I took Swing lessons in Vancouver. They made it very clear it was a black American art form and from the very beginning gave shout outs to people like Frankie Manning. 😀
Man, the fact that you say I deserve props for giving someone else credit for doing all the work... that really says something about what Black culture goes through on the regular.
You can add country music, Jazz, swing, Hip hop, blues, grunge, etc to the list created by Black Americans. It's refreshing to see an honest white person tho so thanks for that.
Laura, I am so touched by your articulate and creative way of sharing important information besides the dancing! Such a joy to witness this development and how the community continues to grow and embrace diversity and honor the 'elders'. (And to witness how you have grown!)
It does! When they do the claps from the Big Apple, I cry. It's so powerful to be connected to those dancers and those people and that time -- all through that rhythm. So many different people in the world have clapped out that rhythm.
A well known Lindy Hopper from the Harlem Hotshots in Sweden told us about what happened when he taught in the US. He believes we should learn the history behind the dance especially the oppression that occurred during the formative years of Lindy Hop. However when he began talking about it at a festival in the US, the organisers pulled him aside and told him he shouldn't talk about the history since 'it's a sensitive topic whites shouldn't talk about and it would discourage people from dancing Lindy Hop'. We shouldn't throw history under the rug like the organisers did.
Yeah, racism and the history of Lindy Hop have been sensitive topics ever since I started dancing in 2001. Depending on who the person is, they may really value the knowledge or really fear the damage talking about it might do for the morale the predominantly white community dancing it. I definitely think that being educated about the racism the Black community faced while they were inventing Lindy Hop and Jazz is important -- not only for a more complete and honest picture of this gorgeous dance, but also for how it ties into the inequality that is STILL pervasive in the dance and in society at large.
This is 100% real. SO many organizers in the united states don't want to engage with even asking question or talking about racism on this ground and it makes the issues so much worse because of it. The sad thing is though is black people don't even feel comfortable in the community about their own dance :(.
Some of it is because organizers/people are sensitive about 'white' dancers talking about the racism and history. Can both and more occur? Conversation, acknowledgment of past, and enjoyment and evolution of the dance past 'race' or nationality, as human improvisational expression. Dawn Hampton used to encourage that in all, towards world peace!
@@LauraGlaess Lindy Hop was born out of a culture of oppression and racism. Both the music and the dance served as expressions of defiance against the hardships Black people faced and continue to face
Thank you for laying this out. I don't understand why anyone finds this controversial at this point. It is simply history, and acknowledging and honoring it is part of "giving back" and living a truthful life. I had the good fortune to meet and learn from Frankie Manning and Norma Miller, and I am grateful.
Wow, great video! Thank you for taking your time to prepare this and help spread the history. I'm a Brazilian swing dance teacher and I work as a translator. I'd love to make portuguese subtitles for this video to make it more accesible to people in my community. Let me know if that is something you'd be interested in!
Holding my French presentation about Lindy Hop this year. I love the dance but the history and the development of Lindy Hop is just so fascinating and eye opening. The fact that they performed in the Clubs but weren't allowed to join the dances as participants. Absolutely twisted and it still makes me so angry... Greetings from a young dancer, Lindy Hopper and nerd from Germany :)
I mean, so many things are infuriating. The experiences of the dancers isn't as well documented, but if you read just about any biography of a black musician from era... the quantity of cruel stories (including murders) is really mind blowing.
It’s no coincidence that when you think of swing dancing you think of white teenagers. Yes. I was at a dance maybe 2? Years ago (I’m in SoCal). One guy I danced with told me he was learning Bc the high school dance was coming up and they (his high school) didn’t want the kids “popping & locking” so they taught them swing. I wish I had been able to respond appropriately but I was a bit shocked. We know that the white washing of swing is the exact reason why it’s seen as “acceptable” or more modest compared to other Black dances. I’d love to see this uploaded as an igtv video if possible to be able to share it from there! ❤️
Wow - didn't want the kids "popping & locking." That's... really racist... And really ignorant. I'm sure the kid had no idea what he was saying, but, jeez, the adults. IGTV - I'm a grandma and didn't know that was a thing, but now that you've told me, I'll do that!
Why you only think of swing dancing you think of white teenagers? .When in fact it came from black teenagers in Harlem in 1920s .Have you forgotten that?Or do you think it was just white teenagers ?
Hope you read this. My Dad (who is black American) grew up in Harlem and danced in the Savoy dance hall doing Lindy Hop. I saw him dance at times when I was young and boy was he smooth. He always told me that black people called what we call swing Lindy Hop and it was a black dance. I asked him how he learned to dance he said he never remembered not being able to Lindy Hop. Everybody in the neighborhood did it in apartments, on the streets, little kids all the time. At one point I tried to learn Lindy Hop he asked me how do you look when you are dancing. I said we know the moves but look goofy. He said that ain’t Lindy Hop. It’s all about looking cool. If you see a guy doing a move and you might steal it but you better look cool or it ain’t Lindy Hop. By the way he didn’t like Hellzapoppin because he said nobody danced like that in the ballroom. It wasn’t considered “down” it was just some show thing for whites but didn’t make blacks look good..kind of like a minstrel show. (I’m not saying they weren’t good but that’s how my father and his crowd saw it.) Anyway wish you could have seen him dance because I’ve seen a lot of people dance but few as slick as that. Keep up the good work.
Well, hopefully it makes some amount of difference. Minimally, I hope it raises some awareness to white dancers like me who don't always know the history.
