Red Bull Dance Your Style Took Over L.A. with a Block Party Like No Other
Without pre-planned choreography or music, spectators decide who dominates the dance floor by holding up red or blue signs to support their favorite performer. Of the 16 dancers at the qualifier, only Mosi, Koncept, ShortSircuit and Taktic will proceed to the next round in Salt Lake City.Xavier Misbehavior stood out among the competing dancers. He relocated from Philadelphia just a year ago. Though this marked his first Red Bull Dance competition, not even a broken hand prevented him from participating. He wore bandages on his right hand during our conversation."I haven't danced in like two months because I've been injured. But today I just want to enjoy the love of movement and the love of my culture," he says.While he's participated in dance battles in Philadelphia previously, nothing compared to this scale. "This is probably some of the highest stakes in the U.S. when it comes to street dance culture, because the platform is so large and there's so many opportunities to go across the world and be seen in mainstream media."Beyond the dance competitions, the event functioned as a community gathering with vendors, families, friends, and children dancing to music throughout the venue. On an unexpectedly sunny winter day in Los Angeles, Red Bull kept attendees refreshed by distributing free cans."Being able to be here with so many Black and Brown women—seeing what they got on, seeing the swag, seeing how they walk, how they talk, it's amazing—it's very Black culture," says Teebus James, 30, who attended with her friend Ayedonnie, 32.Given street dance's cultural significance, it makes sense that the Red Bull dance competition would visit L.A. twice during the 2025 season. The city stands as a crossroads of culture, creativity, and diversity."L.A., the West Coast, is home to a lot of bass styles. So, like Boogaloo, Stratton, a lot of popping elements were born in L.A. on the West Coast," says Misbehavior. "You can really feel a difference in the way that West Coast natives approach the swag, approach the pocket and approach the attitude of the style."With its influence on global street dance, Red Bull Dance Your Style's return to Los Angeles for the U.S. World Final at the Intuit Dome on October 11 confirms the city's status as a cultural landmark. The 2025 USA season will feature qualifier events nationwide leading to the U.S. National Final in San Francisco on August 23, hosted by 2025 Super Bowl halftime choreographer Charm La Donna.
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Eater
23 minutes ago
- Eater
Skip the Club. Hit the Coffee Shop.
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On Sunday, August 3, there's not even going to be coffee for sale. Starting at 9 a.m., two primo DJs will take turns spinning vinyl while free coffee is passed out to guests. It's the pop-up's first birthday, and the two just want everyone to dance. In summation: Coffee shops are as see-and-be-seen as clubs this summer 2025. For a lot of reasons, coffee parties are on the rise, spawning their own Reddit questions for transplants eager to get into the fray: A generational shift away from getting wasted, a rise in the quality of nonalcoholic beverages runs right against that spike on the cardiogram. The wealth accumulation amongst the top one and two percent of the United States means that while the S&P just saw a record high in July 2025, per the Washington Post, a lot of people feel poorer than ever. And in many ways, they are. Hence, paying cover charges and ordering Ubers all night stings a bit more than getting the same caffeine fix you'd already get — plus there's dancing. The Mellow Joe Maloof The Mellow Joe Maloof The Mellow, a plant shop that takes turns as a barber and a cafe depending on the outpost, saw its Haight Street spot go viral in spring 2025. Hundreds of guests danced the day away amongst houseplants; almost 600 people RSVPd. Co-owner David Velasco was a barista at Duboce Park Cafe trained by Blue Bottle in a past life. He and partner Lorena Velsaco's coffee bar has become a regular spot for tourists and locals alike, though it's currently closed under renovation until mid-August. When the shop returns, there'll be seating for the first time and expanded pastry offerings. Plus, more parties, including a kick-off with DJ collective Sazon Libre. Lorena Velasco says when they were building out that shop, before there was a coffee bar, local DJs, including Wonway Posibul, played music. The Mellow hosts live music at night, too. It was a natural fit for private groups and shows, such as those put on by Black artist-centered Silk, and the Mellow pays musicians and DJs competitive rates rather than with exposure alone. 'If you left to get a breath of air, you had to get back in line to get in,' she remembers of those viral parties. 'It's very much people wanting to gather during the day, and not always around alcohol. A cocktail can be like $15 for one.' Hi NRG itself is not a proper coffee party, outside of that upcoming event. The energy, though, reflects the trend's logical endpoint: a shifting cafe culture. Minimal third-wave spaces are barely interesting to tried-and-true coffee pros themselves at this point. Gonzalez and Kruse are both musicians, the former a DJ who takes over fancy restaurants like Verjus and Mister Jiu's Moongate Lounge with city wave noise and the latter a pianist and singer. Hi-NRG is the name of an uptempo subset of techno music, the pop-up's namesake. Both of them say going out has changed since the pandemic, and Hi NRG collides with San Francisco's infamous queue and events cultures, teeing up this buzzy storm. 