He also danced with Norma Miller, who became known as the Queen of Swing. Manning then joined the group “Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers”, with whom he toured extensively and made several films. Thus, Manning learned to dance to from his mother, and ended up in the prestigious Kat’s Corner group at the Savoy by the 1930s. His mother also enjoyed dancing, including more traditional dances like the waltz, along with more casual and loose styles with family and friends. In New York, Manning started going to dances at the Renaissance Ballroom, where he was accompanied by his mother and helped her decorate the ballroom. Manning was born in Jacksonville, Florida, and moved to Harlem at the age of three. He found an interest in dance at a young age, encouraged by his family in South Carolina, when he would often visit. The Lindy Hop was birthed in Harlem in the ‘20s and ‘30s, and became wildly popular across the nation. Millman, was published by Temple University Press in spring 2007.įrankie passed away in 2009, but his memory and legacy are being carried on by swing dancers around the world.Considered the “World Ambassador” of the Lindy Hop, Frankie Manning was born on and died on April 27, 2009, and is considered one of the most celebrated Lindy Hopper of all time. His autobiography, Frankie Manning: Ambassador of Lindy Hop, co-written by Cynthia R. Frankie’s activities have been chronicled in hundreds of articles (including features in GQ and People Magazine) and dozens of news programs (including a profile on ABC’s 20/20).Ĭonsidered the world’s leading authority on the lindy hop, he is highlighted in Ken Burns’s acclaimed documentary, Jazz. He won a 1989 Tony Award for his choreography in Black and Blue, and served as a consultant for and performed in Spike Lee’s Malcolm X. From then on he was in constant demand, teaching, choreographing, and performing globally.

With the demise of the Swing Era, Frankie took a job in the Post Office, where he worked for thirty years until his rediscovery by a new generation of swing dance enthusiasts in the mid-1980s.

Swing dancer extraordinaire Frankie Manning was a leading dancer at Harlem’s legendary Savoy Ballroom where in the mid-1930s, he revolutionised the course of the lindy hop with his innovations, including the air step.Īs a featured dancer and chief choreographer for the spectacular Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers, he performed in numerous films (including Hellzapoppin’ (1941)), and entertained on stages around the world with jazz greats Ethel Waters, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, and Cab Calloway.

Frankie manning ambassador of lindy hop