Frankie Manning

by Manning, Frankie

• ISBN13: 9781592135646
• ISBN10: 1592135641
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-09-28
• Publisher: Temple Univ Pr

Summary

In the early days of swing dancing, Frankie Manning stood out for his moves and innovative routines; he introduced the "air step" in the Lindy Hop, a dance that took the U.S. and then the world by storm. In this fascinating autobiography, choreographer and Tony Award winner (Black and Blue) Manning recalls how his first years of dancing as a teenager at Harlem's Savoy Ballroom led to his becoming chief choreographer and a lead dancer for "Whitey's Lindy Hoppers," a group that appeared on Broadway, in Hollywood musicals and on stages around the globe. Manning brings the Swing Era vividly back to life with his recollections of the crowded ballrooms and of Lindy Hoppers trying to outdo each other in spectacular performances.

Author Biography

Lindy hopper Frankie Manning won a 1989 Tony Award for his choreography in Black and Blue, was honored by the National Endowment for the Arts with a National Heritage Fellowship, and served as a consultant for and danced in Spike Lee's Malcolm X and Debbie Allen's Stompin' at the Savoy. Frankie's choreographic contributions to the lindy, his professional dance career with Whitey's Lindy Hoppers and the Congaroo Dancers, and his vital role in the swing dance revival have been widely chronicled in the news media, books, and documentaries, including Ken Burns's Jazz and an ABC News 20/20 profile. Now in his nineties, Frankie travels the world teaching the Lindy hop and sharing his riveting memories of dancing through the swing era.

Cynthia R. Millman taught dance and performed for over twenty-five years, including five years with the Big Apple Lindy Hoppers. She has studied and partnered with Frankie, and lectures with him on the history of the Lindy. A librarian at The Town School in Manhattan, Cynthia has contributed articles to Dance Magazine and The International Encyclopedia of Dance, and has served as a dance consultant on several documentaries.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments; Foreword: Mercedes Ellington; Frankie Manning: An Appreciation by Cynthia R. Millman; Prologue: Too StiffPart One: Early Steps (1914-circa 1933)1. Jazz Baby; 2. Early Ballroom ForaysPart Two: Savoy Dancer (circa 1933-1936)3. To the Savoy at Last; 4. Whitey, Shorty, and Stretch; 5. Win Win; 6. Up in the Air She GoesPart Three: Whitey's Lindy Hoppers (1936-1943)7. Going Pro; 8. Big Time at the Cotton Club; 9. A Big Apple for Whitey; 10. On Broadway and In the Movies; 11. Stranded in RioPart Four: War And Home (1943-1984)12. Dancer Interrupted; 13. The Congaroo Dancers and a Day JobPart Five: Second Act (1984-present)14. RevivalAppendixes: A. Frankie Manning Timeline; B. Biographies of Lindy Hoppers; C. List of Works Cited or Consulted; C. Frankie's List of Swing Dance on Film/TV; D. Swing Dance Resources; E. Swing Dance Organizations and Events Index