“That invisibility to which I refer occurs because of a peculiar disposition of the eyes of those with whom I come in contact. A matter of the construction of their INNER eyes, those eyes with which they look through their physical eyes upon reality.”
― Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man

The Black Lindy Hoppers Fund (BLHF) and Collective Voices for Change (CVFC) share a respect, love and concern for the future of Lindy Hop and Jazz dance.

A central feature of the work before us, as members and supporters of the Jazz Dance community, is to reconsider the narrative we have accepted about the life story of Lindy Hop. Many of us learned a version of history wherein this dance was cast aside out of disinterest, only to be rescued from the rubbish pile by beneficent members of an outside culture and community whom we now consider most knowledgeable, and best suited to share it. With that in mind, we ask have you met Ms. Amaniyea Payne, Ms. Mickey Davidson or Ms. Darlene Gist, all of whom danced throughout the 80’s with Norma Miller, prior to the “revival” to which many of us attribute our knowledge and existence?

These women are bearers of the ancestral inheritance to which we owe our origin. Their lives bridge the divide between the years when the innovators and founders of Jazz lived and worked, and today’s dance community where, in the absence of those living touchstones, we are in danger of a complete, and devastating cultural erasure.

From training with Mable Lee and Mama Lou Parks, to performing with Harold Nicholas, the careers of each woman has had its own distinct path. On Saturday, February 27th at noon EST, we will welcome these key figures in the Jazz Dance continuum to this collaborative event offered by BLHF and CVFC. This opportunity to begin building a relationship with them will offer us a roadmap for both the how and the why of what we do. Join us.

Une conversation en français aura lieu entre la danseuse Marie N’diaye et la chanteuse Nicolle Rochelle. Cette rencontre permettra d’aborder le sujet délicat et nécessaire du racisme et de l’appropriation culturelle dans le milieu des danses jazz/swing en France.

Issues des communautés afro-américaines au début des du XXe siècle, la musique et les danses jazz s’inscrivent dans le continuum des traditions pan-africaines dont la popularité commerciale s’observe dans le monde entier. La France ne fait évidemment pas exception. Les clubs de jazz sont remplis, les écoles de swing se multiplient, or les créateurs et héritiers de cette culture font vraisemblablement défaut à ce succès. Une culture peut-elle être ainsi extraite de sa communauté fondatrice ? Ainsi, que connaissons-nous réellement de cette culture ?

Plusieurs associations de Lindy hop se sont réunies pour tenter de répondre à ces questions avec l’aide de nos invitées. Cette initiative a pour but de sensibiliser un plus large public pour qui l’anglais serait un obstacle à leur participation dans les événements qui se sont multipliés cette dernière année autour de ces problématiques sociales.

Nous vous prions d’assister à cette conversation avec respect et générosité, prêts à questionner nos biais les plus profonds ; à examiner l’héritage colonial et raciste de la France, de l’Europe, dans tous les aspects conscients et inconscients de nos vies individuelles, dans le fonctionnement de nos institutions, dans les non-dits de notre langage, dans les lieux communs de notre quotidien et dans nos visions du monde les plus intimes.

La lutte antiraciste au sein de la culture Jazz est aussi un problème français, et elle commence avec chacun de nous, à coeur ouvert.

What’s “Braintune“?

Braintune is a workshop on bias awareness.

How to understand our own cultural background before we interact with another culture (perspective taking). Although our intentions are often good, it’s necessary to self reflect and question ourselves in order to prevent unintended harm. This workshop will provide tools for people to engage in the introspective action, the internal activism, so that we can mindfully engage in our actions.

During the first part, experts in the field of psychology will offer you a "first aid kit“ to recognize the inner mechanism of our brain that could result in biases, and to become more receptive to difficult experiences, without falling into defensiveness or gaslighting.

During the second part, you will have the rare privilege to listen to a POC`s testimony and apply what you have just learnt.

Finally we will conclude Braintune with an open discussion on the topics encountered during the workshop.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to do some groundwork on taking actions towards a better Jazz dance scene.

“...the master's tools will never dismantle the master's house. They may allow us temporarily to beat him at his own game, but they will never enable us to bring about genuine change. And this fact is only threatening to those… who still define the master's house as their only source of support.” -Audre Lorde

Education is a tool designed to cultivate desired abilities. Which abilities are desired, as well as the processes by which those outcomes are achieved, are a reflection of the culture from whence the teacher emerges. Our worldviews tell us what is important, how things should be organized, what our goals should be, and how to identify excellence. When Whiteness is- consciously or unconsciously- the center of our cultural esteem, this has a direct impact on our pedagogy and inadvertently recreates systems of dominance, oppression and anti-Blackness. Please join CVFC as we welcome Dee Daniels Locke who will guide us through an examination of the ways in which our ways of teaching and understanding are entrenched in Eurocentric axiology. This workshop will introduce us to a more diverse palette options for knowing and succeeding, particularly as they relate to the affirmation, and centering of Black people and their culture.

In this workshop, performer and teacher Karida Griffith Walker will help us understand better about axiology (the ethics and aesthetics connected to culture) and share with us her experience teaching African American social dance (Tap) and culture.

Don't miss out on this great opportunity to learn from this very talented practitioner and educator!

In this particular webinar we will first listen to a conversation with Pr. DeFrantz on African American social Dances hosted by Breai Michele: To present the tradition of Black American social dances through time. This is then followed by discussions in smaller groups with guiding questions around the topic connecting to the current culture of the Lindy Hop scene.