SITE TOOLS
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Double Dutch Divas
By Carla Robinson
Nicole Franklin’s delightful documentary on one of Black American
girls’ most enduring pastimes made me long for something I never had - a Harlem
childhood filled with double dutch jumping.
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© 2001 RLP Ventures
Nicole Franklin |
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While watching The Double Dutch Divas! I
became enchanted by this image: summertime, lemonade, a city block filled to capacity with
adoring crowds who cheer for a youthful team jumping double dutch like there’s no
tomorrow. However, the jumpers are only girls in spirit. In reality, they range in age
from 27 - 49. They are workers, wives, mothers and sisters. And, on this particular day,
they are champion double dutch jumpers reclaiming their girlhood to the joy and surprise
of everyone around them.
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This spirit of joy is what moved Franklin, an experienced film editor, to document the
encounters of these remarkable women in Double Dutch Divas! Divas is actually an expanded
segment from Franklin’s first feature-length work, titled I Was Made To Love Her: The
Double Dutch Documentary, which showcases jumpers of all ages. As Franklin explained,
“In researching and shooting the feature, I was introduced to an older generation of
women, The Double Dutch Divas…. Everyone was so thrilled watching the footage of them
that my distributor…suggested taking that section and making it its own film.”
For a short film (39 minutes), Divas packs an emotional
wallop. It takes us on a journey that illuminates the dimensions of American female life
as we follow the jumpers from competitions, to practice, to work, to home. There’s
something special about witnessing adult Black women, a group legendary for
self-sacrifice, taking time to indulge their passion for a sport that many of them have
loved since childhood. For these women, who have been jumping together for more than a
decade, double dutch is a metaphor for life - it has its obstacles and its triumphs and it
works best when approached with a dedicated, generous spirit.
Franklin acknowledged that although the feature film was “an interesting subject that
brought back a lot of wonderful memories” for her, she’s been surprised by the
way audiences have reacted to Divas, particularly men. “The response from men has
been so refreshing. They enjoy watching the women taking back their childhood while having
a wonderful, free, spiritual existence executed in such a talented and beautiful
way.” Franklin is also happy with the film’s reception at the Shero Film
Festival, where it took second place.
Although the process of making both double dutch films tested the boundaries of her
creative ingenuity, Franklin remains undaunted. Through her production company, Epiphany
Inc., she is creating more film and TV projects that present a fuller spectrum of the
human experience, especially as it relates to Black women. “There are so many of our
stories…that people don’t know about, or the perceptions of us are
misconstrued,” she said, adding, “We’ve been taking care of business for
years.” By working to place films like The Double Dutch Divas! in front of an
international audience, Franklin is answering the call to set the record straight.
M
July 2001
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