dance
Swing
I love to Lindy Hop, and have been studying this dance form since 1998. My main influences have been the smooth style danced in Washington DC, and related styles that come out of southern California (Balboa) and Texas (Swing Rueda).
Years ago, I taught at various venues for several years, mainly prior to dance events to help strengthen the the dance community. At present my only swing teaching is done trying to convince friends that learn Lindy Hop is fun and accessible. I try to go out dancing as much as possible, especially traveling to Lindy Exchanges where dancers from near and far converge on a city and make a big swing party out of the whole weekend.
Download a video of Llael Maffitt and Me liesurely lindying.
Percussive
My main focus in percussive dance styles has been Appalachian clogging and flatfooting. I have also studied French Canadian and Cape Breton step dancing, rythm tap, Irish step dancing, body percussion, and African boot dancing.
I have danced, taught and called dances with the Hoorah Cloggers, of Blacksburg, VA since 1998. I also performed and toured with the percussive dance ensemble Footworks.
Download a short video clip of me flatfooting (1.6 mb) that, for better or for worse, was made spur of the moment and could stand to be re-made.
Contra
Discovering Contra dancing in 1999 was a true spiritual experience for me. Since then it has lead me to redefine joy and has accounted for many of my fully extatic moments in life. I have contra danced from New York to Arizona to South Carolina to Tennessee, but no event yet has beat the LEAF festival.
Unlike most social dancing, contra dance affords the "lead" a welcome respit from deciding what will happen next, allowing him/her instead to focus on how it will happen next. In this way it allows for a very care-free type of creativity.
And I Quote