The year 2020 will go down in jazz history as the one in which live music was silenced and dancing stood still worldwide. But it was also the year when—perhaps because of the extra space in our calendars—people of all colors and nationalities finally tuned into the voices of oppressed minorities. Black Lives Matter touched many aspects of life from politics to sports, and the jazz dance world was no exception. Organizations like Move Together (“dancing towards and inclusive community and global social justice”) and Collective Voices for Change (“for a better and more open jazz dance community”) sprung up online, hosting virtual conferences for six thousand supporters.
It became clear many African American jazz fans felt that music and dance scenes birthed by their forebears no longer welcome them. It’s easy to empathize, but tricky for white people—who make up the majority of Lindy hop, balboa, shag, and blues dancers worldwide—to understand the issues, as heated debates on these platforms testify. Sentiments like “maybe Black people aren’t that interested in swing dance,” or “we already have rules against discrimination” betray a naivety of subtle pressures which might nudge non-white folks away from a scene which claims to put Black American culture on a pedestal.
It’s likewise easy to feel sorry for people fed up explaining themselves to every skepti
