From the Facebook event description:

** English version below **

Chère communauté swing,
Pour commencer cette nouvelle année pleine de bonnes résolutions, dont celle d’apprendre davantage sur l’histoire des danses Afro-Américaines, j’ai l’immense honneur de vous convier à une conférence zoom avec le Docteur en Sciences Sociales Harri Heinilä.
Diplômé d’un doctorat de l’Université d’Helsinki et chercheur en poste actuellement, Harri Heinilä a réalisé un travail colossal de recherches historiques et sociologiques à propos des danses Jazz de Harlem entre 1921 et 1943.
C’est avec beaucoup de générosité qu’il vient nous parler de sa thèse le 23 janvier 2021 et ainsi nous encourager à en apprendre davantage sur l’histoire des danses Jazz d’Harlem, que nous chérissons tant.
Cette conférence est gratuite et est ouverte à tous les curieux ! C’est un espace d’apprentissage, de retrouvailles et de partage qui se veut bienveillant et chaleureux.
Alors à vos agendas! Et n’hésitez pas à partager le mot à vos amis, à vos élèves, à vos partenaires de danse… Bref, à tous les amoureux du swing ❤

👉 Cette conférence sera donnée en anglais.
👉 Harri Heinilä refuse toute contribution pour son travail, il l’offre à la communauté!
👉 Nous enregistrerons le zoom pour le partager si vous ne pouvez pas assister au rendez-vous le 23 janvier 🙂

********

Dear swing community,
To start off the new year with good resolutions, including learning more about the history of vernacular African-American dances, I have the great honour to invite you to a zoom conference with the Doctor of Social Sciences Harri Heinilä.
Graduate of a PHD in Université of Helsinki and currently working as a researcher, Harri Heinilä carried out a colossal work of historical and sociological research on Jazz dances of Harlem between 1921 and 1943.
It is with great generosity that he comes to speak to us about his thesis on January 23rd, and thus invites us to learn more about the history of Harlem Jazz dances which we cherish so much.
The conference is FREE and open to all who are curious and interested! It is a space for learning, reuniting and sharing and is meant to be benevolent and warm.
So mark your calendar and don’t hesitate to share the word with your friends, your students, your dance partners!
In short, this is a great gift for all swing lovers!

👉 This conference will be given in English.
👉 Harri Heinilä refuses any contribution for his work. He wants to offer to the community!
👉 We will record the zoom to share with those who can not attend the 23th 🙂

Harri Heinilä – his work, his words :
“I am researching Harlem jazz dance and its political and social connections. That means how Harlem jazz dance was perceived in the mainly white mainstream press, and how the Civil Rights Movement (mainly the NAACP and the American Communist Party) and other political institutions acknowledged Harlem jazz dance and used it in their activities. Harlem jazz dance means “authentic” jazz music-related jazz dances like the Lindy Hop, Tap dance/Rhythm Tap, the Charleston, and Mambo, in the context of Harlem. I did my doctoral dissertation on the subject concerning years between 1921 and 1943, and I am working on the continuation of the dissertation concerning years between 1944 and 1959.
Overall, I am interested in African-American jazz dance and its political and social connections in the U.S..
I am also interested in current jazz dances like “Hip Hop” (means Hip Hop music-connected dances) and its political and social connections, in addition to jazz music, jazz music-related music styles, and anything connected to Harlem and African-American culture and politics.”

Source : https://researchportal.helsinki.fi/…/harri-heinil%C3%A4
Harri Heinilä – resources :
https://authenticjazzdance.wordpress.com
https://researchportal.helsinki.fi/en/persons/harri-heinil%C3%A4
Photograph : Cootie Williams plays his trumpet in a crowed Harlem ballroom with Duke Ellington’s band, circa 1930. Bettmann / Bettmann Archive