Rikomatic

JB Mino and Tatiana Udry Performance at Frankie100 (video)

I unfortunately missed this superb performance by French dancers JB Mino and Tatiana Udry on Monday May 26 at Frankie100, but caught the YouTube video later.  This routine has musicality, grace, perfect timing, clever choreo, all delivered with style and character. The whole nine yards. I can't get enough of it.

 

Keep an eye on those two, they are going places.

Global Kids: Celebrating 25 Years Transforming Urban Teens into Global Leaders!

I had the pleasure of working at Global Kids in NYC for a couple of years, as part of their Online Leadership Program, where I learned so much about youth development, digital learning, and teen leadership.  I definitely would not be where I am today without the experiences and connections I made at Global Kids.

That story is magnified a thousand fold by all the of teens who have come through Global Kids' doors for the past 25 years. What started as a dream by local educator Carole Artigiani in 1989 has blossomed into a powerful organization transforming at-risk teens in NYC, DC and beyond into global leaders.  

Check out this awesome video that describes the tremendous impact this group has made in the lives of urban teens throughout the years. I'm honored to lend my financial support to this organization, and I encourage you to contribute too.  

  

Me and Nina G on a Bus Ad for Midsummer Night Swing! (pic)

Adam H. posted to FaceBook this picture of a bus stop ad featuring my friend Nina Galicheva and I dancing at Lincoln Center.  Apparently this is an advertisement for their "Midsummer Night Swing" concert series. (You will recall they also used a pic of us for their 2011 banner.)

I'm flattered beyond words.

My Fashionista Friend Voon on The Chic Index

My lovely friend Voon is the profiled guest for the next 11 days on "The Chic Index," a curated list of stylish individuals.  Knowing how much care Voon puts into his outfits and his look, this is no surprise at all.  Several of my favorite pieces of clothing have come from Voon's hand-me-downs.

Check out all 12 of his fabulous outfits , and the stories behind them, on the Chic Index.  You work it, Voon!

[Previously profiled: My friend's Heidi and Joe. What can I say?  I have stylish friends.]

Yehoodi.com and Frim Fram in the New York Times!

My friend Swifty sent me the exciting news that the "grey lady" of journalism, the New York Times, has done a great writeup of the local swing scene in New York, with prominent mentions of Yehoodi.com and our Frim Fram Jam Thursday night dance! This is definitely one of the most prominent media mentions of Yehoodi ever in our history!

I love this description of Fram and quote from Swifty:

At the intergenerational Frim Fram Jam in early December, energy surged through the room when Gordon Walker’s cover of the Andrews Sisters’ hit “Bei Mir Bist Du Schön” went on the turntable at 10:25 p.m., by which time people had been dancing strenuously for more than two hours. From his booth, the D.J. and Yehoodi music organizer Ryan Swift noted the fresh excitement. “Man, I feel old,” said Mr. Swift, who is 34. “There are plenty of kids here, but look at some of these old folks dance.”

Head here to read the whole story, from the December 23, 2011 Edition of the Times, in the Dance section!

Check out swing dancer Heidi's 13 vintage outfits on The Chic Index! (pics)

I'm happy to spread the word that my friend Heidi Rosenau (aka "Frick & Frack" on Yehoodi) is the featured style maven on "The Chic Index" blog this month.

Heidi is a vintage swing dancer from New York City who dances lindy, balboa, collegiate shag and charleston.  And by day, she works at one of the most prestigious museums in the city.  Whether at work, at play or on the dancefloor, Heidi brings her fashion sensibility and style wherever she goes.  She is simply one of the most stylish people that I know, and very sweet and fun to boot.

Check out the amazing pics of Heidi and her descriptions of her outfits that go along with it.  Each one is more stunning than the last, but these are my faves....

Vote for Global Kids to win $1 million to help at-risk teens become global leaders!

I'm excited to announce that Global Kids , a pioneering nonprofit that transforms the lives of thousands of urban teens into global leaders, is in the running for $1 million in the American Giving Awards sponsored by Chase.  If you think that all young people deserve a chance to express themselves on important global issues, serve their communities, and expand their minds, I encourage you to vote for Global Kids now.

Voting ends in just a couple of days, October 5, so please vote now.  Right this instant.  Seriously.  And tell your friends about it. 

Thanks!

PMT House of Dance: Celebrating 10 Years of Hip-hop Dance in NYC

Right now as I post this, I believe there is a drunken celebration / roast for the 10 year anniversary of the PMT House of Dance, the place that made me the b-boy I am today.  Hopefully there is a lot of good natured roasting of Pavan Thimmaiah, owner and lead teacher of the best hip-hop dance studio in New York.  It's killing me a little that I can't be there.

Pavan has been a constant inspiration to me as a dancer and a teacher, someone who pushed me out of my comfort zone and helped me achieve things that have impacted my life well beyond dancing.  It was his vision that led to this nurturing and welcoming environment, open to anyone who has ever watched "America's Best Dance Crew" or LXD and said, "I want to do THAT."

So congrats on ten years to Pavan and the rest of his team.  Here's to ten more year's of funky hip-hop science dropping!

Ten Years Ago...

Ten years ago, I was lying in bed with a cold. 

I was living in a group house in lower Manhattan in a closet sized room with barely space for a twin mattress and an iMac.  I had forgotten to turn off my radio alarm clock, which went off at 7:45am.  I let the radio play ("1010WINS, you give us 10 minutes, we give you the world...") as I half dozed.

Around 8:50am, the anchorman says that some kind of accident has happened at the World Trade Center and smoke is pouring from it.  In my half-asleep stupor my mind registered that something serious bad was about to happen.

Lindy Hoppers Flashmob Central Park (video)

 

Check out this fun video of a bunch of New York lindy hoppers doing a flashmob performance near the Bethesda Fountain in Central Park, NYC last week.

I've danced on those tiles around the fountain and know how difficult they are to swing on. Nice work, everyone! And gotta love that song "The Walk" by Jimmy McCracklin (1958).