09/10/2026
✨ On this day in 2004 ✨
The ‘A Great Day in Lindy’ photograph was taken!
On 9 October 2004, over 400 Lindy Hop dancers, instructors, and community members from around the world gathered on the steps of Columbia University's Earl Hall for a historic photo shoot. A project of Springboard Productions, LLC and yehoodi.com, spearheaded by dedicated swing dance historians including Terry Monaghan, ‘A Great Day in Lindy’ was inspired by Art Kane's iconic 1958 black and white photograph ‘A Great Day in Harlem’ and the result is a landmark group portrait of the global Lindy Hop community featuring some of its most influential and important figures.
A partial list of some of the legendary dancers and Savoy Ballroom connections involved includes:
Frankie Manning, Norma Miller, Dawn Hampton, Eleanor Watson (Whitey's Lindy Hopper, In Radio City Revels), Ruthie Rhinegold (Whitey's Lindy Hopper), Sugar Sullivan (Harvest Moon Ball Champion, Jivadeer, Rocket), Sonny Allen (Harvest Moon Ball Champion, Founder of the Rockets), Gigi Brown (Harvest Moon Ball Champion, Mama Lou Parks Dancer, State Department Africa Tour), Gloria Thompson (Mama Lou Parks Dancer, State Department Africa Tour, Harvest Moon Ball Finalist, Savoy Ballroom Dancer), Coley Wallace (Savoy Ballroom Bouncer), and Helen Banks (Savoy Ballroom Dancer, Appeared in Soundies).
Fun Fact: Lennart Westerlund, one of the founders of Herräng Dance Camp in Sweden could not make the trip, so to represent him in the photo Frankie Manning is holding a Kermit the Frog on his shoulder!
Source: jassdancer.blogspot.com
Image credit: The identity of the photographer is unclear - if anyone can tell me please do!
