13: To Be Black and Snatched (w/ MICHELLE STOKES)

<p>To Be Black and Snatched.</p> <p>Hair --- it's not only a cultural part of Black living, it's also a practical one. You might be surprised all the ways it plays a role in a Black person existing in a mostly Non-Black America, and specifically in a Non-Black swing dancing space. It's only one of the topics we discuss in today's action-packed episode.&nbsp;</p> <p>In part I of this 2-part conversation, we talk to the renown event emcee, jazz dance instructor, and Lindy Focus meeting co-host MICHELLE STOKES about hair, how she first came into the dance, the swing scene as Michelle saw it through the lenses of being a Black woman, body types, the problems with &nbsp;most modern swing dance classes, and the nature of swing dancing in the modern scene. &nbsp;Next week, part II of this interview will cover her philosophy as an Emcee, and what an ideal scene looks like to her.</p> <p>2:00 The realities of hair, and what it has to do with Black Women, dating, and the swing scene.&nbsp;</p> <p>14:00 Going to dances searching for romantic partners</p> <p>&nbsp;21:30 Walking into a swing dance as a Black person&nbsp;</p> <p>25:00 Lindy Hop Body&nbsp;</p> <p>33:30 Michelle's heavily-curated dance education&nbsp;</p> <p>40:00 We naturally look to teachers, and ignore our prior knowledge, when introduced to something new&nbsp;</p> <p>44:00 On teaching problems in the scene&nbsp;</p> <p>52:00 Following a bunch of different leaders vs dancing for yourself &nbsp;</p> <p>58:00 Collaboration and pretending to dance rather than actually dancing&nbsp;</p> <p>---------------</p> <p>Welcome to Integrated Rhythm! Two Swing Dancing besties (Chisomo Selemani &amp; Bobby White) navigate race and the Black Experience in the world of Jazz Dance and other Afro-centric social dancing. Our goal is comfortable conversations about uncomfortable things. In this episode...</p> <p>Our music is by Laurel Ryan &amp; Michelle Stokes, our "We're back! song" was an improvisation by Steffanie AK Schilling, and the background drumming is by Bobby White</