Very well said, Laura! (Speaking as a white person who grew up in the southern U.S. in the '50s and '60s.) It was only many decades later that I discovered Lindy Hop, where I now live in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Fortunately the swing dance community here is very attuned to and respectful of the true African-American origins of the dance. Thanks for your great videos!
You go to understand the South was so harsh with Jim Crow that Southerners brought their talents from the South and carried them to your Harlem’s, Chicago, Detroit’s, and other black hub that wasn’t in the South.. So a lot of Black cultural elements started in the south but flourish in northern cities..
Yes, the Great Migration happened because Black people were escaping the cruelty of the south. However, I think it's important to know that the north wasn't free of racism. They had segregation, red lining, and all sorts of other forms of oppression that still impact the culture to this day. Likewise, a lot of prominent jazz musicians at that time moved to Europe to escape the racism of the north. Europe had less overt racism, but it was still, sadly, present and influential. It's important to look honestly at the past and to keep working!
Girlllll, not only is this super interesting and super informative, it is also done in a very well presented form. Also kudos on the ego bit, we are all ego creatures, and we should all keep it in check for a better humanity loved every bit keep it going
I think if you’re going to participate in black traditions, you need to stand up when you see injustices. Don’t participate in black culture if you don’t want to stand up for black people.
Black people NEED to make this video go viral in the black community. This is THE black american dance and they have forgotten it and thrown it aside and let white folks take it over. Yet do not hate the white folks for that, because without them this dance will have been completely lost and forgotten. Talk to the old swing teachers about the history of the lindy revival, they all know where it came from and they all have reverence to the black creators of the dance. This dance is the perfect way for everyone to get together and be peaceful and have fun. However, I have to say that black people need to reclaim this heritage and make it theirs again. More than anything, this bothers me about swing dancing. When you are in NYC and you go to events, you see the all black membership of the Harlem swing dance society pleading with young black onlookers to learn swing. I wish they would be given the world's stage and get the young black community back into this. Watch Hellzapoppin and tell me you can't make that a tiktok challenge or some other viral event for the black community.
I'm not educated enough to say that the black community threw Lindy Hop aside. There were so many different factors: the war, the music changed, and I'm sure continually watching less talented white musicians get more accolades had to be difficult. They have made so much mind-blowing art since the 1940s that is more obviously associated with blackness. I agree, it would be wonderful if we had SO MANY more POC in the scene. It would definitely enrich the dance community and the dance itself.
There's a myth told in "Lindy Hop" swing culture today that swing was abandoned by black culture until it was rediscovered by white dancers. But while most of the world moved on from swing, it continued in Washington DC as Hand Dancing. It evolved some, but is still clearly recognizable as a swing dance. It's neglected in almost all histories and ontologies of swing dance, and is the only swing dance I know that is still primarily danced by almost entirely black dancers. You can read a brief history of the dance on the Wikipedia page: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hand_dancing or watch this documentary on the dance: ua-cam.com/video/VtEBmJ5_u0Q/v-deo.html
True! And from what I understand, POC continued to dance Lindy Hop by that name in Harlem, and there's still a thriving Lindy Hop community that is separate from the international circuit that many Lindy Hoppers are familiar with today.
Well, the thing about that is black people have forgotten a lot of their music. One of the reasons why is because for a lot of young black guys, they like hip-hop. They don't listen to the blues. somebody asked me a long time ago why is it that white people like Blues more than black people. And why black people don't like the blues anymore. I think for a lot of black guys is, it's too slow, it's old music, it is our great granddaddy or our grandaddy's music. We don't listen to early R&B music or rock and roll either. That's our Granddaddy's music. Black people go off and do other things relatively quickly LOL but I understand exactly what you are saying. White people definitely like Our OLD stuff... And that's okay, I try to tell a lot of black people not to get upset if you see white people loving old black music and dance, because you do see a lot of Lindy Hop competitions on UA-cam, and most of the competitors are white performers, A lot of international white people from European countries and elsewhere, that is how International it is. And that's a good thing.... white people love Black Culture, They love the blues, They love jazz, They love Lindy Hop and the Charleston. They absolutely love this stuff. ( IT IS US ) we black people, who have left it.
Thank you so much for this, Laura. Really. I wish I was still teaching Lindy to spread this video around (will do it nonetheless, but you get it). I always tried to tell (at least part of) the story and make my students aware of the legacy, but you’ve put it beautifully and far more synthesised than me ;) It hits deeper and far beyond “just” Lindy. If you’re up to pointing out some good video resources, I’d be so grateful. And creating this dedicated content is so helpful... I hope that as such a great communicator and revered dancer you’ll add more of your own stuff about this subject to your playlist. ❤️
Yeah, Lindy Hop has SO much history in it. And so much of it is beautiful, but so much of it is sad. It can be overwhelming to choose what to talk about in class, but it's such a worthwhile endeavor! I'm glad you always tried to do it. Me too :)
theclassicjournal.uga.edu/index.php/2016/11/04/complex-ramifications-musical-short-films-of-the-1930s-1940s-african-american-jazz-musicians/ This source only mentions the removal of black acts from feature films, but also goes into a lot of interesting stuff about how feature length and short films predominantly sought Black performers who were already familiar to white audiences, and how Black performers who conformed to White stereotypes of Blacks got more work and were subsequently more successful in film.
www.yehoodi.com/blog/2018/7/23/seven-things-you-should-know-about-hellzapoppin This link from Yehoodi also mentions the practice of cutting black performers out of movies, but doesn't go into extra detail. It does, however, have some great facts about the dance sequence from Hellzapoppin'
Thank you so very much for this video! It would be cool to put subtitles for other languages, so we can share it worldwide for people who are not very good in English. If you like I can help.
