She dances, she lifts!

Skater Valeriya Gogunskaya, dancing on a longboard.

Happy Juneteenth everyone! I made this illustration for the Seattle Art Museum's Juneteenth celebration! It was such on honor to work on this project!

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.

ILHC Europe All-Star Classic Routine: Tamara Lobato Nieto & Héctor San Andrés Jaime (Spain / Spain)

Billie Holiday - All of Me 1941

Billie Holiday was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday made significant contributions to jazz music and pop singing. Her vocal style, strongly influenced by jazz instrumentalists, inspired a new way of manipulating phrasing and tempo. Holiday was known for her vocal delivery and improvisational skills. She began singing in nightclubs in Harlem where she was heard by producer John Hammond, who liked her voice. Holiday signed a recording contract with Brunswick in 1935. Her collaboration with Teddy Wilson produced the hit "What a Little Moonlight Can Do", which became a jazz standard. Her final album, Lady in Satin, was released in 1958. Holiday died of cirrhosis and heart failure on July 17, 1959, at age 44.

Holiday won four Grammy Awards, all of them posthumously, for Best Historical Album. She was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame. In 2000, Holiday was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an early influence; their website states that "Billie Holiday changed jazz forever". She was named one of the 50 Great Voices by NPR and was ranked fourth on the Rolling Stone list of "200 Greatest Singers of All Time" (2023). Several films about Holiday's life have been released, including Lady Sings the Blues (1972) and The United States vs. Billie Holiday (2021).

"All of Me" is a popular song and jazz standard written by Gerald Marks and Seymour Simons in 1931. In 2000, "All of Me" was given the Towering Song Award by the Songwriters Hall of Fame. The song first came to public awareness when a performance by Belle Baker was broadcast over the radio in 1931. Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra recorded the song on December 1 that year, with vocalist Mildred Bailey; this went to the top of the US pop charts. Within weeks, another two versions were in the charts, with a Louis Armstrong rendition also reaching number one. The song was used in the 1932 film Careless Lady. In the view of critic Ted Gioia, the definitive version was sung by Billie Holiday in 1941: "she staked a claim of ownership that no one has managed to dislodge in subsequent years". Frank Sinatra recorded several versions of "All of Me". His 1948 release peaked at number 21. Willie Nelson's recording of the song was included in his Stardust album and reached number3 on the Hot Country Songs chart in 1978.

"All of Me" received a total of 80,2% yes votes!

A couple swing dances at the Savoy Ballroom, Harlem, late 1940s.

Vote for the "name" song you prefer!

Propaganda for "Sir Duke": none Defeated Opponents: "Lili Marlene" - Marlene Dietrich; "Delta Dawn" - Helen Reddy; "Puff, the Magic Dragon" - Peter, Paul, and Mary; "Me and Bobby McGee" - Kris Kristofferson