Iris later adds that 9:20 Special and the larger lindy hop community take seriously the history of this dance. She encourages people afterwards to grab one of the history of Lindy Hop brochures that are on a table in the front of the room. She then starts her class.

There’s a lot to like about this. It’s short, to the point, and handles all the basic who, what, where, and why questions. And it leaves them with something to do afterwards.

At the same time, it’s challenging to represent the complex and nuanced story of where our dance came from, and who the principal innovators and drivers were, in a short amount of time. Do you mention Frankie? Do you bring up all the dances that influenced lindy hop? What about the continuing legacy of African-American dancers after that period?

You don’t know why your students are there, or how interested they are in the background of where this dance came from. And you might feel uncomfortable representing the Black roots of lindy hop if you are not from that culture.

There is no perfect approach for every situation. Iris admits she tried various phrases before landing on the one she shared with me. But saying something is better than saying nothing about where this dance came from, and who pioneered it.

With all that, how do you introduce lindy hop to your students? Let’s share what works for your audience from your experience.