Yes, I'm VERY interested in making it more accessible. I'm currently working with a few people for Portuguese, Spanish, and Russian translations. Feel free to hit me up on facebook to talk about this more: facebook.com/laura.glaess
I once found a meme that was almost like: ----------------------- LINDY HOP -------------------------- - helping white people dancing since 19xx - ... and I thought: «Hey, they're talking about me!» Indeed, it made me chuckle since I've NEVER been able to dance without feeling awkward (and I still do when I try solo jazz btw), until I started with Lindy Hop.
Ha - You're not the only one with solo jazz, for sure. That stuff makes me feel so naked! But yeah, Lindy Hop is amazing. Want everyone to feel welcome to dance it, but I also want everyone to be educated about how it came to them.
Nothing I didn't know - but I'm crying. Well said. On another note.. At 6:40 you say Frankie said "I'm flying, like Lindy did". In multiple places I've read that George Snowden said "We're flying, just like Lindy did" to a reporter, and that was the origin of the name lindy hop. On the other hand, I also read there was an ad for lindy hop dance lessons in 1927 (after Lindbergh flew) (no details about the ad - no photo of the ad). While I know the reporter asked George, not Frankie (who I don't think was at the Savoy yet in 1928), do you know if the quote was a Frankie quote that got attributed backwards to George? Jo Jones - I knew the name, but little else. I just looked him up - currently LOVING "Drum Suite: Oscalypso" (with Art Blakey). I'll challenge some students with it. Might be the music for my next performance. Thanks
Oooo - I need to look up Drum Suite. I don't know that one. Yes, you are right - the reporter asked Shorty and not Frankie. I'm sure in this video I either wasn't clear or outright misspoke, though I know Frankie wanted to look like he was flying while he danced (why he got down low, where as Shorty had a more upright posture). Honestly, I didn't do my due diligence in the research department in this video. It was one of those things where you hear the same story for so long that you forget that you haven't verified it, and then you push that story along like it's fact. I've considered taking it down for this reason, but I think that the overall message is very important, and I want that to remain. Lindy Hop is a Black art form. It's important that everyone knows that
No, I never think of white teenagers in the 50's. I think of soul train! And then back to the 20's, 30's and 40's. yes, lindy hop was from black music and dance culture, and "most people" do know that!
That's great that you knew! Certainly when I and people I know came into dancing we did not have the correct conception of the origins of Lindy Hop. I'm glad you've had a different life experience that exposed you to the truth more rapidly than it did me.
I didn’t know, so this vid is appreciated nor do many people I know. Lol not sure why you are responding defensively about what “most people” know or didn’t know. If it doesn’t apply to you let it fly. Simple.
This is wonderful. What you have to say is so important and you say it so well! How ironic it is that this dance is named after a horrible racist who believed in eugenics and Hitler. Thank you for this!
It's also worth listening to the talk given by Christi Jay Wells a couple of weeks ago ("Thriving In Crisis: The Chick Webb Orchestra and the Great Depression")
@@LauraGlaess Yes it finally seems as they are getting some credit - all of which they deserve thanks to people like you. I don't know if you or any of your followers have seen Dreamgirls, but it's a classic example of how Black music was 'whitewashed' so it would appeal to white audiences of the 50's and 60's. In case no one is familiar with it, it was a knock 'em dead Broadway musical about a fictionalized Black female singing group based on the Supremes. Too late to see it on Broadway but you can still see the movie version with an absolutely AMAZING cast. It's obviously a work of fiction but it will give you some idea on how white America often took credit for black creativity.
Très bon commentaire...(Très jolie commentatrice). Ceci explique cela...les pays qui se sont enrichis avec le commerce d'êtres humains (esclaves), ce sont tous sans exception ,comportés sans la moindre élégance ...et le terme est faible.(à l'instar des successifs gouvernements français...jusqu'à aujourd'hui encore ) "Joseph Bologne de Saint Georges" plus connu sous le nom du "Chevalier de Saint Georges" était un homme noir, né sur l'île de la Guadeloupe, aux Caraïbes française en l'an 1745. Il à été totalement oublié des livres d'histoire, et pourtant, son curriculum vitae est plutôt conséquent ...Musicien, créateur de plusieurs opéras , Professeur de musique et de chant, professeur de danse, maître d'armes, maître équestre et accessoirement...ami de la reine Marie-Antoinette.
Oh, I didn't mean for it to come across like that. I was just talking about life in general -- beyond dance. Sometimes people do racist / offensive stuff without intention or knowledge. Definitely still happens to me (and probably will forever). I'm so grateful to the people who are brave enough to come up to me and let me know that I have hurt them in some way. It helps me learn and become a better person. And I have to make sure I receive their feedback in a way that isn't a horrible experience for them -- or why would they ever tell me anything helpful again? Does that make sense?
Africans have blessed Western civilization with their cultural influence. Jazz, blues, rock n roll, metal, funk, dj, hiphop, ska, reggae, capoeira, merenga, salsa, cumbias, tango, swing, etc. The list goes one.
Africans had ZERO to do with our culture as Black Americans. Remember we lost our "African culture" well before these genres were invented.... TRY AGAIN
@@LauraGlaess Don't listen to this goofball. Africans are not the same as FOUNDATIONAL BLACK AMERICANS we delineate from them and we are our own group.
Golden rule: treat people as individuals and don't make assumptions about people based on skin colour or whatever attribute seems to make them part of a group. Acknowledge history and learn from it, but also acknowledge that no one group of people is evil or good. Avoid identity politics at all costs. Be positive and share things that bring us together.
