59: The Tale of a Bromance (w A.J. HOWARD and TIM CHRISTOPHER

(With longtime SoCal dancer BRITTNEY CARAWAY and International Bal and Lindy dancer SHANI BROWN.)Marge Takier -- Southern California Balboa and Lindy Hop old timer, incredible DJ, and co-founder of Bobby McGee's dance parties in the 70s-2000s, was part of a group of elderly original dancers that welcomed hundreds of new, younger dancers into the world of swing dance. A few, though, didn't feel that welcome by them. We discuss the reality that some of the greatest, nicest original dancers might not have always been perfect. And that's okay. We just wanted to talk about it. This episode is also available on video (Though Shani is present in audio only) here and over on YT.PATRONSThanks so much to our Patreon Patrons!Sasha KJustnigelAnn Sofie van EnisKatja AlexandriaJuly BelberRebecca BurWeiDee MathewsBrooks PrumoJessie BrooksAryn KellyAudrey BuiIan DawsonKaren Compos McCormackAmy SorensonNika JinEmily BenzeAngel JenioNick CruickshankTaylor StenderLeila GassSelena KruseRyan LemarCalTara SliwinskiRebecca HarrisLori TaniguchiChristian FrommeltAllison FreyLucie Q MazzantiGary ChyiLaura WindleyLynn MaslenAriane ProteauStephanie KawalskiTove LundströmCharlotteLaurelRyanPaul GrafCassandra FiliosAnd huge thanks toLawrence Kalantari and Karen ShrieberWho donated big in order to help us pay for the work!

Incredible dancers TIM CHRISTOPHER and A.J. HOWARD joined us in front of a LIVE audience at LINDY FOCUS '25. We discuss how music shaped Tim's dancing, why A.J. loves air steps, why their friendship is important as two Black men in the scene. We also get a "hot take" from both of them. PATRONSThanks so much to our Patreon Patrons!Sasha KJustnigelAnn Sofie van EnisKatja AlexandriaJuly BelberRebecca BurWeiDee MathewsBrooks PrumoJessie BrooksAryn KellyAudrey BuiIan DawsonKaren ComposMcCormackAmy SorensonNika JinEmily BenzeAngel JenioNick CruickshankTaylor StenderLeila GassSelena KruseRyan LemarCalTara SliwinskiRebecca HarrisLori TaniguchiChristian FrommeltAllison FreyLucie Q MazzantiGary ChyiLaura WindleyLynn MaslenAriane ProteauStephanie KawalskiTove LundströmCharlotteLaurelRyanPaul GrafCassandra FiliosAnd huge thanks toLawrence Kalantari and Karen ShrieberWho donated big in order to help us pay for the work!

A special holiday treat for these dark times! (Also parents: Bad language in these here hills!)Join some international instructors for a special game of DnD full of battles, mule-ports, gatekeepers, lin-fected hordes, and the IRLHC Championships! Come with us to the land of Yavos!CASTANTHONY CHEN --- St. Savoy, a DwarfAJ HOWARD --- Big B, a half-orcLAUREL RYAN --- Alayon Trainer / "A-Train," a bardSYLVIA SYKES --- Diminuendo N. Bloo, a fighterCHISOMO SELEMANI --- The Harlem Mistress, a sorceress Slide into these D.Ms:ELLA FINE BOBBY WHITE CHAPTERS03:00 -- Act I -- Mule-Knighited Gate 3720:00 -- Act II -- Through the Klapontooan Forest55:00 -- Act III -- The Hermitage1:13:00 -- Act IV -- Battle at the Gates of Oldest York1:40:00 -- Act V -- IRLHCMUSIC"May You Have" - Bonnie Grace"Battle of the Creek" - Alexander Nakarada"Rising Prophecy" - Solas"Riverdance" - Keys of Moon Music"Adventure" - Alexander Nakarada"Adventure Beyond " - Alexander NakaradaHappy Funk Music Party Royalty Free Mix "Hard Groove" - Afrobeat Library"For Tomorrow" - Savfk"How High The Moon" - The Medieval Jazz Quartet (A fun 1960s jazz-era experiment where jazz musician Bob Durough got a group of musicians to do jazz with medieval instruments.) "Lady Be Good" - The Medieval Jazz Quartet"Dragon Castle" - MakaiADDITIONAL THANKSThanks to Viktor Lillard for sound edit, and to Ella Fine for additional sound editing. Bobby did further sound editing and added special effects, so blame him if those are really annoying. (He tried hard to make sure they weren't.)Additionally, we ran a test of this game with a group of dancers, and wanted to give a huge thanks to Gaby Cook, Tai Chulikavit, Hussain Jaffery, Jonathan Ng, Sean Vitale, and Sylvie Wainright. First off, it was the most fun I've ever had testing out a thing, and second of all, they helped out so much with feedback and just the imagination of their gameplay inspired us in so many ways. They were also such a positive, ready-to-do-whatever group. So thank you ALL! ABOUT THE GAMEThis DnD adventure was created, written, and designed by Bobby and Ella. Ella managed all the systems, including altering rules and simplifying gameplay to allow quicker gameplay and easier onboarding of unfamiliar players. The dance contest system was created by them but only worked because of Ella's input. This idea came about after Ella introduced Bobby to Dimension 20, a fantastic DnD experience done by improvisational comedians on the channel DROPOUT. Bobby heard only two episodes before going to Ella with the idea of doing a one-shot for Lindy Hoppers. PATRONSThanks so much to our Patreon Patrons!Sasha KJustnigelAnn Sofie van EnisKatja AlexandriaJuly BelberRebecca BurWeiDee MathewsBrooks PrumoJessie BrooksAryn KellyAudrey BuiIan DawsonKaren ComposMcCormackAmy SorensonNika JinEmily BenzeAngel JenioNick CruickshankTaylor StenderLeila GassSelena KruseRyan LemarCalTara SliwinskiRebecca HarrisLori TaniguchiChristian FrommeltAllison FreyLucie Q MazzantiGary ChyiLaura WindleyLynn MaslenAriane ProteauStephanie KawalskiTove LundströmCharlotteLaurelRyanPaul GrafCassandra FiliosAnd huge thanks toLawrence Kalantari and Karen ShrieberWho donated big in order to help us pay for the work!

