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.
Taking Care of Your Vintage ClothingSeptember 26, 2011Following the Why I Wear Vintage post, Evan Philips requested an entry on how to take care of your vintage clothing and I am happy to oblige. Taking care of any wardrobe requires some maintenance if you want to keep it looking nice. Vintage clothing sometimes requires a little more effort to keep it looking fresh, but if you are careful in your choices for maintaining your vintage garments, you can enjoy them longer and with less worry. |
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Lone Star Championships – All Star Jack & Jill – Michael…September 26, 2011Lone Star Championships - All Star Jack & Jill - Michael “Dargoff” Darigol & Joanna Lucero (2011) I think that this is the last Dargoff video I’m allowed to post for legal reasons of not being labeled “insane.” For a little while, anyway. |
Teaching Tool: Using Routines As Class MaterialSeptember 24, 2011Recently I have been finding that using famous routines on youtube is a great way to teach my students Lindy Hop technique and vocabulary, in addition to inspiring them about the dance. |
Joyce James AKA Joyce “Little Stupe” Daniels ISDFNKA #5September 23, 2011When most people talk about incredible solo jazz dancers among the original jitterbugs, the names Al and Leon are probably the most mentioned. Next, perhaps Pepsi Bethel or even Frankie Manning, though there’s very little footage showcasing his solo jazz, especially compared to Leon, Al, and Pepsi. A name you probably haven’t heard is Joyce James, or Joyce Daniels, her married name. However, I’d argue she’s one of the greatest original Jazz dancers, based on the only film footage we have of her: The original Big Apple clip from Keep Punching. |
The Lindy Project Open House – Alex Cavalli & Laura…September 23, 2011The Lindy Project Open House - Alex Cavalli & Laura Glaess Neat performance in a … let’s say, much less formal setting than ILHC or ESDC or any of the other places I’ve been posting lately. Laura Glaess is one of my favorite follows out there, especially because of how inspiring she can be for a lead. She and Alex have a wonderful partnership to watch in this video, especially as Alex gives Laura so much room to have fun with the music. She takes wider steps, she kicks, she throws her entire body into her movement. It’s an utter joy to watch, and I love it whenever I dance with a follow who’s as free with their movement as Laura is. |
Out and In-terestSeptember 21, 2011Actually, it was a decade ago. The growing Balboa scene was full of young, hopeful and enthusiastic…(well let’s face it)…dance geeks. Through a combination of home movie footage from Bobby McGee’s, old movies such as “Start Cheering” and the Venice Beach Clip, combined with the DaVinci Code advice from the old timers, we were piecing together the dances (Balboa and Bal-Swing). Needless to say, our early versions from the late 1990′s and early 2000′s were way off. I blame the public school system. |
ESDC – Showcase – Oskar Markussen & Mikaela Hellsten…September 21, 2011ESDC - Showcase - Oskar Markussen & Mikaela Hellsten (2011) Wonderfully clean routine here, and both Oskar & Mikaella are something to watch for excellent floor and air technique. The first thing I noticed watching them dancing was how perfectly positioned their cores remained through both their Lindy hop and Charleston moves. The thing about routines is that, after dancers have practiced them enough times, the whole thing can become rote memory and a follow could dance the entire thing without the lead’s guidance. However, the dynamics given in this performance show how well connected the two really are. |
Monochrome Monday – Hot Chocolate – Duke Ellington &…September 19, 2011Monochrome Monday - Hot Chocolate - Duke Ellington & Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers (1941) I originally watched a version of this clip in which the video was mirrored, so it looked like the leads were leading swing-outs with their right hands instead of their left hands. Before I realized it was mirrored, I was pretty confused for a little while, wondering if there actually were Lindy hoppers who led from the right side instead of the left or if that was a decision that the movie’s director put upon the dancers. |
ILHC 2011: Hurri-Quake EditionSeptember 18, 2011That he’s a good dancer is apparent. You might have heard that he won first place if you looked it up. I saw him mostly working with the Juniors program, wrangling two dozen kids all weekend. But those aren’t the reasons why I like this guy. In the midst of coming to ILHC for the first time after only Lindy Hopping for about a year, preparing to compete, and helping with all those kids during one of his precious few free moments he asked Tena if there was anything else he could do. |
All-Balboa Weekend – Classic – Bobby White & Kate Hedin…September 18, 2011All-Balboa Weekend - Classic - Bobby White & Kate Hedin (2007) Bobby and Kate are in town this weekend for balboa and Lindy hop workshops. I haven’t posted balboa in a little while, so now’s a perfect opportunity to. Being primarily a Lindy hop and Charleston dancer, my experience in Bal is limited but yesterday’s lessons wonderfully expanded by current vocabulary. |
Top 5 Lindy Hop Showcase Routines of All TimeSeptember 15, 2011The Lindy Hop Showcase…2 to 4 minutes of no-holds car choreographed routines offering precision partnering, musicality, and above all, INNOVATIVE & INSPIRED dance skills. In contrast to the Strictly Lindy Competitions – where partners mainly improvise their steps and aerials to the music provided – or the Classic Divisions – where partners perform choreographed routines without any air-steps, the Showcase Competition is a chance for dancers to prepare creative and/or difficult moves to WOW judges and spectators. It’s a performance and almost anything goes! |
The Harlem Hotshots are absolutely incredible, one of the…September 15, 2011The Harlem Hotshots are absolutely incredible, one of the premiere professional troupes out there. I’m sad that they don’t seem to perform as much in the U.S. as they do in Europe, but even when the individual members of the group are hanging around the States, expect amazing things. |
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