Double Dutch (jump rope)
Encyclopedia
While double dutch began in the inner cities of America, it is growing in popularity throughout the US and the world. Competitions in double dutch range from block parties to the world level.
History
It is debated whether double dutch came over with the first Dutch settlers or appeared in the first half of the 1900s.Beginning spring of 2009, double dutch became a varsity sport in New York City public high schools.
Technique
Playing double dutch involves at least three people: one or more jumping, and two turning the ropes. The ones holding the ropes are called the turners. A jumper usually performs tricks that may involve gymnasticsGymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
or breakdance, and may also incorporate fancy foot movements.
Double dutch is often accompanied by singing to help the players stay in rhythm.
Double Dutch in the Media
Doubletime, the documentary from Discovery FIlms, tells the story of the historic meet-up of rope skipping and double dutch. The film follows two top teams; the Bouncing Bulldogs and the Double Dutch Forces, as they train to compete against each other for the very first time. The competition takes place at the Apollo Theater in Harlem.In 2005, Elizabeth Verity, aka Double Dutch Girl, is jumping her way around the U.S. raising money for the troops. Double Dutch Girl has already jumped rope in St. Louis, Chicago, Washington and several small towns throughout the Midwest. Ultimately, her goal is to jump rope in all 50 states.
The 2007 Disney Channel
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
original movie Jump In! features double dutch as the central element of its plot. Jump In! features the Dutch Dragons, based on a real double dutch team from 1997 in Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
. JUMP!, an award-winning documentary following five teams from around the United States who push their physical and psychological limits in pursuit of winning the World Rope Skipping Championship, also premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival
Los Angeles Film Festival
The Los Angeles Film Festival, presented by the Los Angeles Times is an event held annually in June in downtown Los Angeles, California. The Los Angeles Film Festival began as the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival in 1995. The first LAIFF took place over the course of five days in a single...
in 2007
On January 15, 2007, in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the Google homepage featured a double dutch logo with black children playing with white children, emblematic of the realization of Martin Luther King, Jr's "I Have A Dream
I Have a Dream
"I Have a Dream" is a 17-minute public speech by Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered on August 28, 1963, in which he called for racial equality and an end to discrimination...
" speech in 1963.
The Dutch Girl character from Wee Sing's Grandpa's Magical Toys partially gets her name from double dutch.
The music video to the 2010 track by DJ Fresh, Gold Dust, centres around double dutch skipping.In the music video of Yves Larock hit 2007 track Rise Up , double dutch is the theme used.
Competitive Double Dutch
The National Double Dutch League holds yearly camps and a Holiday Classic, in which teams from all over the world compete. Double dutch is also an integral part of USA Jump Rope Tournaments as well as AAU and the Junior Olympic Games.Double dutch competitions are categorized as compulsory, freestyle, and speed rope.