Last night at the Hideout was HOT… and I’m not just talking about the unusually good-looking crowd that gathered for the Chicago Short Film Brigade’s annual Dance Derby… it was actually about 105 degrees in there.

But DDPPers are no sissies! They are trained in the art of fire alarms and fogged up windows! Three of DDPPs high-ranking masters of danceaster made their den mothers ridiculously proud. Kelly Vanater and Jenn/Gracie Schwarz threw down - sweat, stripes and all! They ended up winning 1st runners up of the entire Dance Derby! And DDPPer Cassie Fennel won the illustrious 2nd place with her signature style (which included never-been-seen-before ground breaking moves!!)

DDPP <3s JENN & KELLY & CASSIE! We’re proud to get down with you weekly! Congratulations on receiving well-deserved praise for your prowess! Check out more photos of the event (taken by my sweetie Aaron) HERE!

We love our mother’s, we can’t stand our mother’s. We want to be like our mother’s, we don’t want to be like our mother’s. No matter how we feel on any given day about our mom’s, they are beautiful, wonderful, and the bearer’s of life..ours in particular. So on this beautiful, wet and green Mother’s Day, we salute all of the Mother’s throughout the world..or mother’s to be somewhere down the road. We danced together to familiar sounds that spanned the ages. Sam Cooke, the Beach Boys, Ray Charles, Madonna, M. Jackson, the Talking Heads, Kenny Loggins…. Our legs are tired, our belly’s full of cookies (YUM), and some of us just want to sleep. It’s these kind of days, when I wish I could just go home and have a warm meal waiting for me. Thanks mom…and thanks to all the mom’s out there that feed us well, take care of us, worry about us, and love us. As both of our mom’s entertain the child within (watching Elmo live or anticipating a meeting with a French Mickey Mouse), Jenn and I will sleep like babies tonight. We will always be our mom’s babies. We hope you all feel the same about your mom’s, no matter how far she might be right now.

If any of ya’ll don’t have plans tonight and want to watch DDPP master DJ Lauri Apple take on DJ Tankboy at the Burlington - well then you 100% should!

It’s the Chicagoist vs. Gaper’s Block -and it should be a throwdown not to be missed

Gapers Block vs. Chicagoist DJ Face-off @ The Burlington

Join DJ Lapple Pietunes (Lauri Apple) from Gapers Block, and Tankboy (Jim Kopeny) from Chicagoist, as they play tunes and compete for your affection. Prizes, smiles, and genre-jumping galore.

GO LAURI!

The Burlington

3425 W Fullerton Ave
(between Bernard St & Kimball Ave)
Chicago, IL 60647

Last night was THE night of unparalleled firsts. How so might you ask? Like this:

• First time a DJ has changed her moniker to match her mix. And really - it just makes sense: Megan “DJ Import” Krejny was responsible for the 1st ever totally global mix - featuring all never-been-ddpped-to-before music not from the motherland. But as the new Megan “DJ Century” - she gave us a mix all-about America - and we like American music, too, baby…
• First time we had a chronological mix done - and the scale! Whew! DJ Century kicked it off with tunes from 1908 and two-stepped, hopped, jived, rocked, discoed, moshed and gyrated to the present year. Which brings me to our third first..
• WAX CYLINDERS?!?! Yep I can say with confidence that this was the first DDPP worldwide featuring songs recorded onto wax cylinders. Ahhh - I can feel the pinch of the corset and blister-inducing shoes just thinking back to it.
• And of course taking on a mix of this proportion wasn’t quite enough of a challenge - DJ Century also made sure none of the songs had ever been heard before at our DDPP. (dammit - I was gonna use that song from 1914 on my next mix!). Ok - that wasn’t a first - but with the above combined - it’s sure worth pointing out!

So on those notes (pun fully intended) and this momentous occasion, Megan inspired some firsts on the dance floor, too…(in chronological order! it’s only right.)

• Air Guitar on the floor!
• A human chain!
• 60s teen freak-out impersonations!
• Leg diving!
• Moshing! (correction for Mr. Cobain - with the lights out - it is MORE dangerous).
• And of course - the caterpillar!

Ok - what songs in what order could have created an atmosphere for all of this wondrous madness to transpire? Glad you asked again (mind-reader you!). Check it!

Thank you DJ Century for another incredibly ambitious and fantastic mix! May we all feel as creative in our mix-making! Here here!
My head is still reeling from that survey of our great musical tradition and my body still confused about how it would have boogied down before rock and roll came to be (giant feather props, no doubt). I’m ever-so and even more thankful to have been born in the age of heavy drum beats!

The Chicago Short Film Brigade is a rad non-profit organization that shows short films…and they like to get down. Next Saturday night at The Hideout they’re having their 2nd annual DANCE DERBY! It’s $10 that goes to a good cause (the organization) and… THERE ARE PRIZES! For tickets click here!

