Musings on Dance, Food, Geek Stuff
Oaks Park Rink in southern Portland is a national treasure — the oldest rink in the America, established in 1905, and the second largest in the country! I had the pleasure of spending the weekend skating on that buttery, gigantic floor for the Rose City Skate Jam. What’s interesting about the rink is not only…
I’m excited to announce the release this week of the final episode of season one of “The Field Trip Game,” a new video series from KQED. This is the first KQED show created by and for young people! I was so excited to hear that the producers wanted to feature rollerskating in one of the episodes, since…
It was June 2020, a few months into the pandemic, and I was losing my damn mind. In the Before Times, dancing was a central part of my life. I was going out lindy hopping and house dancing several nights a week, traveling to dance events, and obsessing over whatever was new in the dance…
What do you think? Not perfect, but kinda works.
This weekend, I got to experience my first national rhythm skate event, Soul Skate Detroit, one of the most popular skate events in the world. Soul Skate has been held over Memorial Day weekend for 17 years! Getting to skate in one of the historic centers of Black skating in America was high on my…
On the regular I chat with people who are at the very beginning of their roller skate journey. It’s so sweet seeing how excited they are, so delighted to be wearing their brand new skates. It’s the best feeling ever, to be right at the beginning of a new, exciting hobby. At the same time,…
I had a blast on Wednesday leading up a staff open mic at KQED (again). I wanted to create a safe space for folks to share their talents and passions with each other, and I think we achieved that! We had eight performers share their gifts with an enthusiastic crowd of about 40 staff. Seeing…
I shot a bunch of pics at Panther Skate Plaza on Thursday night to use for a photo essay I’m producing for work. Here’s what I shot. Panther Skate Plaza Photo Essay by Rik at KQED Here’s the pics embiggened with the same captions. You get to see so many fun skate setups at Panther!…
Check me out at 3:23! My job here is done.
This weekend I traveled to my first big skate event, the 3rd Anniversary Party at Rock City Rink in Las Vegas. I joined 400+ skaters at a beautiful wood rink on the outskirts of Vegas city. I’ve been wanting to go to Vegas for awhile, and I knew a few Bay Area folks going to…