Professor and author of "Between Beats: The Jazz Tradition and Black Vernacular Dance" joined us at our little house at Herrang '25 to discuss Marshall Stearns, jazz academia, teaching history, helping camps do better, ally-ship, and other things. It was so good we had to keep it all.And of course, huge thanks to our patrons! (You can find us on patreon!)Sasha KJustnigelAnn Sofie van EnisKatja AlexandriaJuly BelberRebecca BurWeiDee MathewsBrooks PrumoJessie BrooksAryn KellyAudrey BuiIan DawsonKaren ComposMcCormackAmy SorensonNika JinEmily BenzeAngel JenioNick CruickshankTaylor StenderLeila GassSelena KruseRyan LemarCalTara SliwinskiRebecca HarrisLori TaniguchiChristian FrommeltAllison FreyLucie Q MazzantiGary ChyiLaura WindleyLynn MaslenAriane ProteauStephanie KawalskiTove LundströmCharlotteLaurelRyanPaul GrafCassandra FiliosAnd huge thanks toLawrence Kalantari and Karen ShrieberWho donated big in order to help us pay for the work!

In this episode we talk to two professional Balboa instructors, DOMINIC HANNA and MATT RICHEY. Wediscuss what makes them love Balboa, what their current missions are as instructors in the scene, and what a welcoming dance scene looks like to Dominic (a Black American man) and Matt (a Queer man).   And of course, huge thanks to our patrons! (You can find us on patreon!)Sasha KJustnigelAnn Sofie van EnisKatja AlexandriaJuly BelberRebecca BurWeiDee MathewsBrooks PrumoJessie BrooksAryn KellyAudrey BuiIan DawsonKaren ComposMcCormackAmy SorensonNika JinEmily BenzeAngel JenioNick CruickshankTaylor StenderLeila GassSelena KruseRyan LemarCalTara SliwinskiRebecca HarrisLori TaniguchiChristian FrommeltAllison FreyLucie Q MazzantiGary ChyiLaura WindleyLynn MaslenAriane ProteauStephanie KawalskiTove LundströmCharlotteLaurelRyanPaul GrafCassandra FiliosAnd huge thanks toLawrence Kalantari and Karen ShrieberWho donated big in order to help us pay for the work!

LIVE FROM HERRANG '25! We talk with Black American Lindy Hop instructors DEE DANIELS LOCKE and TYEDRIC HILL about the modern life of a Black Lindy Hop professional. And of course, huge thanks to our patrons! (You can find us on patreon!)Sasha KJustnigelAnn Sofie van EnisKatja AlexandriaJuly BelberRebecca BurWeiDee MathewsBrooks PrumoJessie BrooksAryn KellyAudrey BuiIan DawsonKaren ComposMcCormackAmy SorensonNika JinEmily BenzeAngel JenioNick CruickshankTaylor StenderLeila GassSelena KruseRyan LemarCalTara SliwinskiRebecca HarrisLori TaniguchiChristian FrommeltAllison FreyLucie Q MazzantiGary ChyiLaura WindleyLynn MaslenAriane ProteauStephanie KawalskiTove LundströmCharlotteLaurelRyanPaul GrafCassandra FiliosAnd huge thanks toLawrence Kalantari and Karen ShrieberWho donated big in order to help us pay for the work!

