In this special episode, Celtic engages the listeners over a Moscow Mule as he talks about the importance of stories, meditates about what the show has covered so far, and shares a vision of what comes next. Spider Gods and Spider-Men both get a much-needed tribute.

In this episode Celtic has tea with the venerable dancer and legend of House dancing,  Sekou Heru, as they discuss taking inspiration from tap dancers, the role church had in developing many young artists, the importance of understanding one’s place in their culture, the experience of tuning into universal language, code as an aspect of Black culture, dealing with dissonance in speaking with guests of Hip-Hop, guiding students through self awareness, the alchemy of growth, celebrating Black heritage as a means of protest, his roots in Southern Baptist/Jehovah’s Witness/Masonic spirituality, his education by the Five Percenters, his disciplined origins within Breakin, his path within the art of Capoeira taught by Mestre Joa Grande, the life and legacy of Marjory Smarth, Remembering Tyrone Proctor and Voodoo Ray, the story of one of his most powerful moments while Breakin, the value of healing through movement, and the virtue of asking why. Celtic opens his mind and heart, and is grateful for the experience.

Sekou has opted out of accepting donations, so we urge you to donate your money towards something that makes your world a little lighter. 

In this episode, Celtic sits down with professional Blues dancer, instructor, and performer Katrina Rogers as they discuss her growing up as a military brat, discovering her otherness later in life, the influence of Damon Stone, finding connection to Blackness through the history of dance in America, the progression from Blues to Jazz (and the rift between them), the fallacy of the Swing "Resurgence", the influences of Blues in other Black dance styles, the reckoning of racial issues in the Blues scene within the last few years, Black Lives Matter, the shaping force of politics within dance, misconceptions regarding the Blues scene, the idea of consent within dance, listening to the voices of Follows on the dance floor, and the necessity of jumping in. Celtic discloses who has the footage that could destroy him.

To read the blog post by Ellie Koepplinger mentioned in this episode: https://elliekoepplinger.wordpress.com/2018/01/17/why-i-stopped-blues-dancing/

Artists mentioned in this episode that you should check out: Shemekia Copeland, Ruthie Foster, Veronica Jackson, Erica Brown (Denver), Nic Clark (Denver), Lady A

To help support Katrina during this time of social and economic upheaval, please consider making a donation of any size to: Venmo: Katrina-Rogers-52 ; PayPal: [email protected]

In this episode, Celtic howls at the moon with professional DJ, producer, and co-founder of the Juke Bounce Werk crew/label, the lovely DJ Noir. Over a round of Belgian beers, they discuss the process of teaching herself how to DJ, the influence of Kemistry & Storm (@djstormdnb), the infamous DJMag (@djmagofficial) article, the erasure of Black people from their cultural creations, the origins of the Juke Bounce Werk crew and label, the integrity of Chicago dancers and djs, the importance of context in dancing to the music, the relationships between dancers and djs, the fallacy of the 160 "genre", the watering down of Jungle, paying respect to the source, swallowing your pride as a guest to a culture, how to start listening to Juke music if you’ve never heard it before, the legacy of RP Boo, and the art of managing your expectations.

To read the infamous DJ Mag article: https://djmag.com/longreads/dj-noir-160-movement-must-not-erase-its-black-roots

To read the Kevin Saunderson article mentioned by Noir: https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/dance/9408240/kevin-saunderson-dance-music-scene-failing-black-artists-interview

DJ Noir has declined to accept donations, but please check out her work and the work of her label at: https://jukebouncewerk.bandcamp.com/

In this extra special, extra long episode, Celtic gets hammered with resident genius of the Florida Dance community, Hans Pierre, as they discuss being inspired by crew, the virtues of cultivating a “fuck it” mentality, the pros and cons of mentorship, the origins of the Thesis and Crew Love events, what makes a good dance event, the importance of DJs doing their homework, dancing to music made on the spot, being vulnerable as a dancer, the importance of men discussing and addressing sexual assault in the dance world, the paradox of doing well during hard times, the lie of the suffering artist, taking time to do nothing, and exploring what makes us happy. Celtic holds it together until the end. 

