Malcolm X Danced the Lindy Hop

In the Autobiography of Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley, Malcolm  speaks fondly of his love of jazz music and frequenting the legendary Savoy Ballroom in Harlem. In the books chapter Harlemite, brother Malcolm says, “The (Savoy) ballroom made the Roseland in Boston look small and shabby by comparison.  And the lindy-hopping there matched the size and elegance of the place. Hampton’s hard-driving outfit kept a red-hot pace…I went a couple of rounds on the floor with the girls from the sidelines.”
 
Malcolm’s words resonate with me, and I felt I was there dancing and feeling the music. Perhaps in another lifetime I was there as the complex rhythms of jazz and the joy expressed in the dancing is something I feel deep in my soul.  Throughout my career as a dance educator and choreographer I have with great delight researched, studied, and presented lectures, workshops, community engagement, and performances on the topic of dances of the Harlem Renaissance. 
 
Saturday May 17 is Oakland’s annual Malcolm X Jazz Arts Festival.  As a founding member of Eastside Arts Alliance and Eastside Cultural Center one of my most fulfilling joys in serving community was being on the organizing team to bring this festival to the people. There are three things I shared over the years to reacquaint black folks with our rich heritage of jazz dancing born of the Harlem Renaissance: an onstage workshop in vernacular jazz and Lindy Hop, a performance workshop with a live band, and a performance with my group Starchild Dance Lindy Hop Project in honor of Frankie 100, the centennial birthday celebration of Lindy Hop pioneer Frankie Manning. 

You can see excerpts of my Jazz and Lindy Hop work at 15:39 of the video below. 

2025 will be the 100th’s birthday of our beloved el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz and the 25th anniversary of the Malcolm X Jazz Art’s Festival.  I was asked to curate a segment of the Katherine Dunham Dance Stage for the festival, and I brought in one of the greatest Lindy Hoppers in the world Tyedric Hill!  Join us on stage at 2pm where Tyedric will lead a jazz and Lindy Hop workshop continuing the tradition of education and liberation through knowledge of our cultural dances! 

You can see samples of Tyedric's dance work here: https://www.instagram.com/p/DJdtYbBOjIu/?hl=en&img_index=2

 As Malcolm X said, ‘Culture is an indispensable weapon in the freedom struggle’.  Let’s get free and dance!  See you there!
 
Malcolm X Jazz Arts Festival  May 17, 2025
San Antonio Park 18th Street and Foothill Boulevard
Oakland, CA 94607.