Postwar Era, 1950s – 1980s
The Spirit Moves DVD collection is a the single richest living record of African Americans’ great influence on cultural, social, and dance history. Filmed at Brooklyn’s P.S. 28 and Manhattan’s Palladium, Part 3 features dances from the ‘Bebop Era’: the Flying Home Harlem Style, Bebop improvisations, the Mambo and an Applejack Challenge. Experience these original dances as performed by Teddy Brown, Sugar Sullivan, Jack Asquiew, Leroy Appens, Tandaleo and Jackie, and others.
The Spirit Moves is a rare and vital social document providing a living record of the men and women who crafted American social dance styles and jazz music into an improvisational art form. Previously, the films comprising this DVD were only available for viewing at the Dance Collection of the New York Public Library. Dancetime Publications has made the most extensive video encyclopedia of African American Social Dance available to the world’s libraries, schools, dance aficionados, and scholars.
Carol Téten’s Dancetime Publilcations’ compilation of Mura Dehn’s raw footage of directed improv from 1900-1950.
The dancing is often spectacular…a remarkable record of vernacular dance. Ballet Review
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DVD run-time: 40 minutes
PROGRAM DETAILS:
The Spirit Moves traces the evolution of African American dance in urban America. The study of these 20th century dance fads is essential for dance and music research and the exploration of our social and cultural history. Shown with original editing, this DVD contains the only footage of this kind still in existence. It was recorded and created over a period of thirty years by Mura Dehn, a European filmmaker who recognized the vital contribution of African American dance to the Jazz scene, and thus, to our cultural heritage.
Contents: The Spirit Moves, Part 3
A Jazz Document By:
MURA DEHN and HERBERT MATTER
A Survey of 100 Years of Social Dance
Created by Black Americans
Flying Home: Harlem Style
TEDDY BROWN
SUGAR SULLIVAN
Bebop Time
Solo Concert Dance Improvisations
JEFF ASQUIEW
LEROY APPINS
(OAKY) MILTON HAYSE
(SCOBY) CLARENCE STROHMAN
P.S. 28
Mambo
Applejack Challenge
Chateau Gardens Grand Ball:
Bebop Avant-Garde
Mambo
Dancers of The Palladium Ballroom:
TANDALEO & JACKIE DOTTIE ADAMS,
A. VASQUEZ, TEDDY BROWN,
CUBAN PETE & MILLIE DONNI
DISCOUNT PACKAGE:
3 DVD Set - THE SPIRIT MOVES: Volumes 1-3
Reviews
A seminal appreciation of the evolution of African-American dance in urban America, The Spirit Moves series is a must-have for any serious American dance history DVD collection. The Midwest Book Review
Mura Dehn… knew instantly that this remarkable scene had to be documented: ‘My contribution is to have assembled and preserved these dances as presented by their greatest exponents.’ …these DVDs… are essential viewing. This is our history. If you’ve danced to jazz or funk or house you have participated in that cultural continuum. Jazz dance, like jazz music, is one of Americas major contributions to world culture, and if you havent seen the film, then you have been cheated of your own dance history. Paul Bradshaw, Mondomix