To help support Hans during this time of social and economic upheaval, please consider making a donation of any size to: Venmo: @rememberhans; Cash App: $rememberhans ;

If you have experienced or are struggling with the effects of sexual harassment, misconduct, or assault within the dance community or elsewhere and need help finding support or advocacy, call 800.656.HOPE (4673) to speak to a trained professional, or visit rainn.org

In this episode, Celtic shares tea/coffee with famed dancer and scholar Moncell "Ill Kozby" Durden as they discuss the influence of Buddha Stretch and Moptop, the power of women in the dance world, the false hierarchy of dance in academia, the progression of Hip-Hop education at USC, gender roles/identity in Lindy Hop, the evolution of Black dance throughout generations, white dancers cosplaying Blackness, dance as a means of speaking the truth of the times, competitions being a waste of time, the real definition of technique, how to break down the foundation and fundamentals of Hip-Hop, the Disciples of Funk, the necessity of honest self expression, writing a book on Hip-Hop dance, and the story of a dream deferred which lead to the forging of his own path. Celtic realizes his time in higher education was wasted. 

To find out how to listen to Raphael Xavier's new LP, "The Black Duke", check out his Instagram @thexavofficial. To buy Moncell's book "Beginning Hip Hop Dance", visit his website: moncelldurden.com ; 

To help support Moncell during this time of social and economic upheaval, please consider making a donation of any size to: Venmo: @Moncell-Durden

In this episode, Celtic kicks back with the wonderful Dee Daniels Locke, Lindy Hopper extraordinaire, as they trade silly voices as well as discuss separating the technique from the body, the influence and inspiration of Tena Morales, diverging from the mainstream image of Lindy Hoppers, learning to dance from family, the war between leaders and followers on the dance floor,the preservation vs the progress of Lindy Hop, the suppression of Black culture in contemporary swing dancing, teaching students to be accountable for their own bodies and purpose, the Montreal Swing Riot, finding longevity and resiliency in the Lindy Hop scene as a black woman, and the importance of clinging to other people of color/finding your crew. Celtic is particularly proud of this one. 

In this extra-long episode, Celtic gets lit with Jazzmine Pike (aka CC99, CC007, and the Cheshire Cat) as they discuss life in quarantine, the guidance of Archie Burnett, an introduction to Ballroom culture, the difference between a Ball and a Kiki, reflecting on patterns and mistakes, dancing the queer Black experience, getting your tens, how there’s no such thing as a death drop, pansexuality, sexual assault and predators in the dance world, dance as a form of protest, normalizing conversations of sexual assault, light skin privilege and decolonization, the Soul Showcase, and unconditional love. Celtic receives multiple gut punches, and ooh baby it hurts so good. 

To help support CC99 during this time of social and economic upheaval, please consider making a donation of any size to: Venmo: JazzminePike ;

If you have experienced or are struggling with the effects of sexual harassment, misconduct, or assault within the dance community or elsewhere and need help finding support or advocacy, call 800.656.HOPE (4673) to speak to a trained professional, or visit rainn.org

Celtic shares a lemonade with Marico "Dr. Rico" Flake, a pioneer in Memphis Jookin as well as an officer of the Memphis Police Department as they discuss taking inspiration from martial arts and nature, movement without ego, the evolution of Gangsta Walk to Jookin, the difference between Jook and Juke, the history and origin of Black dance in Memphis, the source of Jookin in the Blues, expressing emotion and soul through dance, the meaning and importance of "getting buck", training techniques, the origin of the name Dr. Rico, using dance to help students empower themselves, working with Janelle Monáe, experiencing racism in the Memphis Police Department, perspectives on resistance, the inadequacies of modern police training, holding police accountable for the use of deadly force, and leaving a legacy of love and integrity for his children. It should be noted that Dr. Rico is speaking entirely in his capacity as a private citizen and not on behalf of his employer. Any views expressed are his own. 

To view the battle between Dr. Rico and Skywalker mentioned in the interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VP3rAFEoB0 ;

To help support Dr. Rico during this time of social and economic upheaval, please consider making a donation of any size to: Cash App: $maricoflake; PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/Drrico