Often I feel very thankful for my health: I can run several miles at a time, I dance most nights of the week, only experience minor aches and pains on occasion. But the past week I've had to face my own declining faculties. I've started wearing glasses and ear plugs on the regular. My near…
Let’s Rename the Jack and Jill Contest (Op-Ed)
The Jack & Jill contest is a mainstay of the lindy hop dance scene, from local contests to international competitions like the International Lindy Hop Championships. It’s an exciting and dynamic format that many feel is a true test of a lindy hopper’s dancing ability. It’s also an archaic term that we should stop using. A…
Off the South Africa for a Safari, Penguins and Lindy Hop!
I'm so excited to share the news that I will be traveling in South Africa from March 17 to April 3! My friend Hanah and I are headed for a fantastic African adventure, including a four day safari, a week in Capetown, and a lindy hop dance camp! One of the main reasons for our…
What I’m Good At: Listening, Questioning, Focusing…
I've been thinking about the things that I think I excel at. I don't mean specific skills or talents, like dancing or public speaking, although that is certainly important. I am thinking more about broad buckets of strengths that I have. Here's what I've come up with so far. Active Listening I'm a good listener….
Lip J Waacking to “That Man” by Caro Emerald
Check this awesome waacking performance by Lip J of Korea to a fun electro-swing song. Great musicality, energy and movement! Ibuki has more powerful, aggressive movement and dynamism. But Lip J, in my opinion, has more beautiful expression and lines. Track is "That Man" by Caro Emerald. Other sick videos of Lip J.
SwingNation #81: Dealing with Sexual Assault and Rape Culture in the Lindy Hop Community
My friends Manu and Nicole take on the difficult and painful subjects of sexual assault and rape culture in the lindy hop community. One of the most important episodes of SwingNation. Trigger Warning: This video contains images of alleged rapists Steven Mitchell and Max Pitruzella.
Celebrating a Swing Icon and Pastry Bingeing in NYC
This week, I had the pleasure of visiting New York for a happy and sad occasion, a celebration of the life of Dawn Hampton, an icon in the lindy hop community who passed away late last year. I always love being in New York, a place that still has my heart, despite being away for six years…
Japanese-Americans Swing Dancing at Internment Camp
This photo gives me all sorts of feelings as an Asian-american. There was a time – not very long ago– when people who looked a lot like me were judged as being a threat to the state by the very nature of their race and ancestry, rather than their deeds. They may have immigrated here and…
Hidden Figures: The Liberal, Feel-good (Mostly) True Story that We All Need Right Now
Here's the thing about the new film "Hidden Figures." It's a bald-faced, liberal-agenda, Hollywood-ized, fictionalized, feel-good fly-over of a complicated and painful era in our nation's history. It has some of the most ham-fisted lines ever like, "Here we are, three Negro women in 1961 chasing a white police officer down the road…." And yet,…
Max Pitruzzella Accused of Sexual Assault by 5 Women
NOTE: Originally posted to website Yehoodi.com on January 19, 2017 Ruth Evelyn, a Boston-based lindy dancer and instructor, posted to her Facebook wall a couple of days ago a very disturbing account of sexual assault by French lindy hopper Max Angelo Hurtado Pitruzella. You can read all of her harrowing account here (WARNING: description of sexual assault.) The incident…