'It's always been about the coffee being competition level,' Gonzales says of Hi NRG, 'while having the best music possible.' Emerald Lounge Tony Abarello On Van Ness Avenue, newer player Emerald Lounge linked with Middle Eastern rooftop party Baladi for a daytime fiesta. That group also connected with El Coffee Party for a big event featuring Edward Khoury, a wildly popular Canadian and Lebanese DJ. The multiple parties take over the spacious floor inside the former movie theater, about 450 people total showing up by the end of it. Dubai chocolates and Arabic beats brought dozens of guests in the first weekend of July. The events with Baladi and Coffee Party came together from a local reaching out to Emerald Lounge owner Rebecca Fox through Instagram. She says she feels these DJ dance parties — the one at Emerald Lounge full of young professionals chatting about their hobbies and politics — are terrific. For her, it's always great to have social events at coffee houses, or sober gathering spaces. Moreover, she sees it as a harkening to coffee's origins — brewing coffee, bringing folks together, and letting the heady energy bubble over. As a cafe owner, she feels it's really on her and other owners to host these positive community events; there'll be a big Halloween-themed fiesta in October. There are coffee parties geared toward specific groups, too. Avotoasty, a cafe with two San Francisco locations and an Oakland spot, is hosting She's On Fire, an all-women dance party, at the end of July. In that same vein, Chai and Vibes puts South Asian drinks alongside cars this August, thrown by culture group Harakat in Oakland. Side A's morning time service with Coffee Movement is, basically, a DJ bar with espresso. It's caffeine's club, you're just a guest. 'Party in the morning,' Kruse says. The party at Emerald Lounge's first coffee party. Tony Abello Eater SF All your essential food and restaurant intel delivered to you Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Tom's Guide
23 minutes ago
- Tom's Guide
I didn't like Ari Aster's black comedy starring Pedro Pascal and Joaquin Phoenix — but not for the reasons most people are hating it
Ari Aster's "Eddington" has been making noise at film festivals for a while now, but it only came out in U.S. theaters this past weekend. So on opening night, I headed to my local theater to watch Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal face off in this dark comedy set in the early days of COVID-19. Fast forward two and a half hours and I walked out of my theater deeply disappointed. That's not a unique reaction to seeing this movie. "Eddington" is currently at 67% "fresh" according to critics on Rotten Tomatoes and 64% "hot" by audiences. People are either loving this movie, or they're hating it, and there are plenty of people on both sides of the divide. HBO Max gives you tons of hit shows and movies, from HBO Originals to A24 movies and more. Ironically, that's pretty fitting given the subject matter of Ari Aster's modern Western. The film's main purpose is to hold up a mirror to the divisiveness of America that kicked into high gear in 2020 and is still pervasive today. If it had held to that purpose, I'd probably be writing a different, more positive review. Here's a bit more about what "Eddington" is about and why I'd wait until it hits HBO Max to watch it. "Eddington" is set in a New Mexico town of the same name, during May 2020, as COVID-19 makes its way through the U.S. It stars Joaquin Phoenix as Joe Cross, the sheriff for Sevilla County, where Eddington resides, and Pedro Pascal as Ted Garcia, the mayor of the small town of a couple thousand people. At this point, the pandemic has already set everyone on edge, with some, like Joe, thinking that too many freedoms are being rescinded and others, like Ted, thinking that it's what is required for the town to survive. But that's not the only force at work here. Joe is friendly towards conspiracy theories, and both his wife (Emma Stone) and his mother-in-law (Diedre O'Connell) fully go down the rabbit hole. Meanwhile, Ted is trying to get an AI data center built to bring money to Eddington, but it's unclear how much of that money might make it his way directly. These factors all combine to convince Joe he needs to run against Ted in the upcoming mayoral race, and he deputizes his deputy sheriffs (Luke Grimes, Micheal Ward) to help him take down Ted. But those plans get thrown into chaos once the Black Lives Matter protests following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, begin in Eddington. After reading that synopsis, you could see why people might take issue with this movie. COVID-19, political polarization, conspiracy theories — these are all subjects ripe for pissing off just about anyone. But I felt Ari Aster did a masterful job holding up a mirror to the way we were — and still are. I don't think any particular group of people comes off looking good in this movie, and that's intentional. Nor