Dance through Lindy Hop's Black American Roots | If Cities Could Dance

The Lindy Hop is a global phenomenon with thriving dance communities in places like Stockholm, Seoul and San Francisco. But its beginnings as a Black art form in 1920s Harlem have been obscured by the fact that in recent decades mostly white and non-Black dancers have represented the dance in popular media. Now, an intergenerational group of Black dancers, through efforts like the Black Lindy Hoppers Fund, have been fighting to ensure that their history and continued participation in this dance is recognized and honored. Columbus, Ohio-based Lindy Hopper Tyedric Hill takes you on a journey through the dance’s history and how he discovered this energetic, joyful dance. Then Hill and his dance partner Shannon Varner travel to New York City for the International Lindy Hop Championships, where the best of the best from all over the world compete and celebrate this quintessentially American dance.

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More about this episode:

Lindy Hop emerged as part of the 1918–1930s explosion of Black artistic creativity dubbed the “#Harlem Renaissance.” Musical legends Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Ella Fitzgerald helped create the era’s soundtrack. New York may have been the center of activity, but Black musicians, dancers, authors, poets and artists were producing incredible work from urban centers all over the United States. Columbus, particularly the King-Lincoln Bronzeville neighborhood, was one of those hubs, where theaters, jazz clubs and other Black-owned businesses flourished. The Lindy Hop was born out of the popular music of the time – swing jazz – and created by Black dancers who fused older dance traditions like the Black Bottom, the Breakaway, the Charleston and European partnered dances. These innovators also added their own unique styling and steps, such as the now iconic “airsteps” where one dancer propels their partner high into the air.

Our history. Our culture. Our moves.
KQED Arts’ award-winning video series #IfCitiesCouldDance​ is back for a fifth season, with new episodes every other Wednesday (with how-to’s and extras in between.) In each episode, meet dancers from across the country representing their city’s signature moves.
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Chapters:
00:00 Intro
01:04 Columbus, Ohio and the local dance scene
02:05 Harlem and Lindy Hop’s birth
02:37 Columbus’ King-Lincoln Bronzeville Neighborhood
03:05 Tyedric’s Discovery of the Dance
03:29 Frankie Manning and Whitey's Lindy Hoppers
05:20 Lindy Hop in the popular media
06:02 International Lindy Hop Championships
06:36 LaTasha Barnes and Tradition Bearing
07:15 Episode Credits

Featured Dancers:
Tyedric Hill, Shannon Varner, LaTasha Barnes, Ramona Staffeld, Kerry Kapaku, Viktor Lillard, Marie N'diaye, Remy Kouakou Kouame, Jenna Applegarth, Peter Strom, Felix Berghall, Tine Gatchalian

Featured MC:
AJ Howard

🖼️ Featured Muralists:
Art By Geez, Lisa McLymont, Maroon Arts Group, Sterling Carter, Marshall Shorts, AdaObii Moore, Brielle Jolie, Hollie Davis, Louis Delsarte "Spirit of Harlem"

#lindyhop #ifcitiescoulddance