Frankie Manning

Paper Summary:

This paper studies swing dancing, focusing on Frankie Manning, the father of the Lindy Hop. As the paper explains, Manning created some of the Lindy Hop's most famous moves and continues to teach it today, at the ripe old age of 90. The paper demonstrates how Manning is one of the most important swing dancers ever, detailing his influence on the genre. The paper points to Manning's role in the widespread resurgence of swing dance and swing dancing popularity today. The paper also discusses Manning's continued influence through choreographing films, Broadway shows, and television shows.

From the Paper:

"The jazzy, rhythmic beat of swing music just urged people to dance, and so, a new dance form began, called "swing dance" that went along with the big band beat and rhythm. One of the first popular swing dances was the "Lindy Hop," first danced at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem in the early 1930. Legend has it that the dance was named after Charles Lindberg and his famous solo crossing of the Atlantic in 1929. After he successfully landed in Paris, newspapers across the country reported that "Lindy Hops the Atlantic" ("Happy Feet" and Editors). In Harlem at the Savoy, the most popular swing dance was simply called the "hop." However, after Lindberg's success, "a reporter, looking at the crazy antics of the dancers at the Savoy, asked what the name of the dance was. 'It's the Lindy Hop!', came the reply. And thus the first real swing dance was born" ("Happy Feet"). The story is as plausible as any about the dance's origins. This Lindy Hop eventually evolved into a conglomerate of swing dance and jitterbug that is generally known simply as 'swing.'"

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