A History of Lindy Hop
Lindy Hop was danced predominantly by Black dancers starting in the 1920s. Many of them lived in Harlem (New York), where there were dance clubs such as the Savoy and Alhambra ballrooms. Lindy Hop emerged as a defiant, joyous response to financial hardship caused by the Great Depression, harsh living conditions, and systemic racism. The dance evolved out of several forms of social dance that preceded it, such as the Cakewalk, the Breakaway, and partnered Charleston. A uniquely American dance, Lindy Hop brought together the African traditions of social and circle dance and European partnered ballroom dancing (Read More…)
The African-American origins of Jazz dance (English subtitles):
Les origines du Lindy HopVous aussi vous aimez le Lindy Hop, et comme nous, vous pensez que c’est plus qu’une danse ? Alors suivez notre professeur Guillaume et plongez dans la préhistoire du Lindy Hop ! 😀 Le Lindy est un mélange de plusieurs danses, mais quelles sont ces danses ? et d’où viennent-elles ? Ci-dessous quelques sites qui ont servi de point de départ aux recherches de Guillaume, et qui regorgent d’informations sur l’histoire du Lindy Hop : http://www.yehoodi.com/ http://www.lindycircle.com/ https://swungover.wordpress.com/ https://www.streetswing.com/
Posted by Jazzy Feet on Monday, May 18, 2020
Expanded information:
The Birth of Lindy Hop:
https://swungover.wordpress.com/2013/10/02/swing-history-101-the-birth-of-lindy-hop-early-1900s-1929/
Questions we must ask ourselves and work we must do as
participants in this African-American artform:
https://www.frankiemanningfoundation.org/questions/
http://www.laurachieko.com/our-responsibilities-as-swing-and-blues-leaders/
https://obsidiantea.com/2019/06/29/how-to-add-diversity-to-your-community/
Related topics (historical and current):
Systemic racism:
Brief introduction to systemic racism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrHIQIO_bdQ
TED talk on root of racial injustice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aCn72iXO9s
Appropriation of Lindy Hop:
Academic paper on Lindy Hop becoming white: https://www.academia.edu/25841172/Swingin_Out_White_How_the_Lindy_Hop_Became_White
TED Talk: The dangers of whitewashing black history: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bb04xj7LS34
The black experience in Lindy
Hop/Blues dancing:
https://elliekoepplinger.wordpress.com/2018/01/17/why-i-stopped-blues-dancing/
Discussions about
inclusivity in regards to race and culture (Beantown 2019):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQ2IZqwu9FM
Other good reads:
On good but short lived and ineffective intentions: https://www.phillymag.com/news/2020/06/08/white-people-anti-racism/
What to do when you
are wrong: https://obsidiantea.com/2019/07/17/called-out-now-what/
On Black anger and
expecting politeness: https://obsidiantea.com/2020/06/10/why-white-americans-expect-black-kindness/