LaTasha Barnes

LaTasha Barnes is an American dancer, educator, and choreographer. She is the creator and director of The Jazz Continuum, an African roots-based production encompassing Lindy Hop, house dance, locking, breaking, voguing, and jazz dance that connects dance of the swing era to dance today. The show debuted at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City in 2021, and continues to tour in the U.S.

Early years Barnes was born in Richmond, Virginia, where she was exposed to music at an early age, having a DJ father. During elementary school Barnes took dance classes, and traded moves with her cousins and friends from New York and Washington, D.C. Due to her father's role as an Active Guard Reserve, Barnes became involved in the junior Marine Corps and Junior ROTC. After serving five years in the army, she was hired by the White House Communications Agency in Washington, D.C. and won first place in the Advanced Jack & Jill Lindy Hop Championships with her partner Jason Hizon. In 2017, she won second place in the Lindyfest All-Star Jack and Jill Lindy Hop Championships with partner Blake Thiessen. In 2019, she won the Luck of the Draw contest with partner Nick Williams at the International Lindy Hop Championships. Barnes continued placing in dance competitions

During this time period, Barnes began a collaboration with Caleb Teicher & Friends. The collaboration resulted in the 2021 show "Swing Out", currently touring the U.S. This show, rooted in African American dance from the late 1800s and early 1900s, is a mix of tap and vernacular jazz. Company members dance to a live, onstage band playing tunes from the swing era. The show, produced by the Joyce Theater in New York, was created by Teicher along with a small group of collaborators including Barnes.

Barnes' recent show, The Jazz Continuum continues to tour the U.S. as of October 2024. Backed by Barnes' scholarly research into African diasporic forms, the show is an homage to the dancers who laid the foundation of Black vernacular dance in the Jazz Age. The show is meant to represent dancing from social spaces including clubs, ballrooms, and parties and incorporates an improvisational spirit. Critic Janine Parker noted that the show incorporates various dance styles such as the Lindy Hop, soft shoe, and hip hop, where a live band of four musicians interacts with the dancers. The titular "jazz continuum" is created by connecting creative figures from the early 20th century such as Norma Miller and Frankie Manning with contemporary jazz material. The show was a New York Times critics' pick for 2022.

Educator As an educator, Barnes teaches African diasporic dance forms at Arizona State University, and other universities. As part of her teaching, Barnes explains the key role of African Americans in developing African diasporic dance forms including hip hop, swing dance, and jazz dance. and performer at the Mother City Hop Jazz Festival in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2019. In addition to her work abroad, she has served as a panelist and choreographer at cultural institutions and universities. For instance in 2018, she served as a panelist on the history of Lindy Hop at the Lincoln Center of Performing Arts. In 2023, she lectured on Hip-Hop dance at Arizona State University. In 2024, she did a five-day residency at Boston University where she taught classes and choreography.

As she became more involved in authentic jazz dance, and Lindy Hop in particular, at New York University's Gallatin School. In 2021, Barnes was hired as an assistant professor, then promoted to associate professor In 2023, she received the Bessie Outstanding Creator/Choreographer Award for her show The Jazz Continuum. She has collaborated with Caleb Teicher on his show Swing Out, which has appeared across the U.S. including at the Lincoln Center in New York. Barnes is also vice president of marketing and outreach for the International Lindy Hop Championships, where she is one of the organizers. Barnes currently teaches at Arizona State University in the department of film, dance, and theater.