Thats funny because in the Black community we know swing dance is black American culture. To be honest i never knew people thought is was a white dance lol.
It is shocking how many people think it's a white dance. Like, truly sad. And I think this knowledge gap is what makes some modern swing dancing so wholesome and cheesy sometimes.
They think of yt ppl because they always stole Black ppl's stuff and tried to call it their own. Black people were hated yet emulated. Hate themnbut take their stuff and still dont do it like them. Its incredible. Truly sad
Huh ? Hmmm? Well ok as long you tell the truth that the Lindy Hop, also known as Jitterbugging, originated in the African American communities of Harlem, New York during the late 1920s. It is a dance that is deeply rooted in Black culture and history.So we will give you a pass.Good job.
Edit: Dear Laura, this message isn't referring to your video but I would like to take the chance to share my tought about what I've realized in the Lindy Hop community: Isn't Lindy Hop and others dances related to swing dancing just an (U S.) - American dance? And not an AFRICAN-AMERICAN dance? It was considered as an American dance that happend to be developed mostly by black Americans who lived in the United States for over 400 years? Even Franky Manning and Co. never mentioned this as an African American dance. Black Americans are also Americans. What I obeseve in the Lindy Hop dancing classes is an awkwardly stereotyping of black Americans and cultural approbation. I would like to ask all teachers and youtbers kindly to change this communication in classes and workshops. There all still students with dark skin complexion and US American heritage attending class and have to listen to this. Or did somebody asked a black American from the past how would they feel about if the rest of the (white) world getting tought in classes how Africans moved and danced etc while they were actually Americans all the time? Nobody wanted to hear this back in the days. They were massively discriminated because whites did exactly hate their "culture" what white lindy hop teaches trying to cherish awkwardly today. I understand that their sense of rnythim and beat is coming originally from African tribal dances, but I see brilliant white dancers too with the exact same rhythim. So I ask all of them to stop this kind of explanation and teaching culture in dancing schools. I don't know where else I should send this message.
@@user-th7pi9yp3d I'm not absolutely referring to this video, which is absolutely great by the way. I'm referring to the entire swing dance community. I'm sick of this cultural approbation and stereotyping. I'm half black by the way and attending dancing classes. Teachers singing Halleluja by referring to the "black rhythm" while learning lindy hop. So embarrassing.
No it's an African American dance. By calling it just an American dance, it erases the cultural heritage of a specific group of Americans. History matters and people's cultures matters and should be taught correctly.
Lindy Hop is a street dance that originated in New York. Dean Collins was a Savoy Ballroom dancer and he was white as. Norma Miller once said "there were a lot of white dancers at the Savoy and some of them were so good you wanted to hit them". The band that broke all attendance records at the Savoy Ballroom was Guy Lombardo and the Royal Canadians, an all-white "sweet" band. FYI.
I took Swing lessons in Vancouver. They made it very clear it was a black American art form and from the very beginning gave shout outs to people like Frankie Manning. 😀
Well, I’ll be damned. Someone who actually gets it.
She deserves props for this….
Man, the fact that you say I deserve props for giving someone else credit for doing all the work... that really says something about what Black culture goes through on the regular.
Q
You can add country music, Jazz, swing, Hip hop, blues, grunge, etc to the list created by Black Americans. It's refreshing to see an honest white person tho so thanks for that.
It is crazy how their talents touched everything. EVERYTHING! And they repeatedly turn terrible situations into gold.
Amazon job Laura ! Besides being an incredible dancer and teacher, you are using your voice in a very positive way. Thanks for doing this.
Laura, I am so touched by your articulate and creative way of sharing important information besides the dancing! Such a joy to witness this development and how the community continues to grow and embrace diversity and honor the 'elders'. (And to witness how you have grown!)
so skillfully shared, and so important laura, thank you!
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you! Tears n more tears for your allyship...truth, courage and light. 🙏🏽
Spike lee's film Malcom X features a good Lindy hop scene.
It does! When they do the claps from the Big Apple, I cry. It's so powerful to be connected to those dancers and those people and that time -- all through that rhythm. So many different people in the world have clapped out that rhythm.
My favorite lindy hop movie scene was in boy! what a girl.
Thank you for being so thoughtful and leading by example. People ask us what they already know, which is to be more like you. Have a great dance!
A well known Lindy Hopper from the Harlem Hotshots in Sweden told us about what happened when he taught in the US. He believes we should learn the history behind the dance especially the oppression that occurred during the formative years of Lindy Hop. However when he began talking about it at a festival in the US, the organisers pulled him aside and told him he shouldn't talk about the history since 'it's a sensitive topic whites shouldn't talk about and it would discourage people from dancing Lindy Hop'. We shouldn't throw history under the rug like the organisers did.
Yeah, racism and the history of Lindy Hop have been sensitive topics ever since I started dancing in 2001. Depending on who the person is, they may really value the knowledge or really fear the damage talking about it might do for the morale the predominantly white community dancing it. I definitely think that being educated about the racism the Black community faced while they were inventing Lindy Hop and Jazz is important -- not only for a more complete and honest picture of this gorgeous dance, but also for how it ties into the inequality that is STILL pervasive in the dance and in society at large.
This is 100% real. SO many organizers in the united states don't want to engage with even asking question or talking about racism on this ground and it makes the issues so much worse because of it. The sad thing is though is black people don't even feel comfortable in the community about their own dance :(.
Some of it is because organizers/people are sensitive about 'white' dancers talking about the racism and history. Can both and more occur? Conversation, acknowledgment of past, and enjoyment and evolution of the dance past 'race' or nationality, as human improvisational expression. Dawn Hampton used to encourage that in all, towards world peace!
