Mura Dehn and Spirit Moves

AUG 14, 2020

Last month had a fascinating profile on the legacy of Mura Dehn.

Though her name might not be familiar to you, her influence and contributions are massively important to lindy hop & jazz dance.

Mura Dehn produced the “Spirit Moves.” This series provides some of the best and most notable footage we have of jazz dance in this era.

Without question, Spirit Moves is a hugely influential piece of work. Dancers like myself have spent countless hours watching and rewatching this material. It has achieved something of biblical status amongst lindy hoppers around the world.

A few thoughts on Mura Dehn’s legacy & Spirit Moves:

*Frankie Manning did not participate much in Spirit Moves, despite being present at the time of filming. My understanding is that he wanted more of the social dance element displayed, rather than just routines.

*The interview notes that there was some friction between Norma Miller and Mura Dehn. This might have some relationship to Mura Dehn’s attempts to profit off of the footage. In the late 1970s/early 80s, I understand that Mura Dehn sold a copy of the footage to a dancer for private use. I recall the sum being over $13,000. Her justification in pricing was that it was out of respect for the dancers. However, when the purchaser asked if the money would be going to the dancers filmed, Dehn was less that forthcoming.

*I was present with Norma at Herrang Dance Camp while someone showed her some clips of Spirit Moves. She did not speak highly of the footage. Interestingly, she noted that this was everybody just “messin’ around” and did not showcase the quality of their dancing. She said something along the lines of “Why do y’all watch this crap?”

*There is a great deal of never-before-seen footage from Spirit Moves. Unfortunately, the person currently in possession of it does not seem interested in its release.