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 will be posted on Monday, October 20, 2025.
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
Liberation Final - ULHS 2006
The birth of the YouTube generation of dancers. That raw energy that ULHS sought to unleash from under the stuffiness of ALHC. Todd & Frida, Nick & Ria locked in an aerials battle. John Holmstrom
Somewhat controversial, or it would have been higher in the list, but an important video of the times nonetheless. Ben Holness
[This] selection is a video that to me is both an important video in that it has been so widely viewed, and that it also was the type of strictly contest I've always been personally inspired by. Andrew Jose
There's a real asshole in this clip, but we can't let him ruin everyone else's good time. When the Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown hit the scene, all of the things we take for granted at Lindy Hop contests (fast dancing, jam-style finals, etc.) were underdeveloped. You can draw a straight line from ULHS to now. What you don't see anymore, is this kind of devilish tempo, which was a fixture of this contest, because Amy Johnson is a mad scientist. Frida and Todd's performance in here is somehow relaxed, even while it's dynamic and insane. As always with Todd, there's a wry and knowing bullshit element that I find irresistible. This thing flew all over the internet for a reason. Michael Seguin
This was a turning point for what was happening, what was possible, what could be our future. I was young, already leaning into faster music, and about to explode with the groove era's slower tempos. This video made me want to stand up and cheer. Laura Windley
Content warning: Talk of sexual assault. One of the people in this contest has multiple allegations against him. You can read more about him here and here.
Invitational Strictly Lindy Hop Final - ILHC 2013
This was THE video that got me into Lindy Hop while I was in college, and long before I was aware of the greater dance scene or who any of these people were (unsure if other people who started Lindy in college around my time would feel the same way). There's a lot about this video that I'm not a fan of now, but I have to give credit to the video that started it all. The angle of this video (which is not the official ILHC video) makes all the competitors look like titans, and the music and energy are pretty sick. Isabelle Maricar
Undoubtedly one of the best strictlys ever. The energy is incredible (MP is in this one, but I don't want his presence to diminish the talent shown in this video). Tom Yi
Content warning: Talk of sexual assault. One of the people in this contest has multiple allegations against him. You can read more about him here and here.
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.
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
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
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)
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