@@LauraGlaess Lindy Hop was born out of a culture of oppression and racism. Both the music and the dance served as expressions of defiance against the hardships Black people faced and continue to face
Thank you for laying this out. I don't understand why anyone finds this controversial at this point. It is simply history, and acknowledging and honoring it is part of "giving back" and living a truthful life. I had the good fortune to meet and learn from Frankie Manning and Norma Miller, and I am grateful.
An amazing gift to have learned from them.
I’m very, very very glad to have watched your video. I’d love the people in my Lindy Hop group to watch this and listen to these facts…
Glad that this video showed up on my feed. You did an outstanding job giving an accurate historical perspective. Thank you!
Thank you so much. I tried. It's so important, and I really didn't want to screw it up.
This is why jazz lives on. Jazz is American classical music.
Thank you so much Laura. Thank you for creating content that is so needed right now.
Wow, great video! Thank you for taking your time to prepare this and help spread the history. I'm a Brazilian swing dance teacher and I work as a translator. I'd love to make portuguese subtitles for this video to make it more accesible to people in my community. Let me know if that is something you'd be interested in!
That would be amazing - I'm definitely interested. You can message me on facebook to work out specifics: facebook.com/laura.glaess
@@LauraGlaess Will do! :D
About time the history of Lindy was FINALLY acknowledged....
Awesome video! Very well put and inspiring. There is so much to learn!
Holding my French presentation about Lindy Hop this year. I love the dance but the history and the development of Lindy Hop is just so fascinating and eye opening. The fact that they performed in the Clubs but weren't allowed to join the dances as participants. Absolutely twisted and it still makes me so angry...
Greetings from a young dancer, Lindy Hopper and nerd from Germany :)
I mean, so many things are infuriating. The experiences of the dancers isn't as well documented, but if you read just about any biography of a black musician from era... the quantity of cruel stories (including murders) is really mind blowing.
Yes, every society has its dark history, doesn’t it, dancer from Germany?
It’s no coincidence that when you think of swing dancing you think of white teenagers. Yes. I was at a dance maybe 2? Years ago (I’m in SoCal). One guy I danced with told me he was learning Bc the high school dance was coming up and they (his high school) didn’t want the kids “popping & locking” so they taught them swing. I wish I had been able to respond appropriately but I was a bit shocked. We know that the white washing of swing is the exact reason why it’s seen as “acceptable” or more modest compared to other Black dances. I’d love to see this uploaded as an igtv video if possible to be able to share it from there! ❤️
Wow - didn't want the kids "popping & locking." That's... really racist... And really ignorant. I'm sure the kid had no idea what he was saying, but, jeez, the adults. IGTV - I'm a grandma and didn't know that was a thing, but now that you've told me, I'll do that!
@@LauraGlaess do it Laura! If this video reaches more social websites, it will be better!
Why you only think of swing dancing you think of white teenagers? .When in fact it came from black teenagers in Harlem in 1920s .Have you forgotten that?Or do you think it was just white teenagers ?
I LOVE MY CULTURE.......THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Your culture is gorgeous. I am in constant awe.
Hope you read this. My Dad (who is black American) grew up in Harlem and danced in the Savoy dance hall doing Lindy Hop. I saw him dance at times when I was young and boy was he smooth. He always told me that black people called what we call swing Lindy Hop and it was a black dance. I asked him how he learned to dance he said he never remembered not being able to Lindy Hop. Everybody in the neighborhood did it in apartments, on the streets, little kids all the time. At one point I tried to learn Lindy Hop he asked me how do you look when you are dancing. I said we know the moves but look goofy. He said that ain’t Lindy Hop. It’s all about looking cool. If you see a guy doing a move and you might steal it but you better look cool or it ain’t Lindy Hop. By the way he didn’t like Hellzapoppin because he said nobody danced like that in the ballroom. It wasn’t considered “down” it was just some show thing for whites but didn’t make blacks look good..kind of like a minstrel show. (I’m not saying they weren’t good but that’s how my father and his crowd saw it.) Anyway wish you could have seen him dance because I’ve seen a lot of people dance but few as slick as that. Keep up the good work.
thank you for doing this video Laura!
DAMN GOTTA GIVE YOU PROPS FOR YOUR CANDID HONESTY 🤗🤗🤗 YOUR RARE ADMITTING THESE FACTS KEEP UP THE TRUTH. And I justed subscribed 🤗🤗🤗
Well, hopefully it makes some amount of difference. Minimally, I hope it raises some awareness to white dancers like me who don't always know the history.
Thank you for creating this video, I definitely will share to bring awareness.
Very well said, Laura! (Speaking as a white person who grew up in the southern U.S. in the '50s and '60s.) It was only many decades later that I discovered Lindy Hop, where I now live in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Fortunately the swing dance community here is very attuned to and respectful of the true African-American origins of the dance. Thanks for your great videos!
You go to understand the South was so harsh with Jim Crow that Southerners brought their talents from the South and carried them to your Harlem’s, Chicago, Detroit’s, and other black hub that wasn’t in the South.. So a lot of Black cultural elements started in the south but flourish in northern cities..
Yes, the Great Migration happened because Black people were escaping the cruelty of the south. However, I think it's important to know that the north wasn't free of racism. They had segregation, red lining, and all sorts of other forms of oppression that still impact the culture to this day. Likewise, a lot of prominent jazz musicians at that time moved to Europe to escape the racism of the north. Europe had less overt racism, but it was still, sadly, present and influential. It's important to look honestly at the past and to keep working!
