Rabbits and Toasters was founded in 2010 and features manually selected articles from the best dance blogs on the web. The site is updated several times a day, check back often. Do you run a blog you think should be apart of the network? Send us an email.

Dance History Archives

The Definition of Jitterbug From: swungover.wordpress.com | November 09, 2010 The modern swing era has made it even more difficult by inventing an entirely new definition (discussed below.) So, I thought it’d be easy enough to discuss the etymology and use of one of the most used words to describe our passion. First, let’s look at what the dictionaries say.

Casino Ballroom, Santa Catalina Island From: www.atomicballroom.com | November 09, 2010 The Casino Ballroom is situated on Sugar Loaf Point at the northern end of Avalon Harbor. This Art Deco building was completed in the Spring of 1929, and is an engineering masterpiece. The structure stood taller than any building in Los Angeles at the time.

Harlem Nightlife Map from the 1930s Harlem Renaissance From: www.rikomatic.com | August 18, 2010 New York lindy hopper Mike Thibault posted on his blog a scan of this amazing illustrated nightlife map of Harlem during the height of the Harlem Renaissance in the 1930s.  So many cool details, including colloquial expressions ('what's da numbah"), mores about alcohol and drug use (marijuana cigarettes 2 for $.25), popular dances ("snakehips," lindy hop), and clubs (Savoy, Small's, Radium).

Words of Wisdom/Warning: Cholly Atkins From: artanddancing.wordpress.com | August 11, 2010 “His [Honi Coles] dancing was just so complex and so technical, it was hard for the average person sitting in the audiece to really understand what he was doing. He had nice rhythmic patterns, but they were so loaded with taps they’d all run together, instead of hard syncopated sounds. But it wasn’t sloppy. ...”

Jazz Era Voices From: myjazzcanbeatupyourjazz.blogspot.com | March 02, 2010 Just a short note about my friend Kelly's new website, Jazz Era Voices. The site, which just went up, asks users to contribute interviews, video, stories, and photos from their grand parents or other elderly friends or relatives about their experiences dancing during the jazz age.