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The Spirit Moves

    Part 1: Jazz Dance from the Turn of the Century 'til 1950 






    1950
    Produced, directed, edited, and narrated by Mura Dehn.
    Camera: Herbert Matter
     

    Mura Dehn was a Russian emigre to the United States in the 1930s. She was so impressed with the African-American social dance that she saw in New York City that it became her life's work to document African-American vernacular dance.One of her achievements was "The Spirit Moves", consisting of six hours of remarkable archival film. Formerly available for viewing only at the Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center in New York City and the Smithsonian.  The first 3 parts of this are now available on DVD at SavoyStyle.  Part One, Jazz Dance from the Turn of the Century 'til 1950, which contains excellent early Lindy Hop footage, is outlined below.
     
     
     
     

View QuickTime sample of Leon James, Al Minns and Pepsi Bethel
View QuickTime sample of Frankie Manning 
View QuickTime sample of Sandra Gibson.

See also Archive selections on Willa Mae Ricker, Al Minns and Leon James for more QuickTime samples from The Spirit Moves.  Learn about free QuickTime
 
The first chapters of this remarkable archival film of African-American dance consist of studio demonstrations of authentic jazz dance forms by artists of the Savoy Ballroom of Harlem. Dancers:
Original Index from the Film:
      Chapter I 
    Ragtime:
      Strut, Cakewalk, Breaks--steps in cakewalk 
Jazztime: 
Charleston (1920's), Jazz steps (1930's, including Boogie-woogie, Shimmy, Susie-Q, Snake hips, Black bottom, Fish tail 
Chapter II 
Blues: 
Rent party, Shakeblues, Speak easy, Male shake blues, Gutbucket blues 
Chapter III 
Savoy routines: 
Trunky doo, Aerial lindy, California (lindy), Big Apple. 
Postwar trends: 
Calypso, Apple jack 
Jazz Dance: 
Bethel, Pepsi. 
Berry, James J., d. 1969. 
Brown, Teddy. 

Gibson, Sandra