Dive Deeper

Classic Videos

Swing music and swing dance originated as a Black American art form. The videos in this playlist are widely regarded as some of the most influential swing dance clips of all time.

The amazing talent of early swing dancers was captured on film during a time when Hollywood and wider society had strict rules about the roles a black person could portray. Scenes like these were often scripted with no relation to the plot so theatres in the American South could deliberately omit them.

Reading

Frankie Manning, Ambassador of Lindy Hop, Frankie Manning & Cynthia Millman

Jazz Dance, Marshall Stearns

Jookin': The Rise of Social Dance Formations in African-American Culture, Katrina Hazzard-Gordon

Moving to Higher Ground, Wynton Marsalis

Swing Dancing (The American Dance Floor), Tamara Stevens, Erin Stevens

Swingin' at the Savoy, Norma Miller

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