Chi-Chi and Bobby discuss a conundrum that many dancers may face. Layers and layers! (Title has no relation to the actual incredible Black American dancer, singer, and all-around entertainer Mabel Lee. It was something that popped into our heads and we went with it in the episode.)And of course, huge thanks to our patrons! (You can find us on patreon!)Sasha KJustnigelAnn Sofie van EnisKatja AlexandriaJuly BelberRebecca BurWeiDee MathewsBrooks PrumoJessie BrooksAryn KellyAudrey BuiIan DawsonKaren ComposMcCormackAmy SorensonNika JinEmily BenzeAngel JenioNick CruickshankTaylor StenderLeila GassSelena KruseRyan LemarCalTara SliwinskiRebecca HarrisLori TaniguchiChristian FrommeltAllison FreyLucie Q MazzantiGary ChyiLaura WindleyLynn MaslenAriane ProteauStephanie KawalskiTove LundströmCharlotteLaurelRyanPaul GrafCassandra FiliosAnd huge thanks toLawrence Kalantari and Karen ShrieberWho donated big in order to help us pay for the work!

[This is a rerelease of Episode 39! Which we took off neeeding to tackle some editing problems. But it should be good now!]Singer, fashionista, and co-leader of the Mint Julep Jazz Band LAURA WINDLEY loves to make her own clothing. One day she got some African fabric from a friend. As a White American woman, what should she do with it? We call in an expert, DONNA M'SHANGA, co-founder of Zambia's renown ready-to-wear fashion house, Kamanga Wear. Enjoy the convo, video will be up on You Tube as well.Originally released April, 2023.

Chi-Chi and Bobby join fellow instructors LAUREL RYAN, JAVIER JOHNSON, and CARLA HEINEY to discuss a myriad of topics at this LIVE BEANTOWN episode! (...from 2023.) To those who don't know, LAUREL is a Black American woman instructor known for her Lindy Hop, solo jazz, and MCing, JAVIER (pronounced with a "J" as is his preference) is a Black American man instructor best known as a Balboa badass, but also does Lindy and some award-winning soul dancing, and CARLA is a White American woman and a living legend of the modern scene, being one of the most influential Lindy Hop instructors of the modern era. ("The Woodside 5" was because we all stayed together in a "Woodside" dormitory suite and are a crime-fighting team.)HUGE thanks to Beantown Dance Camp for not only allowing us to have a platform, but for helping record the episode and elevate minority voices in the dance. And of course, huge thanks to our patrons! (You can find us on patreon!)Sasha KJustnigelAnn Sofie van EnisKatja AlexandriaJuly BelberRebecca BurWeiDee MathewsBrooks PrumoJessie BrooksAryn KellyAudrey BuiIan DawsonKaren ComposMcCormackAmy SorensonNika JinEmily BenzeAngel JenioNick CruickshankTaylor StenderLeila GassSelena KruseRyan LemarCalTara SliwinskiRebecca HarrisLori TaniguchiChristian FrommeltAllison FreyLucie Q MazzantiGary ChyiLaura WindleyLynn MaslenAriane ProteauStephanie KawalskiTove LundströmCharlotteLaurelRyanPaul GrafCassandra FiliosAnd huge thanks toLawrence Kalantari and Karen ShrieberWho donated big in order to help us pay for the work!

Was this one a good idea? We think so?Following a long red-eye flight and a certain Olympic break dancer's excuse for their performance, Bobby gives Chisomo a theoretical schpeel on values in Lindy Hop, and the problems of choosing one Black American value higher than others. Then they discuss. Shout-out to Shelby Johnson for inspirational posts. We're still learning, keep the conversation going!And of course, huge thanks to our patrons! (You can find us on patreon!)Sasha KJustnigelAnn Sofie van EnisKatja AlexandriaJuly BelberRebecca BurWeiDee MathewsBrooks PrumoJessie BrooksAryn KellyAudrey BuiIan DawsonKaren ComposMcCormackAmy SorensonNika JinEmily BenzeAngel JenioNick CruickshankTaylor StenderLeila GassSelena KruseRyan LemarCalTara SliwinskiRebecca HarrisLori TaniguchiChristian FrommeltAllison FreyLucie Q MazzantiGary ChyiLaura WindleyLynn MaslenAriane ProteauStephanie KawalskiTove LundströmCharlotteLaurelRyanPaul GrafCassandra FiliosAnd huge thanks toLawrence Kalantari and Karen ShrieberWho donated big in order to help us pay for the work!