My boss Jon Foley at the California Academy of Sciences shared this wonderful quote from the author Barbara Kingsolver in her book Animal Dreams, which really speaks to my condition right now: “The very least you can do in your life is to figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is…
“Swing” – Beautiful mini-documentary about two swing dancers
Watch "SWING" a lyrical documentary about swing dancing. Get ready for all the feels. From the description: "It portrays the relationship between two brilliant dance partners, and between them and the dance itself. Michaela and Rupert talk about how the dance changed their lives and brought out their real selves." A Film by Anna Franzén…
Classic Clip of Filipinos Lindy Hopping on Film!
Check out this classic clip of Filipinos dancing lindy hop on film! Not sure what the name of this film is, but the principal dancers are Dolphy and Teroy de Guzman. I'm stealing ALL OF THESE MOVES. UPDATE 7/22/16: Reportedly the film is called "Sa isang sulyap mo Tita" dated 1952.
Figs, Proscuitto and A Birthday Request to You
It was the summer of 1998. I was on a work trip to Rome, Italy with some colleagues at the human rights group I worked for a the time, the Coalition for the International Criminal Court. We were being treated to dinner by a local Italian human rights nonprofit. It was one of our first…
Watch SwingNation #74: Frankie’s Google Doodle & the Bachelorette Swings
This month on SwingNation , I'm back in front of the camera, with my friend Ellen Huffman this time! This show's featured stories: Frankie Manning gets a Google Doodle! Lindy Hoppers appear on ABC's "The Bachelorette". Juan Villafane and the Buenos Aires Lindy Hop scene. Watch it all below!
On Waacking and the Gap between Taste and Ability
I've been practicing waacking for about six weeks now, and I've gotten to the painful, long stage of the art-making process that I'll call "The Gap" for lack of a better term. The Gap refers to when you know enough about some art form to be able to distinguish good, bad and amazing. But your ability to practice…
Happy Kouign Amman Day! Touring SF’s Best Kouign Amman
Today, June 20th, is "National Kouign Amman Day." (Just go with it.) Since it falls on a Monday, I gathered some friends to run around San Francisco yesterday to sample the various versions of this unique, very French pastry. For those that don't know, kouign amann is a round crusty cake, made with a yeast-raised dough containing layers of butter…
A Ball of Cat
Love this guy!
SF Lindy Hoppers Recreate Classic Frankie Manning Videos Live!
On May 26, 2016, the 9:20 Special dance in San Francisco held a special celebration for the late Frankie Manning, legendary lindy hopper and overall mensch of a human being. The highlight of the evening's program were several performances re-creating classic clips of Frankie performed alongside the original clips that projected behind the dancers. I did…
Second Lining at Frankie95 Celebration in NYC
Embed from Getty Images I found this fun pic of me dancing in the second line celebration of Frankie Manning during the Frankie95 celebration in New York City in 2009. From Getty Images.