Rooted in Motown, Detroit style skating rolls on into the next generation
-
Inside RollerCade in the 1970sKyle Black -
Skaters doing "the Hatch" at Detroit's Northland Roller Rink in for the second annual Skate Jam Night.Zairé Talon Daniels -
Skaters at Northland Roller Rink in Detroit.Zairé Talon Daniels
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 rhythmic, following and matching a beat. "Everything is in sync because it's from the Motown era," McClendon explains.
Motown's music legacy is well known — think: Smokey Robinson, The Supremes and The Temptations — but not everyone is aware of the lasting 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 tempo 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 versatile style. Very showy."
And that's largely because of Motown.
Building a resilient roller community
From the 1910s to the 1970s, during the Great Migration, many Black families fled the South seeking safer, better lives. The auto industry in Detroit was a major draw. "Ford represented an opportunity to work and make money — and with that, the opportunity to buy houses and cars, and own businesses," Klusmann says.
The segregation 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 ethic 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. Founders 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 perseverance and the will to be of service to people," Black says.
A new generation of Detroit style skaters
Nearly 70 years later, the original rink is still standing – along with an additional location in downtown Detroit. "During the pandemic, roller skating was one of the few outlets that people had that was safe which led to an immediate spike in skate sales ... and participation," Black says.
Skyrocketing sales led to a worldwide shortage of skates in 2020 and 2021. Nolan Edwards, founder of the Detroit-based skating company and collective Motown Roller Club, says this resurgence 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 partnerships 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 helping 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."
9(MDAxODcyMTgzMDEyMTgxMTY5NjYxN2I4OQ004))
Transcript
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Next, we have some music from Detroit - Motown.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "YOU CAN'T HURRY LOVE")
THE SUPREMES: (Singing) You can't hurry love. No, you just have to wait. She said, love don't come easy.
INSKEEP: You know, the Supremes, the Temptations, Smokey Robinson, that sort of thing. It totally changed the landscape of American music and also changed roller skating. Detroit's Black skaters were inspired by the hits coming from Motown Records, a tempo and rhythm that helped to create what is known as the Detroit style. NPR's Naina Rao reports.
NAINA RAO, BYLINE: I'm standing right on the edge of the roller-skating rink at Northland Roller Rink in Detroit, Mich. It's Skate Jam Night. And the theme is throwback. This means skate night with R&B, disco and soul music playing for everyone to jam to.
ANGIE MCCLENDON: Detroit style is what you see.
RAO: That's 61-year-old Angie McClendon. She's been skating since she was 5, so she knows what makes the Detroit style unique.
MCCLENDON: We just don't skate willy-lily. It's certain things we do, half turns, reverses.
RAO: Like the hatch, where three skaters hold hands and turn their bodies right to left as they're moving. The Detroit style can also be done while the rest of the body is mostly still with the help toe stops, which are rubber balls on the bottom of the skates. This uniqueness can be traced back to the early days of Motown.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "MONKEY JUMP")
JUNIOR WALKER AND THE ALL STARS: Oh, look at that monkey jump. Yeah, yeah.
TASHA KLUSMANN: Standing still allows you to put it on a stage.
RAO: Tasha Klusmann is the historian behind the National African American Roller Skating Archive.
KLUSMANN: With Motown, they were learning to smile and how to carry an audience and how to present themselves. Roller skating was just another vehicle to do it.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THEME FROM “WHICH WAY IS UP”")
STARGARD: (Singing) Which way is up? I finally got my direction together. Which way is up? Ooh...
RAO: The origins of the Great Migration influenced this move. Klusmann says many Black families left the South between 1910 to 1970 due to lynching and other crimes. In Detroit, companies like Ford provided a way for people to make money, buy houses, cars and own businesses, like the RollerCade rink.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
HOPE: My name is Hope (ph). And we are reporting live from RollerCade for the 67th anniversary skate party.
RAO: Founders Johnnie and Leroy Folks migrated from Alabama to Detroit and fell in love with roller skating after several summer trips to Idlewild. Kyle Black is Johnnie and Leroy's grandson.
KYLE BLACK: There was only one skating rink in the neighborhood. And then, they only allowed Black people one day out of the week. And they wanted to skate more frequently.
RAO: Black says that motivated his grandparents to open a space for their children and community to roller skate in, in 1955. Nearly 70 years later, the rink is still standing with a new location in downtown and increased popularity.
BLACK: During the pandemic, roller skating was one of the few outlets that people had that was safe, which led to an immediate spike in skate sales and participation.
RAO: In fact, skyrocketing roller skate sales led to a shortage of them worldwide in 2020 and 2021. Nolan Edwards, founder of the Detroit skating company and collective Motown Roller Club, says social media played a huge role in this major skating resurgence.
NOLAN EDWARDS: During the COVID timeframe, one of our videos got about half a million views on it. That one that we put out on TikTok and Instagram obtained, like, a big majority of the following for us.
RAO: Edwards says videos that will gain 50 to 60 likes every month increased to thousands on the company's TikTok during the pandemic.
EDWARDS: I don't think people realized how powerful TikTok is. It was thanks to the internet. People just fell in love with roller skating. And it just absolutely blew up.
RAO: Edwards started posting instructional skate videos on social media, which helped Motown Roller Club take off. And now it hosts weekly skate classes and sessions across Detroit, including Northland Roller Rink.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
RAO: Nineteen-year-old Elijah Smith is skating across the rink for Skate Jam Night. He is recording some of the skaters on his phone to post on social media. What he loves most about roller skating is how he can add new things to the Detroit style. The same moves used 50 years ago are still being used today.
ELIJAH SMITH: So it's not a set thing that you have to do every time. So when you're coming out on the floor, it's just always something brand-new every single time.
RAO: Ensuring this tradition stays alive as a new generation takes over.
For NPR News, I'm Naina Rao.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "REACH OUT I’LL BE THERE")
FOUR TOPS: (Singing) I'll be there, with a love that will shelter you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
300x250 Ad
300x250 Ad