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Video: Happy International Sword Swallowers Day!

Posted in Events, sideshow, video, tagged Brett Loudermilk, Dan Meyer, entertainment, holiday, Keith Nelson, Lady Aye, Ripley's Believe It Or Not, sword swallower, Sword Swallowers Day, Times Square on February 25, 2012| 2 Comments »

If you’re one of those skeptics who thinks a sword swallower’s sword folds up into the handle or employs some kind of special effect, February 25th’s big swallow should set you straight.

Today, in celebration of the 6th annual World Sword Swallowers Day, more than 30 performers are expected to “drop swords” at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditoriums in New York, London, San Francisco, Hollywood, and Orlando, among other places. Los Angeles sword swallower Brett Loudermilk made these videos three years ago on International Sword Swallowers Day in New York City. One of 10 featured sword swallowers at Ripley’s in Times Square in 2009, this year Loudermilk will be at Ripley’s Hollywood.

In New York, today’s free show at Ripley’s begins at 1:30 pm and ends with the big swallow at 2:25 pm. Keith Nelson of the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus and the Lady Aye will be among the Kings and Queens of Swords.

“A lot of it is just showmanship. You really have to get the audience with you feeling that it’s real, and then kind of hold them at that edge,” Nelson tells ATZ. In an attempt to convince skeptics in the audience that, as he says, “what I’m shoving down my throat is real,” the Bindlestiff’s charmingly subversive Mr. Pennygaff has also swallowed oversize scissors, sabers, corkscrews, door springs, coat hangers and, in a tribute to good ol’ vaudeville, a rod upon which he has set a spinning plate!

The February 25th celebration was started by the Sword Swallowers Association International to promote this ancient art, honor veteran performers, and raise awareness of the medical contributions sword swallowers have made in the fields of medicine and science, according to SSAI founder and multiple Guinness World Record holder Dan Meyer.

Video of the Day: The Coldest Thing on Coney Island

Posted in film, video, tagged Coney Island Polar Bear Club, Jim Muscarella, New Year's Day, Polar Bear Plunge, winter swimming on February 7, 2012| Leave a Comment »

This short film produced by Coney Island Polar Bear Club member Jim Muscarella celebrates the joyous spirit of the club’s annual New Year’s Day swim. This year, sunny skies and temps in the 50s drew the largest number of participants in the club’s history. But the coldest thing on Coney Island, according to Muscarella’s film, is going for a winter swim when air temps are 10 degrees and under and water temps are under 35 degrees. Brrr! Well, maybe next year–it’s February and temps are still in the 40s and 50s.

Founded in 1903, the Polar Bear Club is also the oldest thing on Coney Island says Chief Polar Bear Dennis Thomas in the film: “We’re happy to be a Coney Island landmark. The Coney Island Polar Bear Club is the oldest winter swimming club in the country. We’re older than the Parachute Drop and the Cyclone and anything else you see here.”

Dance Video: Ringmasters Crew in Coney Island

Posted in video, tagged America's Best Dance Crew, bonebreaking, Coney Island, dance, flexing, Hip Hop, Ringmasters, Ringmasters Dance Crew on January 26, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Brooklyn’s Ringmasters Crew burst into the national spotlight on MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew Season 3. Their raw energy and sinuous showmanship are on display in a trio of vids shot by Salvatore D’Alia in Coney Island last July. The Beach, Boardwalk and Pier are the stage for their performance of the Brooklyn born dance style called Flexing. Our fave is the hypnotic “Ringmasters Crew as the sun goes down” set to Lynx’s “Tricksters and Fools.”

The Ringmasters’ mesmerizing moves include Bone Breaking, Hat Tricks, Gliding, Animation, Pauzin (a unique style of Poppin), Connecting (a unique style of Tutting), Original floor moves, Dare Devil Stunts and amazing Punchlines, according to the group’s website. In “Ringmasters Put On A Mind-blowing Show In Coney Island | HOC Flexing Bonebreaking,” you’ll see one of the dancers do a back flip off a roof! The video features Corey aka Gutta Love, Sheik aka Taliibaan Sheik, Roy aka Winiez, Spyda aka Da Hat Mann, Vibez aka Vibez and Jay-Donn aka PunchLine King.

The third vid was shot on the Pier after dark with the lights of the rides glittering in the distance and the dancers as vampires.