"Swing dancing and the Lindy Hop, the original style of Swing, is often referred to as "an outward expression of an inner joy". -Tamara Stevens
How we came to be
We fell in love. Hard. Not only with jazz and swing dancing, but with the community of musicians and dancers. We all have a passion for this dance that makes us happier, and connects us with a community that has proven to be more than what we could have ever imagined.
Many of us started over 10 years ago at UC Berkeley, where Lindy on Sproul was born. Every Saturday at noon, students would gather and swing dance for hours. Who could have known that generation after generation the love for swing dance would only grow stronger? For others, it has only been a few years since swing dancing entered their lives. We’re not all from the Bay Area. Some are from Canada, others from Spain, but we all share this one thing in common that a trumpet sound can easily wake our hearts.
Over time, we learned about the rich African-American legacy that gave birth to this beautiful form of self-expression and connection. Lindy hop enriched our lives by allowing us to be a guest and peek into a culture previously foreign to us. We learned not just movement and rhythm, but also a glimpse into how to be unapologetically free in face of scrutiny, how to celebrate life in face of hardship, and how to embrace one another in face of scarcity .
Everyone at The Breakaway were resolved to help preserve and strengthen the community that gave us so much. That's why we founded the Breakaway. We want to give back to the swing dance community. We want to share this joyful dance with more people. We want to provide a space for those in the East Bay Area who love this dance as much as we do.
There is something very magical about the swing dance scene and our goal is to help you discover it.
Our core values and mission
The Breakaway is an East Bay swing dance venue devoted to inspiring individuals in the local community to express themselves through dance in an inviting, supportive, and creative atmosphere.
The Savoy Ballroom in Harlem, New York is where the Lindy Hop first started. Its nickname? “The home of happy feet” - and for good reason. “At the Savoy, it didn’t matter what color you were, black, white, green, yellow or whatever. I don’t even remember noticing people’s skin color. The only thing they asked when you walked in was, “Can you dance?” They never looked at your face, only at your feet,” said Frankie Manning, one of the founders of the Lindy Hop. Deep within, this proved one thing: Swing has a mission of "tolerance, mutual respect [and] even affection" between people. (Stowe, 245)
The Breakaway team is deeply inspired by this inclusive dancing environment. We believe in equality where men and women can lead or follow. Everyone is welcomed on our dance floor.
The Roots of Lindy Hop
As a Lindy Hop dance organization, we recognize that we are enjoying the fruits of African American culture, and we must recognize their unique experience.
We cannot simply celebrate the dance legends without recognizing that Frankie was famously denied entry to Roseland Ballroom. Norma was not allowed to stay near the Vegas casino where she performed. Dawn's family band was threatened to be lynched while performing at a carnival. The same immense struggle that shaped the lives of countless African Americans during the swing era, is still painfully on display in our society today.
We invite everyone in our community to practice empathy, have dialogues, and educate ourselves on the ongoing perils that African American communities face, for "none of us can be free, until everybody is free." - Maya Angelou.
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