The Click Heard Round the World

Global Kids is Hiring a Technical / Program Assistant

My organization Global Kids is looking to round out our awesome team of digital media experts and educators with a Technical / Program Assistant.  If you have LEET web skills, a passion for digital media, and a heart for urban teens, we could use you!

Global Kids is a great place to work with a range of interesting projects and some of the coolest co-workers I've ever had the pleasure to work with. 

See the full listing for the position and how to apply here.

Krumping as Transcendent Expression

This morning at Quaker Meeting I couldn't stop thinking about krump. 

Krumping, of course, is the hyper-energetic, aggressive dance style that emerged out of some of the roughest neighborhoods in LA in the 90s, and has since become an international phenomenon.  I've long had difficulty understanding krump as an artform.  It appeared to me to be just a lot of chestbeating, arm flailing and jumping around.

But krump master Lil C's description of krump in the video above -- from the TED performance by the League of Extraordinary Dancers -- has helped me understand the dance better.  I love the idea of dance as a way of harnessing the energy of what is around you, transforming it, and then putting it back out to the world.  Or as Lil C says, "You got this piece of energy and you're manipulating it... You create power, then you tame it."

From this frame, I can understand why a teenager in Southcentral LA might dance the way they do.  If the influences around you are dark -- poverty, crime, drugs, insecurity -- then having a way to grab hold of that energy, transform it, and then throw it back out again is in itself empowering and positive. It's a means of transcending, even if the expression might appear violent.

The challenge for me, and for everyone, is how do we, in whatever we create, take in the dark influences and energies that swirl around us, and transform them into something positive and even beautiful?

 

Adventures in Lindy Hop: Dancing with Zac Posen at Saks

Tammy, who runs You Should Be Dancing Studios, invited me and a friend to participate in a cool promotional event at Saks Fifth Avenue department store last night. The gig was a dance party as part of "Fashion's Night Out," a series of parties going on all over the city as part of Fashion Week. Our "job" was to dance on the 4th floor of the department store to DJed music and invite people in the crowd to join us or take a quick dance lesson.  Sounds like a normal night out for me! 

However it wasn't as easy at it looks.  Saks was stuffed to the gills with fashionistas in their finery and high heels, sniffing out celebs and fighting for free passes to runway shows.  Getting onlookers to cut loose on the dance floor, in the middle of Sak's Fifth Avenue, under bright lights, with a crowd of people staring at them, was a challenging proposition. Nevertheless, we perservered and did succeed in getting several designers, models, and bystanders to dance with us.

Wanted: Computer Mice for At-risk Teen Programs in NYC

Do you have an extra computer mouse you aren't using? My nonprofit Global Kids could use any working USB, two-button mice for our digital media programs with at-risk teens.

Starting in a couple of weeks, I'm running a science, culture and technology project in Brooklyn, and realize that our laptops don't have computer mice. For the kind of work they are doing -- virtual world exploring, game playing and creating -- having a two-button mouse would be very helpful.  And beyond that particular project, having them for our other teen programs (which work all over New York in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx) would be awesome.

If you would like to donate a mouse/mice, they can be brought or sent to our HQ at Global Kids, 137 East 25th Street, 2nd Floor, New York NY 10010. And we'll take any other (working) computer equipment you wish to donate too! We are particularly in need of a new digital projector, since ours is on its last legs.

Funny story: I tweeted out yesterday that I was looking for "donated mice for our teen programs" and EVERY SINGLE PERSON who responded assumed I wanted actual mice.  I guess they thought I was going to have kids dissecting mice? Ewww.

Turn a Book into a $1 Ironic Case for Your Kindle / e-Book Reader

Dadjunk.com shared a DIY project for making a cheap and fun case for your Kindle e-book reader, using an old book. Irony alert! I decided to try it out this weekend and here's the results.  Check the pics and a quick video of how it went for me.

I'm a complete spaz when it comes to crafty projects, so I'm sure you could do much better!

Compilation of Dance Scenes from the Movies: What's Missing? [UPDATED]

TinyMich tweeted out this fun compilation of dance scenes from movies from the past, including some of my favorites -- "Footloose," "Step Up," "Singing in the Rain," etc.

Some missing ones from my list of fave scenes: "Breaking" (Turbo's broom dance) "Beat Street" (first b-boy battle),  "The Fisher King" (Grand Central Waltz) and "Shall We Dance" (Final competition, Japanese original.)  What are your favorite dance scenes?

Updated with the actual videos after the jump...

The Brooklyn Public Library is Awesome

I'm embarassed to say that yesterday afternoon, after 15 years in New York City, was only the second time that I've been to a NY public library. I was planning on doing some research for the "I Dig Brazil" program which begins in a few weeks, hoping to find out information about the local culture, politics and arts relevant to the part of Brazil the program will focus on.

Leaving work, I initially planned on doing my research at... Barnes and Nobles.  In my brain, I was imagining heading to the travel section, grabbing several guidebooks, and squatting on the floor to crib notes on the relevant topics for "I Dig Brazil."  But on the way there, I was feeling pangs of guilt for not trying to find what I wanted at a local library. So I decided to head to the central branch of  the Brooklyn Public Library instead, which I've heard only good things about from my friend StackedBlog.