Update: A previous version of this post included two additional videos which have since been removed. They featured a person who is not welcome in the lindy hop scene because of what they did to other people in the community, and I do not want to see this project as condoning that behavior in any way. I then went back and messaged all the people who originally nominated the removed videos and asked them if they wanted to replace their nominations. Since I was only giving them a few days to respond, I let them review the yet to be released honorable mentions list for the competitions and social dance categories. I let them know that any nominations of new videos would definitely still not be eligible to be voted on, but anything on those honorable mentions list could be elevated into the public voting pool. Five of those videos are now on this list.
When people sent in nominations for this best lindy hop video project, some of them also included some thoughts which I have compiled here to give people some context before casting their votes for this category next Monday.
Please note that some of these comments were cut out of longer ones because I wanted to I break them up by video for these posts.
Additional background information about this project can be found here.
Watch all of the videos listed below on one YouTube playlist here.
A ballot to vote on these videos is now open here.
Liberation Final - ULHS 2005
If memory serves, Naomi swept every category at ULHS that year. At 1:30 in this clip, you can see that Todd doesn't even allow her hands to touch the floor during their pancake aerial. Gina Helfrich
ULHS 2005 liberation finals -- this one to me is just sort of a time capsule of that mid-2000s lindy hop world. There are kind of a lot of professional transitions represented in the partnerships here which is interesting to see, but I don't know if this is a 'greatest', it might just be that I'm sentimental about it. The following year might be a better representation but also happens to include Max Pitruzella and I've tried not to include anything that features him in my list. Breanna Perry
The 2005 ULHS fast dance competition was one of the videos I was shown as being an explanation for why we dance the way we do and why our competitions are organized the way they are. Greg Stasiewicz
Open Lindy Final - Camp Hollywood 2008
As will be noted in the later Camp Hollywood entries, the Open Lindy Final has always had a reputation for fast dancing and big aerials which are abundant in the 2008 edition. What brought the house down was 10 straight swingouts by Mikey Pedroza and Nina Gilkenson. It’s one of those stunts that everyone talks about doing, but rarely do because it’s actually harder than you think under those circumstances. But for Mikey & Nina, they didn’t have many options dancing against other established couples since they only decided to partner up for that weekend on a whim. But it was enough to be remembered by a number of nominators. Jerry S. Almonte
All-Star Invitational Jack & Jill Finals - Lone Star Championships 2010
The ending all skate for this competition was so wild, that it was also nominated separately. I was originally going to place that all skate video into the social dance category until this full version got enough votes to qualify it for voting. The Lone Star Championships were conceived by Tena Morales and Scott Angelius as a less serious competitive event than ILHC, which they also ran. This Invitational contest and the two song format epitomizes the spirit they were going for with this event. Jerry S. Almonte
Lindy Hop Couples Finals - Camp Jitterbug 2010
There is something about the absolute wiiiiiidde spectrum of Lindy Hop in this contest: The first Snatch-Frontflip from locals Dargoff and Brittney, Pontus and Frida bringing the full Hot Shot experience , Nick and Laura bringing crazy air combos that we hadn't seen before (Even if I think they nailed it even better at Camp Hollywood that year), topped off with the insanity of Andrew and Karen quoting classics left and right while dressed for Wimbledon (and unknowingly previewing the "evolution of Lindy Hop" sequences). It's a wild contest and I like that it seems a little less serious than most. Jon Tigert
Invitational Lindy Jack and Jill - Lone Star Championships at Lindyfest 2013
The two parts of this video I love the most are of course, Frida and Michael's dance, and the spontaneous Big Apple at the all skate. For Frida and Michael, I think this is just such a treasure of a dance that we're lucky enough to have captured forever on video. If I had to think of one video that encapsulates the magic of improvised partner dance, this is my pick. And the contest as a whole was so well done including the choice at the end to bring in the chaos of the odd-numbered participants of the all skate into the ubiquitous lindy hopper group routine. And they even transitioned to another song right at the point where most normal lindy hoppers forget the Big Apple! I thought it was such a fun moment bringing together the contestants, the music, the value of recorded music and attentive contest DJing, and the audience. Fantastic! Andrew Jose
Vintage vs Modern Street Dancers Part 1 of the invitational Battle - Montreal Swing Riot 2016
Haha I'm biased but I love coming back to the Swing Riot 2016 invitational jazz vs street dancers battle featuring a team led by Nathan Bugh & Anaïs Sékiné, and music selected by Steven Coombe on the jazz side. Original video was on Vimeo due to Youtube copyright restrictions at the time (it had a few hundred thousand views until I decided to stop paying the Vimeo subscription) What I like most about this video is the diversity of styles we can see in the whole video, how we can see the dancers connect with each other, and I'm entertained all the way through the whole 14mins. It helps that this battle features some of my favorite local street dancers from Montreal/Toronto, and some of my favorite jazz dancers like Travis Knights, Nathan Bugh and Dee Daniels Locke. Seeing folks come together and share on the dance floor like this really touched me profoundly, and still touches me to this day when I watch this and remember the moment. One thing to note is that at the time we called it the ""Modern vs Vintage Street Dancers invitational battle"", but recently when we hosted Montreal Swing Riot in summer of 2025, based on feedback, we changed the name to Jazz Dancers vs Street Dancers invitational battle to better reflect the evolving and ongoing nature of these art forms that remain vibrant and continue to evolve globally today. Alain Wong
Part two can be found here.
Strictly Lindy Hop Invitational - Savoy Cup 2018
After spending the summer reviewing tons of competition footage, I’ve come to the conclusion that Bugle Call Rag is a little bit of a risky song choice for a competition. However, here it gives us an opportunity to see how high level dancers can literally “take it up a notch” after each break. Jerry S. Almonte
Open Lindy Final - Camp Hollywood 2019
Southern California and by extension, Camp Hollywood, seems to be a world unto itself. I have a theory that if no one from outside of SoCal came to this event, that there would still probably be over 1000 attendees every year. It definitely has it’s own vibe which seems to be exemplified in its Open Lindy divisions. As someone who has helped to run ILHC for 10 years, it’s been super impressive to watch Camp Hollywood navigate the same cultural shifts as we have, but still maintain its unique character that simultaneously demands dancers to step up to its standards yet also rewards them for being themselves. Jerry S. Almonte
NORMAlizer - ILHC 2023
The 2023 NORMAlizer video is the evolution of modern lindy hop competitions embodied. It shows off the incredible athletics and skill of the dance at an extremely high level, tying the performance style back to the routines and competitions of the original era of the dance while highlighting new developments in the dance that reflect the modern style of lindy hop. Greg Stasiewicz
Open Lindy Final - Camp Hollywood XXV (2023)
Whenever I want to showcase air to non-Lindy Hoppers, aside from Hellzapoppin, this is the video I've started to refer to. Isabelle Maricar
(Note: a previous version of this post mistakenly had this remark under a different video)
I think this 25th anniversary edition is peak Camp Hollywood. Lindy Hop competitions have been chasing the high that the ULHS Liberation final set in 2006, and I think Camp Hollywood deserves to be mentioned in the same breath. Jerry S. Almonte