54: The Conundrum of Mabel & Lee

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!

Happy New Year! Let's celebrate with one of the greatest live episode experiences we have had, a HOT ONES-style panel we did at CALIFORNIA BALBOA CLASSIC in 2024. We've got special guests JENNIFER LEE, ANDREA GORDON, and MATT RICHEY, joining your hosts Chisomo and Bobby, all eating increasingly hotter wings while trying to tackle the hard questions. You get all the talk, all of the bravado, and none of the sound of us eating, hence why the episode is only 35 min. :) (Be on the lookout for the raw footage of the entire panel, on YouTube, coming soon!) Speaking of California! Currently LA Wildfires have destroyed the homes of several dancers, one of which, ROB MORELAND, was the sound tech who set up this five-mic-and-audience-recording panel with very short notice . Please consider donating to the RHYTHM RELIEF FUND! Please search for "Rhythm Relief Fund PSDF" on your favorite browser. We're sorry this episode came to you so late, but our volunteer sound engineer, who tackles these big multi-track projects, has a very busy life. We're just thankful they were able to help us out so well in the first place. However, they have to bow out. WE ARE CURRENTLY LOOKING for a sound engineer to help us tackle another multi-track project we recorded, please contact either Bobby or Chisomo on social medias if you're interested in helping! And of course, huge thanks to our patrons! (You can find us on patreon!) Sasha K Justnigel Ann Sofie van Enis Katja Alexandria July Belber Rebecca BurWei Dee Mathews Brooks Prumo Jessie Brooks Aryn Kelly Audrey Bui Ian Dawson Karen ComposMcCormack Amy Sorenson Nika Jin Emily Benze Angel Jenio Nick Cruickshank Taylor Stender Leila Gass Selena Kruse Ryan Lemar Cal Tara Sliwinski Rebecca Harris Lori Taniguchi Christian Frommelt Allison Frey Lucie Q Mazzanti Gary Chyi Laura Windley Lynn Maslen Ariane Proteau Stephanie Kawalski Tove Lundström Charlotte LaurelRyan Paul Graf Cassandra Filios And huge thanks to Lawrence Kalantari Karen Shrieber Who donated big inorder to help us pay for the work!

50 EPISODES!! Oh, geeze. Recorded at HERRANG 2024. We joined with one of our great friends URSULA HICKS to discuss SO MUCH GOOD STUFF. First, she tells us about Herrang's NEXT GENERATION PROJECT. Then, we play a little game where key words trigger Ursula to share some fun/enlightening/not-so-fun/hilarious dance situations that have taught us some important things. Recently we have been using computer software to cut out background noise and help make the episode clear and easy and professional sounding. Sometimes it might sound weird or garbled, please forgive us as we learn this new skill. THANKS SO MUCH TO OUR PATRONS! (You can find us on patreon!) Sasha K Justnigel Ann Sofie van Enis Katja Alexandria July Belber Rebecca BurWei Dee Mathews Brooks Prumo Jessie Brooks Aryn Kelly Audrey Bui Ian Dawson Karen Compos McCormack Amy Sorenson Nika Jin Emily Benze Angel Jenio Nick Cruickshank Taylor Stender Leila Gass Selena Kruse Ryan Lemar Cal Tara Sliwinski Rebecca Harris Lori Taniguchi Christian Frommelt Allison Frey Lucie Q Mazzanti Gary Chyi Laura Windley Lynn Maslen Ariane Proteau Stephanie Kawalski  Tove Lundström  Charlotte Laurel Ryan Paul Graf Cassandra Filios   And huge thanks to Lawrence Kalantari Karen Shrieber   Who donated big in order to help us pay for the work!        

From Herrang 2024 comes a conversation with modern-era swing dancing legend SYLVIA SYKES! We discuss Balboa, old timers, judging, and so much more. ** Please note, due to recording conditions we did the best we could with the audio. Some of our software that cleans echoes and normalizes volume can cause a slight distortion occasionally in speech, but overall it sounds SO MUCH better than the original recording :)** Huge thanks to our Patreon patrons! Cassandra Filios Kaydee Tower Sasha K Justnigel Ann Sofie van Enis Katja Alexandria July Belber Rebecca BurWei Dee Mathews Brooks Prumo Jessie Brooks Aryn Kelly Audrey Bui Ian Dawson Karen Compos McCormack Amy Sorenson Nika Jin Emily Benze Angel Jenio Nick Cruickshank Taylor Stender Leila Gass Selena Kruse Ryan Lemar Cal Tara Sliwinski Rebecca Harris Lori Taniguchi Christian Frommelt Allison Frey Lucie Q Mazzanti Gary Chyi Laura Windley Lynn Maslen And huge thanks to Lawrence Kalantari Karen Shrieber Who donated big in order to help us pay for the work!