Thank u so much Laura for this video and share the story in this 'resumed' yet very clear way! Great work.
Fantastic video Laura! Thanks so much for putting this content together.
Thank you for your beautiful comments. You're a wonderful dancer and an even better human being.
That is very kind. This dance and its origins are very important.
Girlllll, not only is this super interesting and super informative, it is also done in a very well presented form. Also kudos on the ego bit, we are all ego creatures, and we should all keep it in check for a better humanity loved every bit keep it going
This means a lot. Thank you
I LOVE YOU GIRL ❤
Great video, Laura! I hope this video goes wide and far!
Thanks for your guidance. I really appreciate it.
I think if you’re going to participate in black traditions, you need to stand up when you see injustices. Don’t participate in black culture if you don’t want to stand up for black people.
Black people NEED to make this video go viral in the black community. This is THE black american dance and they have forgotten it and thrown it aside and let white folks take it over. Yet do not hate the white folks for that, because without them this dance will have been completely lost and forgotten. Talk to the old swing teachers about the history of the lindy revival, they all know where it came from and they all have reverence to the black creators of the dance. This dance is the perfect way for everyone to get together and be peaceful and have fun. However, I have to say that black people need to reclaim this heritage and make it theirs again. More than anything, this bothers me about swing dancing. When you are in NYC and you go to events, you see the all black membership of the Harlem swing dance society pleading with young black onlookers to learn swing. I wish they would be given the world's stage and get the young black community back into this. Watch Hellzapoppin and tell me you can't make that a tiktok challenge or some other viral event for the black community.
I'm not educated enough to say that the black community threw Lindy Hop aside. There were so many different factors: the war, the music changed, and I'm sure continually watching less talented white musicians get more accolades had to be difficult. They have made so much mind-blowing art since the 1940s that is more obviously associated with blackness.
I agree, it would be wonderful if we had SO MANY more POC in the scene. It would definitely enrich the dance community and the dance itself.
There's a myth told in "Lindy Hop" swing culture today that swing was abandoned by black culture until it was rediscovered by white dancers. But while most of the world moved on from swing, it continued in Washington DC as Hand Dancing. It evolved some, but is still clearly recognizable as a swing dance. It's neglected in almost all histories and ontologies of swing dance, and is the only swing dance I know that is still primarily danced by almost entirely black dancers.
You can read a brief history of the dance on the Wikipedia page: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hand_dancing or watch this documentary on the dance: ua-cam.com/video/VtEBmJ5_u0Q/v-deo.html
True! And from what I understand, POC continued to dance Lindy Hop by that name in Harlem, and there's still a thriving Lindy Hop community that is separate from the international circuit that many Lindy Hoppers are familiar with today.
Well, the thing about that is black people have forgotten a lot of their music.
One of the reasons why is because for a lot of young black guys, they like hip-hop.
They don't listen to the blues.
somebody asked me a long time ago
why is it that white people like Blues more than black people. And why black people don't like the blues anymore.
I think for a lot of black guys is,
it's too slow,
it's old music,
it is our great granddaddy or our grandaddy's music.
We don't listen to early R&B music or rock and roll either.
That's our Granddaddy's music. Black people go off and do other things relatively quickly LOL
but I understand exactly what you are saying.
White people definitely like Our OLD stuff...
And that's okay,
I try to tell a lot of black people not to get upset if you see white people loving old black music and dance,
because you do see a lot of Lindy Hop competitions on UA-cam, and most of the competitors are white performers,
A lot of international white people from European countries and elsewhere,
that is how International it is. And that's a good thing....
white people love Black Culture,
They love the blues,
They love jazz,
They love Lindy Hop and the Charleston.
They absolutely love this stuff.
( IT IS US )
we black people,
who have left it.
Thank you so much for this, Laura. Really. I wish I was still teaching Lindy to spread this video around (will do it nonetheless, but you get it).
I always tried to tell (at least part of) the story and make my students aware of the legacy, but you’ve put it beautifully and far more synthesised than me ;)
It hits deeper and far beyond “just” Lindy.
If you’re up to pointing out some good video resources, I’d be so grateful.
And creating this dedicated content is so helpful... I hope that as such a great communicator and revered dancer you’ll add more of your own stuff about this subject to your playlist. ❤️
Yeah, Lindy Hop has SO much history in it. And so much of it is beautiful, but so much of it is sad. It can be overwhelming to choose what to talk about in class, but it's such a worthwhile endeavor! I'm glad you always tried to do it. Me too :)
thank you for talking about black history!
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS VIDEO, SISTER!
👏🏾💜💜💜
This is so very much helpful and crucial for me to understand lindy hop, thanks a lot for your work!
Thanks Laura, for a very interesting and informative video 👍🏽
lovvvvv n lovvvvvv empowering, enriching , encouraging, educational ,n entertaining
And we came out with a lot more than that it's just swept under the rug
Truth.
I'm interested in reading more on the re-editing of films for the southern states. Do you have any sources you could point me towards?
theclassicjournal.uga.edu/index.php/2016/11/04/complex-ramifications-musical-short-films-of-the-1930s-1940s-african-american-jazz-musicians/
This source only mentions the removal of black acts from feature films, but also goes into a lot of interesting stuff about how feature length and short films predominantly sought Black performers who were already familiar to white audiences, and how Black performers who conformed to White stereotypes of Blacks got more work and were subsequently more successful in film.
www.yehoodi.com/blog/2018/7/23/seven-things-you-should-know-about-hellzapoppin
This link from Yehoodi also mentions the practice of cutting black performers out of movies, but doesn't go into extra detail. It does, however, have some great facts about the dance sequence from Hellzapoppin'
awesome video. thank you!!
