Day 24 - 8 Years Later

I was going to do a second half of shotgun burst opinions on the US Open, and I still might, until a friend emailed me and reminded me of something humorous. But I should back up. A few weeks ago, an old friend of mine, Larry, had posted a link to a picture from my trip to Herrang, Sweden. It was 2005, I was barely 20, if that, and I was there for the worlds largest Lindy Hop camp. It is still a bundle of some of my most fond memories. I built strong friendships there (Mike and Em and so on), had great adventures (helping out behind the scenes and performing and training), and have a cavalcade of stories I'll always treasure (Tom). It was a rich and unforgettable six and a half weeks that I feel helped me grow as a person. 

So, when Larry posts a link, is it to any of the aforementioned things? Is it a memory that enriched my soul? How about a friend that I need to contact or a tidbit of inspirado? If I may: Fuck. No. It's a picture of me, freshly out of the sauna with my American friends at 5AM, buck ass naked with a booze bottle in front of my junk. I laugh about it and curse the person who posted it to Hell, and chalk it up to "being a 20 year old dumb ass" and lament trusting someone to keep there word of, "I'm totally not posting any of this when various picture sights become popular."

Truth: I'm a little bitter. But I'm an aspiring writer, an artist, and in what way could a mildly embarrassing picture (so not posting it. feel free to hunt it down), from one of the greatest times in my life that was full of raucous laughter and memories, both beautiful and tragic (truth)? It can only feed my soul.

Then John emails me. This is a direct copy/paste from the chat:

J: hey dude, not sure if it's you, but i ran into this as i was browsing through swing stuff on reddit. figured you should know it's out there if you didnt already. segment of interest being around 8:15 mark.

Mr. Jackson had linked me a youtube show put on by some folks I used to know in my Lindy days, hosting a Lindy Hop talk show. And there it was again, on an episode titled Naked Lindy Hoppers. My first thought was: "There is so little going on in the world of Vintage American Vernacular Jazz Dance that they have to report on an 8 year old naked picture of a guy they probably don't remember if ever knew?" The funny thing was that it's a blip in the show...okay, I didn't watch the whole show because it was kinda boring, but I think it was just a blip. Meh. 

It all just made me look back and think what I am proud of (a great deal, actually), what I am ashamed of (a couple of things), funny bullshit (this), and where I am going from here. As annoyed...Yeah, truth, I was/am a tad annoyed at whatever dingus posted an 8 year old picture of 20 year old skinny as hell me, but can't go changing what's already happened. So, as annoyed as I was, it's sort of pushed me to look back and forward, where I was and want to be, and not re-evaluate, but appreciate everything. In a really unexpected way, finding an embarrassing picture of me on the internet forced me to grow. Heh. Grow. It's funny cause it's a naked picture. Ha. 

Don't get me wrong, who the hell ever posted that thing is a douche, simple as that, and the SwingNation talk show really needs better topics. If they'd like, I'd be happy to work out for a couple weeks and post another for their news real (I don't actually want to do that, nor do I think they'd enjoy seeing it). But still, it really is the strangest things that help folks see what's good and then take a gander toward the future. So in a way, thank you, random ass hat from 8 years ago. You've helped me grow as a human. You're still a douche.

Day 23 - US Open PT 1.

The Open falls basically on my favorite holiday and must appreciated family time, so it leaves me with but one option: watch it on good old Global Dance. Please note that these are opinions, blah etc while very hungry and on cold meds. woot.

Michael and Katie

I love these two, pretty much in general. Professional, talented, clean, well groomed, always smellin' good (that's right, Kielbasa...coconut, I believe?). I love this routine, and not just because their costumes vaguely remind me of Blockbuster uniforms and I get a tad nostalgic (not ragging on them, I dig the hell out of them). It's a great song choice that builds so well and they flow through each movement. There were, yes, a few slightly wobble moments, but I'm picky as all hell and they did not detract from the routine as a whole. This was mainly due to their ability to sell their snake oil something fierce. Side: there are very few WCS dancers who I can say are the "perfect investment," and these two fit that.

Side: Who is the emcee?

Sean and Courtney

JACSwing is pretty much my ish, these days, to be clear, and Sean and Courtney show why one more time. The song was is a dangerous choice. See, I loved it, but it's not a general crowd pleaser that pumps folk up without the help of choreography. It's not an obvious choice. I loved this routine because it was simple and showed off Sean and Court's transitions and flow (my favorite thing about Sean's dancing), and gave a glimpse into a few parts of their personalities; a little serious, playful, a little sweet and fun. Where as most couples would probably have gone a completely emo-fantastic route, they kept it chill and let you get into it. I loved it.

