Weekly Video Highlights: The Manzari Brothers

A little something different this week as I'm trying to find time to sort all the awesome Lindy videos from the past couple of months. The Washington Post recently did a wonderful spotlight on up and coming DC tap talent, John and Leo Manzari.

The two brothers are both in high school but are currently in a local production of Sophisticated Ladies, a musical based on the music of another DC native, Duke Ellington. The show is headlined by Maurice Hines, the brother of the late great tapper Gregory Hines. Here is is talking about discovering the two brothers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhxi4JrTiwY

And a couple more videos of the guys dancing. Here's John by himself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KepwUib39to

Battle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QepHEMGUzvY

Sophisticated Ladies is produced by Arena Stage but is showing at the Lincoln Theater and is running until June 6th.

Retro Video Review: Hop The Millennium

In a previous post I said that I’d put up a few clips from a tape of Hop the Millennium but then decided that the whole thing was too good and uploaded the whole thing. The event took place over New Year’s 1999/2000 in Mexico City Ensenada, Mexico of all places. There’s a lot of dancing goodness featuring the Rhythm Hot Shots which is the team that begat The Harlem Hot Shots. Southern California represents with a piece by Rusty Frank & Peter Flahiff and another by Peter Loggins & Lisa Ferguson. Keep an eye out for a pimpin performance by the father and son team of “Moke & Poke” a.k.a. Chazz Young and Frankie Manning.

Random Links & Videos: History Lesson Edition

Four weeks after ULHS and still no word on official results. Even ALHC put up their results a week after it ended. I still have unofficial results in my "ULHS 2009 Round Up" post, and at least lots of people are talking about ULHS online. I also just added another blog to that post from another attendee. <Me>

Just in case ALHC was feeling neglected, someone who attended that event finally posted a review to prove that someone went. The omnipresent and always opinionated Allen Hall chimes in with the latest installment of his <News and Views>

That post also includes his latest sojourn to DC with his wife Rudy last week. They hit up The Boilermakers at Glen Echo hosted by Flying Feet and stopped by The Jam Cellar.

America's Best Dance Crew-1933: The Four Step Brothers

You may remember a performance by The Harlem Hot Shots on Thursday night of Frankie95. Someone uploaded the original clip and I thought it would be nice to put them together. The scene is from a 1933 short film entitled "Barber Shop Blues" featuring Claude Hopkins and His Orchestra. He was leader of one of the house bands at the Savoy Ballroom in 1931.