Thank you Laura!!
Thank you so very much for this video! It would be cool to put subtitles for other languages, so we can share it worldwide for people who are not very good in English. If you like I can help.
Yes, I'm VERY interested in making it more accessible. I'm currently working with a few people for Portuguese, Spanish, and Russian translations. Feel free to hit me up on facebook to talk about this more: facebook.com/laura.glaess
I once found a meme that was almost like:
----------------------- LINDY HOP --------------------------
- helping white people dancing since 19xx -
... and I thought: «Hey, they're talking about me!»
Indeed, it made me chuckle since I've NEVER been able to dance without feeling awkward (and I still do when I try solo jazz btw), until I started with Lindy Hop.
Ha - You're not the only one with solo jazz, for sure. That stuff makes me feel so naked! But yeah, Lindy Hop is amazing. Want everyone to feel welcome to dance it, but I also want everyone to be educated about how it came to them.
For the record i already know black culture came out with that
Good! I'm glad you know! Spread the word :)
Thanks Laura for doing the good work!
Thank you Laura, great video!
Thank you for this
Thanks ! Truth must be told
Thanks Laura! I've shared this with all of my students
Thank you, Laura!
Thank you x
Wow well done thankyou
Hi laura really cool video keep itup. I feel your frustration of other white, a true soapbox moment. keep it goin!
Nothing I didn't know - but I'm crying. Well said.
On another note.. At 6:40 you say Frankie said "I'm flying, like Lindy did". In multiple places I've read that George Snowden said "We're flying, just like Lindy did" to a reporter, and that was the origin of the name lindy hop. On the other hand, I also read there was an ad for lindy hop dance lessons in 1927 (after Lindbergh flew) (no details about the ad - no photo of the ad). While I know the reporter asked George, not Frankie (who I don't think was at the Savoy yet in 1928), do you know if the quote was a Frankie quote that got attributed backwards to George?
Jo Jones - I knew the name, but little else. I just looked him up - currently LOVING "Drum Suite: Oscalypso" (with Art Blakey). I'll challenge some students with it. Might be the music for my next performance.
Thanks
Oooo - I need to look up Drum Suite. I don't know that one.
Yes, you are right - the reporter asked Shorty and not Frankie. I'm sure in this video I either wasn't clear or outright misspoke, though I know Frankie wanted to look like he was flying while he danced (why he got down low, where as Shorty had a more upright posture).
Honestly, I didn't do my due diligence in the research department in this video. It was one of those things where you hear the same story for so long that you forget that you haven't verified it, and then you push that story along like it's fact. I've considered taking it down for this reason, but I think that the overall message is very important, and I want that to remain. Lindy Hop is a Black art form. It's important that everyone knows that
@@LauraGlaess Yes - I LOVE this video. Thank you
No, I never think of white teenagers in the 50's. I think of soul train! And then back to the 20's, 30's and 40's. yes, lindy hop was from black music and dance culture, and "most people" do know that!
That's great that you knew! Certainly when I and people I know came into dancing we did not have the correct conception of the origins of Lindy Hop. I'm glad you've had a different life experience that exposed you to the truth more rapidly than it did me.
I didn’t know, so this vid is appreciated nor do many people I know. Lol not sure why you are responding defensively about what “most people” know or didn’t know. If it doesn’t apply to you let it fly. Simple.
My grandfather is Al Minns and these are all facts
Your grandfather was A LEGEND. He is one of the most graceful movers I have ever seen and I learn something every time I watch one of his videos.
@@LauraGlaess thank you I appreciate that.
@@youngdope3000 Honestly, I'm in awe the Al Minns's grandson watched my video. Totally humbled.
@@LauraGlaess ❤️
This is wonderful. What you have to say is so important and you say it so well! How ironic it is that this dance is named after a horrible racist who believed in eugenics and Hitler. Thank you for this!
Riiiiiight??? Jeez, history.
It's also worth listening to the talk given by Christi Jay Wells a couple of weeks ago ("Thriving In Crisis: The Chick Webb Orchestra and the Great Depression")
I'll definitely check that out. Thanks for the tip!
Looooove your videos 👏🥰
Thank you sooooo much for doing this
THANK YOU FINALLY SOMEONE SAID IT!!!
It needs to be said constantly.
❤️ thank you for making this video
Preach!
Thank you Laura. 🙏
Super!!! Great job :-D! Thanks for telling it like it is. Unfortunately so many people have no idea about the origins of Lindy. Keep up the good work!
The more people that know the better. The Black community deserves credit for such amazing art.
@@LauraGlaess Yes it finally seems as they are getting some credit - all of which they deserve thanks to people like you. I don't know if you or any of your followers have seen Dreamgirls, but it's a classic example of how Black music was 'whitewashed' so it would appeal to white audiences of the 50's and 60's. In case no one is familiar with it, it was a knock 'em dead Broadway musical about a fictionalized Black female singing group based on the Supremes. Too late to see it on Broadway but you can still see the movie version with an absolutely AMAZING cast. It's obviously a work of fiction but it will give you some idea on how white America often took credit for black creativity.
Thank you Laura! Very well put
Go girl!! Tell the truth!!
Afro-American did the Lindy Hop they also did Juda and the ever popular dance the Jitterbug it's a combination of Lindy Hop
Lindy hop hop hop HURRAH!...Hope hope hope HURRAH!!!!!
We, in Russia treat all people equally. We never had segregation on the base of skin color.
