美国国家公共电台 NPR--Rooted in Motown, Detroit style skating rolls on into the next generation

Rooted in Motown, Detroit style skating rolls on into the next generation

Transcript¹

Angie McClendon has been roller skating since she was 5 years old. Now 61, she's a veteran of the Detroit skating community. McClendon is a Detroit style skater – every move is rhythmic², following and matching a beat. "Everything is in sync because it's from the Motown era," McClendon explains.

Motown's music legacy³ is well known — think: Smokey Robinson, The Supremes and The Temptations — but not everyone is aware of the lasting⁴ impact it had on roller skating.

Take, for example, "the Hatch": Three to four skaters hold hands and turn their bodies right to left as they're skating. "Three becomes one," McClendon says. "It's important that we in sync together. If I don't hold your hand, how we gon' keep up with each other?"

Here's what it looks like:

Toe stops — round rubber balls attached to the bottom of the skates – make it possible for skaters to move their bodies while staying in one place. And that "allows you to put it on a stage," says Tasha Klusmann, the historian behind the National African American Roller Skating archive.

"With Motown, they were learning to smile and how to carry an audience, and how to present themselves," says Klusmann. "They were already thinking about stage and performing because that was very much in the air. Roller skating was just another vehicle to do it."

The style's tempo⁵ and polish made it stand out from skating styles from other cities.

"In Detroit, it wasn't just the tempo," said Klusmann. "It was the polish. Very versatile⁶ style. Very showy."

And that's largely because of Motown.

From the 1910s to the 1970s, during the Great Migration⁷, many Black families fled the South seeking safer, better lives. The auto⁸ industry in Detroit was a major draw. "Ford⁹ represented an opportunity to work and make money — and with that, the opportunity to buy houses and cars, and own businesses," Klusmann says.

The segregation¹⁰ in the city forged a tight-knit community, where Black-owned businesses supported one another. "That uniqueness, not only did it give fruit to Detroit style skating, but things like Motown and that work ethic¹¹ that came out of the factory — it's all part of that culture and that community," Klusmann explains.

It's a community and culture that lives on at the RollerCade rink in southwest Detroit. Founders¹³ Johnnie Mae Folks and Leroy Folks migrated to Detroit from Alabama. They fell in love with roller skating after several summer trips to Idlewild, Mich., says their grandson, Kyle Black.

Back in Detroit, "there was only one skating rink in the neighborhood and they only allowed Black people one day out of the week," says Black. "And they wanted to skate more frequently."

That motivated his grandparents to open a space for their children and community to roller skate in. So they established RollerCade in 1955, and passed it down to their sons, who then passed it down to Black. "I would say RollerCade represents perseverance¹⁴ and the will to be of service to people," Black says.

Nearly 70 years later, the original rink is still standing¹⁵ – along with an additional location in downtown Detroit. "During the pandemic, roller skating was one of the few outlets¹⁶ that people had that was safe which led to an immediate¹⁷ spike¹⁸ in skate sales ... and participation," Black says.

Skyrocketing sales led to a worldwide shortage of skates in 2020 and 2021. Nolan Edwards, founder¹² of the Detroit-based skating company and collective Motown Roller Club, says this resurgence¹⁹ is thanks to social media. Videos on Motown Roller Club's TikTok typically attracted 50 to 60 likes every month – and then increased to thousands. "During the COVID time frame, one of our videos got about a half a million views on it ... " says Edwards. "Thanks to the Internet, [people] just fell in love with roller skating and it just absolutely blew up."

Edwards started posting instructional skate videos on social media. He's also been able to establish partnerships²⁰ and work with local non-profits. The club now hosts weekly skate classes and sessions across multiple rinks in Detroit. These classes allow a younger generation of skaters – some new to Detroit style and its history – to join in the fun.

Elijah Smith, 19, has been skating for just a few years. In 2022, he started his own skate page on Instagram. He loves that he can contribute to Detroit style. These are decades-old moves, Smith says, but over time, "people were able to mix it up ... add little twists to it." And now Smith, and other skaters in this new generation, are helping²¹ evolve the tradition.

Detroit style is "not a set thing that you have to do every time," Smith says. "When you comin' out on the floor, it's just always something brand new, every single time."

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 rhythmic   

adj.有节奏的，有韵律的

参考例句：

• Her breathing became more rhythmic.她的呼吸变得更有规律了。
• Good breathing is slow,rhythmic and deep.健康的呼吸方式缓慢深沉而有节奏。

3 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

4 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

5 tempo   

n.(音乐的)速度；节奏，行进速度

参考例句：

• The boss is unsatisfied with the tardy tempo.老板不满于这种缓慢的进度。
• They waltz to the tempo of the music.他们跟着音乐的节奏跳华尔兹舞。

6 versatile   

adj.通用的，万用的；多才多艺的，多方面的

参考例句：

• A versatile person is often good at a number of different things.多才多艺的人通常擅长许多种不同的事情。
• He had been one of the game's most versatile athletes.他是这项运动中技术最全面的运动员之一。

7 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

8 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

9 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

10 segregation   

n.隔离，种族隔离

参考例句：

• Many school boards found segregation a hot potato in the early 1960s.在60年代初，许多学校部门都觉得按水平分班是一个棘手的问题。
• They were tired to death of segregation and of being kicked around.他们十分厌恶种族隔离和总是被人踢来踢去。

11 ethic   

n.道德标准，行为准则

参考例句：

• They instilled the work ethic into their children.他们在孩子们的心中注入了职业道德的理念。
• The connotation of education ethic is rooted in human nature's mobility.教育伦理的内涵根源于人本性的变动性。

12 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

13 founders   

n.创始人( founder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He was one of the founders of the university's medical faculty. 他是该大学医学院的创建人之一。 来自辞典例句
• The founders of our religion made this a cornerstone of morality. 我们宗教的创始人把这看作是道德的基石。 来自辞典例句

14 perseverance   

n.坚持不懈，不屈不挠

参考例句：

• It may take some perseverance to find the right people.要找到合适的人也许需要有点锲而不舍的精神。
• Perseverance leads to success.有恒心就能胜利。

15 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

16 outlets   

n.出口( outlet的名词复数 )；经销店；插座；廉价经销店

参考例句：

• The dumping of foreign cotton blocked outlets for locally grown cotton. 外国棉花的倾销阻滞了当地生产的棉花的销路。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They must find outlets for their products. 他们必须为自己的产品寻找出路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

17 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

18 spike   

n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效

参考例句：

• The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
• They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。

19 resurgence   

n.再起，复活，再现

参考例句：

• A resurgence of his grief swept over Nim.悲痛又涌上了尼姆的心头。
• Police say drugs traffickers are behind the resurgence of violence.警方说毒贩是暴力活动重新抬头的罪魁祸首。

20 partnerships   

n.伙伴关系( partnership的名词复数 )；合伙人身份；合作关系

参考例句：

• Partnerships suffer another major disadvantage: decision-making is shared. 合伙企业的另一主要缺点是决定要由大家来作。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• It involved selling off limited partnerships. 它涉及到售出有限的合伙权。 来自辞典例句

21 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。