February 14, 2010
Waacking is a form of house dance which had its heyday in the 1970s. But these London rockers are part of a new wave of dancers keeping this New York City tradition alive. I love this video, in which you see the way the dance itself is a response to the atmosphere of the night time city. In the deserted streets of London’s Chinatown, they glitter and glow like lanterns.
December 31, 2008
I am not sure what exactly this has to do with the theme of urban research, or archiving the city, but I must mention the greatest (urban?) youtube phenomena of 2008: copying Beyonce’s music video for her song “Single Ladies.” My two favorite “repeat performances” are by these fabulous men.
What I love about these performances is the precision, the attention to detail, the sheer perfection of the copy. At the same time, each of these performers infuses the song with personal soul, attitude and humour, in the style of the jazz greats, giving a new meaning to the otherwise trite, (hetero)sexist sentiment of single ladies having to “put a ring on [that special finger].”
And, of course, you gotta love the fashions!
To more love and beauty in the new year. Happy 2009!
December 31, 2008
I grew up in Lagos, Nigeria during the oil boom of the 1970′s and 80′s. Fashion reflected the city’s exuberant modernism and futurism. There were great hairstyles, which all the fancy ladies wore. The city was changing and growing fast. New structures seemed to be going up everyday. The new hairstles were intended to simulate the forms of the urban structures they were named after. Like the hairstyle pictured above was called “Eko Bridge,” after the new bridges built to link the city’s islands. There were also styles like the skyscraper, the stadium, etc.
As you can probably tell, hair for Lagosians, and many other Africans, is a big deal. Look here for more about the significance of hair and the head in West Africa.
I think hair done like this could be a way of archiving the city, don’t you?