And for an amazing video - look no further.

Let’s represent ladies! Take home the gold! Make DDPP den mother’s proud! Hope to see you on the D Floor!

Does hanging out with ma or daughter sometimes get you down? Why not make that a real Get-Down…duke it out on the dance floor!

Daughter! Remember that time mom grounded you from the dance? Show her how you wouldda shaked what she gave ya if only she would have let you out of your room!

Mamma! Remember how your daughter said to stop embarrassing her in front of her friends? Time to let it all hang out and show her where she got her good looks and sweet-ass moves!

That’s right folks - this SUNDAY, MAY 11 - MOTHER’S DAY 2008 - we’re hosting a special Mother/Daughter DDPP!

Bring your ma! Bring your daughter! Bring your mom-away-from-mom or the daughter you wish you birthed! And if grannie can make it along - bring that sexy mamma, too!

A playlist to span generations and heal all wounds! Songs you’ll remember singing at full-tilt in the family mini van! Spread the love…spread the word.

I didn’t know! The tell tale signs were not apparent! Usually the mirrors and windows are fogged up for the first clue. The next is that I feel a choking sensation. And that’s then quickly followed up by the screeching beeeeeeeeeeeeeeep beeeeep beeep beeep of the alarm. But nope! It was a sneaky heat last night. In the middle of motorhead (who really could cause spontaneous combustion on a snow-capped mountain peak), we set off the fire alarm. A dozen sweaty bodies does muster up quite a warmth! Thanks to Jenn Schwaaaarz who was deputy fire chief and 1st ladder on the scene!

And thanks to Jen Fleming - aka DJ Bender - aka DJ mind Bender - for her self-proclaimed and much-loved ‘weird mix!’ It inspired hustle like we didn’t know we had in me and some sore muscles for the morning commute! Keep the weird moods coming bender - you’re onto something very, very hot. Li-quid mag-ma.

DJ A La Vie gave us a steamy helping of the good life tonight with her carton of deep-fried, booty-grinding, head-banging, finger-licking tunes. We accomplished a lot for a mere hour and a half ladies! I mean - we came out straight away and admitted we were no good, we got down (tonight), we passed that dutch, we dropped the needle, and  experienced the power of synchronized spontaneous clapping (the things CLAPCLAP you say, CLAPCLAP your purple prose just gives you away. the things CLAPCLAP you say CLAPCLAP - you’re unbelievable! Ohhhahahahahahoooo!).

And then - woah. CUPCAKES! Sweet Kelly V brought in some strawberry chocolate numbers that still have me licking my chops in honor of my big ol b-day. Thank you immensely Kiki Bizzo for ending a sweet mix with that sweet treat! And remember my birthday advice - don’t try writing your name in the snow with your urine stream. Believe me. Well - unless you have a magic cone…

Can we give a shout out to DJ Dizzaster for today’s sweat breaking beats. She came in like a tornado whipping us away in her bass thumping, body bumping tunes that started with the first song. We started the dance-a-thon-thon off swaying, carried it through with some swinging, some stomping, and ended it with some singing….for our beloved Jenn B who is bodacious and beautiful might I add. Yep, it will soon be her birthday, but she will not age..for she has Dance Dance Party Party to keep her young. That being said, DDPP would not be what it is without our amazingly talented DJ’s that put in their blood sweat and tears to make our feet and legs…and our sexy womanly thighs move to their fantabulous mixes. DJ Dizzaster did not disappoint. In fact, I wish I had dizzaster on my hands every day. Something to keep me going, challenge my body, and make me feel sensational…all in the company of some outstanding individuals. There’s a rare kind of companionship only found at DDPP. I felt it today. Thanks DJ Dizz. You da bomb..and I love your striped socks. Without further ado, snap crackle & pop to this mix below.

Fresh off a plane from Maui, Kiki Bizzo wasn’t tired of traveling. Oh no! She was primed and pumped (complete with pretty blue flower in hair!) to take on the role of DDPP tour guide…back…in… time. She whisked us away through her tune-age back to our hangin’ out with the ladies by the lockers days with LA gear sneakers and side ponies and slap bracelets galore.

This mix was so effective at this time jump that I had the wildest dreams/flashbacks last night of Mr. Beaver’s (no joke - that was his name) science class and performing a D.A.R.E. rap in spandex in front of my 5th grade class. (trauma time). But god damn! We loved it! She showed us how to develop and maintain our own prerogative and - how to have faith! Faith in our awkward years and how far we’ve come along since then (or not - in my case)! And above all - the lady made us S.W.E.A.T.! I haven’t been that winded in yonks! Sweet ass mix Bizzo! Good to have you back!