Skip to main content
Back to Show
If Cities Could Dance

How Black Roller Skaters Carry Forward LA's Iconic Scene

Season 4 Episode 3

In LA, jam skaters draw from a community and culture built over generations at Venice Beach and at rinks across the city. Over the past year, roller skating hit the mainstream as a safe and relatively accessible pandemic-era pastime. Skates were sold out for months, and skaters became major influencers on Instagram and TikTok. But longtime skaters are quick to remind everyone: This isn’t a fad.

Sign up now for inspiring and thought-provoking media delivered straight to your inbox.
Support Provided By
Season
High-Stepping Moves on New Orleans' Second Line Parades
3:14
In New Orleans, Sunday parades fill the streets with joyful dancing and brass bands.
Dancing to Reclaim Historic Detroit
3:01
A fourth-generation Detroit resident uses historic landmarks to frame her movement
Voguing on the Streets of San Francisco
2:49
San Francisco's LGBTQ community reshapes the vogue balls of 1970s Harlem
Active loading indicator