Kick-off of the “How to make spring” festival with the presentation of our project.

At the beginning there was an exciting panel discussion with Birgit Köhler, Petr Koura and Andrzej Rumianowski about the Czech “Potápky”, the Bremen “Swing Kids”, the appearance of swing youths in general and the persecution of jazz musicians in Poland.

Then Eléna and Christin showed the basic rhythms of Lindy Hop.
The two literally made the participants “bounce”.

Finally, “the best swing band” in the Czech Republic (Jakub Šafr & Swing Trio Avalon) played together with Sophia Lamoš.

The dancing continued well into the night.

Thank you to everyone who attended and to the entire team for this wonderful evening!

To open the festival and launch the project “Nazi Injustice ‘Degenerate Music’. Persecuted swing dancers and jazz musicians in north-west Germany, the Czech Republic and Poland” by the BBfd-tZ, the project partners from Prague, Warsaw and Gdansk will discuss the different methods of persecution used by the Nazi regime with Bremen historian Birgit Tillmann. They also present the activities planned at the four locations until December 2025 in order to anchor this hitherto little-known Nazi injustice in the public consciousness of the three countries as well as transnationally.

The Czech swing band Jakub Šafr & Swing Trio Avalon will play afterwards. The concert takes place as a social dance in cooperation with the Bremen dance club Swing Man Tau.

Welcome: Michael Maj, designated Czech Honorary Consul in Bremen