Puttin’ On The Ritz

Fred Astaire putting the savoir into faire. Timelessly cool.

Cool enough for vampires, too. Here’s Being Human’s homage, 40 seconds into the clip.

Falling Angels

Netherlands Dance Theatre, with music by Steve Reich.

Royal Ballet Daily Class

A glimpse into what it takes to produce world-class ballet, from the Royal Ballet.

Flash Mob at Seattle Public Library

These days you can’t go anywhere in public without tripping over a flash mob – and frankly I’m underwhelmed by the actual dancing – so this video is more about brilliant architecture. Though the two sour-faced customers filmed leaving did amuse me. Seattle Public Library, designed by Rem Koolhaas, is a glorious bit of bling that works superbly as a library. I spent many happy hours there.

Shoehorn

Live from the 2007 Moisture Festival in Seattle, a showcase for comedy, variety, and burlesque acts. The aptly named Shoehorn plays saxophone and tap dances at the same time. I have fond memories of the Moisture Festival, a wonderful, wacky event that reaches parts other festivals can’t even find with both hands. Watch out for more acts over the next few weeks.

Danse Macabre: Happy New Year!

Let’s hear it for the ghosts of 2012, the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. I love this music by Saint-Saens.

The Nutcracker

Here’s a treat. The full version of The Nutcracker, danced by the Royal Ballet, and made available by the Guardian for viewing from the 19th to the 26th. Get it while you can. One of the things I most keenly miss from Seattle is seeing the Pacific Northwest Ballet version, with sets by Maurice Sendak, every Christmas.

The Nutcracker, part 1
The Nutcracker, part 2

Here’s a taster of the PNB version.