Lindy Hop JJ

Thank sweet and tangy Moses that everyone dancing had a good time, and that folks like Shesha, Matty, Nick and Hareesh were dancing. I say that because I love watching these people dance, even if the music is bunk, and even if they are in a crowd of folks who just rock patterns. I say this next opinion from the standpoint that I live vicariously through Matt and occasionally Alyssa: I feel like Lindy is doing what they hate the WCS crowd does; patterns. Then again, the Open is not a Lindy comp. Not one bit. Should I be surprised that the music is whatever and the dancers look bored? Meh.

Side: Dig the transition song.

Ben and Jen

I don't look at this one through the scope of WCS, and I don't mean that in a bad way. I love this routine because it's different, it has personality, it plays to its audience on face value, through nostalgia and is a clever marketer. Oh, it's also crazy bad ass. Forrest can tell you that I flipped...FLIPPED out when we saw it for the first time at Swing Diego. Now that they've had time to let it sink in, and one of the biggest titles (the biggest?) is on the line, it's just better. All around better. Well, okay, it was a little funny to see Jen so smiley-happy during a big thug moment, but it did not take anything away. It's just a good routine, and the partnership is flawless. They're geniuses at their craft. Bam.

Ronnie and Brandi

Flawless. Remember those crazy cool upperclassmen who you looked up to? You know the ones, don't lie. The really pretty ones that could do all the things you could do but knew when and where to do them with spot on finesse? Yeah. The thing I've always loved, and that this routine showed again, was how smart, clean and controlled they are. The song was the same vein as Sean and Courts, in the sense of quiet, slick and simple. Dug it. Still humming it. The theming was spot on, taking you back to familiar points at an earlier part of the routine as it went on, without feeling stagnant. Good theming, man, that's something special, lemme tell you. The routine was everything I love about their dancing. Moving from classic moves with looks that let you in on what they had planned next, to smart innovations on now popular signatures, it was just well done. That's all I've got, it's just well done and I loved it.

Kyle and Sara

First: it's a great routine. It just is. It sticks with the times and still gives their style. What I love so much about the two of them as routine dancers, is how smart they are, and how they are genuinely funny. It's a real rarity to find actual humorous dancers, folks who can hit things at the appropriate times, point out something in the music in the right way etc. They do. The routine played to their strengths, as per the usual, and they gave a great performance, and the fact that they made a song change transition interesting is points in my book. They stay consistent and remain great.

Joshua and Lindsey

There are 6 dancers who I think are the future of WCS. It's pretty much JACSwing and these two. I loved this routine. It was honest, playful, well done, funny; basically, it was Joshua and Lindsey. It played to their strengths and threw in new material that I haven't seen a whole lot, if at all, in the west coast crowd. Lindsey is one of my favorite dancers, period. Yes, in WCS, but just in general. She's everything a dancer should be, and showcased all of the right things here. Joshua is one of a kind. I can spot his style and control out of a crowd any day. He's unique, something I don't say too often. Together, they gave a fantastic performance, while still pushing each other to shine. Go Seattle.

Ben and Cameo

I feel like it's a theme and I'm just repeating myself today. Seriously. Played to their strengths, blah blah. It's astounding, really. I've known Ben a while and watched his style change and grow. There's something special about him. This routine was very him. Actually, I think this routine better fit the two of them than their previous one did. Both good, this one just fitting a tag more snug. Great song, oh man. Their tune is now my jam. The balance here is something to especially note; in the humor, transitions and vocabulary, they stay true to their actual personalities. Honesty as an artist, what more can you ask for? 

end pt 1. Now for lunch.

Fed and back on Global Dance, we continue with...

Jordan and Tatiana

Costumes. Oh sweet fuck. K-Pop Siegfried and Roy for the fully spelled out win. I'm ridiculing at all. I love these damn things. I 99% always do with these two Song. Epic. I don't think I've ever said that about west coast before, but yes, epic. As in RR Martin Epic. I felt like I was watching...wait...wait a damn minute, was that the Dark Knight Rises theme?! Inception!?! Are you freaking kidding me? I...words...win. Heh...swingception? Nerd-overload aside, taking a song like that but still being able to dance it well without gimmicks is impressive, and should be noted.  There's a reason that Jordan and Tatiana are widely considered the best, and they enjoy reminding folks err-year. There's way too much talent here. Theming through the long run, as it were, they again take clearly recognizable movements from their repertoire, show similar flavors that other pros are doing, and then add high-level, well executed moves from wherever else. This will probably win. And it also makes me wonder if movie trailer themes are the next big thing. I feel that I would be okay with that.

Side: Emcee...are you a little drunk? Maxownce Mawtoon and Vearginy Grow...no idea what you said next.