So. As a swing dancer & organizer of more than a decade of experience, this post has unlocked my unskippable cutscene. Hellzapoppin is probably the most famous Lindy Hop clip on film, and it *is* from 1941, but I want to offer some corrections.
1941 is actually 10+ years into the history of Lindy Hop. Lindy Hop arose in the Black American community of Harlem New York in the late 1920s, allegedly named by dancer "Shorty" George Snowden. The birth of Lindy on the silver screen is pretty universally agreed to be After Seben , which features Shorty George and Mattie Purnell as the third couple in the contest.
The troupe in Hellzapoppin is Whitey's Lindy Hoppers, who came up as the second generation of Lindy Hoppers in Harlem. The most famous members of this troupe are Norma Miller, Willa Mae Ricker, Al Minns, Leon James, and Frankie Manning. The Congaroos were a subset of the group, also including Manning and Ricker.
West Coast Swing evolved from Lindy Hop as popular music changed; these days the two styles and communities are very much distinct. They share roots, connection styles, and shapes (a move called the sugar push is popular in both!), but they are different enough that crossover events and competitions like Boston Tea Party are uncommon. WCS has become much more formalized and codified with levels and points like ballroom dance, while Lindy Hop has for the most part resisted that impulse. (East Coast Swing is a different can of worms for a different day.)
To close: more places to learn! My local scene has recently published a resource library, and the Swungover blog is a perpetual favorite in the wider community.
Vernacular Jazz music & dance are some of the greatest gifts the Black diaspora has created and spread to the world; I encourage you to find your local community and try it out! Don't worry, you won't be throwing air steps at your first lesson or social dance. ;)
titsay
izzy806
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