Jean Veloz has been kicking up her dancing shoes since the 1940s and she is not taking off those shoes anytime soon.
90-year-old Jean Veloz is an iconic Hollywood-Style Lindy Hop dancer. She was invited to an Arizona Lindy Hop Society event in Phoenix, Arizona. She stepped on to the dancefloor to wave to all in attendance, but she was not going to stop with just a wave. She wanted everyone to know that age is just a number for her, so she surprised them all by dancing.
“Jean Phelps Veloz, the icon of the Hollywood-Style Lindy to new generations of swing dancers, provides a living bridge from the Los Angeles dance scene of the 1940’s to the present-day Lindy Hop revival that has swept the United States and the rest of the world since the late 1990’s,” her official website states.
Jean has been known worldwide since the 1940s for her dancing. She not only performed for live audiences, but she was also danced in Hollywood movies during the 1940s too. Jean danced in the motion picture Groovy Movie which is still a favorite movie in the dance community. Groovy Movie is studied by dancers to really understand the 1940s Hollywood-Style Lindy Hop.
Jean has danced her way through life and is still beloved in the swing dance community.
Jean was asked to attend the Arizona Lindy Hop Society event. Steve Conrad, a well-known Swing and Lindy Hop instructor was at the event as well. Jean and Steve have danced together before, so when she decided to surprise the audience with her moves he was her chosen partner.
Steve has tremendous dancing skills, but he is letting Jean shine during this dance.
90-year-old Jean Veloz does not need to prove anything on that dance floor because her moves tells it all, she still has it. Steve and Jean are gliding along that dance floor like the two professionals they are. She is not trying to only do “easy” dance moves, she is dancing like she always has. Jean’s grace and vibrant attitude still is displayed on the dance floor.
The Arizona Lindy Hop Society states, “Jean Veloz stepped out onto the floor to wave and then ended up burning up the floor with some of the moves she did in films of the 1940’s while dancing with International instructor Steve Conrad of the Arizona Lindy Hop Society.”
She is not taking it easy, she is doing the same moves she has since the 1940s.
The audience is cheering and clapping throughout Jean and Steve’s entire performance. They must realize what an amazing opportunity to watch a legendary Lindy-Hop dancer perform right in front of them. She was not inducted into the prestigious California Swing Dance Hall of Fame for nothing, she is one of the most talented swing dancers in the world.
Jean’s official website states that, “Jean Phelps Veloz, the icon of the Hollywood-Style Lindy to new generations of swing dancers, provides a living bridge from the Los Angeles dance scene of the 1940’s to the present-day Lindy Hop revival that has swept the United States and the rest of the world since the late 1990’s.”
Jean Veloz is the living bridge from the original Lindy-Hop dancers to all the dancers learning it now. Being able to watch her perform at 90 years old gives all her audience the chance to watch an original and she is still the best on the dance floor.
Watch Jean Veloz’s entire dance performance right below.
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