Many black americans who've traveled to Russia say they never experienced racism and I'm happy to hear that
Très bon commentaire...(Très jolie commentatrice).
Ceci explique cela...les pays qui se sont enrichis avec le commerce d'êtres humains (esclaves), ce sont tous sans exception ,comportés sans la moindre élégance ...et le terme est faible.(à l'instar des successifs gouvernements français...jusqu'à aujourd'hui encore ) "Joseph Bologne de Saint Georges" plus connu sous le nom du "Chevalier de Saint Georges" était un homme noir, né sur l'île de la Guadeloupe, aux Caraïbes française en l'an 1745. Il à été totalement oublié des livres d'histoire, et pourtant, son curriculum vitae est plutôt conséquent ...Musicien, créateur de plusieurs opéras , Professeur de musique et de chant, professeur de danse, maître d'armes, maître équestre et accessoirement...ami de la reine Marie-Antoinette.
Thank you Laura, well done!!
🎶💃🏽🎶🤸🏼♂️🎶
I would like to you got deep on that topic 7:47...You made it sound like doing Lindy hoppin might be offensive if you are white.
Oh, I didn't mean for it to come across like that. I was just talking about life in general -- beyond dance. Sometimes people do racist / offensive stuff without intention or knowledge. Definitely still happens to me (and probably will forever).
I'm so grateful to the people who are brave enough to come up to me and let me know that I have hurt them in some way. It helps me learn and become a better person. And I have to make sure I receive their feedback in a way that isn't a horrible experience for them -- or why would they ever tell me anything helpful again?
Does that make sense?
Most black people know this.
I told some of my black friends and most didn’t 😢
👍🏿👍🏾👍🏼👍🏽
Africans have blessed Western civilization with their cultural influence. Jazz, blues, rock n roll, metal, funk, dj, hiphop, ska, reggae, capoeira, merenga, salsa, cumbias, tango, swing, etc. The list goes one.
The list is forever. It's amazing.
Africans had ZERO to do with our culture as Black Americans. Remember we lost our "African culture" well before these genres were invented.... TRY AGAIN
@@LauraGlaess Don't listen to this goofball. Africans are not the same as FOUNDATIONAL BLACK AMERICANS we delineate from them and we are our own group.
Golden rule: treat people as individuals and don't make assumptions about people based on skin colour or whatever attribute seems to make them part of a group. Acknowledge history and learn from it, but also acknowledge that no one group of people is evil or good. Avoid identity politics at all costs. Be positive and share things that bring us together.
I dig this.
Toxic donut is a perfect name for someone with this response lol.
Thats funny because in the Black community we know swing dance is black American culture. To be honest i never knew people thought is was a white dance lol.
It is shocking how many people think it's a white dance. Like, truly sad. And I think this knowledge gap is what makes some modern swing dancing so wholesome and cheesy sometimes.
They think of yt ppl because they always stole Black ppl's stuff and tried to call it their own. Black people were hated yet emulated. Hate themnbut take their stuff and still dont do it like them. Its incredible. Truly sad
Huh ? Hmmm? Well ok as long you tell the truth that the Lindy Hop, also known as Jitterbugging, originated in the African American communities of Harlem, New York during the late 1920s. It is a dance that is deeply rooted in Black culture and history.So we will give you a pass.Good job.
Why Is she narrating this a Black person should be doing this
It's true. Sorry - I didn't have money to pay someone.
@@LauraGlaess Don't apologize I'm glad a white person is being honest and showing our culture
@@LauraGlaess ha-ha!! that was funny🤭🤭
Edit: Dear Laura, this message isn't referring to your video but I would like to take the chance to share my tought about what I've realized in the Lindy Hop community:
Isn't Lindy Hop and others dances related to swing dancing just an (U S.) - American dance? And not an AFRICAN-AMERICAN dance?
It was considered as an American dance that happend to be developed mostly by black Americans who lived in the United States for over 400 years?
Even Franky Manning and Co. never mentioned this as an African American dance. Black Americans are also Americans. What I obeseve in the Lindy Hop dancing classes is an awkwardly stereotyping of black Americans and cultural approbation. I would like to ask all teachers and youtbers kindly to change this communication in classes and workshops. There all still students with dark skin complexion and US American heritage attending class and have to listen to this. Or did somebody asked a black American from the past how would they feel about if the rest of the (white) world getting tought in classes how Africans moved and danced etc while they were actually Americans all the time?
Nobody wanted to hear this back in the days. They were massively discriminated because whites did exactly hate their "culture" what white lindy hop teaches trying to cherish awkwardly today.
I understand that their sense of rnythim and beat is coming originally from African tribal dances, but I see brilliant white dancers too with the exact same rhythim. So I ask all of them to stop this kind of explanation and teaching culture in dancing schools.
I don't know where else I should send this message.
@@user-th7pi9yp3d I'm not absolutely referring to this video, which is absolutely great by the way. I'm referring to the entire swing dance community. I'm sick of this cultural approbation and stereotyping. I'm half black by the way and attending dancing classes. Teachers singing Halleluja by referring to the "black rhythm" while learning lindy hop. So embarrassing.
No it's an African American dance. By calling it just an American dance, it erases the cultural heritage of a specific group of Americans. History matters and people's cultures matters and should be taught correctly.
Lindy Hop is a street dance that originated in New York. Dean Collins was a Savoy Ballroom dancer and he was white as. Norma Miller once said "there were a lot of white dancers at the Savoy and some of them were so good you wanted to hit them". The band that broke all attendance records at the Savoy Ballroom was Guy Lombardo and the Royal Canadians, an all-white "sweet" band. FYI.
Thank you for this.