Chisomo & Bobby break down breakdancing at the 2024 Olympics and what Lindy Hoppers can take away from it. The answers are often just more questions. But some of the topics they hit upon are... accessibility in sports/arts, doo rags and zoot suits, trying to take politics out of a political dance, Lindy Hop at the Harvest Moon Ball, and the introduction of Caitlin Clark into the WNBA. We don't blame you if you're tired of this conversation, we won't be upset if you skip this one. But if you haven't watched them yet, PLEASE watch some of the great breakdancing battles of the Olympics, not just the notorious one. We think we owe our fellow Black American dance forms that much. :) No video for this one, audio only. (RECORDED AT POLICORO IN SWING!) Huge thanks to our Patreon patrons! Cassandra Filios Kaydee Tower Sasha K Justnigel Ann Sofie van Enis Katja Alexandria July Belber Rebecca BurWei Dee Mathews Brooks Prumo Jessie Brooks Aryn Kelly Audrey Bui Ian Dawson Karen Compos McCormack Amy Sorenson Nika Jin Emily Benze Angel Jenio Nick Cruickshank Taylor Stender Leila Gass Selena Kruse Ryan Lemar Cal Tara Sliwinski Rebecca Harris Lori Taniguchi Christian Frommelt Allison Frey Lucie Q Mazzanti Gary Chyi Laura Windley Lynn Maslen And huge thanks to Lawrence Kalantari Karen Shrieber Who donated big in order to help us pay for the work!

LIVE AT HERRANG 2024! International Lindy Hop badasses Marie N'diaye (Phd) and Felix Berghall sit down with Chisomo & Bobby to discuss Blackness in the dance's history, culture, and classroom. You know, the small stuff. Notes: 1. Audio only, no video this time. 2. We recorded in an echo-ey room and our fancy software did a great job of cutting out the echo however sometimes it makes us sound a little robotic or certain words may get a little garbled. Our apologies but trust us this is way better. (We're learning the art of podcast recording as we go!) 3. Usually we like to put such a long episode into two more digestible parts, but there did not seem to be a good spot in the middle to cut it off. So here we are! Please stick it out, the conversation gets particularly organic in the second half, our ideal flow here at IR. Huge thanks to our Patreon patrons! Cassandra Filios Kaydee Tower Sasha K Justnigel Ann Sofie van Enis Katja Alexandria July Belber Rebecca BurWei Dee Mathews Brooks Prumo Jessie Brooks Aryn Kelly Audrey Bui Ian Dawson Karen Compos McCormack Amy Sorenson Nika Jin Emily Benze Angel Jenio Nick Cruickshank Taylor Stender Leila Gass Selena Kruse Ryan Lemar Cal Tara Sliwinski Rebecca Harris Lori Taniguchi Christian Frommelt Allison Frey Lucie Q Mazzanti Gary Chyi Laura Windley Lynn Maslen And huge thanks to Lawrence Kalantari Karen Shrieber Who donated big in order to help us pay for the work!

Chisomo & Bobby dive into a discussion on body types and the swing scene. Huge thanks to our Patreon patrons! Cassandra Filios Kaydee Tower Sasha K Justnigel Ann Sofie van Enis Katja Alexandria July Belber Rebecca BurWei Dee Mathews Brooks Prumo Jessie Brooks Aryn Kelly Audrey Bui Ian Dawson Karen Compos McCormack Amy Sorenson Nika Jin Emily Benze Angel Jenio Nick Cruickshank Taylor Stender Leila Gass Selena Kruse Ryan Lemar Cal Tara Sliwinski Rebecca Harris Lori Taniguchi Christian Frommelt Allison Frey Lucie Q Mazzanti Gary Chyi Laura Windley Lynn Maslen   And huge thanks to Lawrence Kalantari Karen Shrieber   Who donated big in order to help us pay for the work!