I just wanted to share the news that December 9th is your last chance to see our baby ostriches at the California Academy of Sciences! If you haven't seen them, they are pretty stinkin cute. After ostrich breeding season ends, the Academy’s last flock of ostrich chicks are sent to grow up at partner organizations…
Cute Overload: Week-old Ostrich Chicks at the Cal Academy (pic)
Last week we hatched our latest batch of ostrich chicks at the California Academy of Sciences for our Earthquake exhibit, and they are mighty cute. There are a dozen of them this time around, which we will keep until about the end of the year. More pics below. And why do we have ostriches in…
Al Minn’s Son Kevin and Electro-swing Badassery on SwingNation #6! (video)
Check this awesome episode of "SwingNation" that features a super interesting conversation with Kevin Minns, son of lindy hop legend Al Minns. We also kvell about a new electro-swing video by Caravan Palace, ask hard questions about an Oakland theater group hoping to put on a new show about Frankie Manning, and watch Spuds…
My Ties of Oc-Tie-ber
Some sartorially savvy swing dancers started the tradition of "Oc-Tie-ber" a couple of years ago, and it has since blossomed into an online event celebrated by a couple of hundred people around the country. It's a pretty simple idea, according to the group: With the arrival of fall, men (and a few fashionably adventurous women)…
Sad Dalmatian Puppy Is Adorably Sad
Somehow my co-worker Christine convinced me to be a helpless dalmatian puppy so she could be the much more glamorous Cruella de Ville. Here's what I was able to throw together starting at 11pm the night before Halloween. I gotta admit I make a pretty cute puppy. It was a lot of fun running around…
Freeplay Dancing for Youth Chance High and Diabetes November 9 and 10
One of the great things about dancing with Freeplay Dance Crew is that we get to perform for lots of awesome and worthwhile causes. One that's we've supported for awhile is the YMCA Youth Chance High School, a non-traditional school that helps teens who haven't succeeded in a standard educational environment get support so they…
Lindy Hoppers Tear It Up to Caravan Palace’s “Dramophone” (video)
This is what happens when models and a biker gang run into each other in the same greasy spoon: a charleston battle breaks out! Or maybe that's what happens in France. In which case, I need to get to Paris, stat. Yet another reason why the electro-swing outfit Caravan Palace kicks ass. Among the many…
Amazing Pic of Freeplay at “Dance for Another Day” Benefit
I lovelovelove this pic of my crew Freeplay at the “Dance for Another Day” benefit we performed at a couple of weeks ago. I’m not quite sure how photographer Steven Texeira captured this exact moment in our choreography, but I’m so grateful. See more of Steven’s wonderful photos from “Dance for Another Day” on his…
Zak Timan’s Curious Floating Egg Sculptures
My friend Zak Timan makes the most curious and mesmerizing sculptures using glass, oil, eggs, and microfilament that I enjoy without really being able to understand why. Tonight Zak showed off a few of his pieces that are being shipped off to a show in Chicago in a couple of weeks. A bunch of Zak's…
Celebrating Reena and Blake’s Nuptials in Gangnam Style!
This Saturday, I had the pleasure of being a part of the wonderful wedding of my cousin Reena and her new husband Blake in Rodeo and Benicia, California. It was a great opportunity for the extended family to come together and celebrate their love in true Filipino-American fashion — with lots of food, drink, and…