo Burnham on the Internet: “It’s people talking to nobody.”
Director of the outstanding new film Eighth Grade Bo Burnham had some powerful things to say about what he sees on the internet. As a former YouTube celebrity, I think he knows what he’s talking about. I’ve been mulling over his words for the past couple of days. “I was interested in talking about people on the…
The Jazz Vault: Dreaming of a Home for Lindy Hop / Vernacular Jazz
It might be that I’m sick and somewhat addled, but I’ve been dreaming about what it might look like for lindy hoppers in my community to have a place we could call our own. The San Francisco Bay Area is one of the most expensive places in the United States to live and run a…
Disney, Cultural Connections and Common Ground
Last night I was flying back from my latest trip to Disneyland, tired but happy. Our small commuter plane wasn’t able to hook up directly to the terminal at SFO, so we had to walk down the stairs to a waiting bus. The bus took quite a long time to get to our final terminal,…
“Rather Be” by Clean Bandit: Waacking Freestyle
It was a chilly morning at Ocean Beach today. I’m happier with how my waacking throws and grabs are looking. And my hairbrushes are pretty decent here.
Fun Times at Disney California Adventure
I have long thought of Disney California Adventure (DCA) as the inferior little brother to Disneyland. I grew up going to Disneyland Anaheim. It has layers and layers of history, tradition, and memories for me. That is hard to top. In contrast, California Adventure has only been around since 2001. I never thought of it…
Seven Things You Should Know about Hellzapoppin’
The dance scene from Hellzapoppin’ (1941) is arguably the most iconic lindy hop clip in history. Certainly millions of viewers have been inspired by this routine, that is still unmatched in dynamism, exuberance, and athleticism. Go ahead and watch it again here. But how much do you know about this scene? Here are seven remarkable…
Health Update: Back in Shape, Staying Active
I haven’t done a health update in awhile. I’m happy to report that being on sabbatical has not meant that I’ve become a lazy sloth. In fact, I’ve been probably more active than when I was working. After gaining a bunch of weight from my Asia trip a month ago, I am now back to…
Scending a Reach-y, Arm-y V3
It felt so good to top this V3 this morning, which was really strenuous and had holds just out of my reach. I have been struggling to just start it for awhile. Finally last session, I figured out how to start. So this session was all about getting all the moves down and scending it….