Hi friends! Today I woke up at dawn to see the Super Flower Blood Moon Eclipse this am (it was worth it) AND then I had planned to go back to bed right after. That was until I opened up my Facebook Messenger. All it said from my friend was “GO TO GOOGLE NOW!” Well that got me intrigued, what is happening over at Google? THIS…..

The Savoy Ballroom and Lindy Hop / Swing Dancing Google Doodle

OMG! It’s a Google Doodle featuring Lindy Hoppers & the Famous Savoy Ballroom and…IT’S A GAME with swing music and swing dancing! I started crying instantly. Like full on tears falling down my face. I miss Lindy Hopping in a crowded room with a live swing band so much, so I got all the feels.

May 26th was also the right time to post this because it’s World Lindy Hop Day and it’s Frankie Manning’s Birthday (one of the founders of the Lindy Hop). Frankie was featured in a Google Doodle in 2016 on what would of been his 102nd birthday (Frankie lived to be 94 and I met him at 92 when he was still dancing!).

Celebrating Swing Dancing and the Savoy Ballroom!

ABOUT THE SAVOY BALLROOM:

(Further Reading: 91st Anniversary of the Savoy Ballroom-Home of the Happy Feet)

Today’s interactive game Doodle celebrates swing dancing and the Savoy Ballroom—an iconic Swing Era dance hall that thrived from the 1920s to 50s in New York City’s Harlem neighborhood. On this day in 2002, Frankie Manning and Norma Miller, two of members of Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers, unveiled a commemorative plaque where its entrance once stood.

The Savoy Ballroom made history as one of the first racially integrated public spaces in United States when it opened its doors with a no-discrimination policy in 1926. In the early 20th century, Harlem housed a predominantly Black community, including those who migrated from other parts of the U.S. and the Caribbean. This community’s impact was prevalent throughout Harlem, as the neighborhood thrived as a site for creativity and culture—and the home of the Savoy Ballroom. Albeit a white-owned institution, the Black community of Harlem made the Savoy the cultural heartbeat of the neighborhood and an epicenter of innovation for swing dance and music worldwide.

The Savoy’s ballroom awaited guests up two marble staircases on the second floor, featuring a 10,000-square foot mahogany and maple dance floor that was a city block long. The glamorous dance hall sparkled as a hub of jazz and jive. The Savoy’s twin bandstands hosted seamless live music as many of the world’s acclaimed jazz musicians—including the likes of Chick Webb, Count Basie, and Ella Fitzgerald—trumpeted out the soundtrack for thousands of dancers each night (and over 700,000 annually!). In step with the big band energy, patrons powered the nightclub with the electricity of ever-evolving swing dance styles. The Charleston, the Big Apple, and in later years the Mambo, were among dances enjoyed at the Savoy, but the most popular was the vivacious Lindy Hop, which was born and bred in the ballroom.

The Lindy Hop is characterized by a swinging rhythmic connection between partners, a flurry of acrobatic air steps in the performance version, and footwork that contributed to one of the Savoy’s signature nicknames: “The Home of Happy Feet.” With the synergistic life forces of jazz dance and music, the Savoy Ballroom shined as a melting pot of Harlem nightlife during a time of racial segregation for the next three decades.

In 1958, the Savoy Ballroom closed its doors for good but its international impact is still felt to this day. At its historic location in between 140th and 141st Street on New York City’s Lenox Avenue, a commemorative plaque honors the Ballroom and its legacy as a home of cultural innovation.

Here’s to all the memories swingin’ at the Savoy! (SOURCE)

dancing at the savoy ballroom 1940s harlem — Source: The Savoy King

Here is a behind the scenes of the making of the doodle, featuring lots of Lindy Hop (it’s only 4 mins long-Video Link).

To end today’s post I would like to share a picture of my husband and I at the plaque for the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem. It’s a pilgrimage that Lindy Hoppers make yearly to be in the same spot were so many legendary dancers and bands had stood before.

We shared a dance (the hubby and I met Lindy Hopping) and then we just soaked up the energy that still is in the air. It was a special moment for the two of us.

The Savoy Ballroom Plaque in Harlem home of the happy feet.

Friends, make sure you visit Google today (and if you are reading this AFTER May 26th, you can find it HERE), play the fun game and enjoy the music. Share your score in the comments section below!

HAPPY WORLD LINDY HOP DAY FRIENDS!!

FURTHER READING: Swing Dance & The Big Band Era (Archived Blog Posts)

Liz

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