As you may know by now, when people submitted nominations for this project, they were given the option of also providing supporting commentary. Not everyone did it, but below are some interesting comments to give more context to these elections improvised social dances.
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, November 3, 2025.
Voting for all ballots is set to close on November 10th.
Carla Heiney and Kevin St. Laurent - BarSwingona 2003
Kevin and Carla were a big influence in the early 21st century and this video personifies them well. Ben Holness
Frankie Manning and Dawn Hampton - Lindyfest 2008.
Frankie is a month shy of his 94th birthday here. I believe it was at this event, the idea of a huge celebration for his 95th birthday was proposed to him, to which he responded enthusiastically. He had no plans on going anywhere any time soon. He is noticeably slower here, but still game to take the floor with the indomitable Dawn Hampton.
This is probably a good time to mention my favorite Frankie quote, which I cannot find any source for other than hearing it from someone else second hand. It is probably in response to some nerd asking him to define swing for the millionth time. “I can swing even when I’m standing still.”
I think it was important for Frankie and Dawn to be on this list because their influences on the worldwide community, while immense, are now starting to feel underrated. Frankie was so kind and generous that if you never met him, you would think the way people elevate him is propaganda. I remember overhearing Norma Miller talk about this to historian Terry Monaghan one night at Frankie95, and confessing that she could not have done what Frankie did in terms of being an ambassador for the dance. She just didn’t have the personality for it even though she was a guiding light in her own way. Dawn was really instrumental for emphasizing a more holistic view of dancing in general that tried to get people to move beyond patterns and rote steps. Our community misses all of these folks dearly. Jerry S. Almonte
Naomi Uyama & Todd Yannacone - Lone Star Championships 2010 - All-Star Invitational Jack & Jill
Lonestar 2010 (If i could include the all skate to this I would), but its baller dancing and shows a time when the scene took itself less seriously. And that BS where Todd orbits Naomi and she doesn't move an inch is the craziest shit I've ever seen led and followed. Jon TIgert
Frida Segerdahl & Michael Seguin - Lone Star Championships & Lindyfest 2013 - Invitational Jack & Jill
Locked in and playful. Lily Kind
I put this first because it's a social dance at its core. Also, this is the video I show people when they ask me what Lindy Hop is. Cari Meisel
Michael and Frida with one of the best social dances ever recorded. Aris Pikeas
Just one of the most magical mix and match dances I've ever seen. Paul Riding
The 2013 Lindy Fest video, particularly Michael Seguin and Frida Segerdahl's dance, highlights, what to me is the greatest thing about swing dance -- the improvisation and partnership leading not just the watchers, but the dancers themselves, to a point of disbelief. And the whole competition shows off the incredible skills of a generation of the dancers who have been and continue to be influential in how the dance is danced, how the community is run, and how people build the community itself. Greg Stasiewicz
Felix Berghäll & Naomi Uyama - ILHC 2018 - Invitational Lindy Hop Draw
The best draw ever, hands down, no notes. Isabelle Maricar
Alice Mei and Felipe Braga - Winter Jump 2020
This video pays off one of my goals in starting this project, which was to see other great performances after I stopped religiously watching them after the mid 2010s. This is a great partnership between two incredibly skilled dancers to some great musicians. Jerry S. Almonte