Lil' Rhody Lindy Hop

03/19/2025

Providence Swings is coming back, with a live band! Follow and come out for this amazing dance!

03/03/2025

Dear LRLH Community,

In 2022, I opened LRLH in the wake of the pandemic, deeply committed to continuing the work of Providence Swings, which no longer had the manpower to operate. My goal in starting this organization has always been to build a vibrant, sustainable community to keep the spirit of Lindy Hop alive in Rhode Island.

After three years, we’ve cultivated an enthusiastic group of new dancers who are passionate about this art form and ready to invest more in it. During this hiatus, I’ve been reflecting on the challenges of running LRLH on my own and the best way to help our dance community grow.

I felt that the best way to build community is through community itself and, with the help of Maddie Burtan, worked on recruiting a dedicated group of Lindy Hoppers (Rhianon Small, Madeline Montgomery, and Del Rose Ho**er) to help revive Providence Swings, the organization that started it all. Because of this, I’ll be closing LRLH and focusing fully on rebuilding Providence Swings.

Thank you all for allowing me to keep things going these past few years, and I’m excited to build something stronger with the help of these wonderful people!

This is my official announcement that LRLH will not be restarting classes, but please check out the Providence Swings page and Instagram for updates on an exciting comeback event we’re planning for April!

Thank you all, and see you on the dance floor

Mikkie Hass ❤️

02/03/2025

We would like to wish everyone a happy Black History Month! Lindy Hop is a Black art form, fully rooted in Black American culture, and would not exist without Black History. To erase Black History is to erase Lindy Hop. It is an honor to continue to learn the history of this dance and take part in its continuation. The history is what we place at the forefront of all we do in this community, and we are grateful for the opportunity to do so.

We highly encourage reading at least one of the following books this month to learn more about the roots of Lindy Hop, all which can be found on Amazon and some which are available via audio book:

Frankie Manning Ambassador of Lindy Hop - Frankie Manning and Cynthia Millman
Jazz Dance - Marshall and Jean Stearns
Swingin' at the Savoy - Norma Miller & Evette Jensen
Stepping' on the Blues: The Visible Rhythms of African American Dance - Jacqui Malone

If you have any books or resources you would like to share, you are more than welcome to share them below!

11/26/2024

We are deeply saddened to share of the passing of Jean Sutton, a beloved member of the swing dance community here in Rhode Island. She was a dedicated organizer for Providence Swings and provided light and joy on the dance floor. She will be missed and our sincerest condolences are with her family.

https://www.barrettandcotter.com/obituaries/Jean-Doerr-Sutton?obId=33863448&fbclid=IwY2xjawGyqwJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHaoY0jcNRs0VI09q7Cgoq8nu7pQLjY50AttSa64M2XijriV-4UaIc6IcQw_aem_PZTtWQADCCczJ_ZPZCHS8Q

View Jean Doerr Sutton's obituary, contribute to their memorial, see their funeral service details, and more.

10/31/2024

Our last event of 2024 is this Saturday! After this we're taking a break for a few months, so please come out and celebrate Halloween with us! Wear a costume and come dance! Beginner lesson at 7!

10/27/2024

Announcement: Due to injury recovery needs for our main instructor and organizer, Mikkie, after our November dance, Lil Rhody Lindy Hop will be taking a break for a few months. This decision was not made lightly, but is unfortunately necessary for Mikkie's health. We are looking forward to returning hopefully by February or March. Please watch our socials, website, and emails for updates. Our last event before the break will be our Halloween dance on November 2nd and we sincerely hope to see you there. We will be posting local events to attend in the meantime. Thank you all for your understanding, and we apologize for any inconvenience

10/11/2024

Join us for our Halloween dance on Saturday, November 2nd! Beginner lesson at 7, dance at 8. Wear a costume (optional) and dance with us! This will also be our last social dance before our upcoming few month break (from November at least through January), so we hope to see lots of people there!

10/10/2024

Lil' Rhody is not having class on Wednesday October 16th! Instead we're going on a field trip! Come join us as we invade Somerville Stomp, hosted by our wonderful friends up at , located at the Samba Bar at 608 Somerville Ave in Somerville MA!

Our own instructor and Lil' Rhody community member Karen Turman will be doing an early modern clips night from 7pm-8pm and then our resident instructor and DJ Mikkie Hass will be DJing for the first set!

We can't wait to see yall there!