Pretend I'm Not Bouncing.   

Dancer BRANDON BARKER has his dance passion in three worlds --- the academy of a university where he is currently finishing up a BFA in concert dance, the legendary company of Black American dance Alvin Ailey where he has worked and trained, and the swing scene where he is a Lindy Hopper and Jazz dancer, performer, and teacher. See how those worlds criss-cross and collide in today's episode.

0:00 Brandon breaks down his dancing life for the discussion

6:00 Working with Clyde Wilder

8:00 What's it like being a student in your dance forms compared to each other

14:00 Bobby learns jazz and tap from a Ballerina

16:00 Performance and competitions background approaches

20:00 The art of throwing yourself into things

24:00 What's it like teaching those in the swing scene, especially with your background in concert dance training?

35:00 What are some of the things its hard to get concert dancers to do in jazz dance movement?

37:00 What happens when Hip Hop and House dancers swing?

45:00 Being a Choreography-trained dancer, what was it like when you started trying out improvisation?   

54:00 In all your dance places, are you treated differently? Anything you want to share about being a Black Man in those spaces?

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Welcome to Integrated Rhythm! Two Swing Dancing besties (Chisomo Selemani & Bobby White) navigate race and the Black Experience in the world of Jazz Dance and other Afro-centric social dancing. Our goal is comfortable conversations about uncomfortable things.

Our music is by Laurel Ryan & Michelle Stokes, and the background drumming is by Bobby White

Find us at your local podcast ap, or at: https://anchor.fm/integratedrhythm 

Please donate to help keep us in business:

Patreon: patreoncom/integratedrhythm

PayPal: [email protected] (Where applicable, lease put the note "IR" in it, so that we know it's for the podcast.)

Venmo: @bobbyswungover (Where applicable, lease put the note "IR" in it, so that we know it's for the podcast.)