As already stated I have attended 4 showings of the Alive and    Kicking Documentary Film.  The first showing on April 5 th had the largest and most gregarious audience, 95% of which were Lindy Hop/Swing dancers.  In Harlem it was a mix…. But the last 2 showings had a change in dynamics.  There was a varied mix of older persons and young dancers…. It seemed like the older crowd was there to reminisce about their youth or recall when their elders did it.  Again it was a light sprinkle of black people; I encouraged them to stay for the Q & A Talk Back because they would “need” and appreciate more clarity on what they were about to see. At the Francesca Beale Theater y ou could hear better at these latter screenings for sure!  This is no cut against enthusiasm for the documentary – there was just a more concentrated interest in these characters on screen. Maybe more eagerness in a way to understand what has happened, since it was so su...

Unmasking the Masquerade Recent posts of accounts of sexual harassment, abuse and warnings in the Lindy Hop/Swing dance scene have been making the rounds on Facebook and various blogs.  While no doubt a subject no one wants to talk about,  it is good  it is out there to create dialogue and hopefully measures to stall this kind of conduct. The earliest public post we saw were from 6 years ago of this nature, and the topic has come up again.  Here are some links with discussions.  https://swungover.wordpress.com/2017/05/30/the-swing-scene-vs-max-his-friends-and-the-swing-scene/ https://sports.vice.com/en_us/article/how-swing-dancing-faced-its-sexual-assault-scandal http://www.yehoodi.com/blog/2017/4/18/max-pitruzzella-accused-of-sexual-assault-by-5-women https://www.reddit.com/r/SwingDancing/comments/5ojgbg/content_warning_description_of_sexual_assault_in/ We unite in bringing light and awareness t...