Essential Rhythms (for Nick Smerkanich)

The video below is at once an exploration of uncanny coincidence hidden in the rhtyhms of western music and dance and just a fun diversion for those of you who are fans of Fred & Ginger conversing through dance. It's also a gift to my friend Nick, who has long maintained that Fred Astaire is a better dancer than Gene Kelly, something I fight him on, mostly because I love having that argument with him. But I guess it's tough watching Fred divorced of his original music and still keeping time to argue that the man (and of course Ginger, too) had uncommon, timeless grace. This is a celebration of that grace.