I usually detest excuses after long absences. Mostly because they usually consist of a weak “I’m sorry it’s been so long but life got in the way, blah blah blah”; being vague or completely obtuse about what specifically has stopped a person from writing. The exception is when they are completely honest, then I am… Continue reading New Year’s Resolutions
On January 22, 2015, my friend and fellow Lindy hopper Sarah Sullivan posted an account of sexual harassment experiences with Steven Mitchell when she was a teenager. Since then several named women came forward with similar experiences with the world renowned and respected swing dance instructor. The response on the whole is overwhelmingly positive, with blaming victims and… Continue reading A Contribution to the Discussion of Sexual Harassment in the Swing Dance Community
I feel a bit sheepish for how little I’ve posted in this blog over the past few months. It’s amazing how life can just sweep you away in its immediacy and leave things like being able to sit down and reflect on things one would want to articulate thoughts about at the wayside. In fact,… Continue reading Spring Resolutions!
That’s right. I got injured on the first night of Lindy Focus, THE biggest swing dance event on the east coast and probably the whole of the North America. I slipped on a patch of wax and landed on my foot the wrong way. I tried to persevere but after a minute or two of… Continue reading Things I Learned While Being Injured at Lindy Focus
a.k.a. Watching myself dance still hasn’t gotten any easier. It’s been 3 months since my last post, and it’s not like I haven’t tried to write. Several times I have opened a post document and started typing something or other. Some funny, some pretentious, all unfinished. And like all dry spells, it only takes one… Continue reading Dancing in the King & Queen of Mobtown Contest
So I’m going to do something a little different. This past weekend I went to one of the top recommended swing dance events in the United States: Stompology in Rochester, NY. It was such an inspiring weekend and I took a LOT of notes. So I thought that the best way to talk about the weekend… Continue reading Notes from Stompology
Ever since I became aware of swing dance exchanges and workshops, I immediately compiled a list of events over the next year, asking any dancer I came across for recommendations. And although that list has changed drastically since I started (what with long standing events retiring and new ones popping up left and right), the… Continue reading What Makes A Good Swing Dance Event?
Even before my mom passed away, I’ve always felt a little sad around the holidays. In the lulls between the music, the atmosphere, then general jolliness of friends and family coming together, there was always a twinge of what I now know to call nostalgia for another year about to end. Because for better or… Continue reading 2013 – A Year in Review (according to Facebook)
My goal for this blog was to post once a week on Thursdays. I missed this Thursday, and thought about skipping the week all together, but today is actually my 23rd birthday and I figured I should post something. I have a few ideas rolling around my head for future posts, but none of them… Continue reading 23 (+2)
And I mean besides all the reasons that everyone else says: it’s fun, it’s exercise, it’s social. Of course I do it for all those things. I also enjoy the people that seem to be attracted to this dance: outgoing, funny, nerdy people that are on the whole friendly and welcoming to anyone who has… Continue reading Why I Swing Dance
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