John Festa's guest appearances

John Festa

The Track with Ryan Swift

The Naked Truth: Real Talk about West Coast Swing

Sylvia Sykes

Sharlot Bott

Jordan Frisbee

Katie Schneider

Sarah Vann Drake

Kyle Redd

Laurie Schwimmer

Courtney Adair

Tom Paderna

Sean McKeever

Michael Norris

John Lindo

Chuck Brown

Carrie Lucas

Barry Jones

OwlTail

There are few people in our community who represent the true spirit of swing dancing like Mr. John Festa. In this episode, we got to sit down with the dapper, debonair legend from New York to discuss his early days in West Coast Swing, his unique style of DJing, and the famous North River Bar, where so many greats honed their craft. He shared his opinions on music today, how he thinks about playing music for a room, and why he thinks the dance doesn't swing the way it used to. Listen to this discussion full of insights and perspective, delivered with lots of class and charm.footnotesFesta v. New York City Department of Consumer AffairsJT JV Swing Team - SwingCouver 2019JT Varsity Swing Team - SwingCouver 2019

There are few people in our community who represent the true spirit of swing dancing like Mr. John Festa. In this episode, we got to sit down with the dapper, debonair legend from New York to discuss his early days in West Coast Swing, his unique style of DJing, and the famous North River Bar, where so many greats honed their craft. He shared his opinions on music today, how he thinks about playing music for a room, and why he thinks the dance doesn't swing the way it used to. Listen to this discussion full of insights and perspective, delivered with lots of class and charm. footnotesFesta v. New York City Department of Consumer AffairsJT JV Swing Team - SwingCouver 2019JT Varsity Swing Team - SwingCouver 2019

This month, I am joined by a living legend from the world of West Coast Swing, John Festa. Born into a family of original-era swing dancers that never stopped dancing, John is a renowned dancer, instructor, and DJ at Lindy Hop, West Coast Swing, Carolina Shag, and Blues dance events across the country. He is co-founder of the Gotham Swing Club and Liberty Swing Dance Championships, and hosted NYC's longest-running weekly WCS party. He has also earned numerous awards and accolades, including induction into the Swing DJ and World Swing Dance Council Halls of Fame. At his home in New York City, John and I compared &amp; contrasted the worlds of Lindy Hop &amp; West Coast Swing, and spoke about how a broken ankle effectively ended his professional ballet career while simultaneously leading him to experience two white-hot periods of swing in NYC: Lindy Hop at The Cat Club in the 1980’s and West Coast Swing at North River Bar in the 1990's. We also discussed the many different sounds that we love to DJ and dance to, reminisced about our friend Dawn Hampton, uncovered John’s unabashed love of disco and the direct parallels he sees between the swing and disco eras, and delved into John’s professional advice for women for choosing the best bra for swing dancing.

This month, I am joined by a living legend from the world of West Coast Swing, John Festa. Born into a family of original-era swing dancers that never stopped dancing, John is a renowned dancer, instructor, and DJ at Lindy Hop, West Coast Swing, Carolina Shag, and Blues dance events across the country. He is co-founder of the Gotham Swing Club and Liberty Swing Dance Championships, and hosted NYC's longest-running weekly WCS party. He has also earned numerous awards and accolades, including induction into the Swing DJ and World Swing Dance Council Halls of Fame. At his home in New York City, John and I compared &amp; contrasted the worlds of Lindy Hop &amp; West Coast Swing, and spoke about how a broken ankle effectively ended his professional ballet career while simultaneously leading him to experience two white-hot periods of swing in NYC: Lindy Hop at The Cat Club in the 1980’s and West Coast Swing at North River Bar in the 1990's. We also discussed the many different sounds that we love to DJ and dance to, reminisced about our friend Dawn Hampton, uncovered John’s unabashed love of disco and the direct parallels he sees between the swing and disco eras, and delved into John’s professional advice for women for choosing the best bra for swing dancing.

The Track - E027 - John Festa