I was recently asked by Judy Pritchett Board Member of the Frankie Manning Foundation to assist her in responding to a request from the Swing community in Greece to help them make their events more inclusive with regards to the inclusion of more African Americans into their scene. Why me? I guess because I've learned to navigate through my own feelings of isolation in this dance community. I was a wallflower when I first started! Being black, older, plus size, and culturally not use to asking men to dance. But I had the encouragement from two great guys Samuel Coleman and Ryan Francois both of whom are swing dance instructors. They encouraged me to learn more and just hang in there and I am thankful for that. Now I rarely sit on the sidelines. So for the record swing dance has changed my life in so many positive ways and therefore I felt it necessary to respond as honest, reflective and thoroughly as I could. After responding to her email she asked if I would mind her posting my response on the Frankie Manning Foundations website to which I have agreed. I thought it to be important to share this with you all because you because it is indeed an important topic in our global dance community. So here is the link and the actual blog post: https://www.
HOW WOULD YOU ANSWER THESE LINDY HOP QUESTIONS?
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 think about. This is a great list for Lindy Hop Event Organizers, Teachers, and Scene Leaders around the world to truthfully ask themselves in order to assure their events are inclusive.
Bringing light to an issue that needs correcting is the first step. We thank all event organizers for their efforts to create a more diverse, inclusive swing dance community and increasing Black representation is part of that.
Questions to Ask Yourself
Courtesy of Julia Loving
- Do I actively recognize that Lindy Hop is a Black art form? Is that recognition and acceptance represented in the way that I run dance events, classes, and overall dance scene?
- Am I comfortable dealing with or discussing race matters? If not, am I in a partnership with someone else that is?
- Do I look for, consider, or hire qualified bands or orchestras that are led by or include Black musicians and singers?
- Do I look for, consider, or hire qualified Black instructors on all levels?
- Do I look for, consider, or hire qualified Black DJs for my events or to cover band breaks?
- Does my event’s attendance (instructors, bands, audience, dancers) reflect the diverse populations of the world? If not, do I have a plan in place to make my event more welcoming to people of diverse backgrounds?
- Does the way that Lindy Hop is danced in my community look and feel like the original?
- Do I want to gain knowledge and do I seek out understanding about the African American experience? What about the dance history?
- Do I hire staff that have been vetted for non-discriminatory practices in the scene?
- Do I invite constructive responses for policy and programs to address racial inequities within my events?
- Do I invite local dance communities of non-whites to events?
- Do I share resources with my community about the origins of the dance, Black history, biographies of the original dancers, jazz musicians, music collections, etc.?
- Do I encourage my students to take field trips to venues or historical sites that represent the African American history or experience, especially those cities that are rich with the history?
- Am I committed to the long-term message of Black history and recognition, not just when the topic is trending?
- Do I lead by example as a dance instructor by including history lessons as an integral part of my classes. For example; we all do the Shorty George but did you know that Shorty George was a Black man who danced at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem? Etc.
- Do I pledge to welcome everyone regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identification, age, body type, physical ability, and mental ability?
- Do I encourage my students and fellow dancers to be open to dancing with everyone and to actively ask people of all kinds to dance? Especially those that might not get asked to dance very often? There should be no wallflowers!
- Do I encourage mentorships, trainings, or extra tutelage for any new Black dancers in my scene?
- Am I willing to accept and embrace change even though it may change how I originally experienced the Lindy Hop community?
Thank you Julia for sharing this excellent list of questions. We welcome feedback and suggestions for what can be added to this list.
