Swing Kids - a must-see film for Lindy Hoppers.
As a Lindy Hopper who started dancing in the mid-90s there are a few modern films that really influenced me and “Swing Kids” is right at the top. Released in 1993 “Swing Kids” discussed an area of history that was all but forgotten during the horror that was World War II.
“Swing Kids” tells the story of rebellious youth living in Nazi Germany who are in love with all things American, including jazz and swing. They love the fashions, wear their hair long, and gather secretly to swing dance and run through Cab Calloway’s jive dictionary. Peter Muller (Robert Sean Leonard) and Thomas Berger (Christian Bale) are lifelong friends who attempt to be Hitler Youth by day and Swing Kids by night but soon find it impossible to divide their lives. It becomes necessary for each of them to choose who – and what – they’re going to be.
This was the first time that I ever saw vintage and Lindy Hop in a modern film, and I was just captivated. I remember watching the dance scene between Robert Sean Leonard and Tushka Bergen (who played Evey) and wondering where I could learn to dance like that and find myself some spiffy ground grippers (nice shoes). If you haven’t seen this film, it’ll make you laugh and cry and want to get up and dance, and the soundtrack is a must-have for my favorite version of “Bei Mir Bist Du Schön.”
This is one of the iconic swing dance scenes from “Swing Kids.”
If that wasn’t enough of a reason to see “Swing Kids” remember:
The big reason to see Swing Kids?
In Part 2 of Swing Kids I’m going to talk about who the real swing kids were and why Lindy Hop was once considered an act of political and social protest. Until then, keep dancing, cut a rug – and swing heil!
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