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Are you an aspiring dancer living in a place where dance classes, studios, and communities are as scarce as a unicorn in a desert? Fear not, fabulous friend! So, if you've got the will, we've got the way! Let's dive into the world of dance and unleash your inner groove, no matter where you hang…
Lindy Hop, with its origins deeply rooted in the pulsating rhythms of jazz music, is a dance that embodies the very essence of rhythm and improvisation. Unfortunately, it's not uncommon to see dancers who become overly focused on moves and what they look like that they inadvertently neglect the crucial aspect of rhythm in their…
"Sonny Allen the last of the World's Famous Savoy Ballroom Harvest Moon Lindy Hop Champion, plus Frankie Manning, Norma Miller, Sugar Sullivan, Barbara Billups, Al Minns, Pepsie Bethel, etc." Some of the remaining (and greatest) Lindy Hoppers from the Savoy Ballroom had a reunion on April 9, 1983 at Sandra Cameron's Dance Studio in New…
Upcoming Events Taking Action For Black Lives Masterclass This class will explore the actionable ways to honor, respect, and value Black people in your daily life. >> Click here for class access << It's Time To Make Your Support Of Black Lives A Daily Practice In this class, we will explore: The unconscious ways…
Originally posted on the Frankie Manning Foundation website. Questions for Event Organizers, Teachers, and Scene Leaders in the Lindy Hop Community There have been some important discussions taking place in the Lindy Hop community about recognizing the Black origins of the dance. Julia Loving has created a list of some questions for event organizers to…
Upcoming Events SW!NG OUT Acclaimed choreographer Caleb Teicher brings the best of the swing dance world to The Joyce, with live music by Eyal Vilner Big Band. Conceived by Caleb Teicher alongside their brain trust of collaborators Evita Arce, LaTasha Barnes, Nathan Bugh, Macy Sullivan, and Eyal Vilner, SW!NG OUT features…
We’d like to offer our deepest condolences to the family of Lindy Hop legend George Sullivan. Mr. Sullivan was born in Augusta, Georgia, and moved to Harlem when he was 13. George started dancing Lindy Hop with his ex-wife, Sugar Sullivan, entering the Harvest Moon Ball after she broke her finger and was abandoned by…
A couple dancing, photographed in Uganda somewhere between 1890 and 1956, from the Ham Mukasa Archives. Social dance held in a photograph, a century before anybody filmed a Lindy Hop.
Internationally recognized Black American Social Dance Tradition-Bearer, LaTasha Barnes, presents The Jazz Continuum. “This new work centers Jazz music and dance as the foundation of globally-celebrated dance forms like House, Hip-Hop, Waacking, Jazz, and Lindy Hop that are not commonly recognized as threads of the same fabric. From August 11-15 on the Henry J. Leir…
Learn how to Charleston! The dance is an important part of Black American History and one of the biggest dance crazes of all time…
This original post was published on February 1st, 2020. We have since made some updates for 2021. Black history is Lindy Hop history. Black History is World History. Black History is 365 days of the year. Black History has roots and legacy. Black History *is* Lindy Hop history. If 2020 has taught us anything, it's…
Learn how to Charleston! The dance is an important part of Black American History and one of the biggest dance crazes of all time…
Whether you’re looking for beginner Lindy Hop music, you're an experienced dancer, or you’re an aspiring Lindy Hop DJ, we’ve got some music tips for you to start building your music library.
Have you wondered “what is Lindy Hop?” or about swing dancing in general? Maybe you’ve heard the name “Lindy Hop” before but unsure what it’s all about? Well, pull up a chair and grab a hot beverage! We’re here to tell you all about Lindy Hop: the dance, the history, and its cultural legacy! What…
Are you preparing to compete on video for an upcoming event like ILHC? Or maybe you’re recording a performance for a virtual show. Either way, we have a few tips to help make your competition entry or performance as successful on video as possible.
Have you always wanted to learn Lindy Hop, the original swing dance? If you’ve wondered if it’s possible to learn Lindy Hop online, it absolutely is! Learn from world-renowned Lindy Hop teachers from the comfort of your own home.
What lies ahead for the future of health and safety in Lindy Hop? Disclaimer: This post is not to give advice or specific guidelines. It’s to gather discussion points about Covid-19 and health practices as they relate to social reintegration. We’ll provide some updates here as the situation progresses globally. We highly encourage Lindy Hop…
When you get a hold of how 6- and 8-count steps can work together in the music, you’ll be able to piece those steps together fluidly.
A critical skill that every dancer needs in their arsenal is understanding the importance of musical phrasing and being able to create within the framework.
This post was originally published on February 1st, 2020. Thank you to our friends in China for also translating this content — Chinese translation Black history is Lindy Hop history. Black History is World History. Black History is 365 days of the year. Black History has roots and legacy. Black History *is* Lindy Hop history.…
This blog post is an extension of our previous post: Empowering Followers in Lindy Hop. We talked about a lot of important philosophical ideas in that post. Now we’d like to get into the nitty-gritty and talk about what’s possible in the dance. There are two kinds of responsibility: personal responsibility partnered responsibilities PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITIES…
Photo by Dan Erez, taken at the Sofia Swing Dance Festival There are a lot of different views of what Leading and Following in Lindy Hop are all about. How should the Follower’s role really work? Are Leaders “in charge” within the dance or is that a limited way of thinking? It’s not just…
Cover photography by Sergey Shirokov How much Charleston do you regularly include in your social dancing? As with most music and movement, what comes in and out of vogue is cyclical. Depending on how long you’ve been in the scene, you’ve experienced multiple trends in the dance. You may have even gone through revisiting some…
How’s your solo jazz? No, really. Sometimes people think that doing a few Boogie Backs and Fall off the Log for one song during a class warm-up is enough, like a Lindy Hop checkbox you’re “supposed to” tick without really emphasizing its’ value. You might feel like you can get by in your Lindy Hop…
No Partner? No Problem! Want to improve as a dancer, but don’t have a dance partner? Do you feel like it’s challenging to work on your own dancing solo? We get it, not everyone has a dance partner, and even if you do, it can be hard to find the time and space to practice…
Edit: hey! If you're looking for beautiful shoes at a special iLindy price, click here and use the code ILINDYSW15 for 15 EUR OFF Let’s talk about getting fancy: it starts with your feet and can make or break an outfit. That’s right, I’m talking about shoes. In this post, I’m going to talk about…