Monochrome Monday - Hot Chocolate - Duke Ellington & Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers (1941)
I originally watched a version of this clip in which the video was mirrored, so it looked like the leads were leading swing-outs with their right hands instead of their left hands. Before I realized it was mirrored, I was pretty confused for a little while, wondering if there actually were Lindy hoppers who led from the right side instead of the left or if that was a decision that the movie’s director put upon the dancers.
I don’t remember anymore who it was that said it—likely it was Kevin & Jo during their aerials class at Lindy 500 (they were explaining why Lindy hop moves look the way they do today), though they may have gotten their information from Bobby White as well. But they talked about how the way we dance today may not have been how the original Lindy hoppers danced back in the 30s and 40s. When swing was revived through the 80s and 90s, they had some Old Timers on hand, but there were also black and white videos from movies, which many revivalists used as their key to bringing the dance back. Swing-outs go in certain directions not because the dancers thought they should be like that but because of what directors wanted. Some aerials are higher or seem more acrobatic because that’s what got captured on film rather than what was actually practiced in the dance halls.
Anyway. I can’t confirm one way or another which of Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers are in this troupe, but Norma Miller is in there (the one on the left, according to the comments). Frankie Manning is probably in there as well, but I can’t really say for sure given how poor quality the video is. There’s a lot of Hellzapoppin’ routine aerials in here, too, so enjoy!