does anyone come off as wholly evil and irredeemable until the third act of the movie (more on that later). You'd go into the movie expecting the liberal Ted to be the good guy, but he's clearly flawed. He's politically ambitious, has some skeletons in his closet, and is possibly in the pocket of a big tech company. He also spouts COVID-19 information more than once in an effort to highlight how serious the disease is, and despite his liberal facade, would love to see the local homeless man, Lodge (Clifton Collins Jr.), locked up and off the streets. You'd also expect right-wing Joe to be the bad guy, but it's clear that he's got some good intentions in his heart. He buys groceries for a man who wasn't allowed to shop without a mask, and when the Sheriff's office learns the news about George Floyd, his first reaction is to ask his Black sergeant, Michael, if he's doing okay after seeing something so traumatic. Then there are the townspeople, and they're just as flawed. This movie really shines as a black comedy when it focuses on the high school students in the community, who organize the protests in Eddington and don't really know the substance of the chants and ideology they're spouting. It's genuinely hilarious, and had me and the rest of the theater laughing out loud. For most people, this is why they hate "Eddington." They either don't want to revisit the traumatic time that was 2020 yet, or they're pissed that the liberals in the movie are portrayed in a bad light. But for me, this is what worked about the movie. What didn't work was the tonal shift the movie takes in the third act. I don't want to spoil what happens, in case you decide to see this movie. But in the final third of "Eddington," things take a turn from a black comedy/modern Western to a shocking horror movie. Granted, that's a type of movie Ari Aster typically excels at ("Hereditary" as a prime example), and if "Eddington" had been a horror movie from the start, then perhaps it would have worked. But the shift is so jarring when it happens, and by the time I walked out of the theater, the same people who were once laughing were talking about how much they didn't like the movie. I wouldn't go as far as the person I overheard calling it the "worst movie they've ever seen," but I was definitely checking my watch by the end to see how much longer I'd need to sit through the movie. So I can't recommend you sit in a theater for two hours and 28 minutes to watch this story play out, especially since it's probably about 28 minutes too long in the first place. If you want to watch "Eddington," wait for it to hit HBO Max in the coming months and stream it then. Malcolm has been with Tom's Guide since 2022, and has been covering the latest in streaming shows and movies since 2023. He's not one to shy away from a hot take, including that "John Wick" is one of the four greatest films ever made. Here's what he's been watching lately: Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.
Miami Herald
2 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Kappa Kappa Psi Welcomes ‘Drumline' Star as Honorary Member
Drumline actor Jason Weaver just hit a high note-literally and symbolically. The star, known for playing Ernest in the iconic HBCU marching band film, has officially been inducted as an honorary member of Kappa Kappa Psi (???), the National Honorary Band Fraternity. Weaver's big moment came during the organization's National Convention in Lexington, Kentucky, and he couldn't be more proud. On Instagram, he called it a "perfect full-circle moment," adding that it's been 25 years in the making since he first wore those letters on-screen. "I just want to publicly express that it is TRULY an honor to be a member who will proudly represent this prestigious fraternity," he wrote. In Drumline, Weaver's character, Ernest, was a loyal bandmate and brother who joined Kappa Kappa Psi at the film's end. That moment-etched into the memories of HBCU fans-has now become real life. Founded in 1919, Kappa Kappa Psi promotes leadership, service, and musicianship among college band members. The fraternity holds deep meaning in the HBCU community, where marching bands are more than halftime entertainment-they're tradition, pride, and family. Weaver thanked Dr. Donald Lee of South Carolina State University for helping make the honor a reality and gave his new fraternity brothers a heartfelt shout-out. "I'm so thankful, appreciative and HONORED to call you all my brothers," he wrote. "I'll definitely see all of you at other national conventions in the near future!" More than just a celebrity moment, Weaver's induction reflects the powerful impact Drumline had on elevating the culture of HBCU bands in the mainstream. His portrayal of Ernest wasn't just a role but a celebration of loyalty, rhythm, and Black excellence. Even more special? The honor came on Weaver's birthday, making the moment that much more meaningful. "I'm bringing in my birthday this year on a very high note," he shared. "This moment has been 25 years in the making… but it was well worth the wait." From the screen to real life, Jason Weaver's journey is a salute to brotherhood, legacy, and the heartbeat of HBCU culture. The post Kappa Kappa Psi Welcomes 'Drumline' Star as Honorary Member appeared first on HBCU Gameday. Copyright HBCU Gameday 2012-2025
