For reaching the goal of how Harlem-based African-American jazz dance was recognized between 1921 and 1943 in the mainstream press, the study progresses as follows: In the first chapter, the background of the study is presented on how Harlem-based jazz dance fits the picture of earlier research in African-American
109See for example: Robert P. Crease, ’Pal Andrews’, Footnotes: November-December, 1991, Vol.4, No. 3, published by New York Swing Dance Society; Robert P. Crease, ’Eunice Callen’, Footnotes: November-December, 1989, Vol. 4, No. 3, published by New York Swing Dance Society.
110 See for example: Pamela Katz & Louise Gherthler, ”In a Jazz Way: Portrait of Mura Dehn,” photographed by Pamela Katz, edited by Louise Gherthler (New York, N.Y.:
Filmmaker’s Library inc., 1985), DVD. This is called later Dehn 1985. The DVDs in Margaret Batiuchok, ‘The Lindy.’, submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts to the faculty of the Gallatin Division of New York University, May 16, 1988.
popular culture and African-American cultural studies, which are part of the larger entity, African-American Studies. Earlier studies, main research questions, and sources for the study are explained in the same chapter. In addition, various forms and interpretations of African-American presentation are presented to find out what kind of views were prevalent before this study especially in regard to important African-American dances and their importance to the African-American and American culture. In this chapter, African-American jazz dance is also compared to other important entertainment forms like basketball and boxing to find out how the African-American jazz dance fits to the larger picture of the African-American entertainment.
In the second chapter, the main term of the study, ‘jazz dance’, is connected to its historical background since the beginning of the twentieth century. How the term was recognized in the mainstream press is especially analyzed. Also, varied use of the term and its numerous variations are discussed. Similarly, the birth of swing music and its importance during the so-called Swing Era are presented. Swing’s connection to the Lindy Hop is discussed in the last part. The term ‘jazz dance’ and its connection to dancing and music have been integral to jazz culture. It is reasonable to find out the historical context of the term for establishing the term as a crucial part of this study.
The third chapter establishes jazz dance as an essential part of Harlem dance entertainment. First, it presents the main features of the Harlem infrastructure during the decades from the end of nineteenth century to the 1940s. In other words, it presents the main features from the time when Harlem was changing to an African-American community. The Harlem jazz dance was connected to its surrounding community via its Harlem practitioners. The surrounding community probably affected dances. The dance did not happen in a “vacuum”.
After founding the infrastructure, the main features of Harlem jazz dance entertainment are explained in the sub-chapters concerning the beginning of the Harlem jazz dance entertainment, the Charleston performances and competitions, and Harlem cabarets, the latter particularly where tap dance is concerned. The Harlem social dance is analyzed in connection to the Charleston and the Lindy Hop.
In particular, the latter was connected to the Savoy Ballroom, which is used as an example of a Harlem ballroom which had social dancing. Possible references in the mainstream press are especially analyzed in the Savoy Ballroom sub-chapter, where it is examined how social jazz dance of the Savoy Ballroom was recognized in the mainstream press. How the surrounding community affected the Harlem jazz dance entertainment is also analyzed in this chapter and later in the study, especially, in chapters 6 and 7.
The fourth chapter discusses how the Lindy Hop was born and how it spread outside Harlem since its beginning. George Snowden and Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers were important factors in the Harlem Lindy Hop. Their background and how they were recognized in the mainstream press are presented in the chapter with the help of the Rockland Palace dance marathon and the Harvest Moon Ball contest. George Snowden’s dance career had its beginning in the dance marathon. Whitey’s Lindy
Hoppers participated frequently in the Harvest Moon Ball contest, in addition to their performances in theatres, nightclubs/ballrooms and movies.
The fifth chapter presents Bill Robinson who was the one of the most important tap dancers in the twentieth century. His background and how he was recognized in the mainstream press are analyzed. Because Robinson was clearly connected to different political entities and ideas, his private life is also worth discussing to find out how white people, who the mainstream press mainly represented, really recognized him. Robinson and Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers are discussed both together and separately in ‘The World’s Fair 1939 - 1940 in Queens’ chapter. The World’s Fair was an important case where the Harlem jazz dance reached the white, downtown people in the outside Harlem context. The World’s Fair overall was a global exhibition which was connected to various cultural forms. The chapter analyzes how the mainstream press recognized Robinson and Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers at the Fair and in the Fair-connected articles. Where the remarkable the Hot Mikado play at the Fair is concerned, they are also analyzed concerning their post-World’s Fair performances with a reference to Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers’
participation in the Broadway version of the Hot Mikado.
Similarly, the Harlem jazz dance was performed in the Broadway-connected shows. How the mainstream press recognized the shows is discussed in its own sub-chapters. Important examples about how the mainstream press recognized the dance acts are Bill Robinson, Buck and Bubbles, the Nicholas Brothers, Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers, and one of the most important Broadway-connected shows, Blackbirds, which presented different African-American jazz dance acts. How the dancers and acts were recognized in the mainstream press is discussed, and concerning their recognition in the mainstream press, they also are compared to each other, especially in the cases where they performed in the same shows. Accordingly, the recognition of Bill Robinson, Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers and the Nicholas Brothers are analyzed with references to other jazz dancers in the chapter which discusses the Harlem jazz dance-connected movies.
The sixth chapter brings out how the early Civil Rights Movement-connected political parties recognized and used jazz and the Harlem-based jazz dance for their activities in the Harlem context. Particularly, the NAACP and the Communists are discussed in this context. They were important political operators in Harlem at the time, and they clearly had connections to the Harlem ballrooms and jazz culture. It is therefore considered reasonable to discuss them in this study. The possible changes in African-Americans’ position by the actions of the parties also are analyzed.
The seventh chapter discusses the Harlem riots in 1935 and 1943. The background of the riots and how the riots affected the Harlem jazz dance entertainment is brought out in the sub-chapters. The Savoy’s temporary closing in 1943 was on the background, when the 1943 riot broke out. The Savoy Ballroom was an important dance-related institution in Harlem and the riots were clearly connected to the ordinary Harlemites in the political context of Harlem. That is why their possible consequences to the Harlem entertainment are reasonable to explore.
Another question analyzed is how the emerging swing scene in midtown Manhattan,
on West 52nd Street and other Manhattan places of entertainment affected the Harlem entertainment, including how Harlem entertainment survived after the increasing competition, and how World War II affected the Harlem dancers. The results of the main chapters are gathered together in conclusion chapters in the end of the main chapters, and the results of the study are gathered together in the last chapter of the dissertation, which presents the conclusion of the whole dissertation.