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….
Sabbatical Week Three!
I just realized I am already into the middle of week three of my work sabbatical! This is really the first day I have had completely schedule-free since I finished work at the Cal Academy. So far it has been completely wonderful to have this time to take a break and take stock of things….
My Favorite Loss
I’ve lost a lot of dance competitions. But my all time favorite loss was on a warm summer’s evening in New York. A few years ago, my friend and I entered a lindy hop dance contest at a popular music festival, along with several other dancers in our scene. It was held in a large…
Chaka Khan’s New Single “Like Sugar”: Your Summer Jam Has Arrived!
Holy smokes, funk legend Chaka Khan has a new track out, and it’s amazing. Could “Like Sugar” be funkier? Not possible. I look forward to the many dance videos featuring this track. Chaka Khan’s “I Feel for You” was a big part of my adolescent sound track. Still gets me moving, decades later.
Feeling Both at Home and an Outsider: Why #BlackLindyHopMatters
Here’s another reason why #blacklindyhopmatters. All this week I’ve been participating in the Get Free Hip-Hop Dance Festival, a week of urban dance classes, talks and competitions in San Francisco. Today, a panel of female artists were talking about feminism and hip-hop. One Black dancer explained how she was in the process of discovering the…
Competing (and Winning) a Lindy Hop Dance Contest in Singapore!
Photo Credit: Andrew Lin Yikai About a month ago I had a blast participating in a Jack&Jill dance contest in Singapore at their World Lindy Hop Day celebration. I finally got the video of the comp from local dancer Lionel Tan, who graciously allowed me to share it here. Such a fun time competing with the…
Fabulous Sisters of Japan: The Power and Drama of Waacking
I just can’t get over how amazing this performance by the Fabulous Sisters of Japan was on the TV show “World of Dance.” This is what blows me away about waacking when done at the highest level: the drama, the power, the expressiveness. And that group choreo is just so damn tight and flawless….
On Dining, Dancing and Infectious Happiness
Another fantastic weekend of fine music and dancing I was talking with Gilles on Saturday about what makes a superlative dining experience. It’s more than just the food. It’s the setting, the servers, the energy of the people eating there, even the kind of lighting. Gilles put it more simply, “I like eating…