Fillmore Jazz Festival

Fillmore's Jazz Festival is in full play this weekend in San Francisco. A few random shots below including a bunch of swing dancers who showed up to dance up a storm to The Lost Cats.

Also performing was Dave Rocha Quintet, Art Khu, Marcus Shelby Orchestra, Calvin Keys Trio, Brent Kimbrough Band, Pamela Joy Quintet, Bobbie Webb, Native Elements, Bartron Tyler Group and more.

World Cup Soccer & Brazilian Samba

A reasonably thorough inspection of soccer pubs and restaurants in San Francisco and Berkeley over the past ten days reveals that while there may be more people supporting the English and Mexican soccer teams in the Bay Area there is nobody having as much fun as the Brazilians.

On Sunday the Brazilian World Cup team once again gave its fans a reason to dance (as if they need an excuse) with a 3-1 trouncing of Cote d'Ivoire. Of the several places in the Bay Area which are hosts for Brazilian fans this time we chose Martin Macks on Haight St. in San Francisco. You might ask yourself how an Irish pub has become a place to samba....

So we have Thierry Henry and FIFA to thank. What a way to convert the Irish mourning and outrage at being cheated out of the World Cup into something positive that we all get to share. In addition, the pub burned down less than two years ago so we're lucky it's here at all. This is a review shortly after it re-opened.

On this perfect San Francisco Sunday the seats were gone 30 minutes before the match and most of the standing room taken by the national anthem, as you can see.

The kitchen and floor staff did an excellent job of getting food and drink to the mob, no easy task. There were plenty of TV screens, flags everywhere, and even a samba band at halftime and after the match. There is nothing like a room full of happy people doing the samba to make you want to move and to remind you to make sure that at least part of life be a party.

Brazil's next match is Friday against Portugal, the match soccer fans have been waiting for since the first round groupings were announced. Brazil is ranked first in the world and Portugal is third - it's unusual for two highly-ranked teams to be in the same group so expect a great match. Play hooky.

Oh PR2, Shall We Dance?

Last night, I had the pleasure (and it was a pleasure) of dancing with a PR2 robot at Willow Garage, the same PR2 that will go off to UPENN next week with the UPENN recipient winners of the PR2 beta program. Until we meet again.

U.S. Premier of Harlekin

San Francisco's Cowell Theatre at the Fort Mason Center is presenting the U.S. Premier of Harlekin starting today and playing through this Saturday, May 22, 2010. Tickets can be purchased online.

Since its founding, DEREVO has toured throughout Europe and overseas performing in more than 30 countries on three continents. The cast has lived and worked in Prague, Amsterdam and Florence before they chose Dresden as their new working location in 1996. They have been based at Festspielhaus Hellerau Dresden since 2003.

From the very beginning DEREVO refused to characterize the style of its work. The press creates definitions such as "silent theatre," "new dance," "Russian Butoh" and others. A common feature of all pieces is the fact that there is not a word uttered on stage.

Dancers POP to ETHEL in Long Beach

The energy to this joyous night of musical and dance exploration in Long Beach last week was magical. Join us on the journey below.

Dancers at Paris Web Event Make an Impact #leweb

Loic and Geraldine brought in some magical, multicultural dancing talent for this year's LeWebhttp://www.typepad.com/site/blogs/6a00d83451c79e69e200d8341c665653ef/post/compose#'s speaker dinner. I could have watched all night.

(Parts I and II)

Buddha With Thousand Hands

Check out this very moving video of 21 Chinese deaf dancers from the China Disabled Peoples Performance Art Troupe, shown on German TV last year, now available for viewing on YouTube for the rest of the world to see.

The dancers receive queues from guides/conductors from the sidelines. For more, try Googling the title and/or Tai Lihua.

The Language That Connects Us Most

I met Alyssa DeCaro in Long Beach recently the week of TED where she performed. There's something about her energy when she started dancing to Eric Lewis' music that was magical. Improv sure, but it was more than that.

On top of her fabulous energy, we had the beauty of Eric, who is an incredibly talented crossover jazz pianist who never seems to tire at the keyboard. (Click here to hear his performance)

I think to myself as I watch her energy: yeah, I need to meet this woman. In less than fifteen minutes, she's swirling around and accidentally falls into me. This kind of thing happens to me all the time so I'm not surprised, then I learn that she is from San Francisco, we have mutual friends, Esalen is a common thread, dance even more so. Later, I learn about her name. Alyssa: bringer of light, DeCaro: of the heart.

I'm also a dancer, hence the reason I connected with her most. She has an upcoming event in San Francisco on March 15th for those who are local and those who are not but have friends in the area, let them know, particularly if they understand and love movement.

She writes something on her site that not only resonates but is true. It's the way I try to live my life. Read, listen and then read and listen again.

"There is a hidden language that lives deep within us…

a language of the body… of the voice… of the breath… of the heart…

and of the soul. It goes beyond the fear that keeps us separate.

This language connects each one of us to our deepest self knowing.

This language weaves our thread into the web of all life."

Children Dance in the Richtersveld

Take a look at South Africa's Richtersveld as seen through the eyes of Nama children, who danced for us on the banks of the Orange River, along the Namibian border.

It was followed by a picnic lunch consisting of grilled fish, game stew, salads and cheese......and of course, a taste of the local beer. You'll be incredibly moved and if the dancing alone doesn't bring on a smile, the face below most certainly will. See if you can find her in the videos.

Videos of their performance below:

Kenichi at the SF Hip Hop Festival

At TED last year, I had the pleasure of meeting, chatting and dancing with performance talent Kenichi Ebina. At this year's San Francisco Hip Hop Dance Festival, he and new partner Takahiro Ueno blew the audience away with a creative dance duo that mixed mime and hip hop with the playfulness of Gene Kelly on his best day.

Kenichi also has such a warm smile that he draws you in, in many of the same ways a leader does when he or she speaks and you long for more. His performances are like that.

Below me with Kenichi and also a shot of Founder and Artistic Director Micaya on stage with all the performers at the end of the festival. My favorites from the line up?  Without a doubt, Nobulus out of Austria (mind boggling) and Kenichi & Takahiro's "Junction of Worlds - Mirror." Both were world class.

To see a glimpse of what Kenichi is capable of, check out a sample of short videos here, many of which have been uploaded to YouTube.

A member of the Nobulus dance troupe below.