From the late 1920s to the end of World War II, African American music and dance styles were prevalent in films, yet Black performers were often marginalized, relegated to "specialty acts" and short films, while stardom remained predominantly for White actors. This work explores vernacular jazz dance in film as a lens for understanding American race relations. It examines the intersections of race, gender, and class, focusing on how the racialized and gendered body in film performs, challenges, and negotiates identities and stereotypes. Advocating for the transformative potential of jazz dance onscreen, the six chapters analyze various films and performers, including those often overlooked. Topics cover Hollywood's first Black female star, Nina Mae McKinney, male tap dance "class acts" in early 1930s Black-cast shorts, the film career of Jeni LeGon, the role of dance in 1940s Soundies jukebox shorts, cinematic representations of the Lindy hop, and teen films from the early 1940s aimed at young White swing culture fans. By focusing on marginal film forms like shorts and B movies, the work underscores their significance in presenting alternative images of racial and gender identities embodied by dancers, contrasting with mainstream Hollywood narratives.
