I feel like I’m a broken record in saying how many great videos and performances there were this year. It’s part of the reason why I broke up the video selections like I did. I would have had no problem sharing all the other videos, but that would have been a long frickin’ post. (Not that I usually have a problem with that) I really enjoyed all the videos that have been posted so far, but I reserved this post to highlight stuff that somehow fell through the cracks for whatever reason. A lot of them are from earlier this year, and just didn’t meet the metric standards of the earlier posts based on this blog's Facebook Page simply because of sheer numbers. However, it’s still all quality stuff.
Lindy Hop in 2011 Review
I was distinctly unproductive on this blog this year, so I’m going to make up for it by commenting on (almost) everything in one shot. In looking up all the videos and blog links on this blog’s Facebook Page for other posts I noticed some things and was reminded of a few more. Obviously, this can’t be a comprehensive recap of the entire Lindy Hop scene, but I think it’s still pretty amazing that all this information is in relatively easy reach.
The Proletariat's Favorite Videos of 2011
This list is different from the Most Popular Lindy Hop Videos of 2011 post from last week in that it is a compilation of videos that were popular with the visitors of the Wandering & Pondering Facebook Page. In putting this list together, I ran into the same problems as I did in selecting blog posts to feature in the Wandering & Pondering’s Lindy Blogging Highlights of 2011. It’s a bit difficult trying to determine what was more popular than others based on all the different data available, both objective and anecdotal. In the end I just took everything that got pretty good numbers in one category or another, but didn’t do any sort of ranking other than selecting the main video out of each category to highlight at the beginning of each category.
Wandering & Pondering’s Lindy Blogging Highlights of 2011
Because there really wasn’t much happening on this blog. Fortunately, the lindy blogging community exploded like a hippo after a trip to a state fair chili cook off. I talked about this extraordinary growth earlier this year on this blog, and it’s been good to see it continue. I mentioned in my first year anniversary post that I started this blog mostly because I wasn’t seeing much in depth conversation about dancing. I like to pretend that my lack of production is reflected in the fact that so many other people are posting interesting stuff.
Most Popular Lindy Hop Videos of 2011
This post is the part where I decided to do a not very easy search for the most viewed Lindy Hop related videos on YouTube. It wasn’t easy because the search filter on YouTube doesn’t allow you to search a specific date range. Plus, people like tagging their random crap with the words “Lindy Hop.” I have a feeling that is how stuff gets tons of views because users will tag their videos with all kinds of unrelated words to get suckers like me to pull them up in searches.
But you probably don’t care about details, so here’s the list. More details after.
DC in 24 Hours
Lots of people like to make lists of places to go/things to do in DC*, but the problem is that a lot of them aren’t feasible in the short time that most people have to visit because more than a couple things need a lot of time like museums, are places where you need to wait for tickets, or you need to contact your Senator or Representative to get a special tour. There’s plenty to do in DC, but lists are easy. I’m going to give you a plan. A crazysexycool tour of the city as if you only had 24 hours to do it.
The Mobtown Ballroom Grand Opening: A Baltimore Homecoming
At the end of her second encore of the night, after playing for five hours, an exhausted Meschiya Lake motioned for everyone to kneel as she drew out her final chorus. She then joined them on the ground, genuflecting to them as much as they were to her, and drew out a final breathless coda that brought everyone back to their feet, arms outstretched, and thanking her for helping them open this new house of a different kind of worship.
Back in the Day
Over at Bug’s Question of the Day, someone asked for people’s favorite competition videos from 2000-2004. No one answered seriously, so I whipped out a post I wrote on Yehoodi a few years ago when they asked for the top American Lindy Hop Championship moments through 2006. I was just going to cut out the excess years and post that to Bug’s question, but then in a fit of late night random productiveness, I added a whole bunch of stuff I could remember.
ILHC 2011: Hurri-Quake Edition
Any event would murder to have any one of these people in charge. We have so many of them on staff that there are seasoned organizers just keeping an eye on the doors. Rather than a clash of approaches and personalities, everyone understands of how they fit in the greater whole. They made my job 5 million times easier. It’s embarrassing to even admit that some of these people answer to me because most of the time they run themselves.
The common thread that unites everyone is simply a willingness to be a part of something worthwhile.
That something is this forum for creative ideas. It takes place in the form of competitions of all levels and formats for dancers from all over the world to show everyone else what they’re about; To show the world what Lindy Hop is about.
ILHC 2011: The Secret of The Plot
But one of the things that I’ve always appreciated about Naomi is the sense of class she brings to her dancing. It’s a big reason why I’ve come to believe that Lindy Hop can be used to legitimately express a much wider array of emotions than what most people typically associate with it (Raw, Bad ass, silliness, etc.) Her Frenesi routine is still one of my favorites.