Lindy Hop Archives

The History of Lindy Hop

It begins in the African American communities of Harlem, New York during the late 1920s in conjunction with swing jazz. Lindy Hop is closely related to earlier African American vernacular dances but quickly gained its own fame through dancers in films, performances, competitions, and professional dance troupes. It became especially popular in the 1930s with the upsurge of aerials. The popularity of Lindy Hop declined after World War II, and it converted to other forms of dancing, but it never disappeared during the decades between the 1940s and the 1980s until European and American dancers revived it starting from the beginning of the 1980s (Source).

NOTE: For a much more detailed and excellent read on this dance, please check out Yehoodi’s-Lindy Hop: Its Origins, Innovators, and Legacy

Hello September! you are officially here and I’m sadly wearing a sweater as I write this blog post. Sigh..summer I know your technically still on the calendar but weather wise you are not (at least not in Toronto). I’m so sad, so I’m going to ease my sorrow by looking back at (and sharing with you) some of my favorite vintage online articles and videos that have kept me company on summer road trips and vacations.

Lets Begin!

Inside the House of Dior: A Models Memories by Emily Stewart

About: An exhibition celebrating the work of French fashion legend Christian Dior has opened at the National Gallery of Victoria this week. Lateline’s Emily Stewart caught up with Svetlana Lloyd, who worked for the designer as a house model in his Paris showroom in the 1950s.

Christian Dior And Models 1950s — 25th April 1950: Fashion couturier Christian Dior (1905 – 1957), designer of the ‘New Look’ and the ‘A-line’, with six of his models after a fashion parade at the Savoy Hotel, London. (Photo by Fred Ramage/Keystone/Getty Images)

The celebrity basset hound that charmed 1950s America by Mashable

1950s vintage image of couple with dog — Source: Mashable

The Star Weekly at War– Blog Post by Elinor Florence

star weekly 1940s war cover — Source: Elinor Florence

Lindy Hop to the Max! This is one of the best dance videos I have ever seen! Taken at the recent Camp Hollywood and National Jitterbug Championships in LA. Devote 8 mins to this video you will not regret it.

Glenn Miller Book Clears RAF of Accidentally Killing Band Leader by The Guardian

About: The death of Glenn Miller has been one of the enduring unsolved mysteries of the second world war. The US musician’s aircraft vanished over the Channel without trace in 1944 after leaving a British airbase for France. The disappearance of the hottest big-band leader of the era has provoked numerous theories, some wild, with a long-held claim that his plane was brought down by RAF Lancasters jettisoning their bombs over the English Channel.

But that latter theory has been challenged by new research.

1940s Decorating Inspiration with Vintage Advertising by Retro Planet

Barclay-Samples 1940s — Source: Retro Planet1940s

The Great 78 Project Lets You Download Songs Digitized from 78 RPM Records

vintage records — Source: The Great 78 Project

Listen to an example below of the ‘Sugar Foot Stomp’ by Connie’s Inn Orchestra

“They told me that I couldn’t join the Army because they figured it was too rough for women, so I joined the Navy.” The Story of Ruth McMillan by The Memory Project.