Although I was pretty tired from the two day conference I just got back from, I decided to head out to catch B-boy Drew Looner's breaking class at Athletic Playground in Emeryville. Athletic Playground is a small and friendly space where they teach all manner of athletic pursuits from gymnatics to parkour, acro-yoga, and something…
Tag: hip-hop
COBU Japanese Tap-Drum Ensemble at PMT This Sunday, January 30!
I'm just a few hours in California, and I'm already missing two awesome dance events in New York City this weekend! For you tap / drum fans, the Japanese ensemble COBU is not to be missed on Sunday. Blending ear-splitting taiko drumming, funky rhythm tap, and hip-hop dance, COBU performances is a visual, aural and…
The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers on Conan Last Night (video)
Here's video of a very dark dance piece by the Legion of Extraordinary Dancers on the Conan O'Brian show last night. Seemed pretty subdued and moody for a live piece. The crowd hardly seemed hyped up at all. Odd choice. That said, last night's episode of the LXD was actually pretty good, if too short.
B-boy Show Tomorrow and Saturday: Tickets Going Fast!
I've been busting my ass rehearsing for my b-boy performance at the PMT Dance Showcase this weekend. I, along with 3 other b-boys / b-girls, will be doing a fun subway-inspired piece that I'm very proud of. Here's a pic of most of my costume. Guess which archetypal New Yorker I am? Our shows are…
Interview with Minn Vo about Lindy Hop and the LXD
Check out this neat interview Spuds and I did with lindy hopper / b-boy Minn Vo, who talks about how he got lindy (albeit briefly) onto the Legion of Extraordinary Dancers webseries. Minn is a champion lindy hop dancer, with a long history of 1st place titles in the dance competition circuit including American Lindy…
See My Final B-boy Performance with PMT Studios November 19 and 20
So what will most likely be my final dance performance in NYC will be at PMT studios on November 19 and 20. I will be doing a fun b-boy piece with my friends Eugene, Will and Brooke, choreographed by Pavan Thimmaiah, as part of the PMT Fall Seasonal Showcase. The showcases always have an ecclectic…
“Step Up 3D”: Silly Plot, Amazing Hip-hop Dance on the Big Screen
A couple friends and I just saw "Step Up 3D," the latest installment of the successful hip-hop dance movie series. Directed by John Chu, the film bears absolutely no relationship to "Step Up" (2007), which I somewhat begrudgingly enjoyed. Knowing that this was going to be a cheesy plot that was largely an excuse for…
Country Music: Many who like hip-hop like this (Facebook doesn’t lie)
Perhaps Facebook might want to tweak their "like" algorhythm a bit. Just sayin. Or maybe there's a wider market for "hick-hop" than I know?
Transmedia / transatlantic hip-hop music video integrates Second Life, Twitter, Skype & YouTube
Here's a creative and fun music video by Philly-based hip-hop artist Legrand that is exemplary for a number of reasons. First off, fun song! Secondly, created as a collaboration between Legrand and a group of 20 students at the Tokyo campus of Temple University, it's an interesting example of what can be accomplished using fairly…
Foundation: the best book on b-boy culture ever written
A couple of months ago I had the pleasure of seeing Joe Schloss, adjunct professor at NYU, speak about b-boy culture along with Ken Swift. Schloss spoke about b-boying in a way that I had never heard anyone speak before, combining the rigor of academic inquiry with insider knowledge as a practitioner of the craft. …