From the Top

From the Top

By From the Top podcastArts
Download on the App Store

From the Top episodes

  • Swing dance and drugs
    Drugs don't seem to play a big role in the swing dance community but they are there - though it's mostly just cannabis and other soft drugs. In this episode, we hear from two anonymous dancers that admit to taking drugs while dancing, and learn a little history with Peter Loggins.
    ***
    Produced and presented by Alexei Korolyov
    www.alexei-korolyov.com
    From the Top theme song by Alexander Forstner, Nina Jukić and Alexei Korolyov
    13 min
  • Small and tall
    A person's height affects all aspects of their life, and it matters when it comes to dancing, too. We hear from both ends of the spectrum.
    ***
    Contributors to this episode:
    Sofi Mirkovic, Maria Grabherr, Ruben Garred, Johanna.
    ***
    Produced and presented by Alexei Korolyov
    www.alexei-korolyov.com
    From the Top theme song by Alexander Forstner, Nina Jukić and Alexei Korolyov
    15 min
  • Swing dance and disability
    Swing dancing may seem like a carefree world that is "open to all" but even some perfectly fit and healthy people can have a hard time entering it, to say nothing of people with disabilities. In this episode, we meet two disabled dancers who beat the odds to have a healthy and fulfilling dancing life, and hear from one of the most successful integrated dance troupes in the world.
    ***
    Contributors to this episode:
    Johannes Priebsch, dancer, software engineer and mediator based in Vienna
    www.priebsch.at
    Dominic Eagleton, London-based dancer and senior campaigner at Global Witness
    Stine Nilsen, artistic co-director at Candoco Dance Company
    www.candoco.co.uk
    ***
    Produced and presented by Alexei Korolyov
    www.alexei-korolyov.com
    From the Top theme song by Alexander Forstner, Nina Jukić and Alexei Korolyov
    22 min
  • The economy of swing dance
    Swing dancing seems far removed from the daily grind of business life but in fact it's just as much about money and value as any other human activity. It's just that its financial system is extremely opaque. There are no clear, universally agreed upon prices or tariffs and often no legal oversight either; it's effectively a black market economy.
    In this episode, we ask how you survive in this remarkably unregulated and non-transparent economy, who sets the prices and who pays for everything, what goes into running a successful swing dance business and how to fight off unscrupulous competition. 
    ***
    Contributors to this episode:
    Jerry Almonte, dancer, photographer, organiser and blogger based in Washington D.C.
    www.jsalmonteproductions.com
    Mandi Gould, Canadian swing dance entrepreneur and organiser
    www.mandigould.com
    Jana Grulichová, co-founder of the Swing Maniacs school in Spain
    www.swingmaniacs.com
    ***
    Produced and presented by Alexei Korolyov
    www.alexei-korolyov.com
    From the Top theme song by Alexander Forstner, Nina Jukić and Alexei Korolyov
    21 min
  • A world without borders
    We return to the topic of globalisation with an episode that is full of stories of border-crossing. From London to Vienna to Leipzig to Seoul, we hear from those who started dancing in one place but continued in another. Together with them, we reflect on the differences and similarities between various swing dance communities around the world.
    ***
    Contributors to this episode:
    Lisa Carman, Marc D'Olimpio, Sam Jozeps, Ben Beccari, Nancy Hitzig, Katie Latter
    ***
    Produced and presented by Alexei Korolyov
    www.alexei-korolyov.com
    From the Top theme song by Alexander Forstner, Nina Jukić and Alexei Korolyov
    25 min
  • Anaïs Sékiné: swinging academic
    In this fourth of our special series, we talk to Anaïs Sékiné, a dancer and researcher (or, to use her own definition, a dancing researcher) in Montreal who is conducting PhD research in modern swing dance culture.
    For a selection of Anaïs' smaller publications on the subject, go to the website of the Université de Montréal at www.umontreal.academia.edu
    Anaïs is also featured in Episode 12 - Swing dance: art or what?
    Cover photograph courtesy of Anaïs
    6 min
  • Swing dance: art or what?
    Swing dance isn't usually classified as art. This title is normally applied to ballet, tango, folk dance or contemporary dance. But is this fair? And does swing dance need to be on a par with these well-established and recognised dance genres? Is swing dance perhaps just a form of entertainment - or even a niche specialism? This and more in an episode packed with insight both from within and outside the swing community.
    ***
    Contributors to this episode:
    Marina Losin, dancer, choreographer and researcher at ImPulsTanz, one of the largest contemporary dance festivals in the world
    www.impulstanz.com
    Gaby Cook, noted U.S. jazz dance performer and instructor
    www.gabycook.com
    Anaïs Sékiné, swing dance performer and instructor based in Montreal; PhD researcher of modern swing dance culture
    Peter Loggins, one of the pioneers of the swing dance revival, veteran performer and instructor
    www.jassdancer.blogspot.com
    Camille A. Brown, award-winning U.S. dancer and choreographer and champion of black rights
    www.camilleabrown.org
    ***
    Produced and presented by Alexei Korolyov
    www.alexei-korolyov.com
    From the Top theme song by Alexander Forstner, Nina Jukić and Alexei Korolyov
    22 min
  • Dave King: loving irony
    Drummer and composer Dave King is perhaps best-known as a co-founder and one-third of the U.S. jazz trio The Bad Plus. He has also co-founded a number of other groups, including Happy Apple and Halloween, Alaska. He has played with more than 30 artists and appeared on over 50 recordings.
    In this third of our special series, we talk to Dave about his relationship with music and about his hit postmodern YouTube show Rational Funk.
    Cover photograph by Christopher Herndler
    12 min
  • Travel and swing dance
    In this our summer-minded episode, we look at something that binds us all together: travel. Man's deep-rooted desire to travel and explore, coupled with the increasing globalisation of the swing dance market, has produced a generation of dancers, DJs and musicians that is almost constantly on the go. We meet some of them.
    ***
    Contributors to this episode:
    Diana Geisler, Vienna-based dancer, performer and instructor who travels almost every weekend to competitions and events
    Simon Bressanelli, British-Italian dancer who travels and teaches full-time
    www.simonbressanelli.co.uk
    Adrian Cunningham, Australian-born travelling musician and bandleader based in NYC
    www.adriancunningham.com
    Meghan Gilmore, Canadian DJ and dancer, head of DJs at Herrang Dance Camp, citizen of the world
    Marcus Nutzinger, From the Top co-editor
    ***
    Produced and presented by Alexei Korolyov
    www.alexei-korolyov.com
    From the Top theme song by Alexander Forstner, Nina Jukić and Alexei Korolyov
    12 min

About From the Top

From the publisher's feed

From the Top is a podcast from IG HOP, a swing dance collective based in Vienna, Austria.